The Magic of IRL Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:04 -0400 https://themagicofirl.buzzsprout.com en-us © 2026 The Magic of IRL yes 9596bdbf-ea49-5942-b94e-7db7ce653839 Inbal Claudio episodic false Behind the Scenes of the Events, Retreats, and Communities Female Founders Build


What if your next breakthrough didn't come from another launch, but from the room you're brave enough to create?


Hosted by community strategist and membership expert Inbal Claudio, The Magic of IRL explores how in-person experiences, communities, memberships, retreats, and events can become the foundation of a thriving, recurring-revenue business.


Each week, Inbal sits down with founders, community builders, and industry leaders who are using real human connection to grow businesses people can't wait to be part of. Alongside inspiring interviews, she'll share solo episodes packed with actionable strategies for turning ideas into experiences, building communities people happily pay for, and creating sustainable revenue without relying on the endless launch cycle.


Whether you're dreaming of hosting your first event, building a membership, leading retreats, or creating a community that truly lasts, you'll walk away with practical tools, honest conversations, and the confidence to bring your vision to life.


New episodes every Wednesday.


]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Inbal Claudio https://storage.buzzsprout.com/8er7bvqhs5p4tgkml7go34vgazgh?.jpg The Magic of IRL https://themagicofirl.buzzsprout.com Inbal Claudio EP 04: From One Dinner to an Annual Event: How Haley Westfall Built The Table EP 04: From One Dinner to an Annual Event: How Haley Westfall Built The Table My business bestie Haley Westfall is in the room, and we are spilling all of it. The voice notes we usually keep to ourselves are finally on the airwaves, including the part nobody posts about: the stress before the magic.

Haley got rescue-flighted into entrepreneurship after losing her corporate job twice, built Collab Culture with her lifelong best friend (45 plus signups in the first 72 hours), and then launched The Table on top of it. But the story that will stick with you is year one of her live event. She was unhinged-confident she'd sell 250 tickets. She sold 70. She cried most of February, went upside down on money, and then found out that the very thing she was most scared of was actually her superpower. We get into pricing, raising your rates without flinching, inviting the boys to the table, stripping an event back to bare bones, and why your feet are not in concrete.

What you'll take away

  • Why Haley and her best friend "selfishly" built a community for themselves, and how that became the whole business
  • The real pricing journey: $45 and $55 memberships to a $89 signature tier and a $189 CEO Round Table, and how surveying her people drove every change
  • What happened when the math ain't mathing three weeks out from her first live event, and how she talked herself (and 70 guests) through it
  • Why smaller rooms keep winning, and how nobody ever mentions the balloons or the decor
  • How she made year two work with a venue sponsorship and a bare-bones build, and what's changing for year three

Find Haley

  • Instagram: @thehaleywestfall
  • Free resource: the Connection Compass, her personally vetted, application-based database of must-attend events and must-join communities
  • The Table Experience Live returns for year three in February 2027

This episode is brought to you by Contractista

If you're hosting events, you need contracts that actually protect you. Venue agreements, vendor terms, speaker agreements, attendee waivers. Contractista has a whole collection built for events, written by a lawyer, ready to use.

40% off the event collection with code MAGIC
contractista.com/collections/events

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> My business bestie Haley Westfall is in the room, and we are spilling all of it. The voice notes we usually keep to ourselves are finally on the airwaves, including the part nobody posts about: the stress before the magic.

Haley got rescue-flighted into entrepreneurship after losing her corporate job twice, built Collab Culture with her lifelong best friend (45 plus signups in the first 72 hours), and then launched The Table on top of it. But the story that will stick with you is year one of her live event. She was unhinged-confident she'd sell 250 tickets. She sold 70. She cried most of February, went upside down on money, and then found out that the very thing she was most scared of was actually her superpower. We get into pricing, raising your rates without flinching, inviting the boys to the table, stripping an event back to bare bones, and why your feet are not in concrete.

What you'll take away

  • Why Haley and her best friend "selfishly" built a community for themselves, and how that became the whole business
  • The real pricing journey: $45 and $55 memberships to a $89 signature tier and a $189 CEO Round Table, and how surveying her people drove every change
  • What happened when the math ain't mathing three weeks out from her first live event, and how she talked herself (and 70 guests) through it
  • Why smaller rooms keep winning, and how nobody ever mentions the balloons or the decor
  • How she made year two work with a venue sponsorship and a bare-bones build, and what's changing for year three

Find Haley

  • Instagram: @thehaleywestfall
  • Free resource: the Connection Compass, her personally vetted, application-based database of must-attend events and must-join communities
  • The Table Experience Live returns for year three in February 2027

This episode is brought to you by Contractista

If you're hosting events, you need contracts that actually protect you. Venue agreements, vendor terms, speaker agreements, attendee waivers. Contractista has a whole collection built for events, written by a lawyer, ready to use.

40% off the event collection with code MAGIC
contractista.com/collections/events

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> Inbal Claudio Buzzsprout-19898545 Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400 2775 full false EP 03: Retreats That Actually Make Money with Mari Milenkovic EP 03: Retreats That Actually Make Money with Mari Milenkovic Mari Milenkovic has taken founders to Sicily and Lake Como, hosted 500 person events, and run meetups in four cities. She also scouted Catalina for a day trip, took one look, and walked away.

In this episode she breaks down the actual formula she uses to build an experience, and it works the same whether she has six days in Italy or seven hours in Orange. We get into the three part structure she designs around, the care package she mails before anyone gets on a plane, why seven days is one day too long, and the real numbers on whether a retreat makes money.

If you have ever thought about hosting a retreat, a day trip, or even a dinner, this one is a playbook.

What we cover

  • The formula behind every experience she builds: an activity you do with your hands, a visit to something a founder built, and a meal to tie it together
  • Why she thinks about an experience in three parts, and why the last moment matters more than the first
  • Everything that happens before a guest arrives, from the mailed care package to the snacks already in the room
  • How she filled her very first retreat, and who those women actually were
  • Why she moved from Sicily to Lake Como, and how travel logistics changed the sale
  • The honest answer on retreat profitability, including the one that broke even
  • Why she scouted Catalina and said no, and the one thing about a location that makes it an instant pass
  • How she finds a local collaborator in every city and borrows their excitement

About Mari

Mari Milenkovic is a serial entrepreneur, exited founder, and marketing strategist who has helped thousands of female founders grow their businesses through strategies that align with their vision and directly impact their bottom line. As the founder of With Mari, she specializes in creating momentum through clarity, building systems and strategies that support intentional, aligned growth.

She hosts an annual retreat in Lake Como and runs founder field trips across Southern California.

Find Mari

  • Instagram: @withmari.co (she loves a voice memo)
  • Website: marimilenkovic.com
  • Next Lake Como retreat: May 21 to 26, 2027. Get yourself to Milan, she takes care of the rest.

This episode is brought to you by Contractista

If you're hosting events, you need contracts that actually protect you. Venue agreements, vendor terms, speaker agreements, attendee waivers. Contractista has a whole collection built for events, written by a lawyer, ready to use.

40% off the event collection with code MAGIC
contractista.com/collections/events

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> Mari Milenkovic has taken founders to Sicily and Lake Como, hosted 500 person events, and run meetups in four cities. She also scouted Catalina for a day trip, took one look, and walked away.

In this episode she breaks down the actual formula she uses to build an experience, and it works the same whether she has six days in Italy or seven hours in Orange. We get into the three part structure she designs around, the care package she mails before anyone gets on a plane, why seven days is one day too long, and the real numbers on whether a retreat makes money.

If you have ever thought about hosting a retreat, a day trip, or even a dinner, this one is a playbook.

What we cover

  • The formula behind every experience she builds: an activity you do with your hands, a visit to something a founder built, and a meal to tie it together
  • Why she thinks about an experience in three parts, and why the last moment matters more than the first
  • Everything that happens before a guest arrives, from the mailed care package to the snacks already in the room
  • How she filled her very first retreat, and who those women actually were
  • Why she moved from Sicily to Lake Como, and how travel logistics changed the sale
  • The honest answer on retreat profitability, including the one that broke even
  • Why she scouted Catalina and said no, and the one thing about a location that makes it an instant pass
  • How she finds a local collaborator in every city and borrows their excitement

About Mari

Mari Milenkovic is a serial entrepreneur, exited founder, and marketing strategist who has helped thousands of female founders grow their businesses through strategies that align with their vision and directly impact their bottom line. As the founder of With Mari, she specializes in creating momentum through clarity, building systems and strategies that support intentional, aligned growth.

She hosts an annual retreat in Lake Como and runs founder field trips across Southern California.

Find Mari

  • Instagram: @withmari.co (she loves a voice memo)
  • Website: marimilenkovic.com
  • Next Lake Como retreat: May 21 to 26, 2027. Get yourself to Milan, she takes care of the rest.

This episode is brought to you by Contractista

If you're hosting events, you need contracts that actually protect you. Venue agreements, vendor terms, speaker agreements, attendee waivers. Contractista has a whole collection built for events, written by a lawyer, ready to use.

40% off the event collection with code MAGIC
contractista.com/collections/events

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> Inbal Claudio Buzzsprout-19898539 Fri, 02 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400 3179 full false EP 02: How Events Solve Almost Every Business Problem EP 02: How Events Solve Almost Every Business Problem I had 4,000 women in an online community. When I opened a paid tier, almost nobody joined. Then I got 20 women in a room, and that room turned into a membership, a coworking space, a retreat, this podcast, an annual summit, and my best friends.

This is the follow-through on what I promised you at the end of episode one: hosting in-person events is the best business decision you will ever make. It all comes down to two things, trust and staying top of mind. You'll hear how one event a month became a membership, how the women who kept the conversation going in the parking lot led me to open The Clubhouse OC, where referrals actually come from, and why friendship first, business second isn't a cute tagline. It's the business model.

Then I give you your homework. You do not need a bigger audience. You need a room.

IN THIS EPISODE

  • Why 20 women in a room did what 4,000 online couldn't: online you're asking strangers to care, but in the room they already showed up
  • An event is not the end goal, it's the front door: one monthly event became a weekly event, and the weekly event became a membership
  • Why members stay: people don't stay for your content, they stay for one another, and nobody cancels on their friends
  • Where referrals really come from: being in their inbox every week, in person with them, and in their corner
  • Your homework: pick a date in the next 30 days and invite six women, one at a time

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> I had 4,000 women in an online community. When I opened a paid tier, almost nobody joined. Then I got 20 women in a room, and that room turned into a membership, a coworking space, a retreat, this podcast, an annual summit, and my best friends.

This is the follow-through on what I promised you at the end of episode one: hosting in-person events is the best business decision you will ever make. It all comes down to two things, trust and staying top of mind. You'll hear how one event a month became a membership, how the women who kept the conversation going in the parking lot led me to open The Clubhouse OC, where referrals actually come from, and why friendship first, business second isn't a cute tagline. It's the business model.

Then I give you your homework. You do not need a bigger audience. You need a room.

IN THIS EPISODE

  • Why 20 women in a room did what 4,000 online couldn't: online you're asking strangers to care, but in the room they already showed up
  • An event is not the end goal, it's the front door: one monthly event became a weekly event, and the weekly event became a membership
  • Why members stay: people don't stay for your content, they stay for one another, and nobody cancels on their friends
  • Where referrals really come from: being in their inbox every week, in person with them, and in their corner
  • Your homework: pick a date in the next 30 days and invite six women, one at a time

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> Inbal Claudio Buzzsprout-19898522 Fri, 02 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400 505 full false EP 01: One Had the Numbers. The Other Had the Magic. EP 01: One Had the Numbers. The Other Had the Magic. Two and a half years. Four different developers. Six launch delays. A platform that grew to 4,000 women from all over the world, with 40 to 50 of them live on Zoom every single week. Then I opened a paid tier and almost nobody bought.

This first episode of The Magic of IRL is the story of why I shut that platform down on purpose. You'll hear what happened when I started something tiny, once a month, in person here in Orange County. I'll tell you how I got 20 women into that first room with voice notes to total strangers, with no list and no algorithm. And you'll hear why the exact same ask that got me crickets from 4,000 people worked in a room of 20.

If you've got an idea for something you want to host, and it's been sitting in your notes app for months, and you're terrified nobody will show up, come sit with us. You're in the right place.

Hit follow so you don't miss what's coming. Friendship first, business second.

IN THIS EPISODE

  • Why 4,000 members and 40 to 50 women on weekly Zoom calls still added up to crickets when the paid tier opened
  • The reframe that changed everything: "4,000 names is not 4,000 relationships"
  • How the first Business & Collab filled with no list and no algorithm: voice notes to strangers, introducing myself at local markets, and following up on every single referral
  • Why the same paid ask that flopped online worked in a room of 20
  • Why turning off a six-figure platform was the best business decision I've ever made

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> Two and a half years. Four different developers. Six launch delays. A platform that grew to 4,000 women from all over the world, with 40 to 50 of them live on Zoom every single week. Then I opened a paid tier and almost nobody bought.

This first episode of The Magic of IRL is the story of why I shut that platform down on purpose. You'll hear what happened when I started something tiny, once a month, in person here in Orange County. I'll tell you how I got 20 women into that first room with voice notes to total strangers, with no list and no algorithm. And you'll hear why the exact same ask that got me crickets from 4,000 people worked in a room of 20.

If you've got an idea for something you want to host, and it's been sitting in your notes app for months, and you're terrified nobody will show up, come sit with us. You're in the right place.

Hit follow so you don't miss what's coming. Friendship first, business second.

IN THIS EPISODE

  • Why 4,000 members and 40 to 50 women on weekly Zoom calls still added up to crickets when the paid tier opened
  • The reframe that changed everything: "4,000 names is not 4,000 relationships"
  • How the first Business & Collab filled with no list and no algorithm: voice notes to strangers, introducing myself at local markets, and following up on every single referral
  • Why the same paid ask that flopped online worked in a room of 20
  • Why turning off a six-figure platform was the best business decision I've ever made

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> Inbal Claudio Buzzsprout-19898503 Fri, 02 Oct 2026 05:00:00 -0400 657 full false Welcome to The Magic of IRL Welcome to The Magic of IRL Hi, I'm Inbal! I built a big online community, and then I took it offline. Best decision I ever made.

The Magic of IRL is the podcast for female founders who want to host in-person events, memberships, retreats, and communities that feel magical and actually make money. Every week I'm sitting down with the women behind the most magnetic rooms I know to talk about how they fill the room, price it, and keep people coming back.

No funnels, no algorithm talk. Just the real stuff that happens when people show up.

Hit follow so you don't miss an episode, and come hang out with me.

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> Hi, I'm Inbal! I built a big online community, and then I took it offline. Best decision I ever made.

The Magic of IRL is the podcast for female founders who want to host in-person events, memberships, retreats, and communities that feel magical and actually make money. Every week I'm sitting down with the women behind the most magnetic rooms I know to talk about how they fill the room, price it, and keep people coming back.

No funnels, no algorithm talk. Just the real stuff that happens when people show up.

Hit follow so you don't miss an episode, and come hang out with me.

Website: www.inbalclaudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/inbalclaudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/inbalclaudio

Magic of Hosting Workshop: https://calendly.com/inbalclaudio/events-workshop

The IRL Effect Course: https://xoxoinbi.circle.so/checkout/the-irl-effect - Use code MAGIC10

]]> Inbal Claudio Buzzsprout-19889344 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:00:00 -0400 88 full false