Welcome to Issue 39 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about how to use storytelling to grow your brand. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.)

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Hello Reader,

I’m slouched in my seat about as far down as one can go on the plane back to San Francisco from Mexico City. I’m so exhausted that even my hair feels tired.

But yet, I’m fired up and feeling as full as ever.

For the past three days, I've been fully immersed in the thing I’ve been planning and prepping for the last three months—a multi-day international business retreat for solo entrepreneurs.

My co-host Emma and I were on the clock nonstop, making sure eight adults had what they needed as we moved through a packed schedule of programming, meals, entertainment, and exploring.

Late nights, a bout of food poisoning, and a lot of city walking added to the physical exhaustion.

And then a healthy amount of healing crying from nearly everyone in the group added another layer of emotional weight I wasn't anticipating. (In a good way.)

I guess that's just what happens when you get a group of 10 women together to talk about business.

Or maybe it's just what happens when you get a group of people together who are willing to fully show up.

A Good Lesson

I learned a lot about growing a business this week. I’m returning home with pages and pages of notes detailing new strategies, frameworks, and resources I can apply to my own work to help with everything from pricing to positioning.

But I know that's not what I'll remember from this trip.

What I'll remember is the experience one woman shared about her fraught relationship with her parents. And the connection I felt with another attendee’s story about her divorce.

I'll remember the laughter between two people reliving their 18-year-old drunken tattoo decisions. And the loneliness one woman feels over not fitting in with her community of Stepford wives back home.

I'll remember the tension one woman voiced between pursuing entrepreneurship and the lure of full-time stability. And the look on everyone's face as they resonated with her struggle.

I'll remember my co-host’s hilariously raunchy stand-up set, which she performed over dinner, to the horror of every couple trying to have a romantic date night at the tables next to us. And the bond we felt after dispatching a cucaracha the size of a tamale in our bedroom on our last night.

But most of all? I'll remember the way every single person made me feel seen, validated, and less alone.

A Good Takeaway

While I can’t speak for everyone, I know I’m not the only one coming home with so much more than a notebook full of new ideas. I’m coming home with real, meaningful connections.

Because from the stories came something no slide deck could deliver: Belonging, trust, understanding, and connection.

We all want business breakthroughs. But we need space to feel seen just as much.

When you share your story, you give yourself an opportunity to do that while also opening up space for others to do the same.

I know I talk a lot about how to use stories to stand out. But more importantly, this weekend reminded me that stories are how you figure out where you fit in.

Sharing stories is how you connect and how you heal.

And when you’re building something on your own, it might just be the thing that keeps you going.

Hope you have a good one,
Renee