Chapter 2
Behind the Scenes at doTERRA
Our First Taste of Convention Week
After checking into our hotel, there wasn’t much time to relax.
Excitement has a funny way of overriding exhaustion.
Instead of putting our feet up after an early morning flight, we headed straight for the Salt Palace Convention Center to pick up our registration packets and get our bearings before the official convention began.
The convention center was already buzzing with energy.
Thousands of people from around the world filled the halls, each carrying the familiar doTERRA backpacks that made it easy to spot fellow attendees. It didn’t matter where someone was from; everyone seemed eager to strike up a conversation.
One of my favorite things about events like this has always been the people.
You never know who you’re going to meet.
Or what you’ll learn from a simple conversation.
After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we made our way to the buses that would take us to one of the experiences I’d been looking forward to the most…
A tour of doTERRA’s corporate campus.
A Bus Ride to Remember…
For All the Wrong Reasons
Sometimes travel memories aren’t created because something goes right.
Sometimes they’re unforgettable because they go spectacularly wrong.
The ride to the campus fell into that second category.
Let’s just say our driver had a very enthusiastic interpretation of smooth acceleration and gentle braking.
Every stop felt like a surprise.
Every turn seemed to come with a sudden jerk of the wheel.
About halfway through the ride I found myself wondering whether I’d arrive at the campus ready to learn…
…or simply grateful to still be standing.
Thankfully, we all survived.
It even gave us something to laugh about later.
A First Look Inside
The moment we stepped off the bus, everything changed.
The campus was beautiful.
Modern architecture.
Immaculate landscaping.
An atmosphere that immediately reflected the company’s attention to detail.
Like many people, we’d used the products for years.
But seeing where everything happened gave us a completely different appreciation for the process.
This wasn’t simply an office building.
It was an entire operation dedicated to sourcing, testing, bottling, shipping, customer support, research, education, and innovation.
It was fascinating.
Where Science Meets Nature
As we worked our way through the campus, we saw nearly every step of the process.
Laboratories where products were tested.
Production lines carefully filling and labeling bottles.
Packaging departments preparing shipments that would soon be headed around the world.
Shelves stacked floor to ceiling with finished products awaiting distribution.
We even walked through customer service areas, conference rooms, employee spaces, and caught a glimpse of the founders’ offices.
Everything felt organized.
Purposeful.
Professional.
For someone like Tracey, who genuinely enjoys understanding how things work, this was every bit as interesting as I had hoped it would be.
Seeing the science behind the products gave both of us a deeper appreciation for the amount of work involved before a single bottle ever reaches someone’s home.
Tracey vs. Four Flights of Stairs
One moment during the tour still makes me smile.
As we continued through the campus, we came upon a sign explaining that the next section required climbing four flights of stairs.
Thankfully, there was also an elevator.
DJ and I looked at one another.
Elevator.
Without hesitation.
Tracey, however…
He confidently announced that he was taking the stairs.
We wished him luck and headed toward the elevator, joking that we’d meet him at the top.
When the doors opened, we stepped out and found ourselves chatting with one of the employees while we waited.
A minute later…
No Tracey.
Another minute…
Still no Tracey.
Finally, he rounded the corner, breathing just a little heavier than when we’d last seen him.
With a grin he admitted,
“About the third flight, I realized this might not have been my best decision.”
We laughed.
He laughed.
And from that point on, the elevator seemed like a much smarter option.
One Small Suggestion
As impressive as the campus tour was, there was one thing we both wished had been different.
The tour was largely self-guided.
The signs and arrows made it easy to find our way, but I couldn’t help thinking how much more meaningful the experience would have been with guides stationed throughout the campus explaining what we were seeing.
We were surrounded by incredible laboratories, fascinating manufacturing equipment, and cutting-edge research.
It would have been wonderful to hear the stories behind it all.
Even so, the tour left us with a much greater appreciation for the company than we had before walking through the front doors.
New Friends Before We Even Returned
Thankfully, our ride back to downtown Salt Lake City was considerably smoother than the ride out.
Even better, it introduced us to another new friend.
Tracey struck up a conversation with a gentleman from Canada named Dave, and before long they were deep into discussions about restaurants, computers, careers, cooking, and life in general.
I don’t think Tracey said more than three words to me during the entire ride home.
And honestly…
That’s one of the things I love most about him.
He has an incredible ability to make friends almost anywhere we go.
Whether it’s an airport, a campground, a restaurant, or a bus headed back from a corporate tour, he’s always just one conversation away from discovering another interesting person.
As the Salt Lake City skyline came back into view, we wrapped up the evening with dinner at a local brewery before calling it a night.
Tomorrow, the convention would officially begin.
And so would one of the most memorable weeks we’d ever spend together.