Welcome to another edition of Kickin' it with Kristen — your midweek motivation every Wednesday!

Don't put off your potential — try coaching and book a complimentary Coaching Session today! #leadership #personaldevelopment #learning

💡Aha! Moment

Sitting at a café in Paris Las Vegas, watching the Eiffel Tower lights twinkle while sipping overpriced Diet Pepsi (yes, they serve only Pepsi). That's when it hit me.

I'd been scrolling LinkedIn between meetings, and every other post mentioned escaping "Corporate America." But wait—

Why do we even say that?

Do the French say "Corporate France"? Do Canadians flee "Corporate Canada"?

I nearly spit out my soda. We're the only country that branded our work culture like it's a separate entity—something to survive rather than live.

Here's what's wild: The term "Corporate America" emerged in the 1950s, right when work started swallowing life whole. When we needed a villain for the story we were living.

Think about it. We don't say:

• "Residential America" for our neighborhoods
• "Social America" for our friendships
• "Educational America" for our schools

But work? That got its own brand name. Its own identity. Its own escape plan.

We've built an entire vocabulary around work being the enemy:

• "Work-life balance" (as if work isn't part of life)
• "Thank God it's Friday" (celebrating the end of 5/7ths of our week)
• "Living for the weekend" (what about the other five days?)
• "The rat race" (we're literally comparing ourselves to lab animals)

Other countries just… work.

In Denmark, they leave the office at 4 PM without guilt. In France, most take a long holiday in August. In Japan, despite their intense work culture, they don't call it "Corporate Japan"—they have "salarymen," which at least acknowledges they're still human.

They don't need a special term for their work culture because it's integrated into life, not branded as the thing destroying it.

After 30+ years navigating corporate politics and relationships, I finally get it:

💡 When you have to name something to separate it from real life, maybe it was never meant to be your whole life.

No wonder we're all plotting our escapes. We literally named it as the thing to escape from.

Maybe that's why I love being The Hotel Whisperer now. I'm not "in" or "out" of Corporate America anymore. I'm just working. Living. Building. Creating. All at the same time, no separation required.

The fake Eiffel Tower in Vegas is trying to be something it's not. But at least it's honest about being fake.

We've been pretending work and life are separate for so long, we forgot they're supposed to be the same thing.

👉 What would change if you stopped seeing work as something to escape and started seeing it as just… part of your life?

One Thing to Know

🏨 Event Essentials - Just a quick heads-up—because of the World Cup, availability for 2026 is already getting tight. The games run June 11–July 19, with host cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico (Toronto, Vancouver, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and several in Mexico).

Why does this matter for your event? Because those same dates are filling fast—not just in the host cities, but in surrounding regions too—as corporations, sponsors, and fans begin locking in hotel space months (and sometimes years) in advance. Add to that the ongoing convention center renovations happening throughout Texas, and we’re seeing a ripple effect of displaced events competing for prime space and dates across the country.

The takeaway: start early. The sooner we can begin sourcing your 2026—and even early 2027—programs, the more leverage and choice you’ll have.

🏰 a_far_off_place by Katy Lampe - The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is a whirlwind of creativity, bursting with colorful art, mesmerizing performances, and mouthwatering culinary wonders. Since debuting in 2017, this festival has quickly become a favorite for guests, offering a dazzling showcase of Disney's artistic flair.

Let your creativity soar from January 16th until February 23rd with a trip to Walt Disney World to catch this amazing festival!

🏫 Learned - I recently finished listening to Kamala Harris’s book 107 Days as an audiobook, and I was fascinated by how openly she reflected on her campaign journey and decision-making process. Hearing her describe how she vetted and selected her vice-presidential candidate reminded me so much of the hiring process I used as an executive leader. The parallels between politics and leadership are striking—both require listening deeply, surrounding yourself with the right people, and making bold choices under pressure.

It was a good reminder that leadership isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about having the courage to ask the right questions and trust your team to rise with you.

✔️ Accomplished - I organized and set up a 2026 planning meeting for myself and three other powerhouse women business owners. We’re carving out two full days to step out of the day-to-day and focus on strategy—challenging each other, sharing lessons, and building plans that position our businesses for growth.

I’m so excited to spend time in a room where collaboration meets accountability. Sometimes the best investment you can make in your business is simply creating space to think, plan, and be surrounded by people who want to see you win.

🤔 Insight for the Week

❓A Question Worth Asking

Each week in KIWK, I’ll share a question—something I’m thinking about or asking my clients in coaching sessions. My hope? That it helps you pause, reflect, or lead a little more intentionally this week.

As I wrapped up this week’s reflections, one idea kept circling back to me—how we define success and the life we’re building around our work.

🟡 This week’s question: How can you design your work so it supports your life—instead of competes with it?

💬 Let’s Connect! Whether you’re planning an event, looking for leadership coaching, or dreaming up your next adventure, let’s chat. Hit reply, or find Kristen on LinkedIn and Katy on Facebook/Instagram.

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