Brenda Luginbill: Wellness, Fitness, Wholeness, & Goodness

 Hey guys, this is Ryan Alford. Welcome to the Radical Company podcast. Really excited about today's episode. It's been a few weeks. We're trying to get back in the groove.
 You know, it's funny when you run a business, and I'm here with Brenda, Luca Bill, good friend. We're going to dig into Linda's story.
 But we can, she can probably relate to this running three or four different businesses, but focusing on the podcast, it gets the totem pole sometimes.
 Yeah, sometimes. Super excited to have Brenda on. Brenda is the owner and of CB events and the CEO and founder of the Nest Fest, which we're going to be talking about today.
 But Brenda, we've known each other a long time, but I'm really excited to have you on the podcast.
 I'm super excited to be here. Thank you.
 Cool. You know, we've been up to a lot of things at Radical. I'm going to do a couple of little plugs to start things have been busy. That's why the podcast has taken a back seat.
 We're here. It was the wheelhouse is now camaraderie, which is an official part of Radical, our official full time home.
 Now, as we've taken over the workspace here, and so super excited about everything that's been going on.
 We're lucky enough to have a lot of great friends and clients Brenda being one of them.
 And I am just thrilled with all the growth that we've had and everything is kind of happening in Greenville, which kind of brings us straight to.
 To Brenda's story and you know, Brenda, I want, I do want people to, you know, get a little bit of the background on you because I think it's relevant.
 We were just talking kind of pre roll here, you know, about your development and growth and what was important to you, maybe at the beginning of your career.
 And as you've transitioned and, you know, developed, you know, more interest and more desire to do for the community.
 And I think that's really what is grounded in making Greenville better through the Nest Fest. And we're going to get into all those details.
 But Brenda, let's start, you know, with, you know, a little bit of your background, the event company.
 And, you know, let's kind of tee it off there with, you know, ultimately the founding and the growth of Nest Fest.
 Absolutely. So, well, I started my career about almost 17 years ago now, which is crazy to say out loud.
 But I started it in Los Angeles, started in the event world. Absolutely loved it. Did that for about six years.
 And then my husband and I decided to just up and move. It was time to go on a new adventure. And so we packed up and we moved to Greenville.
 And we had never been here. My sister was moving here. We came to visit, helped take care of some kids.
 And then we went to go move to Charlotte and said, nope, that's not where we're supposed to be. And ended up staying here.
 And that's been, it'll be almost 11 years ago that that took place. So that still seems so crazy to me that it's been that long.
 But so moved here, moved to Greenville and thought I wasn't going to stay in the event world, actually.
 I was going to try something new, wasn't even sure what that was going to be. But then I met a mutual friend of ours, Carrie Turner.
 And she and I instantly hit it off and she said, you want to start a company? And I said, sure.
 We literally made a logo. I made a logo. We went to Kinko's printed some business cards and went to a BMW event and we were a company.
 So that was kind of how that the true entrepreneur story, you know, start with the logo and figured out.
 Yep. So that's pretty much how it all happened. And actually, what's today?
 Well, two days ago was actually our 10 year anniversary of launching CB events, which is crazy.
 Congratulations on that. Talk about being too crazy to think about things.
 Yeah, we should add a part of this for that. I know.
 That's a great accomplishment. I think Carrie and I actually talked that day and we didn't even think about it.
 But yeah, so the event world has been great in Greenville and I really enjoyed it, but I have always felt like there was just a little something missing of what I would want to do for my future.
 And so in the midst of doing a bunch of wine and food festivals and a bunch of just large galas and different events, I thought, well, you know what?
 If I'm going to create a future for myself in the world of events, what do I want that to look like? And so I spent about four years just kind of thinking and designing what what an event would look like.
 And my number one instinct was I want it to be something that can be impactful to the future of our children because just the way of the world and where we're going.
 I want it to be something that is more rooted in us and not so much what we're drinking and putting in our mouths as much as I enjoy that.
 And I want it to be something that can be impactful for 365 days a year.
 And so starting to think about all of that got me going, all right, I do these amazing events and I love them and I support a ton of charities.
 I mean, I've helped to raise over four million dollars in Greenville since I've been here and that's exciting.
 And it's been so fun to be a part of that, but it still isn't getting me involved in the community the way I wanted to.
 And one of the great things about Greenville and this is a number one thing I say to people is I love it because you can go after something and you can start something and go full heart into it.
 If you're successful at it, that's even better, but even if you're not, you're going to gain so much growth and knowledge of the people that you're going to meet in Greenville that want to be involved and want to help and it's going to help you find your home.
 And like, for example, my husband, my husband is 42, kill me for saying that, but he is.
 And he just, no, right? It's a great. I just turned, well, I'm about to turn 41. I love the 40s already.
 But he turned 42 and he just landed his passion and what he loves and wants to do for the rest of his life.
 But he's gone through so many different things to get there and I've done the same thing. It's just all been in the event world.
 You know, like everything that I have is all surrounded by events, but I'm just now getting to the point of, but this is my passion.
 This is what I want to leave this earth with. This is what I want to pass down to my nieces and nephews because we don't have kids.
 But one of my nephews already wants to take the nest fest over when I die, which is phenomenal.
 But yeah, so I think that all of that led me to where I am now and to where I'm hoping that my future will go.
 And that's helping the community and helping people become the best version of themselves and whatever form that that takes on for them.
 And it's a fun, it's a fun challenge, but it's definitely a challenge.
 You know, before we kind of dig into all things nest fest, I think you talked about some things as it relates.
 And we get into this sometimes on the podcast, the personal development space and the growth stage of entrepreneurship and business, but also, you know, people that really want to leave a lasting legacy.
 And when those tasks can meet, it's really a magical place.
 And it's something that comes, I think everybody, you know, you start out your career and you want to conquer the world, you have these goals and these dreams.
 And it's not that those ever go away, but it's really interesting how we grow as human beings and as people and those priorities change.
 And I think there's something really unique about that, but it's also really interesting, you know, because in talking about Nathan, you know, same thing.
 You know, finding, you don't always find and know every boundary, every direction that you're going to go.
 Sometimes there's just that natural development that happens and, you know, it's just, it's great.
 I mean, it's, you know, the growth, there's never been a better time for something like this in Greenville, because it feels like it's funny.
 We've talked about this, you know, with like Greenville hustle, some of the things we've done.
 It feels like Greenville's booming in all the rights, the ways as far as financials and growth and businesses and all that.
 But, you know, you want the people and the culture and the wellness overall of the community to come with it.
 Exactly.
 And, you know, transitioning into that, I think that's where Ness Fest kind of fills a gap that I think is really natural.
 I agree. We are growing so quickly. And to me, what that just means is that's more cell phones and hands.
 That's more time away from your family. That's more, you know, those all start to add up.
 And that's exactly what we're trying to help balance, I will say, not get rid of, but obviously like balance.
 Like we all need that, especially as entrepreneurs. I mean, I always joke that I created the Ness Fest for myself, but I'm a workaholic.
 I live on my phone and my computer. Like if I don't have one of them on my hand, people don't even know what I look like.
 And so I always joke that I created it for myself to help. If I can help myself find this balance, then that's going to help me help others.
 You know, do that, but it's funny because along the way, it's like I've learned and found out so many new things about myself and about other people and situations that I didn't even know exist.
 That I'm just like, get it all in the festival. Let's go people. Let's get it all there. Get all that goodness going.
 So let's talk about some nuts and bolts here. October 19th and 20th of this year, we've got the second annual Ness Fest.
 I'm going to get this right. I had to put it in front of me, even I'm working on it, but I want to get the order right.
 Wellness, goodness, fitness and wholeness. I've got it. There we go. I took my, I had my close notes. I want to say it.
 But there's meaning in that order. And I think that's important distinction.
 Let's talk about that. You know, let's talk about all the the nestes is is is yes. Absolutely.
 There is definitely meeting in the order because our we feel like with those four pillars, if you can work on those four pillars, then you're going to be working towards being the best version of yourself.
 And the reason that's important is because if I'm the best version of myself, then I'm going to be that to my husband, my family, my employees, and everyone else.
 Like if they don't get a hundred percent of me, then they're not getting the best of me. And I'm pretty good. So you want the best of me.
 So keep me happy. So I'm working to keep myself happy so that everyone else gets the rest of that.
 But so our pillars are definitely meaningful. We have our wellness, which for us is, those are your doctors appointments.
 Those are the appointments that you need to set every year to make sure that what we can't see, what's inside of us, that's being checked and everything's good or what's on the outside.
 And we don't know what it is. It's being checked and it's good. Our goodness is what we're putting inside of ourselves. What are we drinking?
 What are we eating? And how is that affecting our body? And why are we not listening to our bodies when we're like, oh, I feel this way.
 Well, there's a good chance. What did you what did you eat or drink in the last 48 hours? There's a good chance that all that vodka you put in there is going to make a difference.
 There was a reason why our bodies react the way they do. We just need to listen more. So that's our goodness.
 And then obviously fitness that I feel like is always the one people can check the box. Even if it stand up and you walk 10 steps every day because that's all you can do, just start somewhere and start doing it.
 But for me, the reason the wholeness is at the end because for me, that's the complete self. That's what makes that full circle. That's what what allows us to come home and separate what just happened at work to what's about to come through the door.
 Because I think that's the biggest challenge we have right now is that we live such a busy life when we're away from home that when we come home, it's either everybody leave me alone, get on your electronics, I need me time or whatever that is.
 And we haven't figured out how to cross that door. Like how do you get through that door so that your family gets 100% of the best of you.
 And that's where the wholeness is. That's where we're working on our stresses. That's where we're working on our anxiety. That's where we're working on balancing our life.
 So does that mean for you? Does that mean you leave work and you need to go do a 30 minute workout before you walk through that door? Well, then that's what you need to figure out. Does it mean you need to meditate for 20 minutes before you walk through that door?
 And that's part of the journey that we want to help people figure out is there's no one set way. You know, we are all different. We all react differently to things for me.
 If I'm at my angriest and I come through the door, I tell my husband, I love you. I need 20 minutes. I get in the shower. I take a shower. I sing at the top of my lungs.
 I come out a new woman ready for dinner in a great class of wine. I'll be telling you to do that every night. Take your shower.
 But for me, that's for me. That's what gets that's what does it for me. Like that's what can get me out of my own head. And sometimes it's what's what we're doing to ourselves. We're in our own heads.
 So that's why they're in that order is because I feel like there's there's checklist that you can do for the first three for your wellness goodness and fitness.
 You can make a checklist and you can say, I'm going to do this and that and it's really just accountability. But the wholeness is the one that makes us vulnerable.
 And until you can choose to be vulnerable, you're not going to get to the best you until you can allow yourself to stop, think, breathe and dig into yourself.
 You're not going to be able to put out the best product to everyone else. And who doesn't want to go buy and smile at every person and say hello and how is your day? And when you say it's great, actually mean it's great.
 I think what's interesting, people I think naturally, historically are trained that doing things for others is the right thing.
 And it is. But what we've I think been slow, I think fitness, like you said, has always been there a little bit. But like if you have the best version of you, you have so many more gifts to give.
 That's exactly right. And it's something that sounds like you hear that and you're like, yeah, I know that. But do people really know that? I don't think they do. I don't think they they may know it, but they don't practice it.
 They don't, you know, take care of themselves across all of those boundaries across all of those levels. Yeah, they can go for a run and maybe that does it for you.
 But are you really thinking about your thoughts? Are you thinking about what you're putting into your body? Are you thinking about truly how you feel and taking actions to improve it?
 Knowing that the best you is the best for everyone else. And I think that's such an important distinction that if, you know, if people can get that out of, if we can get Greenville thinking in that way, if we have the best of everyone, it's not about always being perfect.
 No, absolutely. But it's in continual improvement. And because, you know, it's funny.
 On weeks, when I feel like I really had a great week, you know, I tie it back to really how I felt.
 You know, and like I felt my clients got the best out of me. My wife got the best out of me, you know, like, but it's back to like how I feel.
 And I've never been a college like, you know, my wife listens to some of these and, you know, she will attest to this.
 You know, I've never been apologetic about working out and doing that because I know that you don't want that other Ryan.
 You know, that doesn't do that. And so I've never been an apologetic. But someone like my wife, she's a giver, a pleaser, a doer.
 And she works out and she takes care of herself, but she always feels guilty about it because she feels like that's not in her nature.
 And I think that's the lot of the way a lot of people do is they don't really spend the time taking care of themselves.
 And I think anything that can inform and improve our community's mindset in this area just has massive potential.
 Well, and that's why our slogan is a better me for a better us is because if again, it goes back to like my goal is to help make Greenville not only, I mean, it's an amazing place to live.
 But let's take that step forward and make sure all the people who Greenville are happy in and of themselves and taking care of themselves at the same point.
 So that's a better me for a better us is exactly what we want to do at the nest fest. And so that's why we have all kinds of wellness and wholeness seminars that are taking places because we want to help people like just not tell them what to do, but just open a door.
 Like that's all we're trying to do. We're just trying to show what's out there and what's the possibility.
 How do we get into the inner of you to see, well, where do you need to, you know, do a little little fun time for yourself or what does that look like that you need for yourself?
 I mean, my sister, just like you were talking about with your wife, my sister just went through the same thing of she's just on that journey right now for the last year of taking care of herself first.
 It's amazing to see what her kids now get of her like because she comes like she needs mom time and mom time means, you know, for her, it might be reading it might be writing.
 She's taken up writing a lot, which that's the biggest one I tell everyone to start with. If you don't know where to start about taking care of yourself, get a book and start writing.
 There's even simple books out there about writing poems and you can get a book that it gives you a verb.
 Like it gives you a word and then it gives you a lot of other dictations. You can get it Barnes and Noble. It's called writing a poem and and you literally open it and it gives you a word and then you write about that word.
 And it's just a reflection.
 Just roses are red, violets are blue, I'm feeling gloom and so are you.
 Yeah, no, like I might.
 Yeah, my first one, I think I opened it and it was like anger and I was like, I want to write about.
 I just opened the book randomly, but but it just gives you writing gives you such an opportunity to start even diving into yourself to find out what do you need?
 Write that word. What do I need? Make a list and start there.
 I think if people could do that more often that it just helps relationships, it just kind of helps your flow of life and it just helps you I think to be more positive in general.
 So October 19th and 20th, I'm going to keep hammering that date people and we're going to talk about where you can get tickets and all that in just a few minutes.
 But what can people expect? So I know, I mean, I've been seeing the list of the sponsors and vendors is kind of like the who's who of the happening.
 Wellness, wholeness, fitness, people in Greenville, but let's talk about what people can expect over the two days, you know, the nuts and bolts.
 Definitely. So over the two days, we actually, we take over all the floor field.
 So we have all these different classes that take up place on the field up in the champion club.
 We have a music stage that's in the 500 club where you can actually go up there, listen to some music.
 We will be showing the Clemson game. Very important and get your, you know, adult beverage because if you take three workouts or even if you take one of our seminars, you might need one of those afterwards, which is no problem.
 They say beer after yoga is like the latest thing ever now. That's exactly right. So we have actually five different fitness stages with classes that go on every hour on the hour.
 We have our, like I said, wholeness and wellness seminars. We have an entire place called the Haven where we're diving in a little deeper.
 That's where we work on our meditations. That's where we talk about our relationships.
 We have a sex therapist coming this year. So we have a class for that, which I'm super stoked about. I wanted that last year.
 You're going to be on our amazing panel about modern manhood, which I, I, that might be actually one of my top favorites because we've never had a class very specific to men.
 And this is all about the amazing men that we have in our community and about their journey. And I just, I think it's going to be actually amazing in that class.
 I'm excited about it. Yes. I was texting Nigel yesterday. We're going back and forth on a couple of things.
 Yeah. I can't wait for that first meeting to be honest. I feel like I have to sneak out since I'm not a man during part of it. But I'm like, what are we going to say?
 But yeah, so that's going to be great. But then we also have food trucks that are going to be out there.
 Lots of other food vendors, the YMCA, they're coming out. We're excited about them. They're going to take over the whole kind of center field and have different classes that they're teaching.
 But it's, it's a lot. We have a hundred between the two days. There's 120 different types of classes that you can take.
 So the great thing about it is that once you buy your ticket, you get this thing called scared, which is your schedule.
 So it'll show the entire schedule of what's happening. And you can go in and start selecting. You know what? I really want to take this class about, you know, how to teach balance to my child.
 You can plug that in and then it'll show you, okay, since you chose that, now you can't take these classes.
 And so there's a really great easy way for you to download your schedule so that you have that on your phone, you know, during the day of or you can also print it if you don't want to take your phone around.
 We also have over a hundred different vendors all in the health and lifestyle that are going to be out on the field.
 So we did tickets a little differently this year. So there's a $25 ticket that allows you to get in and you just get to experience everything.
 You get to take the morning stretch, which is a free class to everybody at 930 each morning. So you get to take that.
 Then you also get to like just be active with all the vendors, the food vendors, the music stage and all of that for $25.
 And then then the tickets start from 55 and up for the classes. So if you get the $55 ticket, then you have access to all 120 different classes as well as all the vendors and everything like that.
 So it really makes for a really nice day. I mean, it's from 10 to 5 each day and it's really built for the whole family. We have an entire kid section.
 So you can actually come and you can either jump into something with your child, you know, if there's a class that they want to take or you want to kick the soccer ball around with them, whatever that is.
 You can jump into that with them or you can drop them off for an hour so that you can go take a class, you know, take a yoga class, take a Pilates class.
 The whole idea is to get people out of their shell and try something new. So if you have ever wanted to try, you know, a Pilates class or if you've ever wanted to try a pure bar class or anything like that, this is your opportunity to come and take a 30 minute class so it's kind of that introductory if you will to see what you want to do.
 And if you're an avid workout person, which we have plenty of those, they work out for like four hours straight and just jump from class to class. It's pretty amazing.
 It's a great way to sample things. I mean, like, you know, there's nothing that's like, you know, existed like this where you can draw, you know, all the stuff that's in both the fitness side and the wellness overall side.
 There's never been like a sampling of those things, you know, like, because there's like classes I've wanted to do or things that have been interested in, there's never existed.
 You know, it's like you had to kind of either messed up enough courage to go to one class at one studio at one time, but this gives you the opportunity to kind of sample it all.
 Yeah, it does. And it and also like things that might have been intimidating, like, um, Fran with updates, mine and sports, she's going to do an acupuncture class, which is.
 I'm going to do that. I've always been scared but been highly interested in.
 I will tell you that I have like 20 year injuries that she has completely changed my life on like completely.
 Everyone says that and I'm like, all right, stick some needles in me and my sleep.
 She's completely like to the point where sometimes I am like Fran, I need to stay up.
 She's completely changed my.
 Through acupuncture.
 Yeah, and I'm going to throw one more in there because it's the most important one actually for the ladies.
 Okay.
 Yeah, you know, those cramps.
 Oh, yeah.
 Don't have them anymore.
 Wow.
 Yep.
 Thank you for the acupuncture.
 Five months.
 Yeah, changed my world in that.
 So yeah, Fran, updates, mine and sports, she's my girl.
 Make it all my skid.
 And she's also like the nicest person in the world.
 So that just makes it a lot, a lot easier too.
 But yeah, so no, I mean, really it is.
 It's for the whole entire family.
 We want you to come.
 We want you to have a great time.
 If you buy the two day pass, I always say especially for moms with the kids or dads and kids is.
 Buy that pass the first day for your whole family.
 Come out and enjoy your time.
 Then pass them off to, you know, grandma and grandpa or whomever and then come that second day for you.
 Because there's so much good stuff I talked to a girl yesterday who was like debating whether to buy a ticket.
 And I just ran into her at the gym because I had a t-shirt on and she said, oh, you know, do you know anything about the mess best?
 I was like, oh, do I ever.
 And she was like, I really want to go, but my friends don't want to work out the whole day.
 And I'm like, it's not, that's such a small portion of it.
 That's one, that's one fourth of the entire festival.
 It's the workout part.
 I was like, we have all these other things and we were supposed to be stretching and orange theory.
 Oops.
 And we were sitting there Indian style just talking about like whatever, you know, like I was like, this, you could make your schedule this way that way.
 And so I think now she's going to buy a ticket and maybe come by herself.
 I love it.
 I think that's probably, you know, if it's only the second year,
 maybe the lone misconception is the fitness versus all the other things.
 Exactly.
 And then you've already covered, but like you don't have to, you know, work out seven times.
 Yeah.
 Work out once or none or come for all the wellness stuff.
 Or it's super fun to come by yourself too.
 I think that's a great thing to like do it for you.
 Yeah.
 Come for you.
 Just choose to do it for you.
 Yeah.
 Get your, either your single mingle on or get your, or your, take, play your card with your significant other.
 Yeah.
 Stay for me.
 That's exactly right.
 You can go Saturday.
 I'll go Sunday.
 Right.
 Exactly.
 Or just take the kids, which we'll probably be doing.
 Yeah.
 So great.
 So October 19th and 20th.
 Where do we find more information?
 So you can go to the nestfest.com and all of the information is there with ticket sales and everything like that.
 And kids, I forgot to mention kids 16 and under are free.
 So this is why this is super family focused.
 Yes.
 That kids 16 under and free seniors and students get half price tickets.
 And then first responders are also free.
 So again, there's no reason to not to pack up the whole family.
 And I'm not even talking about immediate family.
 I'm talking about the whole family.
 Like I got 14 in the group.
 Like my niece is a nephew.
 You think it's the best two days in the world because they think that like we own the stadium.
 Yeah.
 Teachers out there get, it's bust some students in.
 Yeah.
 So whatever.
 That's exactly how I would love that.
 So any SSFST.com, nestfest.com, take us, can be bought there.
 Correct.
 October 19th and 20th.
 Be there, be square.
 You know, it's, I don't think me understated, you know, that the importance of this for Greenville.
 And, you know, the overall impact that it can have.
 I know it's year two.
 There's learnings.
 There's, you know, improvements in all of those things.
 But, um, his response to the community just been great.
 I mean, you know, I mean, who doesn't hear about this?
 And like, it's kind of one of those things.
 Like, it's not your head when she was taught, when you talk about it.
 You know, I think the response has been great.
 I mean, our feedback, even from last year has been wonderful.
 And honestly, like, I'm just the type of person.
 I'm also a perfectionist.
 So if there's something somebody that doesn't like her, there's something that someone's like, try this or whatever.
 I'm open.
 Tell me.
 Pick up the phone.
 You know, shoot me in the email.
 Give me a call.
 We want to make this for the community.
 So if we feel like there's something or someone feels like there's something that's missing, we would like to know.
 Because we want this to be an event for the community.
 And the only way you can do that is by having community involvement.
 Yeah.
 So that's very important from our sponsors to our participants, to our vendors, to our guests.
 Everyone's equally important, important in what they have to say and what they want to see in this community.
 Is it still time for sponsors?
 If someone were to be listening to this and they wanted to sponsor, get involved, go to nsfest.com.
 Learn more about sponsorship still.
 So those opportunities.
 Absolutely.
 Definitely reach out.
 You can pick up the phone and call me.
 I keep giving my number out, but that's fine.
 It's Brenda 864-784-9030.
 Pick up the phone and call me.
 We love to make activations for people.
 Because that engages our guests.
 So every time a sponsor comes on board that we can create a fun environment or a great activity wall.
 Like we love that, because that's just giving more back to our community and more for them to learn and educate on.
 Great.
 Well, Brenda, really appreciate you coming on the podcast.
 Thank you for having me.
 Continuing our friendship and we'll give Nathan, Brenda's husband, a little plug here.
 The wine shop on Haywood Road.
 Really cool, new, elected wine store on Haywood.
 Go check it out.
 Great guy.
 Even better.
 Is he official sommelier now?
 He is.
 Yes, he is.
 I can say that.
 Definitely.
 Those are stuff on wine.
 Go check them out.
 This is a really great Greenville family.
 And check out the next test.
 October 19th and 20th.
 I will be there.
 I'll be on the panel.
 Like Brenda mentioned, talking about the modern man, fatherhood, those things.
 Super pump.
 Really, really great lineup.
 Really honored to be a part of it.
 And super excited for everything, Brenda.
 And thank you again.
 Thank you.
 Well, this is Ryan Offord, the latest edition of the Radical Company podcast.
 Find us online at Radical underscore results on Instagram.
 Radical.com is the website.
 Thank you so much for listening.
 And we'll see you next time.