An in-depth and inspiring Fall retreat where attendees take a deeper dive into topics like social media, business entrepreneurship and PR, and have the opportunity to connect + collaborate with other seasoned entrepreneurs and experts on a more intimate level. While weaving work + wellness offerings into programming, attendees will also have time to slow down and connect in a relaxed manner that takes advantage of the natural beauty that WaterColor, Florida and its surroundings offer.
The Southern C Retreat Includes:
How is the Southern C Retreat different from the annual Summit?
Location
WaterColor Inn, Florida’s Premier Luxury Gulf Coast Resort — Overlooking the sugar sands of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, just a short distance from popular attractions including Seaside and Rosemary Beach, you will find WaterColor Inn, a warm family-friendly destination steeped in southern hospitality, history and charm. Situated on a stunning 500-acre community, tucked between the Gulf of Mexico and a coastal dune lake framed by a longleaf pine forest. Thoughtfully designed by architect David Rockwell and featuring a gorgeously renovated lobby, the Inn seamlessly marries the laid-back comfort of a classic beach house with the modern perks and indulgences of a luxury boutique hotel.
WaterColor experiences are inspired by our surroundings, from the coastal elegance of the 60 guest rooms and suites to the locally sourced menus and captivating Gulf views at the restaurants. Throughout the beautifully landscaped grounds, pebbled footpaths wind through picturesque parks and gardens, leading the way to a boathouse, tennis courts, spa, shops, restaurants, a fitness center and a private beach.
As the Style Director for Coastal Living magazine, Lindsey Ellis Beatty is a designer who fills her time dreaming up splashy covers and story ideas, scouting beautiful coastal homes and destinations, creating sets for photo shoots, and scouring the world (wide web) for unique objects to fill her shoots, pages, and spaces. She has a special affection for grasscloth wallpaper, brass hardware, vintage sunglasses, letterpress stationary, ginger jars, fiddle leaf figs, giant clam shells, hand-made ceramics, otomi fabric and anything rattan. After graduating from Vanderbilt, Lindsey grew up at Time Inc. where she developed her eye working for Cottage Living, Coastal Living, and Southern Living, where she was the Decorating Editor. She has a life-long love affair with print media, and enjoys the quirkiness of the magazine world where it’s entirely normal to decorate Christmas trees in July or produce a summer fashion story in January. When she’s not working, Lindsey spends her time updating the mid-Century home with pink front doors that she shares with her husband, three sons, and rescue dog, Mally.
Photo by Laurey Glenn
Brooke Bell is the director of editorial operations at Birmingham, Alabama-based Hoffman Media, where she directly oversees the editorial teams of Taste of the South, Louisiana Cookin’, Cooking with Paula Deen, and new launches Bake from Scratch and Southern Cast Iron. Brooke was previously the editor of Taste of the South and the editorial director of Louisiana Cookin’. Brooke is a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance and Les Dames d’Escoffier. In addition, she serves on the board of directors at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama and is president of the organization’s junior board.
As Southern Living’s Senior Homes & Garden Editor, Zoë Gowen canvases the South looking for the best interiors, architecture, and gardens. She collaborates with the country’s top designers, stylists, architects, and writers to put out lively and inspiring stories chockfull of helpful and practical tips in both print and online. There’s a never dull moment and she’s committed to battling the ubiquitous beige interiors movement in favor of ones filled with personality and character.
Before joining Southern Living, Zoë worked for two other Time Inc owned brands MyRecipes and MyHomeIdeas, and the Guarisco Art gallery in Washington, D.C. . At Sewanee, she majored in American Studies with a minor in Art History. Zoë lives in the smallest cottage she could find in Birmingham, Alabama with the largest dog.
Susan Hall is the digital content manager at Coastal Living, where she oversees editorial, video, social media, and audience development. Since joining Coastal Living in 2013, she has more than doubled coastalliving.com’s monthly site traffic and grown the brand’s social following by 1,400% to almost 2.5 million followers across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. She has 10+ years media experience that spans print and digital, and her work has been featured by Health, Southern Living, Ladies’ Home Journal, Family Circle, Modern Luxury, and more. She’s passionate about digital storytelling across platforms, from site to social and video—and bringing that content to engaged audiences. Susan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Brian Hart Hoffman is President/Chief Creative Officer at Hoffman Media, LLC, where he oversees the editorial planning and brand direction for all publications, as well as the public relations and special events divisions. Since joining Hoffman Media, Brian has been the driving force behind the launch of The Cottage Journal, Bake from Scratch, Southern Cast Iron, and Southern Home. His special-event leadership with the company includes planning and executing major consumer events. Prior to joining the company in 2007, Hoffman worked in the airline industry, which allowed him to live in six cities throughout the United States. He has visited all 50 states.
In addition to his professional obligations, Hoffman serves with numerous charitable organizations including:
Suzanne LeRoux is founder and president of One Love Organics, a holistic skincare company dedicated to natural beauty and environmental stewardship. She is a case study in pursuing one’s passion and remembering one’s roots.
A successful lawyer with a B.S. from the University of Georgia and a J.D. from Southern Methodist University School of Law, LeRoux became fixated on the potential for plant-based skincare. Growing up on a farm in Odum, Georgia, to parents who also owned pharmacies, Suzanne was inspired to combine the healing power of plants with advanced skincare science to create healthy, luxurious formulas that work.
While maintaining a law practice on St. Simons Island, LeRoux embarked on formal studies in aromatherapy, integrative herbology, and cosmetic chemistry. She credits her husband, Chase, for encouraging her to put her appreciation of nature, analytical abilities, and serious love of a good serum to use to launch One Love Organics in 2010.
That business has since grown into an industry leader in green beauty—Yahoo named One Love one of the top thirteen best natural brands on the market. In 2015, the University of Georgia recognized One Love Organics as the eighth fastest growing company owned by UGA alumni in the Bulldog 100 rankings. Despite this exponential growth, One Love Organics’ products are manufactured in small batches in the company’s lab on St. Simons Island, Georgia. This maintains the integrity of the ingredients and the success of their results and contributes to the local economy.
Notably, One Love Organics owns Georgia’s only ECOCERT®-licensed manufacturing facility for natural and organic cosmetics and is one of only ten such facilities in the United States. (A rigorous third-party certification, ECOCERT® ensures that the lab and its production process meets the highest-quality, certified-organic, and environmentally friendly standards in the world.)
Today, One Love Organics—a brand built from the ground up—has garnered product zealots and global press attention and is distributed in high-end spas and retail shops throughout the United States and Canada. One Love is currently in over 150 retail locations, including Bluemercury, Free People, Pharmaca, South Moon Under and more. It has been featured on the Today Show, as well as in Allure, O Magazine, Glamour, People, US Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Blog coverage has included Glitter Guide, Refinery 29, Into the Gloss, The Coveteur, Byrdie, and Man Repeller.
In 2015, Garden & Gun named One Love Organics a finalist in its coveted Made in the South Awards. Additionally, its products have won the following honors from top national publications:
Ever a student, LeRoux was recently selected as one of only eight women from around the world to participate in Sephora’s inaugural Accelerate Program, an invitation-only initiative designed to help female-founded start-ups shape the future of the beauty industry. Upon completing a weeklong boot camp at Sephora’s San Francisco headquarters, she worked one-on-one with a leading industry expert for 10 months to further refine and expand the One Love Organics brand. Southern Living Magazine named Suzanne as an Innovator changing the south in 2016 and Allure.com recently featured One Love Organics’ as one of the nine leading green beauty companies founded by women.
Erin Loechner, author of Chasing Slow and founder of Design for Mankind, will be sharing her story of entrepreneurship (from accidental blogging success to the height of “fame” to pulling back and eventually finding a beautiful rhythm in it all) as well as sharing media tips and tools, case studies, ideas and examples for maximizing social media efficiency while still maintaining personal sanity.
Erin’s heartfelt writing and design work have also been showcased in The New York Times, Lucky, Parenting, Dwell, Marie Claire, Elle Decor, Huffington Post, and a two-season HGTV.com special.
Steele Marcoux has been editor of Coastal Living since April 2015. This marked a return to Time Inc. and Coastal Living for Steele, who had most recently served as Executive Editor at Country Living. Previously, she was the Design Editor at Southern Living in 2013 and prior to that held the same position at Coastal Living. She has been a freelance writer, editor and producer for Time Inc. titles and a number of others including HGTV Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens and more. Steele is from Atlanta, where she attended the Westminster Schools. After graduating from Williams College, she lived in Washington, DC for three years before returning to the south to pursue a graduate degree in American History at the University of Alabama. Steele lives in Birmingham, AL with her husband, two sons, and her dog.
Haile McCollum is the owner of Fontaine Maury a brand strategy and design firm. Fontaine Maury develops, documents and extends brands through creative business strategies.
In addition to running her brand and design studio, Haile’s current passion project is being the Creative Director of Thom, a bi-annual arts and culture magazine. Weaving together the written word and stunning images, Thom expresses and promotes the abundance of creative thinking in Thomasville.
She has worked with artists and companies worldwide to license designs for consumer goods including: Disney, Susan Branch, Cathy Heck, Walmart, Target, Tiny Prints, Shutterfly and others. She was featured as a Country Living Woman Entrepreneur in 2007. Her work has been featured in Country Living, Southern Living, Real Simple, InStyle and O Magazine. She is a contributing artist in the book Crafting a Meaningful Home by Meg Mateo Ilasco and is honored to appear in the Country Living book The Mom’s Guide to Running a Business by Michelle Ribeiro.
Haile has a B.S. in Human Development from Vanderbilt University and an M.F.A. in Graphic design from The Savannah College of Art and Design. She lives in a historic house in Thomasville, Georgia with her husband, Ben, her 2 boys, Parker (12) and William (9) and their 2 Spaniels, Max.
Ellen McGauley is the homes editor at Coastal Living magazine, where she’s written and edited design stories on beach houses stretching from Santa Barbara and the Hamptons to the coast of South Africa. She’s interviewed and featured design notables like Peter Dunham, Amanda Lindroth, Nathan Turner, and Christopher Spitzmiller, and her Instagram (@ellenmcgauley) is a diary of mini-stories from her coastal discoveries. Before joining Coastal Living, she spent 10 years in Charleston, South Carolina, as homes editor for Charleston magazine, where she wrote and produced house and garden stories from the historic district to the barrier islands.
At Leapfrog PR Co, they have earned a national reputation for thoughtfully guiding clients into the national spotlight, and giving recognized brands a local edge within the Charleston community. Over her tenure at Leapfrog, Libba Osborne has witnessed the genesis of America’s love affair with Southern food artisans and the city of Charleston – an explosion of talented food entrepreneurs, chef-driven restaurants and culinary-minded upstarts.
Libba has guided many of her clients, both large and small, to become prominent brands among the shelves of national retailers. A story-teller at heart, she looks for common threads – a pride in process and an authentic history – in all of the companies she works alongside.
An Atlanta native, Libba found her passion for all things edible as a post-grad student at New York’s French Culinary Institute (International Culinary Center). She segued into restaurant public relations at Baltz & Co. and the Dunn Robbins Group, promoting brands in the food, wine and spirits industries. Following a move to her husband’s hometown of Charleston, Libba joined Leapfrog to continue her craft, becoming an owner in 2009.
Libba is a graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee and serves on the Board of the Charleston Chapter of Les Dames D’Escoffier. Libba and her husband, Chris, are raising their two young sons a stone’s throw from the Ashley River.
Waiting on Martha’s founder and curator, Mandy Kellogg Rye, lives by one mantra, “Life should be lived beautifully every single day.” Drawn to the “finer things” at an early age, her mother taught her how to appreciate beauty while her father how to create beauty.
A Michigan native, Mandy left the mitten behind and headed to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois where she graduated with dreams of becoming a high-powered attorney. However, her dream quickly fell short when she realized law school wasn’t all about wearing a designer suit and winning arguments with loads of whit and banter. Law school wasn’t a complete bust though; it introduced her to Chicago, her first big city and one she still holds dear to her heart. A city that unknowingly became the backdrop, and beginning of Waiting On Martha.
A bracelet actually started it all. Well a bracelet, an obsession with food, an incessant need to throw a party whenever an opportunity presented itself, and an adoration for all things DIY. But back to the bracelet. One fateful day Mandy ventured into a Chicago bead store while a class was in session. Thinking that jewelry making would be a fun hobby, she began taking classes. To be clear, Mandy had no plans of it becoming anything more than a hobby. You know what they say about best laid plans…in 2011 Mandy opened an Etsy shop and officially launched her Waiting On Martha bracelet collection in April. The response was, and still is, quite overwhelming. Individuals not only loved the bracelets, but they wanted to know more about Mandy and her life. Enter Waiting On Martha The Blog.
As the ultimate creative and personal outlet for Mandy, Waiting On Martha The Blog focused simply on creating a beautiful everyday through fashion, food, décor, and DIY. As the reader’s grew so did the oh-so common question “where do I get that?” And thus, as Mandy puts it, “It only took one reader’s question to push me to indulge my dream of opening a boutique.” Waiting On Martha The Shop opened as an e-commerce boutique in July of 2012 and opened a brick and mortar location in Atlanta in 2015 (where Mandy now resides with her husband and Cavalier King Charles Addison).
Brian is a native of Jacksonville, Florida and relocated to the beaches of Northwest Florida in 2010 as part of a corporate relocation. Brian recently made the life changing decision of leaving the corporate world to become an entrepreneur. He chose to follow his passion and dreams of opening his own CPA firm and becoming a wellness advocate, two professions rarely combined. Brian is a licensed certified public accountant and holds a BBA in accounting from Stetson University and an MBA from the University of North Florida.
As managing member of Salter CPA LLC, Brian has over 25 years of financial management and accounting experience with over 20 of those years in corporate finance. Prior to opening his own firm, Brian worked with the St. Joe Company for fifteen years performing financial analysis, budgeting, financial planning, economic modeling and accounting. Prior to joining the St. Joe Company, Brian worked in public accounting performing both audit and tax work for various for profit and not-for-profit clients.
Brian is not your typical CPA, his passion for wellness is authentic and observed in his everyday life. He is the founder of 30A Wellness where he coaches and advocates a healthy lifestyle including proper nutrition and exercise. He has competed in over 10 Ironman triathlons across the world consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. He believes that wellness is essential in excelling as an entrepreneur and maintaining a balanced life.
Brian believes in giving back to the community and thus serves on the Board of Directors as treasurer for the Seaside Schools, Inc., the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, Apostles by the Sea Church and additionally serves on the Seaside School Race Committee. Brian resides in WaterSound Beach with his wife Marta and their two sons, Luke and Graham.
Erin Loechner,Chasing Slow and founder of Design for Mankind, will be sharing her story of entrepreneurship (from accidental blogging success to the height of “fame” to pulling back and eventually finding a beautiful rhythm in it all) as well as sharing media tips and tools, case studies, ideas and examples for maximizing social media efficiency while still maintaining personal sanity.
Erin will also conduct a custom social media assessment for attendees that takes inventory and ask important questions such as what needs pruning or pivoting, what platforms work best related to each personality and/or brand as well as Q&A session.
Erin’s heartfelt writing and design work have also been showcased in The New York Times, Lucky, Parenting, Dwell, Marie Claire, Elle Decor, Huffington Post, and a two-season HGTV.com special.
Coastal Living’s Editor in Chief, Steele Marcoux; Style Director, Lindsey Ellis Beatty; Homes Editor, Ellen McGauley; and Digital Content Manager, Susan Hall Mahon, share their professional styling secrets from years in the industry in this hands-on hour-and-a-half session. Learn how to style products for digital and social media, style products for print, and style your products for media pitches. They will also share their tricks of the trade (including tool kits, must-have products and rules), what NOT to do/styling “sins” to avoid, and ways to apply easy styling tricks to your own home.
Suzanne LeRoux, founder and president of One Love Organics, shares how to develop relationships with national brands and retailers in this hour-and-a-half master-class session. Her experience working with national retailers Anthropologie, Free People and Bluemercury–as well as her experience collaborating with other national brands, media, bloggers, photographers and beauty industry insiders–has helped put One Love Organics on the shelves of over 150 retail locations. She will cover the early stages–what to think about, planning your approach and who to target–as well as follow up, relationship building (and maintaining), defining the collaboration, and even the legal agreements and investments to consider. She will also create a takeaway checklist to help you more successfully move toward working on a national level. At the end, she will discuss the importance of a green beauty regime for wellness and share a step-by-step ritual using One Love products.
Join Brian Salter, a licensed CPA, as he discusses bettering your business operations in this master class session. Brian brings 25+ years experience in financial management and accounting–in both corporate finance and running his own businesses–to help tackle topics in financial planning, budgeting, accounting, and analysis. Not your typical CPA, Brian will also lean on his experience as a wellness coach and the founder of 30A Wellness to shine a light on how we can not only run our businesses better on the back end, but shape our businesses (and ourselves) to work towards our individual goals of success and happiness.
Zoë Gowen, Senior Homes and Gardens Editor at Southern Living, is an exciting addition to our programming and will share the ins and outs of what they look for in a pitch.
In addition, we are also bringing some of the Coterie’s most requested favorites beachside for master classes –
Join Mandy Kellogg Rye, founder of Waiting on Martha, as she deep-dives into the most current information on social media platforms–in particular, Instagram–in this hour-and-a-half master-class session. With 97,000+ followers on Instagram between her three accounts { @waitingonmartha + @shopwaitingonmartha + @thewellcode), she continues to grow her following and engagement despite the ever-changing algorithms of the platform and the ever-growing competition. She will discuss the latest tips, best-practices and strategies, as well as where she sees the topic trends going, including her own branching out into the wellness and balance space with The Well Code.
This fast-paced, hands-on workshop will help you get a grip and build a winning strategy. Libba Osborne of Leapfrog PR and Haile McCollum of Fontaine Maury Brand + Design will share case studies that reveal how they help clients focus and build awareness. Haile will lead you through exercises (and maybe even assign you some homework!) that will help you uncover your brand content pillars. You will leave this session with clarity, sanity and a refreshing sense of focus.
After two days of extended master class sessions, Hoffman Media‘s Creative Force, Brian Hart Hoffman (President/Chief Creative Officer) and Brooke Bell (Director of Editorial Operations), will wrap up The Southern C Summit Work + Wellness Retreat with their CliffsNotes version of takeaways from all seasoned presenters, and share their personal stories of finding work/life balance. Hint: It includes learning to say “no” and scheduling proper vacations.
