08/31/2026
We’re getting closer now…
✨
Fall 2025 was a season of so much support showing up.
Shoutout to Joe and his family, and Donna, Aimee, and John all finding their way into our orbit around this time.
Looking back now, this was the show that brought in so much more than we realized at the time. It was also the beginning of a huge and unexpected shift—one that would eventually reshape the SoulFest we knew.
But at the time?
It mostly felt overwhelming. Exhausting. Uncertain.
It was also when I, Sundri, started feeling something very strongly in my gut: We needed to level up or we weren't going to be able to keep going.
Winging it had gotten us this far. Somehow, whenever we needed another set of hands, someone always seemed to appear. And even with new shoulders helping us carry the load, I was beginning to understand something important: A team isn't just about having enough people.
It's about being able to work together, communicate, stay organized, and build something that can actually support the weight of its own growth. And that's where leadership becomes so important.
At this turning point, it felt like our foundations were beginning to shake under the weight of everything we were building. Something was going to change, I just didn't know what. We were pouring our energy into this community by the bucketful, and it was becoming harder and harder to keep up with the momentum we had created. I could see that Angela was burning out. Taylor was overwhelmed. I was ending every show exhausted.
And then we got a call.
ZenFest was over.
Plot twist: this wasn't the breaking point.
For those who don't know, I had been working as a Reiki practitioner and teacher out of A Higher Plane when we brought the very first ZenFest into existence in 2020. I was privileged to be a part of the amazing crew of humans that put that first show together, and I will always be grateful for the experiences we shared back then. After years of being a practitioner and vendor at other shows, it was an incredible moment of personal growth to begin learning what actually goes into shaping an event from the other side of the table.
So discovering that this pillar of our Tri-City metaphysical community was falling broke my heart.
We rushed to verify what we had heard. After talking with their founder, other organizers, and the venue where they had been scheduled, we found ourselves facing a very big question:
What do we do now?
Do we take on a third city so there isn't a gap for our vendor community?
Do we go all-in and commit to leveling up?
Or is this a sign that the wave we've been riding is ending—and it's time to step back and let it go?
At the time, I didn't know that we were standing at the edge of something much bigger. I only knew we had a choice to make.
And sometimes, the most important choices begin with a door you never expected to open.
Stay tuned… 🗝️✨
