Closing the Year in Bel Air: A Mastermind Built on Creativity and Community
Closing the Year in Bel Air: A Mastermind Built on Creativity and Community
There’s something about a long drive that prepares you for meaningful conversation. On November 14, 2024, four of us packed into a car and made the trip from San Diego to Los Angeles, heading back to Bel Air back to Judd Weiss’ home, for the final Inner Circle Mastermind of the year.
It felt fitting that the last gathering of 2024 required movement. Distance creates space to reflect, and reflection was very much the tone of the day. This wasn’t just another session. It was a moment to take stock of the year behind us, the people we’d met, and the ideas still unfolding.
A Room Energized by New Voices and Creative Momentum
The Mastermind welcomed six new faces into the Circle each bringing fresh perspective, curiosity, and energy into the room. That blend of familiarity and newness created a subtle but powerful dynamic. Longtime members grounded the conversation, while newcomers asked the kinds of questions that often unlock deeper insight.
That momentum was amplified by a keynote from Shawn Gold, founder of Pilgrim Soul, who shared his framework on How to Be More Creative. This is work Shawn typically delivers to major corporations for a significant fee, but here it was offered openly not as a performance, but as a conversation starter.
The response was immediate. After his talk, the room shifted. Ideas began moving freely. Members leaned in, challenged assumptions, and built on one another’s thinking. Creativity wasn’t discussed as a talent reserved for a few it was treated as a discipline anyone could strengthen with the right environment.
Why Creativity Still Matters at This Stage
What made Shawn’s contribution especially meaningful was its timing. As the final Mastermind of the year, the session wasn’t about launching something new, it was about reconnecting with how we create.
In leadership, creativity often gets buried beneath execution. But as the discussion unfolded, it became clear that creativity is less about novelty and more about clarity. About making space to see what’s already there. The session felt less like a workshop and more like a recalibration, one that many members didn’t realize they needed until they were in it.
Honoring Milestones and Meaningful Progress
The day also marked a meaningful moment for JM Balbuena, attending her first Inner Circle session after more than a year of connection. She shared the progress around her book, Successful Canna-Preneur, and celebrated the implementation of Ryan’s Law in California and beyond, a reminder that sustained effort, when paired with community, eventually moves the needle.
Her presence underscored something the Circle values deeply: progress doesn’t always happen loudly, but it deserves to be recognized.
Ending the Year the Right Way
As the final Mastermind of 2024, the gathering in Bel Air wasn’t about wrapping things up neatly. It was about ending the year in alignment surrounded by people who value depth, creativity, and honest exchange.
Inner Circle continues to be less about events and more about continuity. These rooms exist so leaders don’t have to carry everything alone and so the conversations that matter most have a place to land.
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Matt Ritchey
Matt Ritchey is the Co-Founder of Inner Circle and CEO of Mr. Cannabis. He is committed to bettering the plant medicine industry through high-integrity leadership and better business building. He has worked with over 500 plant medicine leaders since 2012 and has a track record of helping teams grow from idea to scaled solution.
