Every year, my entrepreneur group (EO) goes on a global retreat. For a few days, we escape the stressful demands of our fast paced businesses and focus on the fun stuff. Last year, we hiked Machu Picchu and explored the ancient ruins of Peru. Going into this year’s trip, I worried that incredible experience might be hard to top. I quickly realized otherwise when we pulled into the gates of Nitro City Panama.
Our tour bus was buzzing with excitement as we spied the motocross track and the pristine sand dunes just waiting for a trail to be blazed. While everyone else raced towards “Wake Lake” and the cable park for some afternoon wake boarding, I set off to see the beach. My jaw dropped as I took in the bright turquoise pool, modern restaurant and stunning ocean view. As I watched the kite boards flying across the water and launching high into the air, I decided that this might be a once in a lifetime trip after all.
As the only girl among ten Type A, super competitive CEOs looking for an adventure, some people might feel intimidated. At Nitro City, it didn’t matter whether you rocked a bikini or board shorts…everyone could find a piece of the action to enjoy. From the self proclaimed experts to total beginners, we all pushed the limits and challenged ourselves to try new things.
Almost landing a killer backflip on a wake board, feeling the power of a kite catching air for the first time, charging down the beach on an ATV, stand up paddle surfing and playing volleyball; we learned a lot about each other along the way. It was fun to see people’s hidden talents emerge (who knew Beer Pong was such an art form?) We relished every moment as minutes stretched into hours of entertainment.
One of my personal favorite experiences? Finally getting the hang of my “balancing act.” Something I work so hard to do in real life seemed much easier with a tropical breeze and a chilled Panama beer in hand.
“Go Boldly” is one of the key values of our organization. At Nitro City, we shook off our preconceptions of what we were capable of and took a risk, knowing chances were good that we would fall right on our faces. The cool part? After a few wipeouts, we got into our groove and grew together as athletes, entrepreneurs and friends.
