Have you ever floated down a “lazy river” on an inner tube? It’s basically a fake tiny river. A slow but steady current pushes the tubes along. It’s not a lot of current or momentum. But if you’ve seen kids try to go the “wrong” way up the river, it’s hilariously difficult! It’s a miracle if they make it 20 feet.
So much of life feels like a lazy river. Just floating in a certain direction. Until you decide you want to go an entirely different direction. At this point, there are two options. You can try to thrash against the current and push your way upstream. Or you can pick up your tube and find a new lazy river where everyone is heading the direction you want to go.
Adam and I started our FIRE journey 16 years ago. Except we didn’t call it that. Because no one called it that. FIRE really wasn’t a thing yet! It’s still a fringe idea. It seems a little crazy that people could save up enough or create enough passive income so that work can become optional.
It’s was a lonely journey back then. Most days I had more doubt than hope. Personal finance blogs weren’t a thing. Shoot, the internet was hardly a thing!
The internet has bridged a lot of gaps. With blogs and social media. All of that helps find connections. But nothing beats real time with real people.
I’ve met up with readers over ice cream and coffee. I’m a big fan of Fincon. But it’s busy. And loud. And there are 2000+ people. I get about 5 minutes with people. CampFI is more my pace. Longer conversation, more relaxed environment.
But this summer, I’m so excited to be speaking at Chautauqua!!!!
If you haven’t heard of this event, it’s the brainchild of JL Collins. It started in 2013 and this year they are holding four events. Two in England and two in Portugal.
Why I’m so excited!
It’s small.
I love forming real relationships. Occasionally I do handshaking kind of events. But I much prefer to sit down with people and have deep, interesting and rare conversations. Where we get to chat about the awesome FI things that never seem to come up in daily conversations with co-workers. The attendees are capped at 29! So over the course of the event, you’ll get to know each person.
Long format talks.
Each event will have 4 presenters. And we get to go deep with our talks and lots of time for questions. I’m so excited to hear from the other presenters!
One-on-one meetings.
Each attendee gets to sign up for an hour+ slot with the presenters. One-on-one chats are my absolute wheelhouse. I love focused conversations where we get to pull out paper and pen and figure some stuff out. The reason I do so much mentoring is that it’s my total favorite thing to do! The reason my wait list is months long…because over the years this is where I’ve built my skill set.
Incredible venue.
I’m generally not a fussy person. But every once in a while, we stay in an incredible location. And something IS different. Just the environment shifts something. The Chautauqua team finds the BEST locations. Both England and Portugal have jaw-dropping venues.
What I’ve heard.
Since I was selected as a speaker, it’s been amazing to hear from past speakers and attendees. People who admitted to crazy high expectations, but were still blown away. Life changing. That’s what people keep saying: Life changing.
Every once in a while, we need a life-changing experience.
7 Days.
The biggest factor in good conversations and relationships: time. I love that Chautauqua gives you the time for those things to develop. Although, I’ve heard people are rarely ready to leave!
The details are taken care of!
The hotel, venue, meals, and excursions are all carefully planned and handled for you so you have a great experience start to finish. You get to focus on the reason you came. The Chautauqua team spends all year making this week magical.
Who do I think it’s for?
I mentor people through work transitions, and I think this is a perfect add on to that. Also for people ready for a change or in need of a jump start and inspiration. It’s FI focused, so best for people already on that journey.
The Details:
JL Collins (Simple Path to Wealth), Alan Donegan (Pop-up Business School), and Kristy and Brice (Millennial Revolution) will be speaking at all 4 events.
Each week there will be a guest speaker.
June 8-15 UK: Carl (Mr. 1500)
June 15-22 UK: ME!!
Sept 21-28 Portugal: Scott and Taylor (Playing with FIRE documentary)
Sept 28- Oct 5 Portugal: JD Roth (Get Rich Slowly)
How to sign up: Tickets go on sale today! They generally sell out in less than 2 weeks. You can learn more and buy your tickets at https://www.fichautauqua.com/
Not for everyone.
Chautauqua events are a special experience, but not for everyone right away. I think the best time is after you have learned a lot from blogs, books and podcasts. After you’ve paid down consumer debt and are on the path to FI. That’s the people you will find there. Your people.
If that sounds about right, I’d love to see you there!
They’re my people. Absolutely.
Add on around 2K worth of plane tickets from Australia and yeah…
(Yikes! is the word that springs to mind.)
The UK venue looks amazing and I’d be there in a heartbeat. Might need to wait a bit longer.
Speaking as someone who has absolutely no nerves when speaking in front of people – knock ’em dead!!!
For a lot of people, it’s a once in a lifetime experience! This is my first time. =) I still get a little nervous speaking in front of people, but when people have plopped down a good chunk of change to be there, they tend to be a highly engaged and friendly audience, which always helps!
I had high expectations for the chautauqua we attended last year. My wife, not so much – she kind of got dragged along. Sort of. But even with the high expectations I had, I was still surprised at the depth of community we built up over 7 short days.
My wife ended up having an amazing time. For those of you with a significant other – I would definitely recommend doing this together. When something has the potential to be ‘life changing’ – you want to be experiencing that with your best friend.
As Jillian notes, this is not something you should consider if you’re still trying to overcome a mountain of debt. I’d also suggest delaying attending if you are looking for ways to optimize your FI approach – that’s something best discovered going through the many excellent blogs out there.
But if you’re looking to explore how to make sure your financial resources are being used to live a life full of purpose that you’ll look back on without regret, then consider going. You’ll discover a community that will hold you accountable and cheer you on with whatever life changing decisions you make!
I think these kinds of events can be SO helpful for the “dragged along spouse.” =) It’s hard not to catch the vision and excitement in the air. And I totally agree on waiting until after you have read ALL the things. This is kind of the next step after all the facts and info. I’m so glad you had a great time. I can’t wait.
I’m SO excited for you, Jillian! A sense of community and personally relating to people is what brings me the greatest joy in life. As a Chautauqua alum, it’s really hard to describe just how impactful one week together with some of the world’s most intelligent and interesting people can be. The intimacy shared by such a small group is the secret ingredient, and having a whole week to share with one another will give you such a high! Congrats ?
That’s great! Everything I’ve heard from alums has been so exciting. I can’t wait to share this experience with 29 other people!
I look forward to listening to your talk. I enjoy reading your blog that transform into something more —essentially leaving us food for thought. May your flight be short and your adventures take you on long journeys! Here’s to a grand UK Wk2 adventure!
On the life list!;)