Pulse September 2017 | Page 41

2017 ISPA coNFERENcE & ExPo Merit Gest favorite book: Winter Garden by Kristin hannah ExPErtisE: Hr & HiriNG last great place traveled: Belize Session: “The Deliberate Culture: Attract, Engage and Keep Top Talent” favorite thing to do in las vegas: Spa, of course! favorite podcast: Sorry, not really a podcast gal. My inspiration: Daily meditation and gratitude best part of my day: Tucking my son into bed at night. Greatest lesson i’ve learned about business: if you don’t ask, you don’t get. favorite breakfast: anything someone else cooks, and coffee! if i could be anyone else for a day i’d be: Someone really tall, just to see what it’s like. Favorite book! lawrence biscontini ExPErtisE: WEllNEss Session: “Connecting Spa Departments to Create Spa Journeys” best presentation i’ve attended: Connie podesta—hands down best ever. favorite book: The new Testament. it sounds trite, but the Bible is my favorite go-to book for everything, even for questioning it. Someone recently asked me about my favorite business book of all-time, and the Bible is that, too. Since business to me is about building relationships, including what to do when creating deeper relationships, mending broken ones, and forging new ones. last great place traveled: The Mediterranean on a ship with 12 of my closest friends and Biskit (my dog), ending up in my cottage in Mykonos, greece. favorite thing to do in las vegas: i love the buffets and shows. i try to hit every single Cirque show when it’s new. favorite podcast: anything by petra Kolber, her Happiness and Perfection Detox series. My inspiration: Success stories of happiness, wellness, and fitness inspire me, as well as the success stories of clients who not only reach their fitness goals despite difficulty and odds, but ultimately vastly improve the overall quality of their daily lives best part of my day: Waking up to the eyes of Biskit staring into mine and knowing that—if only for that instant—all is right in the world. Greatest lesson i’ve learned about business: Concentrate on building relationships over anything else at all. favorite breakfast: Whatever comes from a plant and is just enough to make me slightly satiated while realizing that i’ve just had what would be considered a feast in more than half of the world’s population. Favorite book! if i could be anyone else for a day i’d be: i’d want to be the president of the united States or united nations. i have no political agenda, but i’d want to have a chance to find the solutions to unsolved issues. best presentation i’ve attended: i try to find something great in everyone’s presentation, and that’s easy when there are such quality speakers at an event like the iSpa Conference & expo. September 2017 ■ PULSE 39