With Sir Richard Branson at his Rock The Kasbah star-studded gala Thursday night

Derek and I just couldn’t say no to an opportunity to spend some time with Sir Richard Branson, one of the world’s most respected — and bold — billionaire entrepreneurs. We flew to Los Angeles (on Virgin America, of course) and I had an opportunity to speak to him yesterday afternoon. I asked him what he believes is the most destructive obstacle holding back an entrepreneur from reaching her big vision. His answer? Fear of taking risks. He said to me, “You can’t be risk-averse in business. You must be bold, be brave and don’t listen to the nay-sayers. Sometimes, you just have to look at an opportunity and say ‘Screw it, let’s do it!‘”

That’s precisely what we thought last night when presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at his annual star-studded gala benefiting Virgin Unite and the Eve Branson foundation. During the live auction, we bid on (and won!) a vacation on Necker Island, Sir Richard’s private island paradise. It’s been a dream of mine and I’ve been secretly manifesting this for some time, so when the opportunity came, we simply said yes to it. The word is he WILL be there that week, and that too would be another dream come true to spend even more time with him.

He’s brilliant, affable, funny, easy going, has a HUGE heart and is focused on the importance of family and giving back. Oh, and I so admire how he tackles world problems using an entrepreneurial approach. By all accounts, this has been a great experience! If you feel called to helping his efforts, you can donate to his foundation here.