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GSD Diaries with Angela Proffitt

Transforming Life & Business with Purpose, Passion, and Perspective Welcome to GSD Diaries (formerly Business Unveiled), where we share stories of transformation, resilience, and the pursuit of purpose. Join us as we travel the world, sharing insights from other cultures, highlighting wellness, and what it means to navigate the ups and downs in life and business. We'll uncover the truths behind living a fulfilling and impactful life. In this podcast, we highlight impactful leaders who have navigated change, wellness resorts and companies that prioritize health, sharing real stories of resilience and motivating you to create a balanced, fulfilling life. I'll sit down with industry leaders who have overcome incredible challenges, sharing their secrets to success and survival. Together, we'll explore how to shift perspectives, embrace healthy habits, and find true happiness in our work and lives. Hi, I'm Angela Proffitt, an entrepreneur disrupting the hospitality industry by shaking things up. As the GSD Girl who loves to Get Shit Done, let's dance around the world together, uncovering the 'first times' and the powerful stories behind them. Often, it's a near-death experience that wakes you up and pushes you to make a change. I've learned the hard way—if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of others in hospitality. In this wellness series, I'll chat with some of my closest friends and fellow movers and shakers in the entrepreneurial community. Together, we'll explore meaningful ways to become more human and empathetic, and shift our perspectives for a better life and business. This is GSD Diaries—transforming the hospitality industry, one step at a time.
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Now displaying: 2017
Dec 26, 2017

In this episode of Weddings Unveiled, Angela and her lead consultant Alison discuss some entertaining stories of past interns and what they learned from them. This is going to be a funny one, so tune in and don’t miss it!

Dec 19, 2017

Join Angela and Alison as they recall a tough situation that helped them discover how to properly staff for the day of an event, process challenges with guests during setup and educate couples on the expectations of different cultures. With these tips, you’ll find it easier to manage the understanding of an event when your clients don’t share the same religious background. Tune in!

Dec 12, 2017

It is easy to let a client talk you into not bringing an assistant to their destination event. “The guest list being limited to less than 20 people” or “the resort staff will help” are just a couple of the reasons clients think the planner can do it alone. In today’s podcast, Angela and her lead consultant Alison discuss a time when they thought Angela could handle a week-long destination wedding by herself, and upon arrival wished she had someone who knew what to do by her side. Tune in to hear how you could learn from this and not make the same mistake they did!

Dec 5, 2017

New and even seasoned event professionals can get into the swing of life, and always dressing up for meetings. While Angela is usually meeting indoors or at her office, occasionally they go offsite to a private home or new venue with a client. While she loves to work in new spaces, she is (now) much more diligent in thinking through her outfit choices before leaving the house! Tune in to hear Alison and Angela “vent” about a time they didn’t do their research ahead of time.

Nov 28, 2017

Working in the wedding industry, Angela often spends her time with adorable couples who are in the honeymoon stage of their relationship. They are so sweet with each other, and genuinely happy together. However, this is not always the case, and true love is different for everyone. Today, Angela and her lead consultant Alison will be discussing a time when a couple showed their affection in a very private manner, and often had them questioning if they should even be getting married. Tune in to this episode to hear all the juicy details!

Nov 21, 2017

In today’s episode, Angela and her lead consultant Alison share a funny story when the bride was so overwhelmed with her job that she didn’t have time for her final dress fitting. You’re bound to laugh out loud at this one so tune in to hear what happened!

Nov 14, 2017

In this week’s episode, Angela and her lead consultant Alison share a story from working at a venue that was open to the public, and when they arrived the day of, there was a surprise waiting for them in the middle of the ceremony site! And best of all, it was for an Indian wedding and affected the direction the ceremony would face, which is extremely important in Indian culture. Tune in to hear what happened!

Nov 7, 2017

In this podcast, Angela and her lead consultant Alison share a story from a past wedding where the photographers were not a great fit for the couple. They were all very nice people, but their personalities did not mesh well together on the wedding day. There was a lot of tension between the parents, bride and groom and the photographers on what was expected of the pictures. This tension lasted for weeks, even after the wedding with very aggressive emails between the couple and photographer. Tune in to hear how Angela and her team handled the situation! 

Oct 31, 2017

Having friends provide their services for weddings is never a good idea. Even if they are great friends and always follow through, it usually ends badly. They don’t know what they’re signing up for to work your wedding night, and the temptation to leave their post and join the party is too high. This leads to Angela's team picking up the slack, and doing other people’s jobs taking away from their planning responsibilities. Together with Angela's co-host Alison Burry, they will unveil the importance of keeping friends as guests, and not vendors.

Oct 24, 2017

This week, Angela shares her experience working a destination event on a private island with absolutely no resources for backup plans. Together with her co-host Alison Burry, they will unveil how to creatively formulate new ideas on the spot, with nothing but some palm fronds and the beach! 

Oct 17, 2017

A resounding message Angela shares on the podcast is to always have a plan for the details of the wedding before the day arrives. In this episode, Angela and her company's lead consultant, Alison, recall the details of one of their previous weddings to discuss the important topic of what to do with the flowers when the wedding is over. For this wedding, this particular bride wanted to keep some of her baby’s breath flowers, which we thought was a great idea — they were so beautifully done! However, we didn’t know this prior to the wedding, resulting in some interesting maneuvering to get the flowers into the getaway car. There’s also a twist we think you’ll find entertaining. (Hint: Always ask the couple if they have any allergies!) Enjoy!

Oct 10, 2017

Whether your client is on a tight budget or operating with a blank check, it’s common to encounter friends or family members who are providing a gift to the couple in the form of free services. In today’s episode, you’ll hear Angela and her lead consultant Alison share an experience where most of the vendors were friends of the couple and how it affected the work behind the scenes. Through their experience, they hope you’ll learn how to confidently work with vendors unfamiliar with your process.

Oct 3, 2017

In weddings, everything goes. It’s your job as a wedding planner and event designer to make sure everything goes smoothly and make sure the clients and guests are none the wiser. Your clients are depending on you to have a level head and have answers for the day’s toughest problems. Today, Angela and her lead consultant Alison are sharing one of their more unique experiences. They hope this story lets you see ways you can potentially respond if you ever find yourself in similar, unchartered territory.

Sep 26, 2017

There are so many things to consider when planning an event, from vendors to photos to transportation of the bride and groom. And although you’ve likely thought most everything through, sometimes, one missed detail sends the whole thing into a tailspin. In this episode, Angela and her lead consultant Alison share a story about a wedding in which they didn’t have a solid plan for where the family would go for pre-wedding pictures. It resulted in 30-something of them crowding the area where they were setting up for the wedding, and thinking their insight would be helpful on the setup (which it was not).

Sep 19, 2017

Weddings are a melting pot of personalities all coming together under a common goal of getting the event off of the ground and sailing smoothly. It’s your job to remain professional at all times, yet there will likely be instances when someone’s personality clashes with your own. In today’s episode, Angela and her lead consultant Alison share a story about a wedding during which one of the venue’s personnel lacked professionalism and how they handled the encounter.

Sep 12, 2017

As an event planner and designer, there are many things that are within your control when you’ve planned properly. But what do you do when there are situations that are utterly and completely beyond your scope of influence? Today, Angela and her lead consultant, Alison, will discuss what to do when you can’t control certain outcomes. They share a story of a wedding they once did that included an out-of-order service elevator, missing linens and other missing pieces and how they kept a positive, upbeat attitude through it all.

 

Sep 5, 2017

Destination planners have a particularly challenging — yet fulfilling! — journey of an event from start to finish. Because of this, it’s so incredibly important that you have a firm grasp on all of the details of the day, especially if you’re not familiar with the area. Angela's and her company's lead consultant, Alison, discuss a time they can look back on with laughter now, though it wasn’t funny at the time. This story has so many twists and turns — literally and figuratively! — that you’re bound to learn a thing or two for your next destination event. Tune in!

Aug 21, 2017

Destination weddings are some of our favorites — the picturesque views provide such an awesome backdrop to the love of our couples. However, destination weddings also provide an added layer of complexity in terms of logistics. Today, Angela and her company's lead consultant, Alison, discuss why it’s essential to anticipate and be prepared for absolutely any situation while at the destination — the flow of the day depends on it!

Aug 14, 2017

Laidback couples are some of the best we’ve worked with — they’re easy going, generally stress-free and they trust us to do our jobs. On the other hand, however, we’ve found these couples take their carefree approach to the wedding day plan, often leaving details to chance on one of the most eventful days of their lives. In this episode, Angela discusses a time when a couple failed to plan and delegate tasks, which left them without previously-arranged transportation from the ceremony to the reception venue.

Aug 7, 2017

When their wedding day arrives, brides and grooms are usually beside themselves in excitement — not only is it one of the best days of their lives, but they’ll be surrounded by all of their family and friends for the momentous occasion! And although they’re naturally inclined to pack as much as they can into their wedding day itinerary, overfilling the day with pre-wedding events can create more stress than the lovely couple wants or is prepared for. In today’s episode, Angela and her company’s lead consultant Alison discuss a time when a client’s aunt wanted to throw the couple a brunch the day of the wedding and the chaos that ensued.

Jul 31, 2017

New event planners and designers can tend to think all events are the same. Yes, most events may include catering, lighting, music. From collecting donations, managing auctions, coordinating volunteers, registering attendees, communicating with sponsors, and selling tickets at the door, fundraisers are unique and very different from weddings. In this episode, Angela discusses her first fundraiser. We hope you learn from her experience so your first fundraiser runs smoothly.

Jul 24, 2017

Does your client want pyrotechnics, live animals, or some other cool, unusual touch at their event? Find out if you need a permit. In this episode of Weddings Unveiled, Angela and her lead consultant Alison share a story of a client who wanted to descend to his party and join the guests by jumping out of a plane and parachuting into the heart of a major city. Sounds crazy, right? Well, listen in to hear how Angela and her team handled this unusual request and helped him make it happen. We hope it reminds you just how much is actually possible.

Jul 17, 2017

Clients, especially brides, usually have clear visions for their events, but they rely on their planners to bring their ideas to life. Sometimes, this requires us to recalibrate or adjust their expectations. In this episode of Weddings Unveiled, Angela discusses an experience where a client had great ideas but didn’t fully consider how her outdoor venue would change when the seasons changed in time for the wedding. Listen in as to discover how Angela handled it; you may hear a few ideas worth using if you ever run into a similar situation.

Jul 10, 2017

As you continue to grow your skills and build your business, you may get opportunities to plan events for your peers in the event industry. It’s a tremendous honor when other professionals trust you with their weddings and personal events. However, it comes with a unique challenge. In this episode, Angela and her lead consultant Alison share a time when they performed a wedding for a professional designer who wanted to provide all of the decor herself. Check out this new episode to find out how you can deliver for your peers.

Jul 3, 2017

Here's a secret for you: People pay planners so someone else can plan their event for them. Crazy idea, right? Well, occasionally even paying clients don’t get (or simply forget) the memo so they jump into the planning process a bit more than they should. Today’s episode discusses an example of a client who wanted to take control of handling room blocks. Unfortunately, they didn’t fully understand the contracts, which ended up causing some trouble. Listen in to today’s episode as Angela shares how to explain hotel commissions to clients and, more importantly, how to respond when clients take on tasks that should be reserved for you as the planner.

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