Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenneth Paul.
Hi Kenneth, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
12 months prior to the pandemic, I was increasingly restless. I was in year 15 of a career in corporate sponsorship and event creation. Our collective experiences with stress, anxiety and depression were already trending disturbingly in the wrong direction. I’d been building events and festivals in the food and beverage spaces. These were celebrations of community and unifying consumer experiences. The work was rewarding but I was on auto-pilot…working hard, playing harder, not growing and in a numbing comfort zone. I took a vacation in Feb ’19, immersing myself in a powerful wellness retreat. With the time away to reflect and think, I made the decision to walk away from my comforts, take my experience and start a purpose-driven business in service of people who want to better manage their experiences with anxiety and stress and help people be more accountable to their happiness. I spent July ’20 – April ’21 out of the country designing the concept. As I was studying the wellness landscape around the world, unlike most countries, our wellness events were designed for either the most affluent or those that are already deeply into yoga or fitness practices. The average person who might fall in and out of motivation wasn’t really marketed to or invited to the party. Fitness, yoga, mindfulness, good nutrition, better sleep habits…this is for everybody. Everybody has the birth given right to Feel Good AF. So, I created The Feel Good AF festival and we’re making it so.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Leaving a steady job to create a new festival/event concept in March of 2020 sounded pretty crazy. I mean, it sounds pretty crazy today, right? But I had a vision. I knew I could tread water for a year or so. I taught myself how to day trade. I wanted to take time off. This was my chance. I sold my furniture and put the rest of my things in a storage locker. I decided to leave Philadelphia after 17 years. Where does one go in the midst of a pandemic with his 11 years old dog? Glad you asked! The UK never closed its borders. I got Sasha (#adoptdontshop) an international tag and we flew to London. It was wild and exhilarating. We hopped through six countries, mastering every government border and form of transportation policy along the way. England to Scotland, Scotland to England, England to Italy, Italy to Switzerland, Switzerland to Brooklyn and Brooklyn to Mexico. By March of 2021, it was becoming clear that putting on an event in Philadelphia wasn’t going to happen. Dallas was always a city I wanted to come to. I spoke to friends and former colleagues and they all pushed me to come to Dallas. On April 5th, when the Texas Rangers had a sold-out crowd for opening day, my fate was sealed. Sasha and I crossed the border, bought a used Ford in San Diego and drove to Dallas.
We’ve been impressed with Feel Good AF Festival, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Most wellness events focus on one modality and only serve those most enthusiastic about a practice (yoga, fitness, etc). Our festival goes deep on physical, mental and emotional health. And you don’t need to own yoga pants to come. Feel Good AF is for everybody. We’re bringing together an epic collection of fitness and yoga instructors, nutrition, stress, sleep and mindset experts, mindfulness practitioners, and DJs all uniting on the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge in Dallas, TX. Being your happiest self takes some work and accountability. Our commitment is to give you all of the tools you need to be your happiest in your mind, body and heart. Feel Good AF isn’t just our name, it’s our promise.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@feelgoodaf.com
- Website: www.feelgoodaf.com
- Instagram: @feelgoodaf
- Facebook: @feelgoodaf
- Twitter: @feelgoodaf
