The Three Powerful P’s of the Paleo f(X) 2014 Conference

Paleo f(X)

I was busy taking a sabbatical (a.k.a. a working spring break vacation) when the text came through.  “Are you going to Paleo FX?”

Several quick thoughts went through my mind.  Things like “no way, I can’t,” and “I’ll just be getting home from this trip, so no,” and “I’m not sure I’d really fit in with that crowd since I’m not technically 100% Paleo.”  Oh, and there was the tiny matter of the flight:  over $700 in airfare.

Based on all of that, I didn’t give it a second thought, until I started taking a closer look at the Paleo f(X) website.  Suddenly, I was intrigued!  Lots of wonderful people and companies I had connected with through social media were going to be there.  Never one to miss out on spontaneous travel, now I had several reasons: expert speakers, great products, bloggers…the list was growing by the second!

Economy Comfort

I scrambled to look at my frequent flier accounts.  To my amazement, there were still seats available to Austin, and I had JUST enough miles to get there!  I grabbed one of the last seats, and 24 hours later…landed in the great state of Texas, with spare room for my legs, thanks to an upgrade to “economy comfort” (okay, it wasn’t first class, but it DID have extra leg room AND a plug for electronics…never mind the middle seat assignment, for which I’m now (thankfully) skinny enough).

Now that I’ve returned home, I’m extremely thankful that I didn’t listen to those inner negative voices!  It exceeded every expectation I could have had!

Besides feeling incredibly empowered to continue the quest in my journey to help others, here are the three powerful “P’s” that I gained from attending Paleo f(X) 2014:

Positive Passion

By far, the biggest thing I experienced was just genuine positive passion.  Everywhere I looked, people were smiling!  Good health was not only paramount, it was evident that the attendees, presenters, companies, and practitioners make it a priority in their own lives.  This carried through every experience I had.

Smiling and Happy

Across the expo floor, there was an “aura” of positive energy.  There were fitness demonstrations occurring with laughter and fun! While products were being sampled, company owners talked, and attendees listened attentively and with genuine interest.  In the ballrooms, the presenters were open, approachable, and excited to share their knowledge and experience.  There were cooking lessons galore!

Truly, there was something for everyone at every level.  There was no shortage of smiles, hugs, and handshakes!

Presentations & Products

Presentations:  For a full three days, experts and expert panels discussed various topics ranging from the very basics up to advanced information for physicians.  I only wish I’d had time to attend more of them!  Although the ones I attended were all excellent, my five-star votes go to “What to do when Paleo fails” by Dr. Michael Ruscio, “Navigating your non-Paleo physician” expert panel (Dr. Lauren Vigna, Dr. Richard Maurer, Dr. Daniel Kalish, Dr. Rick Henriksen, and Dr. Michael Ruscio), and “Think Tank:  Catalyst for Change” expert panel (Robb Wolf, Abel James, Roger Dickerman, Dr. Shilpi, and Bhadra Mehta).

My biggest takeaway?  That I do fit in with this group of like-minded people! There were no arguments about what gluten or grain ingredients are.  It’s okay that I occasionally consume dairy, and legumes that have been soaked and fermented.  It’s acceptable that I don’t do extreme workouts to satisfy someone else’s agenda of what they think fitness is.  There were many points of view on each topic, and it was refreshing to hear the various perspectives.

Paleo Products

Products:  The products at the Expo were incredible!  Never have I found so many products that I felt so great about trying and buying!  With my label-reading ingredient warrior skills, I went to work at each booth, wanting to know more information and the story behind each company.

The owners I met were knowledgeable, honest, usually had a health story of their own, and didn’t pack their products with unidentified ingredients.  There were so many great items, it would be difficult to identify all of my favorites in this space! I’ll be discussing more about them over the next several weeks, but if you need primal or Paleo toothpaste, snacks, collagen, prepared meals, grass-fed beef, or pit paste (yes, that’s deodorant!) I think we’ve got you covered!

Product funny?  What became legend during the conference was my assessment of The Dirt’s new toothpaste flavor…”It’s like a wedding party in your mouth!”  (I believe that video is about to go viral on YouTube…watch for it!)

Paleo Peeps

Paleo Peeps

One of the best parts about Paleo f(X) 14 was just meeting like-minded and positive people!

Among many others, I was privileged to meet Heather Jacobsen (Stuffed Pepper owner and fellow foodie), Chef Alain (Paleo French Cuisine), Chef Nancy (warriorsthatfarm.com), Darryl Edwards (The Fitness Explorer), Robb Wolf, Cain (editor of Paleo Magazine), and Jimmy Moore (master Paleo f(X) tweeter and creator of “Livin la vida low carb” show; I now fully admit I didn’t know him as he sat next to me managing the tweets from the Paleo show…sorry, Jimmy!)

In Summary

The Paleo f(X) conference invigorated me to continue the quest!  I feel more emPowered, more Passionate, and more Positive in my desire to share that we should all be paying close attention to what we eat…for good health!

Oh, and I heard a rumor that Paleo f(X) will be hosting another conference in October…you can bet I’ll find a way to be there! 🙂

~Jen