My Event Full Life: Strength In The City

My Event Full Life is your chance to take a peek inside the lives of some of 91制片厂鈥檚 most seasoned organisers as they share the secrets behind their success. What lessons have they learned along the way? What advice has been the most valuable? And what keeps them up at night? Get ready to be inspired.

Strength In The City is about more than just wellness. It鈥檚 about empowering communities through carefully curated events. From journaling workshops and fitness festivals to upcycling classes and street cleans, Strength In The City promises to nourish attendees inside and out.

Events take place in cities across the US, including Chicago, Denver, San Diego, Austin, and Miami.

Here, passionate founder Liezyl Ribero shares her vision, motivations, and advice for other event organisers looking to make a difference.

*_{Liezyl Ribero, founder of Strength In The City}*

There aren鈥檛 enough hours in the day. I honestly don鈥檛 sleep. I can go to bed at 1am and am up again at 5am. I鈥檓 one of those people. But it鈥檚 not worry or anxiety that keeps me up at night. It鈥檚 because I love what I do and want to keep pushing forward. If I come up with an idea at 10 o’clock, all of a sudden, it’s 2 in the morning and I鈥檓 still working. I can’t stop doing what I’m doing. I wish there were more hours in the day to create more鈥攁nd to chill and rest, too.

We鈥檙e always at the mercy of Mother Nature. Running outdoor events means you鈥檙e constantly checking the weather. But we鈥檙e lucky we have built a team that knows what to do in those situations鈥攁nd they get to work fast. The weather has not been on our side this year. In Chicago, Illinois, we鈥檙e always ready for the weather to change. But this year, the rain in Denver, Colorado, during an event meant we had to bring 40 vendors inside. Over the years, we’ve learned to have a backup plan and make sure we have indoor and outdoor options at our events.

Events As Self-Care is one of this year’s hottest trends. Find out more in TRNDS 2024, our annual trend forecasting guide.

Attendees participate in a class at a Strength In The City event — _{Attendees gather during a Strength In The City event}

I鈥檓 the mama who puts the fire out. I thrive under pressure. It鈥檚 where I win. I鈥檝e worked on being calm and believing that when something unexpected happens, you can鈥檛 dwell on it. You must figure out how to fix, change, and improve it. And just be super honest with everybody around you about what’s happening.

I wanted to get into politics. My mission is to change Chicago for the better. Initially, I wanted to get into politics, but I changed my mind鈥攊t just wasn鈥檛 for me. So, I started Strength In The City to bring communities together and make health and wellbeing more accessible.

We鈥檙e not just an event. It鈥檚 not just fitness. It鈥檚 everything. We鈥檙e bringing people together because they need a social connection, to move their bodies, or to learn something from the educators we鈥檙e bringing to these events. I鈥檓 seeing the impact of these small changes, and I can鈥檛 wait to see them on a larger scale.

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Attendees participate in an outdoor class at a Strength In The City event — _A_{n outdoor class during a}_{Strength In The City event}

We have one life to live. My passion is to connect and meet people. It’s so great what Strength In The City is giving to me. The relationships I’ve built would have never happened if I never created this organization.

Sometimes I want to quit. There鈥檚 so much s*** going on in the back end; it鈥檚 overwhelming. But then you get positive feedback from attendees and partners, and you know you can鈥檛 stop鈥攚e鈥檙e so much more than events.

I don’t make any money from anything that we do. It’s like we volunteer. People think we鈥檙e a huge organisation, but there are only five of us. We鈥檙e still the little guys; we just have big hearts.

Start small. My advice to those starting is to start small. When I started, I had grand plans, so I rented out the biggest field for my event鈥攁nd it looked empty. Events look more significant in a smaller venue. Fill the space and let things grow organically. It鈥檚 smarter financially, too, because you鈥檙e not spending as much money.

Listen more than you speak. I’m such a doer sometimes. I don’t think “let’s do the A, B, C, and D”. I just kind of go straight to D. I’m learning through the teams we’ve built how to be more thoughtful and ensure we have a structured plan in the future.