Prestige AV & Creative Services

Prestige AV & Creative Services is a Cincinnati-based audio-visual rental, production, and creative service provider, producing experiences for live, virtual and hybrid events, corporate meetings, private parties, receptions, and fundraising events. 

I have been with Prestige in a sales management leadership role since 2013, when I was the sales manager. After four years, I was promoted to Director of Business Development in 2017 and then promoted to my current role less than a year later in 2018. In each role, I led a team of passionate sales and marketing professionals, ensuring they 

‣ Listen to the customer
‣ Put the customers’ needs first
‣ Create amazing customer experiences 

During this time, I:

‣ Successfully secured two major convention center contracts in new markets, valued at $10M.
‣ Efficiently led teams, raising contract renewals with venues from 50% to 90% in two years.
‣ Boosted revenue by $1M annually through the development of new markets.
‣ Improved company performance by launching a national marketing campaign.

Everything was great, but then COVID-19 happened. 

Business went from strong to scarce in a matter of weeks. As a result, layoffs occurred, and we were forced to change the way we looked at the event industry. 

Not knowing if things would ever go back to how it was, we reimagined what Prestige could become with a focus on virtual events, and planning for the eventual return of virtual and live events. 

It was a rough couple of quarters, but we came out on the other side. 

I am proud of my role as a guide in this evolution – a guide both for my company and for our clients. 

I helped Prestige find footing by reimagining the industry and how to approach it through amazing virtual and, eventually, hybrid events. With focus and determination, I was able to help Prestige regain its:

‣ Team members
‣ Customer Base
‣ Focus

Today, we are now stronger and more resilient than ever.

Let's connect >>  bmonahan at PrestigeAV dot com

Vice President of Sales and Business Development ► Event Producer  ► Live, Hybrid & Virtual Events

Director Of Business Development

I specialize in connecting meeting and event planners with the latest in AV technology to create memorable experiences.

I work with mid- to large-size associations, corporations and organizations to host first-class meetings, events, trade shows, conferences and conventions. 

And, with Prestige AV & Creative Services, meeting and event planners have a one-stop resource. We have a large inventory of the finest equipment. But what sets us apart is that we partner with our clients to determine what you really need to make your meeting or event successful.

To make it easy for you, Prestige does it all, including:

• AV planning and production
• Creative direction
• Project management
• In-house design, video and post-production
• Writing services
• Cost-effective budgeting

National Sales Manager

BRIAN MONAHAN

Owner & Founder ► Motivator & Inspirer ► Writer ► Speaker ► Connector

Are you living the life you dreamt about when you were younger, the life you want to live, the life of your dreams? 

If yes, congratulations, and keep at it! And if not, read on.

First, know you are not alone. Too many people feel stuck where they are and aren’t sure of the steps to take to get to a place they want to be. And that’s where I can help.

I’ve always had a passion for living an authentic life and helping others do the same. 

My 20+ years in the events industry have provided the opportunity to watch and absorb the words and perspectives of the thousands of speakers I helped support. 

Those presentations shaped my thinking, my actions, and my motivation. Each helped me realize that I don’t have time to live small, and that I have a drive to do more. I found the courage to act and unleash my passion, and now, I want to help others do the same. 

Through keynote speeches, articles and books, team training, and one-on-one sessions, I am building a foundation to help you live bigger. 

While your approach may look different than someone else’s, that’s OK because there is no one size fits all solution. One thing that rings true across the board, however, is that it’s not easy and can be scary. But the result is worth it. 

If you are ready to act, let’s talk. 

Let’s also talk if: 

‣ You are in the events industry and looking to do more with your life
‣ You are in any industry and want to take charge of your life
‣ You are looking for a keynote speaker on leadership 
 
Please feel free to reach out to me or email me at 
Brian at BrianMonahan dot me

Personal / Small Business Coach

ITA AudioVisual

Responsibilities included leading the company’s senior directors; purchasing; capital expenditures; recruiting staff; inventory management/control; preparing the company for major software upgrade. 

Created training platform for mentoring and training ITA’s regional managers and frontline employees across 30+ locations.

Assistant General Manager

Director of Business Development/Senior Project Manager – Director of Audio Visual Sales & Operations 

Responsibilities included: operations manager; account management; new business development; execution and planning AV for meetings and events for 10-5000 attendees; creating content for events; marketing support

Director of Business Development

United States Marine Corp

-Leader of Marines
-Oversaw Audio Visual Library for Recruit Training Base
-Manager Commanding Generals Board Room
-Managed Recruit Training Cable Broadcast Library and Scheduling
-Managed Repair and Maintenance Division

Audio Visual Specialist

545/730 🎤 #Eventprof by Day 📘 Book Writing Coach by Passion 🎸 Air Guitarist

Are you following your passion? Are you taking action every day to unleash it? Most people believe passion precedes action, but I believe it’s the other way around. To find your passion, you must act first, but sometimes taking the first step is difficult. 

I help those who want to take that first step. 

Being in the event industry for the past 20 years, I’ve had amazing access to authors, speakers and world dignitaries. True, my job is to ensure their presentations go off without a hitch, but it also provides the opportunity to watch and absorb every single one of those motivation speakers I helped support. 

Those presentations helped shape my thinking, my actions and my motivation. Each has helped me realize that I don’t have time to live small, and that I have a drive to do more. Each has helped me find the courage to take action, unleash my passion and I want to help others do the same. 

This revelation is nothing new, actually. I’ve always been interested in personal and professional development and have taken small steps to support that interest. In doing so, I have found my stage as an author of a book and as a speaker at numerous conferences. 

Now, as I continue to support my corporate clients with Prestige, I also work with those who are looking to find and embrace their stage. 

Do you have a calling to write a book, become a speaker or rise to the top of your profession? If so, let’s talk. 

I help my clients own their life and their brand through whatever stage they prefer to be on. 

After all, life is too short to not do what you feel you’ve been called to do. It may be scary to take those first steps, but it’s worth it to live an amazing life and you deserve it. 

However, I understand it may be daunting to take those first steps onto your stage alone. Let me be your guide by providing you with the motivation you need to act so your passions will follow. 

Please feel free to reach out to me here or email me at  
Brian at BrianMonahan Dot Me . 

I look forward to connecting.

Brian Monahan

I was the kid who climbed a 30 ft tall oak tree on a Romanian hillside to glimpse a wider horizon, then hustled before sunrise for bread rations during Communism, and walked cows to pasture—lessons in grit I didn’t yet have words for.  A crackling radio mic lit the next spark, steering me into sound engineering and, eventually, across the Atlantic. 

Years of coiling cables, calling shows, and now becoming an AI expert, I’ve blended those roots into one mission: 
>> give events the clarity, creativity, and tech horsepower they need to move people.

Having created a name and brand for myself, I’m a partnership strategist, an AV production expert, AI strategist and implementer, a 5x bodybuilding champion, a Technical Director and Showcaller—and a soon-to-be author, telling the story of what it really takes to lift both the gear and the industry, while staying grounded in purpose and vision. 

I am also the creator, producer and host of Events: Demystified, a podcast show that became a platform, a brand in itself, and a trusted voice in the event industry, which opened the door to speaking at global events, leading over 100 AI workshops, and helping teams stop fearing technology, and start using it with confidence.

With over 20 years in technical event productions and technology, I’ve wore just about every hat and been hands-on on every tech role behind the scenes. From mixing FOH for A-listers and celebrities, to building and running vMix broadcasts, from show calling to stage managing stadium-sized shows. And from there I've built Tree-Fan Events Productions into a woman-owned and operated production agency focused on AV and AI-driven solutions. 

On the outside, I may not look like your typical event professional—and I don't try nor don’t need to.

I bring a unique edge to this industry. Years of radio and live events production. A deep understanding of AV and AI. Real experience leading under pressure. And the discipline of competitive bodybuilding, where showing up strong—mentally, physically, and emotionally—is non-negotiable. 

I created the #FIT4EVENTS™️ framework because high performance should include the whole person, authentically showing up in every room, pushing boundaries, heavy weights and lifting others in the process.

So, if you're my kind of people, let’s connect. 

🏆 AWARDS:

2025 Top 13 LinkedIn Influencers in Events
2024 Top Voice In Events To Pay Attention 
2024 Best of Stage Speaker Award
2024 Smart Woman in Meetings and Events
2023 Catalyst Quantum Leap Award
2022 “40 under 40” BizBash & Connect
2021 #WomenToWatch – MeetingsToday

Anca Platon Trifan, CMP, DES, WMEP

New year, new humble bragging opportunities 🤣

Anca Platon Trifan, CMP, WMEP

Top Voice in Events & AI | Awarded Speaker in AI, AV, Technology & Wellness | #Fit4Events™ | Future Bestselling Author | Bodybuilding Pro Athlete 🥇

During our January's Club Ichi Monthly Sounding Board, Liz asked a deceptively simple question. What are the three things you want to end in 2026 in the way you network, and the three things you want more of. 

I did not have to think long. 
Because if I am being honest, I have outgrown a lot of how networking is done. And I am no longer interested in pretending otherwise. So here are mine.  Not what sounds good. Not what plays well. What is actually true for me.

Three things I want to end in 2026 are collecting business cards like Pokémon and never following up, having surface-level conversations that go nowhere, and forcing small talk with people I would never choose to work with. I am done with transactional energy, awkward pitch slapping, and pretending every interaction has to be “valuable.” If it feels forced, it is. If it feels misaligned, it is. I am not here to impress. I am here to connect.

Three things I want more of in 2026 are real conversations that go past job titles, intentional relationship building with people I actually admire, and strategic networking where both sides leave sharper than they arrived. Fewer crowded circles, more one on one depth. Fewer polite nods, more honest exchanges. Less performing, more belonging. If we are not building something meaningful together, I am happy to wish you well and keep walking.

What are your 3s? List your 3 and 3 Rule for grown-up networking 👇

I have a story to tell. And it’s the same sentiment Huong shared so beautifully just recently in her post. What was almost lost wasn’t just the DJI video recorder.

It was every conversation that happened in the hallways and between sessions. It was the sessions I attended, the pitch competitions, the AI workshop content I delivered. It was the podcast episode I recorded. It was the B-roll. It was the texture of the week spent at RainFocus. 

That little piece of gear held the thinking, the questions, the moments that don’t show up on slides. And when I realized it was gone, that was the panic. Not the hardware. The work. The intention. The recorded moments lost on there. 

And then the event industry did what it does.
People showed up.

Brandon and the team at the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City  jumped in immediately. Rodney Hart, MBA reached out to Amy Gregori without hesitation. No one asked who I was. No one asked why it mattered. They just treated it like it mattered. 😭

And somehow,  hours later, the lost child was found, tracked, packed, and on its way home. Hallelujah. Redeemed. 🙌

Huge gratitude to Amy at ATWM, Rodney at RainFocus, the Hyatt Regency SLC team, and TripHero Info. This is exactly why this industry has kept me here all these years. It's THE HUMANS. And it will always be the humans.

I help leadership teams reduce cognitive load, regain clarity, and design AI-powered systems that support real decision-making under pressure. Mental bandwidth in a world that is eating it alive. #fit4events™️

I just got done recording a live CEO Edition episode of the Events: demystified Podcast at the RainFocus Insight user conference, while the industry is actively reckoning with how events are built, supported, and scaled with technology.

Sitting across from Huong Nguyen and talking through her evolution from agency CEO to tech founder was powerful to witness. I’ve followed her journey closely, and watching her build Aletheia with this level of intention and discipline makes me genuinely excited for what she’s creating.

We talked about the shift from services to systems, from execution to intelligence, and why the future of events will belong to teams who reduce friction, respect data, and still protect the moments that only humans can create. Episode drops soon. Follow & subscribe so you don't miss it.

You can find the podcast on our website, as well as on Spotify, YouTube, and all other podcasting platforms.

Third year in a row I didn’t make the cut for Meeting Professionals International's WEC. I’ll be honest. It stings. You spend weeks shaping a proposal, tailoring it to the audience, grounding it in real work, you hit submit, you wait, you hope. And then you get the polite "no".

But here’s the part we don’t talk about openly enough in this industry,  and we should. The "it's not you, it's me" syndrome. 😁 

For large flagship conferences, the actual acceptance rate for “outside” speakers is far lower than most people realize. 

Rough math, based on years of submissions, conversations with program teams, and what’s been shared publicly in speaker education sessions: less than 30 percent of submissions are accepted overall. And of that accepted pool, a significant portion is already allocated before the CFP even opens. 

Sponsors. 
Strategic partners. 
Internal leaders. 
Board voices. 
Program pillars that need continuity year over year.

What’s left for independent speakers like me, even with deep experience and strong relevance, is a much smaller slice. Roughly a quarter of the accepted sessions. Sometimes less.

That doesn’t mean the content wasn’t strong. 
It doesn’t mean the idea wasn’t timely. 
It means the math is brutal.

I’m sharing this for two reasons.

First, for fellow speakers. If you’re taking rejections personally, stop. Rejection at this level is often structural, not qualitative. Keep refining your message, yes. But don’t let a “no” convince you your work doesn’t matter or isn’t needed. 
The system is crowded. 
The bar is high. 
The slots are few. 
That’s reality, not failure.

Second, for organizers. Transparency helps everyone. When speakers understand how much of the program is pre allocated, it changes expectations. It builds trust. It reframes rejection as part of a constrained design process, not a silent judgment on someone’s value or expertise. Even a simple line in a CFP that explains how programming is balanced goes a long way.

I’ll keep submitting. 
I’ll keep refining. 
I’ll keep doing the work on stages, in rooms, 
and with teams who are ready for it. 

One rejection doesn’t define a career. 
Repeated rejection doesn’t either. It’s just part of playing at this level.

If you’re a speaker, don’t quit. If you’re an organizer, pull back the curtain a little more. The industry is stronger when we’re honest about how it actually works.

---
If you’re a speaker or event pro who wants to change this imbalance instead of quietly absorbing it, I started a Speaker Collective with industry peers who care about clarity, fairness, and raising the bar on how programming and selection actually work. If you want in, or want to help shape what this becomes, DM me.

Just wrapped my session at RainFocus INSIGHT and I’m still processing how tightly the case study presented aligned with the broader narrative of the conference. My session, wasn’t about new shiny AI tools, it was about what actually happens when a group of event profs try to run a real event with AI under real deadlines, real dependencies, and real human constraints. 

What worked, what broke, and where AI genuinely helped versus where it created more friction than value. What struck me is how closely the patterns from our Club Ichi AI Hackathon* mirrored RainFocus’ core takeaways.

RainFocus framed the future of events as agent-first systems, not platforms. 

That’s exactly what we experienced. AI only became useful when it stopped acting like a feature and started acting like an operating layer that supported execution, decision visibility, and coordination across workstreams.

The strongest AI value is decision compression, not content generation. When AI reduces cognitive load, it creates leverage. When it tries to replace judgment, it failes.

Personalization came up constantly on the main stage, and the hackathon showed the same thing from the inside. Attendees now expect systems to remember them, anticipate needs, and adapt in real time. But that only works if your data is clean, connected, and governed. Otherwise you just get confident hallucinations at scale.

RainFocus content emphasized that events are now a sales and marketing convergence engine. Success has nothing to do with attendance numbers. It is now about pipeline quality, conversion flow, and whether the event experience actually supports business outcomes.

One of the biggest shared truths was that AI scales human support, it doesn’t replace it, every critical moment still requires human intervention.

The conference speakers talked a lot about content as a continuous supply chain, not a moment. That’s exactly what the hackathon became. The build itself turned into the product. Every meeting, failure, pivot, and recovery became part of what we now call the Book of How*. 

Another strong alignment was around data governance as the real competitive moat. Features don’t matter if your foundations are fragmented. Every technical session reinforced the same point. AI capability is now limited more by data quality than by models. 

And finally, the most important takeaway from both my session and RainFocus as a whole. The last true differentiator is still human. Rituals. Community. Physical presence. Meaning. AI can optimize logistics and decisions, but the moments people remember are created by humans in rooms, not agents in systems.

AI didn’t make our event successful. It exposed where our workflows were fragile. It amplified strengths and weaknesses equally. What held the system together was human judgment under pressure. And that’s the real work ahead. 

Designing systems that protect humans, not replace them.

As event professionals, we rarely prioritize our own health and well-being. I’ve learned the hard way that for me, it’s non-negotiable. Same with my sleep and recovery. 

I no longer train just to look good or shredded, I already do #humblebrag 😜. I train to stay sharp, regulated, and healthy for the long game.

Event days are long. The conversations are layered. The thinking is deep. Strategy, data, AI, decisions. All of it stacks fast. If I don’t move my body, my brain pays for it later.

This is what #fit4events™ looks like in real life. 

Training between sessions. 
Lifting before connecting. 
Choosing strength so I can show up grounded, present, and clear when it’s time to speak, listen, and lead.

Events don’t just demand energy. 
They demand regulation. Focus. Capacity. And that is built long before you step on stage.

If you’re at RainFocus INSIGHT, join me Thursday at 9 am for AI in Events: A Case Study.

This is not a tool demo or theory talk. 

I’m walking through a real event, real constraints, real decisions, and what actually worked when AI was introduced into live production, planning, and execution. 

Where it helped. 
Where it created friction. 
Where humans had to step in and lead.

If you care about practical AI application, operational clarity, and making smarter decisions without adding chaos to your team, be in the room.

Thursday. 9 am. RainFocus INSIGHT.

Come for the case study. 
Leave with a clearer way forward.
Conversations that matter. 
Bodies that move. 
Minds that stay online. 
#fit4events™️

In an age of AI and automation, the most powerful competitive advantage is not AI, or technology, it's being genuinely human, and this is why.

What International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) Expo Expo 2025 taught us about the most powerful competitive advantage, in an age of A

Open article: Human to Human: Why the Future of Trade Shows Isn't About Technology
 by Anca Platon Trifan, CMP, WMEP • 11 min read

Human to Human: Why the Future of Trade Shows Isn't About Technology

Guess where I'll be this week? Presenting a very interesting and powerful AI case study at RainFocus's user conference in SLC. Will you be there?  If you're planning to be there, let's connect IRL. 


Last year Liz, myself and Mary even recorded a live episode of the Events: demystified Podcast as the show was literally being taken down around us. 

Available now on demand: https://lnkd.in/gMbynBrn


PS: If your idea of an AI talk involves fewer buzzwords and more actual building, congratulations, you found your speaker. https://lnkd.in/gE_p3VW5

Happy New Year, and here's to 2026's first event. Putting my 🤠 boots to good use, destination TX 😂 Safe travels everyone traveling this week. Our small and quiet Boise airport was PACKED this morning.

Our first CEO Edition episode dropped today, featuring Pedro Góes, Co-Founder and CEO of InEvent. This raw conversation goes beyond titles and into what leadership actually demands when you are responsible for people, product, and long-term decisions.

👉 Follow the podcast so you do not miss the other CEO edition episodes.
👉 Subscribe on YouTube and Spotify and get it the moment it goes live.
👉 Share this with a founder or CEO who understands the weight of this role.

https://lnkd.in/gcdaNGtY

#eventsdemystified #theCEOedition #conversationsworthhaving #tunein

Open video: 201: From Startup to Scale-Up, Building Innovation That Lasts ft CEO Pedro Goes | CEO Edition on youtu.be

201: From Startup to Scale-Up, Building Innovation That Lasts ft CEO Pedro Goes | CEO Edition

Decision fatigue is the quiet killer of progress. I grew up in Romania under communism. We did not have endless options. We had one version of something, if we were lucky. Choice was limited, but then life was simpler. 

You did not stand in an aisle overthinking. 
You took what existed and moved forward.

Today, we live in the opposite reality. 
Too many options. Too many platforms. Too many promises.

AI has amplified that pressure for event professionals, agencies, and business leaders. Every tool is AI-powered. AI-enabled. AI-driven. 

And instead of feeling empowered, people feel stuck. 
They are afraid of choosing wrong. 
Afraid of wasting budget. 
Afraid of committing to a platform that will not deliver. 
Afraid of missing something better.

So they wait. 
They compare. They keep researching. They keep attending demos. 
And nothing actually changes.

That is decision fatigue. And I see it every day.
Most teams are not resisting AI. They are overwhelmed by it. 

They are trying to pick tools before they have defined outcomes. 
They are shopping for solutions before they have mapped their friction. 
They are asking what platform should we buy instead of asking what problem are we solving. That order matters.

AI does not need perfection. It needs direction. It needs clarity around workflows, bottlenecks, time drains, and business goals. Once those are defined, the right tools become obvious. Not easy, but obvious.

This is exactly the work I do. I consult with event teams, agencies, business owners, and leadership groups to cut through the noise, define real use cases, and make confident, strategic AI decisions. Practical. Operational. 

Grounded in how your business actually runs.
If you are stuck in comparison mode, frozen by options, or unsure where to place your bets, that is the moment to bring in a second brain.
Meet with me. Let me help you make the decision. 

Booking link in the comments below.

The Olympian Meeting #Fit4Events™ Wellness Awards are back for 2026! In partnership with Olympian Meeting ™️ and #fit4events™ Fit Mindful Mavens, we are proud to recognize the hotels, destinations, planners, and organizations raising the standard for wellness integration in meetings and events.

These awards celebrate leadership, innovation, and intentional design that supports attendee wellbeing, sustained energy, and meaningful engagement because wellness is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s a performance imperative.

Nominations are now open across categories including attendee wellbeing, movement, nutrition, community impact, space design, and visionary leadership. Submit nominations by January 23.

Learn more and submit at: https://lnkd.in/gmQAkXwP 

Winners announced February 2026
#wellnessawards26

Wellness at events is no longer a side program or a soft add-on. It is infrastructure. The Olympian Meeting Wellness Awards, in partnership with #Fit4Events™, exist to recognize the people and organizations designing events that support human performance at scale.

This is about energy that lasts past lunch.
Agendas that respect cognitive load.
Spaces that allow people to think, move, connect, and recover.

If your event strategy considers the full human experience from arrival to load-out, these awards were built for you.

Nominations are now open.
Deadline January 23.
Winners announced February 2026.

Learn more and submit here:
https://lnkd.in/gmQAkXwP

Olympian Meeting ™️ #fit4events™ Fit Mindful Mavens #EventWellness #HumanPerformance  #WellnessLeadership #OlympianMeeting

When I step on a stage to talk about AI, I am not thinking about tools first. I am thinking about distance. Not physical distance. Cognitive distance. 

The gap between what I see every day inside AI systems, workflows, agents, and strategies, and what the audience in front of me has actually had the chance to touch, test, and understand.
That gap is where most AI initiatives fail.

Because the work is not presenting features.
The work is translation.

If the room does not have the same exposure, the same language, the same context, then I am not delivering a keynote or a workshop. I am building a bridge between potential and practice.
And that bridge requires leadership.

Leadership that slows down when needed.
Leadership that explains without diluting.
Leadership that respects fear, skepticism, and overload.
Leadership that keeps the human at the center of every system we design.

AI does not remove the need for judgment.
It amplifies it.
AI does not replace creativity.
It raises the bar for it.
AI does not eliminate leadership.
It demands better leadership.

This is the work behind the work.
Not what the technology can do, but how we help people understand what is possible, what is responsible, and what still requires human decision making, care, and courage.

That is what the Built From Within mini-series is about. If you are leading AI change inside your organization, this episode is for you. Listen to the full conversation on Built From Within, episode link in the comments.

Events: demystified Podcast

I’m bringing three things to Go West this year, and together they tell one story. First, I’ll be on the main stage delivering my keynote AI That Plans With You. 


Second, I’ll be leading my hands-on workshop AI in Action, to compliment my keynote. This is where we take the main ideas out of the keynote and put them to work. Real scenarios. Real tradeoffs. Real workflows. 


Third, I’m hosting a live recording of the Events: demystified Podcast. This will be a real conversation with leaders who live inside complex event systems every day. No highlight reels. No theory detached from reality. Just honest dialogue about what’s breaking, what’s shifting, and what leadership looks like when the pressure is real.


If you’re coming to GO WEST® Live looking for inspiration only,  this might challenge you. If you’re coming because you feel stretched, overloaded, and quietly at your cognitive limit, this will meet you where you are.

Keynote.
Workshop.
Live podcast.


Three formats. 
One throughline: clarity, capacity, and leadership in the age of AI.
See you at Go West LIVE, where Canada's event industry gathers.

PS: excited to share the stage with Christine Renaud, Lisa Schulteis, Arthur Kerekes, Trish Knox, Evan Babins, Mahoganey Jones, CMP, DES, HMCC.

There is a version of strength that looks impressive on the outside. And then there is the version that holds when life is loud, pressure is constant, and no one is watching. Built From Within exists for the second version.

Today I am releasing something personal. Not a CEO conversation. Not an AI breakdown. Not a production story. This is the foundation behind all of it.

In the latest Events: demystified Podcast episode, I share the four pillars and ten habits that keep me fit year-round while running businesses, producing events, traveling constantly, and training at a high level. 

This conversation is not about motivation or wellness trends. 
It is about structure, discipline, and the internal systems that support sustained performance. 

If you have ever wondered how I carry the pace I do, this is the answer.
Read the article below and tune into the episode on Youtube or Spotify. 

---
The Built From Within series will run in parallel with the CEO Edition of the podcast, because the inner work deserves as much attention as the outer wins. If this resonates, I would love to hear which of the four dimensions hits closest to home for you. Mental. Physical. Emotional. Spiritual.

We all have a dominant one. 
And a neglected one.
Choose honestly.

#builtfromwitin #podcastseries #fit4events #eventsdemystified

RainFocusINSIGHT conference #insights as generated by Voxo. Now, that's great, but I also have my own insights that I am planning to share soon on a podcast episode of the Events: demystified Podcast. Make sure to tune in!

RainFocus Insight 2026: Event Report.pdf

In the #AInews: this week crystallized several tensions defining AI's 2026 trajectory. The talent and governance instability at frontier labs reached new visibility, with Thinking Machines Lab's implosion revealing how fragile even well-funded AI startups can be when founders disagree about direction, and how quickly competitors move to absorb the fallout. 

Perhaps most consequentially, Runway's research on video authenticity crossed a threshold the industry has anticipated but never quantified: human perception is no longer reliable for distinguishing real from synthetic. 

This will be remembered less for any single breakthrough than for the moment when AI's presence became ambient, appearing in spreadsheets, in wearables, in weather prediction, and in every video we watch, while our ability to understand or verify what we're experiencing fell further behind.

---
Want to stay on top of the latest AI news? Follow me, and share this post.
Equipping professionals to turn AI into practical wins and human-centered results, without losing the human touch. https://lnkd.in/gHNuPjkC
Do you have an event where AI education is a priority? Book me to speak.

The final full week of January 2026 delivered a collision of AI industry drama, product expansion, and uncomfortable questions about what we can trust

Open article: The Week AI Talent Wars Escalated, Anthropic Went Philosophical, and Reality Became Optional by Anca Platon Trifan, CMP, WMEP • 10 min read

The Week AI Talent Wars Escalated, Anthropic Went Philosophical, and Reality Became Optional

This will offend some people. But you do not just walk into a room empty and wait for someone to plug you into the universe like some kind of a USB port. If you feel flat, foggy, heavy, or depleted, the answer is almost never mystical.

View company: #fit4events™ Fit Mindful Mavens

There is a lot of “energy work” floating around wellness spaces right now. Aura readings. Energy assessments. Activations. Realignments. Invisible fields being “cleared” and “balanced.” I am going to say this plainly.

Energy is not something someone reads off you.
Energy is something you create.

Movement creates energy.
Strength creates energy.
Breath creates energy.
Sleep creates energy.
Nutrition creates energy.
Purpose creates energy.
Momentum creates energy.

You do not walk into a room empty and wait for someone to plug you into the universe like a USB port.

If you feel flat, foggy, heavy, or depleted, the answer is almost never mystical. It is usually mechanical.

You have not moved enough.
You have not fueled enough.
You have not rested enough.
You have not been outside enough.
You have not said no enough.
You have not protected your bandwidth enough.

That is not sexy. That does not sell sessions. But it is real.

Here is the part people do not like hearing.

If you go for a hard lift, an interval session, a long walk, a cold plunge, a deep stretch, your energy shifts immediately. Not spiritually. Biologically.

Because mitochondria respond.
Because blood flow increases.
Because neurotransmitters fire.
Because your nervous system recalibrates.

That is physiology.

Now, the nuance, because I am not here to be reductionist.

Do people feel lighter after an aura reading or similar experience. Yes.
Do people feel calmer, clearer, more seen. Yes.
Does being listened to and reflected back create emotional relief. Yes.

That is human connection. 
Not an invisible energy field.

When someone gives you focused attention, asks thoughtful questions, and creates a safe container, your nervous system downshifts. Your brain releases tension. Your body exhales. Of course you feel better.

But that is not evidence of an aura. 
That is evidence that we are wired for attunement.

Calling that “energy reading” is just poetic branding.

The danger is when fantasy replaces agency.
When people start believing their state is determined by forces outside their control instead of habits inside their control.

When we outsource our vitality to rituals instead of reps.
When we chase alignment instead of building capacity.

I am a big believer in energy.
I am just a believer that it is built, not bestowed.

You do not need someone to read your energy.
You need to generate it.

Through your body.
Through your discipline.
Through your choices.
Through your standards.
Through your work.

Wellness should make you stronger, not more dependent.
If something leaves you passive, waiting, or seeking activation from the outside, that is not empowerment. That is outsourcing.

Real energy is loud.
It is sweaty.
It is earned.
It is repeatable.
It is yours.

Fantasy dressed as wellness will always be tempting.
But the truth is simpler and harder.

Move your body.
Fuel it well.
Protect your focus.
Build your strength.
And your “energy” will take care of itself. #fit4events™

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The Battle

Brian Monahan

Anca Platon Trifan, CMP, DES, WMEP

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taplio

The Battle

Brian Monahan

Anca Platon Trifan, CMP, DES, WMEP

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Anca Platon Trifan, CMP, DES, WMEP's LinkedIn Performance

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