What We Learned from Pepperpalooza ‘24

For two days every year, we press pause and gather together as an agency. Pepperpalooza gives us an opportunity to refresh our perspectives and be inspired by amazing speakers and immersive sessions—from having important conversations around DEIB to gaining new mindfulness practices to learning the fundamentals of self defense. 

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With all these new learnings fresh in our minds, we wanted to jot a few of them down. These are a handful of ideas that we captured—and we've already started using them to intentionally grow forth. 

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The Speakers

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Darryll Stinson talked to us about unlocking new levels of ownership and growing in different seasons of life. “When life introduces you to new fundamentals, congratulations—your old ceiling just became your new floor.”

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Julie McCormick helped us level up our money smarts with some financial planning tips. You're 40% more likely to keep a goal if you write it down, so grab a pen and paper and make some goals.  

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We had a conversation with Alicia McNease and Ashleigh Joyce around the value of having diverse perspectives at the table, lifting other people up, and creating inclusion circles. 

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Danielle Coke told us about her entrepreneurship story and how she combines art and activism to reach people. This quote she shared from Toni Cade Bambara inspired us: "The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible."

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We wrapped up with Rosa Castaño—who helped us dig into ways to manage stress, increase mindfulness, and avoid burnout. "Mindfulness is creating space between the action and your reaction."

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Our Key Learnings

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There were strong themes around seasons—almost every speaker spoke about seasons of life, business, etc. and embracing that they aren't always going to look the same.

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I found that particularly interesting because sometimes we hold onto a past season and want to recreate it or compare everything to it, and that can steal our joy from the current season.

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Samara Anderson, Vice President of Sales & Marketing
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It's the season concept for me, too. Specifically the idea that in some seasons growth happens underground, and in others the season is more fruit bearing.

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Nate Fleming, Director of Strategy
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I’ve been checking back to Rosa’s concept that things don’t have to be good or bad, they can just be. I’m pretty quick to judge my experiences and my own actions, but I think releasing the need to categorize them is pretty freeing.

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I also loved Dani's explanation of artivism and how she uses her own style and creativity to break down complex concepts and drive action.

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Jesse Spear, Sr. Manager, Brand & Product Marketing
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As someone who really struggles with presentation skills, I appreciated the wisdom Tim passed along. Downplaying strengths and up-playing weaknesses was not something I had heard before, but made a lot of sense when I saw it in action.

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And I liked that the game we played forced me to try out some of those presentation skills right away. Otherwise, I may not have looked back at those notes and would have forgotten those lessons.

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Spencer Watson, Sr. Graphic Designer
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