Behind the Scenes at Craft + Commerce

I stepped out onto my balcony overlooking Boise's state capitol to take a deep inhale, exhale. It was something between "holy sh*t I can't believe I get to do this stuff," and "I need to breathe before I meet one more new person."

I'd just hung out with James Clear (who was delightful, by the way). Walked into a room full of 50+ entrepreneurs I admire (but didn't all know). Did a photoshoot for Kit. Got chosen by my mastermind tablemates to share my best recent strategy in a room full of my business idols...

And it was only the day before Craft + Commerce actually started.

In 2019, I went to Craft + Commerce alone.

I didn't know anyone and definitely nobody knew me. I remember finding out about the private mastermind they held (that I didn't get invited to) and being like, "I'm really bummed I didn't get invited... but one day I'm going to." No one told me about any happy hours, I definitely didn't get to go to the speaker dinner... my online business life couldn't have looked any more different.

I'd sort of ignored the whole "networking thing" considering I was coming off of brain surgery and taking care of my newly terminally diagnosed dad, Norm. I went on to have my first 7-figure year that year.

A lot has changed since 2019. My business kept growing. My parents both died. I started a podcast. I came out with my first book. And then last year, I spoke at Craft + Commerce. Honestly, between that and my book, everything changed.

Walking into Craft + Commerce in 2026 couldn't have been any different than 2019. Now, managing my energy has more to do with overwhelm from talking to so many people (and losing my voice thanks to said yapping) instead of overwhelm of walking into a room full of people I don't know.

This year was the first time I had to manage my energy much differently. I ducked back to my room (and onto that beautiful balcony) to a take a beat before someone asked me another question. I skipped some of the (super valuable) sessions to grab coffee 1:1 with a friend instead. I had dinner one night with my team and my friends, Chelsea and Chenell, instead of attending yet another big function.

Giving myself a moment to breathe gave me the spaciousness to come up with a fun idea on the fly. "Why don't I try to grab creators I love off the street for quick interviews? And then I can include them in my Craft + Commerce recap episode!" I told my podcast producer, Michelle.

I sent Michelle to the sessions I wanted to get notes on, and I stood outside the venue to conduct what we started to call my "Sammy on the Street" interviews. (You can hear them all in this Craft + Commerce recap episode!!)

Want to hear everything I learned, my biggest takeaways, what I'm doing / not doing anymore after talking to some of the biggest names in the industry?

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🎧 Listen to this week's episode of my podcast, On Your Terms®️, where I shared a behind the scenes recap of Craft + Commerce→​

Hit "reply" and let me know how you liked the recap episode + below photo diary!

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Until you get a chance to listen to the full breakdown -- here's what life was like behind the scenes in Boise!

✈️ DAY 0: Drive 2 hours from eastern Long Island to JFK, fly to Boise, check-in to my hotel, and go to dinner with Liz Wilcox, Pat Flynn, Matt Gartland, Steve Kamb, Shawn Blanc, Barrett Brooks, Jay Papasan, and friends.

📸 DAY 1: MASTERMIND + PHOTOSHOOT

The day before the conference started, I got to attend Kit's private Mastermind with a handful of creators and JAMES CLEAR. How in the world?! So much of what I shared in this recap episode was what I took away from James' mind-blowing talk.

Kit's marketing team also asked me to do a photoshoot with a few other amazing creators. I was so honored to take part in it!

L to R clockwise: yes, that's me and James Clear 🤯. Kit photoshoot with creators Jordan Gill, Simon Alexander Ong, Pat Flynn, Gannon Meyer, and me. Ready for a day out in Boise. Me with Barrett Brooks, Nathan Barry (Founder of Kit), and Chelsea Hahn-Vanourney (Operations for Nathan/Kit).

🎙️ DAY 2: CONFERENCE DAY, HAPPY HOUR + SPEAKER DINNER

Thursday was a full day of conference talks and workshops. I felt so much less pressure this year to attend everything. I spent more time having 1:1 convo's with people I know or who I wanted to get to know better, rather than attending every single thing.

In between sessions, I grabbed people I admire off the street and asked them about what they learned so far at Craft + Commerce, why they come back each year, and what's going on in their business. I sprinkled these on-the-street chats into this week's Craft + Commerce recap episode!​

Afterwards, I headed off to my friends' Shawn Blanc and Barrett Brooks' happy hour and then to Kit's speaker dinner.

L to R clockwise: at the Kit speaker dinner with my friends Chenell Basilio and Chelsea Hahn-Vanourney. Got to chat with my friend, Jay Clouse, again IRL. With my Aspen mastermind friends after two of our masterminders (Jay + Barrett) gave incredible talks. Chatting with James Clear and my friend, Ellen Yin, at the speaker dinner.

🎤 DAY 3: CONFERENCE DAY, HAPPY HOUR, PODCAST + CLOSING PARTY

The last full day of the conference was so full. I watched the incredible talks on the main stage, which always leaves me feeling so inspired and wanting to run to my laptop to implement everything I've learned.

After the conference, I went to my friend Jay Papasan and Chenell Basilio's Happy Hour, recorded a podcast with Beth Nydick, Tarzan Kay, and Courtney Spritzer, and then headed off to Kit's closing party to dance the night away.

I brought Lindsey and Michelle from my team with me to Boise. It was so much fun to get to hang with them and introduce them to all of the people I love in this business. It was also the first time I went to C+C where I could send them to a workshop so I could go and do something I needed to do. It was like having 3 of me there! :)

L to R clockwise: me, Lindsey, and Michelle from my team! Taking a moment to breathe on my balcony. Me with Simon Alexander Ong, who was so sweet! Tarzan, Beth, Courtney, and me after recording for Beth's podcast.

🎤 DAYS 4-5: ASPEN BUDDIES, R+R, TRAVEL HOME

After so many days of outward energy, I was ready for a bit of time to come down. I like staying in Boise one extra day (most conference goers do now!) to catch up with people I didn't get to see during all the craziness.

I spent the day on Saturday with a bunch of my mastermind friends eating, shopping, going to see a movie (Disclosure Day), and getting dinner. It was the perfect wind down -- especially since I'd lost my voice by this point.

On Sunday, I went to one of my favorite Boise coffee spots (Form + Function), jotted down all of my notes for my recap episode so I wouldn't forget, and ran into a few friends who also hadn't left yet.

Before I knew it, it was time to head to the airport, fly back to New York City, and drive two hours home to Long Island.

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🔗 Links You'll Love

🎙️ Listen to my interview with DEATS with Deanna: Can You Actually Say That Online? FTC Rules Every Dietitian Should Know with Sam Vander Wielen→ Listen on Apple, Spotify, Website​

🎧 I chatted with Holly Haynes about how I've pulled back a bit on social media and doubled down on email marketing in our interview on her Crush The Rush podcast→ Listen to Apple, Spotify​