Rest as a Business Strategy | Takeaways From my Husband and I’s Trip Out West
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This week, join Victoria as she recounts a memorable trip with her husband, James, spanning Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. This bucket-list adventure was not only a celebration of birthdays and their wedding anniversary, but also a celebration of BrandWell’s sixth year of business! Victoria reflects on how stepping away from the demands of everyday life revitalized their marriage and reminded us of the importance of celebrating milestones. Despite initial anxieties about leaving their girls, Victoria and James embraced the adventure and discovered the joy of seizing unexpected moments.
Starting this trip in the breathtaking landscapes of Zion National Park, Victoria and James hiked to Scout's Lookout and braved the Narrows. Their journey continued to Bryce Canyon, witnessing its iconic hoodoos, and then down to Page, Arizona, where they admired the iconic Horseshoe Bend and took a guided tour of the mesmerizing Antelope Canyon. When in Arizona, you can’t miss the Grand Canyon, and Victoria shares her unique glamping experience at Under Canvas with amusing anecdotes about adapting to camp-style showers. Throughout the episode, Victoria shares travel tips and reflections to inspire your own adventures.
Finally, Victoria recounts a series of unfortunate yet amusing mishaps, from a shattered window to a booking error that left them without a hotel room. Despite the rocky start, everything worked out, and they enjoyed a memorable trip. Victoria shares this journey to encourage fellow entrepreneurs to celebrate their achievements and understand the critical importance of resting to foster creativity, innovation, and a renewed sense of purpose. So, join Victoria as she explores these transformative realizations and the heartwarming, and often humorous, experiences that shaped their unforgettable adventure.
Lots to Celebrate! [01:07]
Fall has always been a special season for the Marcouilliers. Between Victoria and James’ birthdays, their anniversary, their daughter’s birthday, and BrandWell’s anniversary there is a lot to celebrate! On October 1st, Victoria and James celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary and this was the first time in five years that Victoria wasn’t pregnant, nursing, or had a very small baby. So, for the first time since their honeymoon, Victoria and James took a week-long bucket-list trip out west.
Kicking Off the Trip [05:56]
Having to leave early in the morning, Victoria and James left before the girls woke up, so naturally, it was difficult to leave them. But once they got onto the plane, the anxiety eased and each day of the trip got easier. Victoria got a great reminder that the vacations taken for just the two of them are rare, and that investing in their marriage is the best gift that they could give to their girls, so that was extremely helpful.
Zion National Park [09:20]
The trip began in Zion National Park, where they stayed for four nights. It was absolutely beautiful and Victoria was overwhelmed by God’s creativity and feeling grateful for working in a creative field, surrounded by creative women. It rejuvenated her to view creativity and BrandWell’s work as something more than just logo designs and branding, but really as a way to reflect our creator.
While visiting Zion, Victoria and James hiked Scouts Lookout, which was probably their favorite hike. They also hiked the Narrows, which is the hike where you’re literally hiking up to your waist in water between two canyons. (see photos below!)
Bryce Canyon [10:19]
After Zion, they spent about a half day at Bryce Canyon to hike down the canyon and visit the hoodoos (see photo below).
Horseshoe Bend [11:43]
While the original plan was to spend the night in a town called Kanab, they actually blew through and ended up in Page, Arizona. The reason they stopped here was to see Horseshoe Bend, which is where the Colorado River loops around the rocks in the canyon. (see left photo below) They also took a tour of Antelope Canyon while in the area. This hour-long unique hike is formed by the water and wind over the years, and the photos from this part of the trip are some of Victoria’s favorites!
The Grand Canyon [13:06]
This was one of the favorite parts of the trip – staying at Under Canvas, at the Grand Canyon. If you haven’t heard of it before, Under Canvas is like glamping. There were tents and no electricity, but there was a king size bed and a fireplace. James was thinking of his wife when he booked the stay because he opted for the tent with a shower, however; they were a little surprised when they got there. In order to use the shower, they had to pull a chain to get water to come out and you would have to hold it the whole time you’re showering. It was a unique experience and it’s very community driven. They had a common area where you can order dinner and they had a bunch of campfires. The reason they chose to do this near the Grand Canyon was so that they could hike the Grand Canyon, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time. They had to start heading back to Las Vegas, where they were going to spend the night before heading home.
Hoover Dam [16:17]
About an hour out from Las Vegas is the Hoover Dam, which James really wanted to see. They listened to podcasts to learn about the Hoover Dam so it was pretty cool to get to see it afterwards. Fun fact: the amount of concrete that they poured to make the Hoover Dam could build a 16 foot wide, eight inch deep, road from San Francisco to New York City. It’s an iconic landmark.
Last Evening in Las Vegas [17:19]
The last evening of the trip was spent in Las Vegas where they went out to the shops at Caesars Palace and walked around. Victoria admitted that the Vegas Strip was not her scene, but she did give herself $20 to spend in the casino which was fun. Overall the itinerary was really great and the only real change Victoria would have made was doing one less night in Zion and one extra night at the Grand Canyon, just so they could have actually hiked it.
Every Trip Has it’s Hiccups [17:58]
Like any vacation or any travel that is over an extended period of time, there is sure to be a few hiccups. Victoria and James planned this trip on their own, without the use of any travel agency or guides, and they’re not a well traveled couple, so it was a little risky planning something this big and with multiple locations. It all started the day before they left. Victoria was sitting in her office trying to get work done when a yellow jacket stung her four year old, and in efforts to avoid her two year old also getting stung, Victoria tried to kill the bee when she saw it sitting on the window. The first thing she grabbed happened to be a Fisher-Price playset broom, and when she hit the bee sitting on the window, she ended up shattering the window. Thankfully, her dad was coming along to help watch the girls, so this was the first project for him to work on while they were gone. The second little hiccup was on the airplane. Victoria had just gotten a lovely pumpkin cream cold brew from Starbucks and was so excited to enjoy it on a quiet plane ride. Well, she ended up spilling her pumpkin cream cold brew on her laptop. Thankfully, her laptop was okay and she was able to continue working during the remainder of her flight. Next hiccup was when they landed and Victoria reached to grab her glasses out of her bag and realized that the lens had broken and of course, they were her new Warby Parker. Thankfully, it was still under warranty so she was able to take them to a story first thing and get them fixed. The last hiccup, and probably the most saddening one, was that when they arrived in Zion, they had realized that James accidentally booked the wrong Marriott hotel. He had booked the one outside of Zion instead of the one inside the park, and the whole point of staying there was to wake up to the views and really appreciate where they were. So, they ended up canceling the reservation they had that was outside of Zion only to find that the Marriott inside of Zion was completely booked. They now had no place to stay. Three or so hours later, they were able to get one of the last rooms at the Lodge at Zion Country and that ended up being beautiful. They were grateful that everything ended up working out in the end, but it sure was a bumpy start to the trip.
Rest, Relaxation, and Revelations [24:53]
As a business owner, it’s pretty difficult to have a scenario in which you don’t have your laptop with you for a full week, even as a precaution. However, Victoria proudly reports that once she landed and they officially started their trip, she never opened up her laptop until she got back on the flight to go home. Seven days without responding to emails, without taking sales calls, without being in meetings. This is when Victoria had a revelation: rest IS a business strategy. As entrepreneurs we’re often told that the harder we hustle, the closer we’ll get to success. But recently, Victoria is learning how essential it is to take time off of work and really let your mind reset. Stepping away from the day-to-day grind gives you a new perspective on your business that you can’t get if you’re in it every day. There’s been something on social media that says ‘When rest feels like sin, Work has become an idol’ and that hit home with Victoria. Being out in nature with no emails or notifications competing for her attention allowed Victoria to reflect a little on her goals and remember why she started this journey in the first place. What if reset isn’t just a reward for hard work, but it’s actually an important part of the work?
In the last year or two, Victoria has found that with clarity often comes rest. For her, it’s when The Branding Business School idea was born. When you’re not operating at a restful state, and instead feeling burnt out, antsy, anxious or overwhelmed, you don’t have the capacity to do things that could help your business or start new projects for your business. Rest is important because a lot of times without it, you are too overwhelmed to have the vision for the future.
The next revelation Victoria had when out West may sound cheesy, but it’s so true and a great reminder. As go, go, go type people, Victoria and James were tempted to hike up to the top, take a picture, and hike back down. But when they did Scout's Lookout, it was a tough hike, so they took time to rest at the top. They sat down, had some snacks, and just enjoyed the scenery. They enjoyed what they came for and it made Victoria think of the periods of hustle that we have as entrepreneurs where we’re building. It’s like climbing a mountain to start something new and then once we get to the top, we rush back down and set the next goal for ourselves. This happens in both entrepreneurship and motherhood. Victoria shares that she’s guilty of having a baby and then once she hits the six week mark, she’s back to being at full speed. Sometimes you have to just stop and say ‘I just grew life inside of me, I’m going to take things a bit slower’.
Over the last six years, Victoria and BrandWell have gotten to the top of many mountains, but she never stopped, sat down, had a snack, and enjoyed the views. So, today she wants to encourage you to take that time. Look at rest as a business strategy and not something that you need to feel guilty about.
Key Quotes
“Look at rest as a business strategy and not something that you need to feel guilty about.”
Victoria Marcouillier
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