It was stupid early. 4:33am to be exact. Like why does this time even exist kind of early. I’m dragging my 75-pound suitcase into the airport because I wanted a free ride from my dad — he works there, so obviously I planned my flight around his shift like the genius (or goblin?) that I am. Don't worry, I think I'll make it thru security in time for my 9:45 am flight…
Naturally, my bag is overweight. Because, duh.
So there I am, airport floor gremlin style, transferring half my life into Jess’ suitcase (thank god my CFO agreed to accompany me!) … which, fun fact, SHE TOOK HOME WITH HER AND NEVER GAVE BACK. A year later, I still don’t have it LOL. We're fine; this is fine.
The “We’re Really Doing This” Moments
At the gate, we met Jemma, another contestant. We must have had the look of completely spiraling internally, bc as she asked if we were headed to The Blox too, we instantly felt less scared. There's power in numbers right? When we made it to Tulsa, we went to stand exactly where the “stand here” photo told us to – And yet… no one else was there. Up rolls another intant-bestie, Kayla. Boom, now there was 4. Bring it on reality television.
Both excitement and utter fear filled the air, but we made it, and we didn't even shit our pants. LOL
Delusional Day Zero Jessi Makes Her Debut
Let me tell you about Day Zero Jessi.
She had plans, babe. Intentions.
She was like: “This’ll be such a cool experience AND I’ll still be able to get work done in the evenings. I'll just check in with clients between sessions, no biggie.”
HAHAHAHA. False. So terribly false.
Absolutely not. There were negative minutes of free time. I barely had time to find snacks, let alone fire off a client email. Sorry to everyone who expected functioning CEO vibes that week. She didn’t make the trip.
🎥 Lights, Camera, Existential Panic
Next up? Entrance interview.
Leading up, I thought I was fine. Like, I talk about my business all the time. I’m confident. I’m decent under pressure. (actually I think I kick ass under pressure most times because there's no time to think…but more on that later…)
Cue: camera in my face, mic clipped on, someone says “go,” and my brain packs up and decides to leave the freaking building.
It ended up being fine — I think. But in the moment? Felt like a pop quiz in a class I forgot I signed up for.
First Dinner: Chaos to Community in 60 Seconds
Dinner that night was like walking into a middle school cafeteria at a new school. Except EVERYONE was nervous, no one knew anyone, and half of us hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Like hanger could strike at any moment from any direction…
But here’s the magic: quite literally within the very first minute of sitting down, the room was filled with 90 entrepreneurs laughing like summer camp kids and swapping stories like we’d known each other for years. The energy in that room? UN-FREAKING-REAL. Truly. Like nothing I have ever experienced. Ask any Bloxer.
It hit me then — we were all here for something big. And we were all equally terrified of f***ing it up.
Wes Freakin' Bergmann Enters the Chat: Calm, Cool, “Don’t Break the Rules or Else”
After dinner, Wes finally showed up and gave us the whole breakdown. The man is intimidatingly chill and direct. He laid down the rules thru some humor, like a cool teacher who will call your mom.
Curfew was strict. Room policies were stricter.
“If I find out anyone’s in someone else’s room… you're out.”
He meant it.
We were all like: “Yes sir, absolutely sir, we’ll be in bed by 10:01 sharp...”
Listen ya'll. Wes is a cool dude. Smart as all hell. Strategic in the most creative ways. Yes, he's famous and I'm like a huge MTV Challenge fan – but I had to remind myself (and more specifically my CFO who might have really only said yes to tagging along because she would get to meet him…stay tuned for what the first thing she says to him in the video where we actually got to talk to him…) This isn’t about meeting Wes. It’s not about looking impressive. It’s about learning, showing up, and letting ourselves absorb every uncomfortable, chaotic, wild bit of it.
Day Zero Brand Clarity Takeaway:
Starting something new? Always awkward. Always messy.
But when you show up with intention — even if your suitcase is overweight and your brain is glitching — you find your people fast. You find your rhythm. You find your flow.
Same thing applies to your brand.
You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. You just have to start.
Coming up next: The official Day One — where the cameras start rolling, we experience the chaos of being under the gun, and the nerves? Through the roof.
