We recently connected with Marea Janae and have shared our conversation below.
Marea, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I believe that the only way to gain self-confidence is to push yourself out of your comfort zone and do hard things that you aren’t certain you’re capable of. Once you do the hard thing and realize that you accomplished a new feat, you unlock a new level of confidence in yourself! Pushing outside of your comfort zone is a practice. It’s hard and scary at first, but it gets easier with time and repetition. This is one of the reasons that I became a rock climber!
In addition to pushing past mental, financial, and societal barriers as a female entrepreneur, I get to subject my self to the twice-a-week practice of attempting to send hard climbing problems that I am not confident I can finish. I made a promise to myself to always attempt at least one problem that is something I would typically consider beyond my skill level and outside of the range of what I typically climb. I tell myself, “you might not send it, but you can at least attempt it.” And I allow attempting the outside-my-comfort-zone problem to be enough, no matter how far I make it. But imagine my excitement on the occasions when I attempted a problem that was beyond my skill level, expecting to make it maybe a quarter of the way, only to find that I could actually get all the way to the top!
I love that climbing has allowed me to practice pushing past my mental barriers and attempting things that scare me, as well as allowing me to get more comfortable with the times that I fail. The confidence I’ve gained from the climbing gym, as well as putting myself out there as a bold, risk-taking business owner, has made me a more confident person across the board, in every area of life. I’m so thankful for the people and opportunities that have challenged and scared me, because they’re what allowed me to grow into a more powerful version of myself.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My passion is for celebrating love, mindfully cultivating community, breathing creative life into one-of-a-kind weddings and events, and pushing the wedding industry toward a more sustainable and inclusive future. There are many current expressions of these goals.
I am the founder and visionary behind Colorado’s sustainable wedding planning company, Dream Catcher Weddings, where my incredible team and I design unique, authentic, beautiful weddings for folks all across this gorgeous state. At the beginning of 2023, my company took on the huge and exciting project of operating a historic property called Venetucci Farm, which has been converted into a flower farm wedding venue in Colorado Springs.
I co-own Wildflower West Collective, where we provide couples with a “one-stop-shop for an elopement-in-a-box”. In other words, our couples pay one price, sign one contract, then just show up to their beautifully designed and thoughtfully planned wedding, getting to enjoy their celebration without the headache of having to plan anything.
I am the founder and president of WINE Wednesdays (short for Wedding Industry Networking Events), which fosters a spirit of celebration, collaboration, and inclusivity within the Colorado Springs wedding industry.
I write for the Colorado Wedding Magazine, build partnerships, consult wedding venue owners, and do everything I can to make my local wedding community a more creative, more inclusive, and more earth-conscious place.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Authenticity. Be yourself and let people see the real you. This builds trust, strengthens relationships, and makes life so much more fun because you get to bring your whole self to work every day. Rather than trying to conform yourself to what you think people want in hopes that they’ll like and accept you, just accept that you don’t need everyone’s approval, you’ll never get it no matter how hard you try, and you’re better off just letting the haters go in peace and surrounding yourself only with people who love you for you. Honestly, the number one tool I’d recommend for people looking to grow this superpower is to immerse yourself in the work of my beloved mentor, Brené Brown. Start with Daring Greatly, and don’t stop there. Her work has changed my life.
Risk-taking. Find a way to flex your Courage muscle every day, in big or small ways. Welcome Fear as a friend who can guide you to the areas of opportunity for your personal growth. When you find yourself at a cross-roads, where one path lets you face your fears and the other lets you run from them, remember that every time you face your fears, you become a braver person.
Intuition. I was raised in a culture that taught me to doubt myself and distrust my intuitive guidance, so for me, learning to listen to my inner voice is a daily practice. I have done so much work to heal from my past and allow my intuition to guide me again. Now that I have learned what that voice feels like in my body, I use that gut feeling to help me make every important business decision. Of course, I also crunch the numbers, seek guidance from my mentors, and get as much information as I can before making a big decision for my business. But at the end of the day, I always listen to that inner voice, and she has never misguided me. All of the best things that have happened to my business have come as a result of me trusting my intuition, even when it doesn’t make logical sense in the moment. That’s where the magic is.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes! Like I said, building community is one of my passions and greatest joys. I would not be where I am without the support of my incredible community. I am always delighted to find a new friend with shared values who I can collaborate with to make the wedding industry, and the world, a better place. If my mission of planning and executing events with the core values of sustainability, creativity, inclusivity, and excellence resonates with you, then I want to connect! Reach out and let’s be friends!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dreamcatcherwed.com / www.wildflowerwestcollective.com / www.venetuccifarm.org
- Instagram: @dreamcatcherweddingsco @wildflowerwestcollective @venetucci.farm @winewednesdayscos
Image Credits
Brody Lee Photo Co Lyndsey Leach Photography Epoch Moment Photography Broken Bones Photography Whiskey Shots Photography
