When Heather asked me if I’d be willing to host an unofficial Summit “mini-mingle” a few weeks ago, I responded to her immediately that I would absolutely love to!  I remember what it was like going to the cocktail party as a Summit newbie last year and having mini-mingles this year was a genius plan to connect newbies and non-newbies alike.

Then Healthy Living Blogs posted the invite to the lunch mini-mingle that I was hosting and nervous stomach hit.  What if nobody signed up and the only person heading to the Whole Foods mini-mingle was me!  Talk about scariness.  Thankfully a few girls signed up that day and the bulk of my anxiety vanished as the blank page filled up.  Phew!

Then things took a turn towards even more awesome!  The Whole Foods mini-mingle group was EXCITED and began tweeting back and forth with the Riverside store.  David, the store’s marketing team leader, and I got in touch and started a little planning beyond salad/hot bar lunch.  He suggested having Emma, their Whole Body specialist, talk to our group about the importance of using skin care and make-up that was free of the dirty thirty.  The mini-mingle group shared my interest in this topic, so we officially put it on the unofficial schedule.

Not only did Emma’s informational sesh get off to a strong start, she managed to keep all of us, a group of tech addicts, completely engaged.  She stressed the importance of reducing the amount of toxins you put on your largest organ, your skin.  And she gave us practical suggestions such as replacing a product that you normally use with a non-toxic version as it runs out.  Or if you feel the need to make a change right away, replace a product that you use daily (like deodorant, foundation, body wash) with a non-toxic version.  It was a no-pressure, un-sales-y, informative, motivational discussion.  I’m so thankful that the Whole Foods Riverside team came up with this idea!

AND!  In addition to lots and lots of good info, David and Emma put together a goody bag filled with lots and lots of good product!  I’m really pumped about this because 1.  who doesn’t love free stuff?? and 2. this is the perfect motivation to test out the new stuff and replace the toxic stuff stat!

Thanks again Emma, David, and Whole Foods Riverside for making lunch even more special!!