LB Activation

5 Signs You Need Activation

A few signs that you need this trip of a lifetime…


You can’t remember the last time you had a girl’s trip.

Activation is a week of HIGH QUALITY girl time, and going away with other women is proven to be great for your health. Activation is a lot like your college days where you met new people, made new friends, let loose, and had fun!

When was the last time you got away with just the girls for a whole week? Or when was the last time you put yourself in a position to make a new group of friends? There’s nothing that creates instant bonds quite like laughing, sweating, exploring, breathing in mother nature’s beauty with women who lift you up.  Let’s face it, girl time isn’t just an excuse to have fun, it’s good for the soul and something you should try to make time for at least once or twice per year.


You want to become healthy, strong, and look amazing right before Summer.

Activations are literally that…they get the ball rolling and keep it going. It’s one week where it’s all about YOU. As women, most of us are guilty of regularly putting the needs of others before our own. However, at some point we all need to hit that reset button and spend a little time focusing on us, so that we can be our best for everyone else in our lives. Activation lets you do just that.

You’ll explore a new place, experience culture outside of the US, slow down, relax at the beach, become stronger, pamper yourself, try new things, and meet new people. Best of all, you can enjoy the sunset with your feet in the sand and a fresh coconut or cocktail in hand and not even have to think about cooking dinner since there’s a chef taking care of everything for you.


You need a Smartphone intervention.

Eyes up, babe! Has your screen time reached epic levels? Do your wrist and thumbs hurt? How many times a day do you check your phone, email, talk to Alexa, etc.? Probably multiple times per hour. A 2018 Neilsen audience report found that American adults spend more than 11 hours per day interacting with media, and most of that happens on our Smartphones.

No, you aren’t totally disconnected on Activation unless you desire to be. It’s more like we’re untethered and balanced. I like to think of it as creating healthy digital boundaries where there’s no FOMO. Really, it’s the ultimate freedom.


You haven’t felt pure Joy in a while.

You know…that heart-bursting joy? There’s nothing that beats slow food, slow living, and spending time in nature getting sandy, salty, and sweaty. Everyone always mentions how they love playing all day and getting aligned with their circadian rhythms and going to bed EXHAUSTED at 8:30PM.

Incorporating the ocean into your daily life, feeling the warm sun on your skin, breathing in the fresh jungle air… it truly gives you life.  That joy the main reason we escape the USA… it’s just not the same if you don’t leave your comfort zone. Spending time in nature stripped of the things you feel are life necessities is pure magic. It’s healing, inspiring, and refreshing. It may sound cliché, but it’s really as simple as the saying goes, don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers.


You don’t feel like you are your best self.

Activations have a way of helping you find your inner goddess and truly love yourself.  It’s almost impossible to put into words and it’s really something that you have to experience to understand, but I’ll try my best to explain.

First off, it’s a week of working out and being pushed to new limits. You leave feeling infinitely stronger than you did before the trip and these results stay with you for the next 6+ months. Secondly, you spend that week letting go of schedules and the stress of your daily life, which allows the tension you normally carry melt away. On top of that, you’re surrounded by women who are there for the same reasons as you. There’s no competition, or catty-ness. Instead, it’s a week of having fun and lifting each other up. You leave with new friends, feeling completely empowered and accomplished. Finally, you come back super fit, sun-kissed and exploding with confidence ready to take on summer. You spend a week putting yourself first and it reminds you just how amazing YOU are.

The trip That Changed My Life....

In 2015, I went on my first retreat with Lauren.  At the time, I was managing Lauren’s fitness studios in Philadelphia, and I considered myself a pretty healthy person.   I worked out 3-4x per week, I ate “healthy”, and drank (probably too much) green juice. When Lauren, invited me on the fall retreat, I jumped at the opportunity. A trip to an exotic beach in Nicaragua?..for work?... umm F*** yeah!

But, as the excitement wore off, I started to become pretty freaking nervous.   First off, I still had nightmares from a one hour beach class that I took with Lauren. I was so sore from working in the sand that I had to crawl down my apartment’s three flights of stairs b/c my legs literally gave out on me. I was definitely more of a “hide in the back corner and avoid classes that were too hard for me” kind of a person... so there was NO WAY I thought I could keep up and handle not one, but TWO of Lauren’s classes each day. Then there was also the food to worry about. I am a picky eater and I eat A LOT. What if I didn’t like anything, or worse what if this was some kind of fat camp and they only fed us 1000 calories a day? Finally, did I mention the retreat was totally sold out? This meant I’d not only be sharing a room, but ALSO sharing a bed with Lauren…god forbid I fart in my sleep while sharing a bed with my boss!  So between embarrassing myself, starving and being the weak link I had some serious hesitations about this retreat. Luckily, Lauren purchased me a non-refundable ticket and I never had a chance to think about backing out.

I like to think of myself a traveler. I traveled a lot in my early 20’s, and still jump at any travel opportunity I get.  I’ve had amazing trips and I’ve had some really really bad trips. Besides the personal things I worried about, Activation had all of the right ingredients for a great trip- beautiful beaches, yummy food, strong drinks, places to explore, new friends, lots of activities (hikes, kayaking, surf lessons, etc.).  Yet, little did I know this trip would not only land on my list of amazing trips, but it would ACTUALLY change my life.

By the end of the retreat, I lost 6 or 7 inches, I made new friends with some amazing people, I watched the sunset on the beach with a cocktail in hand almost every night, I beat myself up in surf lessons, I got some sun (burn*), and ate dessert regularly. But what made this trip so different was how it made me feel. I came back feeling stronger, proud of myself and my body, and feeling so confident that I was walking around the streets of Philadelphia like I owned the place.

In one week, Lauren pushed me to reach a level of fitness that I never knew I even had the potential to achieve. We worked out twice a day. It was tough. I was never the first to finish an exercise. I was tired. I was sore.  But, I never felt the urge to quit and I didn’t have to crawl down any stairs. Lauren had a way of tailoring all of the workouts to the group. She knew how to push us just enough without going too far.

I came home feeling inspired and motivated to maintain my strength and my results. I didn’t want this feeling to go away.  My “healthy” diet, became healthier. I felt so much stronger, that I was able to push myself harder in my regular workouts. I even moved from the back row to the front row of class and stopped stalling every chance I got.  And most importantly I ‘fell off the wagon” less frequently.

I’ve now been on three retreats with Lauren.  I’ve lost over 20 inches, I’ve gained muscle and I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.  If I had never gone on that first retreat, I don’t think I would have learned to work at my full potential. I certainly wouldn’t have ever been strong enough to film with Lauren. And I probably wouldn’t feel as great as I do on a daily basis. I will always be grateful I had this life changing opportunity. Thank you Lauren for pushing me to new limits!