Self-upbringing and learning are the processes that have no end. The journey becomes more joyful when you can enjoy company and friendship of mind full people who can help you to improve in your life and lead you to achieve personal and professional goals. Betsy Wiersma is one such inspiring person who is a serial entrepreneur, international speaker, event organizer, and podcast host and in 2019, she also became a TEDx speaker.
Betsy is the Creator of CampExperience™ Network which is a one-of-a-kind annual retreat and ongoing gatherings designed entirely for women who are ready for education and inspiration, and who want to connect to a network of amazing women. She started The CampExperience™ Network in 2005 to fulfill her dream to be a “work-at-home” mom and to enjoy everyday activities with her adopted daughter.
Betsy’s philosophy is return on ideas. Through CampExperience™ Network, she is crafting meaningful activities for women to be inspired, to live on purpose, and to make their unique contribution to the world while having fun.
Love as a Business Tool: The CampExperience™ Network
In 2020 when the world was told to stay in their homes and all the news was gloom, Betsy went on Facebook live every day from March to August with one hopeful phrase “Love is the anti-virus!” After that opening statement, she proceeded to tell a quirky story about inclusion, hope, perseverance, joy, dreams and the power of possible. The daily conversation was not only for her CampExperience™ Network of 5000+ women on purpose for good, but she was talking to herself as a unique and passionate leader. She was sharing the secret sauce for the success of her brand for both business and life and that is LOVE.
In 2005, Betsy gathered 15 friends and they started imagining “What would a weekend look like if we focused on uplifting and inspiring all kinds of women? Could we be like “summer Camp” and get away from our busy lives? Can we learn and grow and share and craft together? And can we use the shared vision of Women Helping Women to build friendships and collaboration?” The answer was ‘YES’ and they launched the CampExperience™ Network. Today, the team is monthly networking and having connection events and four signature social events including the Fall Retreat.
Global Summits and Expanded Podcasting
In 2019, Betsy saw an opportunity to share magic of CampExperience™ Network in Colorado with the world and decided to launch two global projects: The Global Sisterhood Podcast network featuring 150 Sister Stories of women from the US and around the world. Then it expanded their online content and outreach and called it the Global Sisterhood Network. Global highlights were interviewing the mayor of Akureyri, Iceland, and seven of her town’s women leaders on a visit with five Americans from the CampExperience™ Network “Sisterhood.”
CampExperience™ Network also hosted Powerful Purpose Vision Board workshops in Norway and interviewed leaders. In another adventure, Betsy traveled to Sydney Harbor in Australia to climb the bridge, raise $3500 for a charity and interviewed more local women leaders. Global outreach is back on track for 2021 and 2022 with Art & Insight workshops.
Innovative Approach During Pandemic
The 2020 pandemic had many blessings. As per Betsy CampExperience™ Network technology was the lifeline for the team. “We literally “met” online more than we had done in person,” says Betsy. During the pandemic course, the team very quickly was reaching the wider group in Zoom meetings. Next every Saturday it had a new event “Artsy Afternoons” where they gathered online to “be together and art.” Some did stitching; some knitted, sewed or painted. Some just came to chat and feel “normal.” Betsy made mixed-media art and had a BIG IDEA. To add to her 100 pieces of new “COVID” art, she asked 62 of her most interesting friends to write a 1000 essay to uplift and inspire women in the world. In October 2020 CampExperience™ Network published its 200+ page, full-color art and insights book called The STEW: Smart Talk Exceptional Women. Blessings come in strange pandemic packages.
Putting Efforts, Doing Good
“Love wins even in a pandemic,” says Betsy. In September 2020, CampExperience™ Network’s team put on their masks, covered the tables with plastic, purchased hand sanitizer and darling extra masks for everyone then hosted the CampExperience™ Network Fall Retreat. 108 women enjoyed two days of education, inspiration and connection and raised $30,000 for CampExperience™ Network ‘s Charity Partners. In Betsy’s 16 years leading the CampExperience™ Network has raised over $1 million cash and in-kind support for charities in Colorado and around the world.
A Guide to Manifest Ideas- Process on Purpose
On advising emerging entrepreneurs, she advises entrepreneurs to use her process on purpose. This is the secret sauce she uses to manifest every idea. She further adds, it is a six-part process that she teaches in her course ‘Move Ideas Into Action’. In this course she asks people “not to think” just stop, breath and dream.
Betsy shares, “we start with vision and intention, then add your positive beliefs, and then choose the ideas that deliver what you want. The other steps are to create Vision Boards, Vision Boxes and then journal every idea to practice “what it looks like when it works.” Then you speak it into the world and create support in your community. This process works every time and is fun to implement.”
Let’s Do Good and Have Fun Together
The CampExperience™ Network will continue to serve BIG as it is expanding its community and adding more education and inspiration and going back to global travel adventures. The MOVE Ideas Into Action course, which benefits a global charity Threads Worldwide, will add retreats and more programs to encourage use of Betsy’s Process on Purpose and to encourage the world to dream. Betsy says, “we will continue to attract like-hearted women to Do Good & Have Fun with us!”
