Stepping Out From Behind the Curtain

Renee:
As we get closer to the Soulful Leadership Retreat, I find myself reflecting on the journey that brought us here, not just as event leaders, but as partners in life and business.

It’s funny to look back now, because in 2020, at our very first event, Vision 2020, I never touched the stage. Not once.

I was the woman behind the registration table. The one checking microphones, setting out lunches, tracking timelines, and quietly making sure the whole thing ran without a hitch.

Eden, who was ten at the time, actually introduced Mark on stage. And I was thrilled. I loved being “the wizard behind the curtain.”

That was my comfort zone. My brilliance. My role.

I didn’t need the spotlight. I didn’t want it, honestly. I was proud of how smoothly everything ran and happy to let Mark be the face and voice of our work.

Then the world shut down.

And suddenly our stage was a Zoom room, and I was on screen a lot more than I expected. Hosting. Facilitating. Connecting.

One of our mentors said to me during that time, “Girl… you shine on the stage.”

And I remember thinking: Me? Really?

Mark:
For years, I called Renee the wizard behind the curtain because that was the truest description of who she was in our business. She was the pulse and the grounding force, the one who kept the entire operation breathing with a quiet brilliance most people never saw.

People would often say to me, “I’ve never met Renee, but I hear she’s incredible,” and I would just smile because incredible didn’t even begin to cover it. Renee was the reason everything worked. I always knew she had a presence that belonged on stage right beside me, but I also knew how deeply she valued being behind the scenes. So I never pushed her. I trusted her timing.

Watching her step forward during our virtual retreats was one of the most beautiful evolutions I’ve ever witnessed. She didn’t just “fill a role.” She illuminated the room. It was like watching someone realize their own power in real time. And in those moments, I felt something shift, not just in the business, but in how we were growing together as partners. I was proud then, and I’m even more proud now.

Renee:
By the time we gathered again in person in 2023, I found myself easing onto the stage… a little. Sharing. Teaching. Holding space.

But I was still the wizard. Still running everything. Still carrying the logistics, the backend, the timing, the flow.

Last year was the first time I hired a team, giving myself the room to experience the retreat, not just manage it. And it changed everything.

This year, we’ve expanded the team again so I can be even more present in the room and on the stage.

It feels like a strange and beautiful transition stepping out from behind the curtain after so many years, realizing I like being up there, realizing I have a voice, a presence, and a perspective that belong alongside Mark’s.

I never imagined I’d say this, but… Leadership feels like home.

Not because it’s easy. Not because I’m suddenly fearless. But because I’ve grown into it. Slowly. Quietly. In the in-between spaces.

And now, less than two months away from welcoming 200 soulful leaders to this year’s retreat, I’m grateful for every version of me that carried us here:

The backstage organizer, the virtual co-host, the reluctant facilitator, the emerging leader. And now, the woman who is ready to take center stage with Mark, not behind him.

Mark:
Leading beside Renee today feels completely different from how it did in the early years. Back then, I was often the one out front while she kept the entire structure standing from behind the scenes. Now, I get to stand beside a woman who owns her leadership fully and shines in a way that elevates everyone around her, including me.

What I love most is how naturally she connects with people. When Renee steps forward, the whole room softens. People feel safe. They feel grounded. They feel seen. That is a gift I could never replicate, and it is one of the reasons our retreat has become what it is today.

Watching her rise in her voice, confidence, and authority has strengthened everything in our business, our community, and our marriage. She doesn’t just belong on stage with me… she expands what is possible when we are up there together. And I could not be more proud to walk beside her into this next season.

Renee:
I used to think leadership was something other people did. Now I understand it’s something you grow into through trust, through support, through experience, and through the courage to step into roles you never saw coming.

And none of this shift would have happened without hiring help.

Ena, our extraordinary VA, stepping into many of the roles I once held, has given me the spaciousness to step into the roles I’m meant to lead now.

It turns out…

You can’t step onto the stage if both your hands are still on the curtain.

Mark and Renee:
As we step into this next season of Soulful Leadership, we’re grateful for the evolution both ours and yours.

Because leadership isn’t built in the big moments. It’s built in the in-between. The transitions. The tiny brave shifts. The decision to step forward even when staying hidden feels safe.

And if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s this: You don’t grow by accident. You grow by stepping into the space that’s been waiting for you.

We can’t wait to welcome 200 leaders to this year’s retreat and to stand beside each other, center stage, as we do it.