Last week, I was blessed enough to attend the Business Innovation Factory Summit, BIF8, in Providence, Rhode Island. Two days. Thirty storytellers. More than 400 unusual collaborators who believe in the power of story to change the world.

A week later I am still drowning in my stream of consciousness:

Uncover your superpower. Accelerate collisions. Put your arms around people with crazy ideas. Embrace technology. Use it intentionally. Put a face on business. Think visually. Pair words with pictures. Improvise. Bring your best self to work every day. Your thoughts create reality. Neuroscientists are proving this. Paralyzed patients are controlling things through thought. Music is critical in life. Support the school band. Every kid deserves a pair of shoes. The greatest learning platform is play. Appreciate recess. Get outdoors. Find your big idea and act. Time’s a wasting. Go. Do it for tomorrow’s child. Banks can be passion brands. Create a business that’s intensely human. Be kind. Be happy in the moment. Messy is good. There’s a lot right in education. Don’t measure anybody’s worth by a test score. Firefighters run drills for a reason. Run them in business. Fail. Get up again. Ask for help. Violence is solvable. Cells are cool. Science is too. Mental illness is invisible. Spread a message of hope. Lean into fear. Roast a chicken and pour yourself a glass of wine. Change the conversation with customers. People in health care are amazing. Create a new hospital gown. Radiate positive energy. The gold in life is at the intersections. People hear the same story differently. Every one has a story. Let yours unfold.

My head is full. My heart is happy. The possibilities are endless. But, behind each of these seemingly disconnected thoughts is one strong thread:

PEOPLE. THE MAGIC OF BIF IS ITS PEOPLE.

And, there’s nothing I’d love more than to share some of these people with you. For starters, meet Anita Verna Crofts and Wyatt Hayman – two remarkable innovators who were willing to share their inaugural BIF8 experiences. Click below to read what they had to say pre–, mid–, and post– summit:

Anita Verna Crofts, University of Washington, Master of Communication in Digital Media, Associate Director and Faculty

Wyatt Hayman, Apatapa, Co-Founder & CEO