Exuma: Adventure & Inspiration
Updated: 11h
It had been three whole years since I'd taken a real vacation and three years since I'd been to the ocean. And for someone who LOVES the water, that's a long time!! Life be life-ing!
Ironically, my last trip was also a retreat in Costa Rica, so I was more than ready for another adventure.
This time I was headed to Exuma, Bahamas, for my first-ever fitness retreat organized by Coach Jesse, a trainer at my gym, in collaboration with Derrick and Mariama, owners of Sun & Moon House, a vacation property on the island. And what an experience it was!!!
I'd been to the Bahamas several times, but Exuma is in a class of its own. THE most beautiful water I have ever seen in my entire life! A whole new world, literally.
From poolside workouts and drunken karaoke to THE most fun boat ride ever, we packed so much into a few short days!
And that boat excursion alone was one for the books! Pulling up to an island with swimming pigs, visiting another to feed iguanas, and stopping at a spectacular spot for some incredible photos! Watching lobster being speared, enjoying fresh conch salad made right on the boat, and vibing out to dancehall music along the way. What an experience!!!
As I wrote in my IG post when I returned:
“It's something about when the right people come together at the right time in the right place to make for the trip of a lifetime!!” 💫
And that's exactly what it was! Big up to Coach Jesse for bringing together such a wonderful group of people and showing us that when fitness is a lifestyle, you don't have to take a break from it on vacation. It can actually become the reason to get away!
So grateful for the friends old and new, the incredible people we met, and the opportunity to experience more of God's green earth. It's definitely a place I want to return to and experience with my son.
But among all the fun and adventure, I also left FULLY inspired!
Between the beauty of the island, the people I met, conversations with locals and expats investing in its growth, and seeing firsthand what a collaboration between a fitness trainer and vacation property owners could create, my creative wheels were turning!
I started imagining how I could bring together the branding, marketing, and experience design work I do through PYNE Creative with the scent development, product creation, and custom gifting I do through Oasis Soul Scent Co., all to help vacation properties become more distinctive destinations.
And then there were the possibilities for collaborating with retreat hosts, wellness leaders, and other creative professionals to bring new destination experiences to life!
So much so that I came home and launched SolCay™, a new hospitality branding and experience development venture under PYNE Creative.
Within a week of returning, I had a name, logo, website, and FOUR prospective client meetings lined up!
And THAT is a pretty good example of how my creative brain works!
Adventure. Experience. Inspiration. Imagination. Design. Execution.
And all of this inspiration has me bringing lolapyne.com back to life!
I've had several versions of this website over the years, but this time I'm creating a dedicated space to connect the dots between my businesses, creative projects, teaching, and entrepreneurial adventures, and share the ideas and inspiration behind them.
From branding and experience design to workshops, travel, entrepreneurship, and whatever else gets my creative wheels turning!
Because for me, creativity has never been limited to one thing. One experience can spark an idea, an idea can become a business, and that business can create opportunities for even more experiences.
And I'm excited to share more of that journey here!