Connect
To Top

Meet Trailblazer Robin Vega

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Vega.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Vega.
Robin Vega is often referred to as a Dream Defender. She loves empowering entrepreneurs to pursue their passions and follow their arrows. Mostly, she loves watching people swing for the fences. Robin has over a decade of experience in business and marketing strategy. She’s led the launch for several successful startups, and in 2013, led the acquisition for a marketing software company she Co-Founded. She currently owns and operates Brand + Bash, a boutique creative studio headquartered in Buena Vista, Colorado. She works with businesses big and small across a variety of industries, helping them develop their brands and tell their stories through thoughtful design and intentional content marketing. The River Gathering, Robin’s newest passion project, was created to give women the time they need to focus on their business goals in a beautiful vacation-like setting, while also carving out time for adventure, wellness, connection, and rest.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. Being an entrepreneur can be thankless, lonely and exhausting. It can also be the most gratifying and rewarding experience that nothing else compares to. Like many before me, I’ve had wins, and I’ve had losses. I’ve started companies that were successful and companies that went under and passion projects that fizzled out. I’ve learned so many lessons along the way I could probably write a book … or a least some blogs if I have more time! I’ve been through an exciting and successful acquisition and a scary never-ending lawsuit. There have been many tears of joy along the way, and many tears of heartache. There have been stints over the course of my career where I doubted myself and my abilities. And there have been other times where I just needed a break from wearing all the hats. During these moments I opted to go to work for and learn from someone else. It’s not lost on me how fortunate I’ve been to have incredible mentors and employers throughout my career.  Ultimately, though, I’m wired to startup, to create, to speak up, and color outside the lines. Where I am now is like having my cake and eating it too because I get to help other companies startup, which is truly what I love the most. Taking a dream or idea, giving it a voice, and bringing it to life through various mediums is incredibly fulfilling to me. I recently took on an expanded partnership role overseeing Brand Development and Content Marketing with two incredible startup ventures and so, for now, I’ll be putting 100% of myself into these new babies and only taking on a limited number of branding and website projects when time allows. My best advice I can give other female entrepreneurs is to not be afraid to walk through new doors that open to you. You never know where they’ll lead. So, squash the self-doubt or fake it till you make it and just keep moving forward. 

We’d love to hear more about The River Gathering.
The River Gathering is a working vacation created for female entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, business owners, innovators, makers, and outdoor enthusiasts. It takes place where I live in Buena Vista, CO at the lovely Surf Hotel, August 18th – 22nd. 

The River Gathering consists of 5 equally important components that I believe have been integral to my own success and well-being over the years. These factors are:

  1. Vacation (Ahhhh) (Be relaxed and calm)
  2. Education (Knowledge is Power) (Be smart and learn)
  3. Application (Get Shit Done) (Be action-oriented and do)
  4. Wellness (Self-Care) (Be healthy and stable)
  5. Adventure (Stepping outside our comfort zones) (Be bold and explore)

Education: I’m a conference junkie. I love learning new things, developing new skills to further my career, and growing my network. It’s a component that I felt was important to incorporate into this working vacation idea. Creating valuable programming that’s accessible and speaks to a variety of industries and individuals no matter if they are in seed, startup, growth or an established phase of their work; no matter if they run an entire business or a small department. The workshops act as an anchor for our working vacation to encourage leadership development and personal empowerment. For this, I brought in the big guns and have partnered with THE leadership gurus, Wolf & Heron. W&H teach their sought-after workshops all over the world. Their client list includes Facebook, Indiegogo, and Delta Airlines to name a few. As influence experts, they know a thing or two about how to build influence and be a source of inspiration. Their content focuses on these tools and skills, and we thought it would be wonderful to tailor their curriculum to our attendees. We want participants to walk away knowing how to tap into their personal power sources, have confidence, take action, and stay focused long enough to see their businesses thrive. 

Application: The third component that I feel is essential for our working vacation is time carved out just for office hours. This is free time that can be used to tackle your to-do list. Or maybe the need is a siesta in your boutique hotel room, a hike with new friends, shopping in town, or reading by the river. Or consider taking the things you learned in the morning workshops with W&H and apply it, while it’s fresh and while you have space for it. I’ve gone to so many retreats, conferences, and workshops over the years, and learned so many amazing things. But then when I’m supposed to go home and apply it to my life or business, the reality is my inbox has exploded and I’m immediately pulled back into the humbling hustle of my day-to-day. For me, there has to be time built into The River Gathering for some real application to maximize the power of the experience and give it legs beyond the 5 days. 

Wellness: I’ve had to learn the hard way, if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re not doing anyone any good–especially not yourself. Brain fog, burnout or a trip to the emergency room does not serve you, your family, clients or customers. Put the oxygen mask on yourself first, so you can then save everyone else who needs saving. At The River Gathering, we begin each day with yoga and meditation, offer optional afternoon yoga sessions, have on hand nutritionists and wellness experts, build in time to explore our renowned trail system, and serve delicious, healthy meals. If our attendees need rest, we encourage sleeping in. If they need vitamin D, we encourage getting outside. We want to set our attendees up for success, from beginning to end. It’s all-inclusive because we don’t want participants to have to think about anything except for what is needed to feel empowered, accomplished and rested at the end of it all. 

Adventure: The last component, but certainly not the least, is adventure. We now know that incredible superhuman strength can be found when we go into the wild, choose to be vulnerable, and step outside our comfort zones. At The River Gathering, we’ll provide ample opportunities to tap into this power, harness it, and leverage it to build our confidence, grit, and conviction.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I absolutely love podcasts and travel a lot so this list is long! For inspiration and learning, I’m a fan of Ted Talks Daily, The Moth, Women Who Startup, Fairygodboss, Boss Babes, Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert, The Joe Rogan Experience, and Marie Forleo Podcast. And I’m sure there are more! 

Contact Info:

 Image Credit:
SHEA HENNESSY, CREATING LIGHT STUDIO, ANNA SEES PHOTOGRAPHY

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in