Another Eczema Meet-Up Success!

Although I interact with the eczema community on a daily basis through different online channels, it’s not the same when we get together in person.

That’s why I couldn’t wait to put my first eczema meet-up together!

Planning an eczema meet-up

Exactly two months ago, I enrolled a fellow eczema warrior, Jude Weber, to join me in creating an eczema meet-up in Southern California. Although we had never put this type of event together, we both shared a common passion for empowering others and creating community. Because I already had experience with facilitating workshops and Jude had experience with event planning, I knew we were in good hands and would be able to make this a success.

So we began by putting our ideas on a shared Google document. We started off with our mission and purpose, which was “to gather eczema warriors together and create an in-person empowering experience and community.” We then focused on how we wanted our participants to feel in the space: emboldened, inspired, optimistic, hopeful, open, and aware.

What has eczema given us?

As a result, we decided to focus this meet-up on the beauty of eczema. The entire context was around the ways eczema has gifted us.

We chose this type of framework because we didn't want to feed more negativity on the burdens of eczema; instead, we wanted to shine a light on it. It's easier to talk about how eczema has ruined your life and relationships, how painful and frustrating it is, how it limits you, and so forth. Although all of these feelings are valid, that’s not what we wanted to focus on. We wanted to create a different atmosphere, a different perspective and an outlook on how to view our eczema.

Worried about attendance

A few days before the meet-up, Jude and I began to worry. We were concerned about attendance and whether people would actually show up. Although we had multiple people show interest and “wanted” to come, the actual people who confirmed were very little. I expressed to Jude that I didn’t care if one person showed up, we were still going to do this because that one person matters.

So even though we had a few cancelations the night before and even the day of, we still put on the event. And guess what?! 5 people showed up! How amazing is that?! By continuing to trust our process and staying committed to creating impact, we had more people than anticipated.

The experience

What transpired, was nothing less of a miracle. We had such an amazing time that the hours flew right by! From the deep conversations to the vulnerable moments, to the sharing of personal stories and lessons, our meet-up was a success!