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When I hosted the very first retreat in 2024, things didn’t all go as planned, and honestly, some moments were downright hard.
- A dear friend fell on a flight of steps in Athens the day she arrived and had to return home early.
- Two long-time friends discovered they weren’t compatible as roommates.
- The chef we’d booked for a cooking class never showed up.
- One participant came down with COVID and had to leave.
- A vendor who promised to pick us up for an excursion backed out at the last minute, leaving twelve women on a mountaintop villa scrambling for a ride.
- After one too many crises, I had an emotional breakdown and cried in front of the circle of women.
Despite all that… there was so much joy in the air. One woman danced throughout the day. Others cried when it was time to say goodbye. It was messy, beautiful, and real.
And one week after returning home, I thought, 'Women need more spaces like this.'
So I booked the next retreat. The circle needed to go on. 💛
And it did.
Our second retreat ended this past Saturday. There were a few bumps, but for the most part, everything went smoothly.
One woman commented that she enjoyed her vacation with eight strangers. In a way, we were perfect strangers because we carried no baggage, no expectations, and no need to perform. We could simply be together.
My co-leader, Jen, opened our time together with words to hold close:
“Be, become, belong.”
As the week unfolded, I watched women soften, open, and reconnect with parts of themselves they’d forgotten in the noise of everyday life. There was laughter over long dinners, quiet moments of reflection, and that unmistakable alchemy that happens when women gather without agendas.
I don’t know yet where the next circle will be, but I do know that there will be one. Because once you’ve seen this kind of magic, you can’t help but want to make space for it again.