In case you didn’t know, we did a thing, you guys! If you have been following along the last few months, we were hustling like nobody’s business getting ready for our first (of what we hope to be many) women’s retreats!
I am so proud of our team, and the amazing help we had in-house (and from our sponsors!) in order to put this thing on! It was a labor of love, and to be honest, I was amazed by the fact that my anxiety didn’t creep in and rob my joy AT ALL throughout the weekend. I’ll take it as a sign that this is something we should keep doing. 😉 After the last of our attendees packed up their bags + drove away, I took a moment to slow down and reflect. HOLY EFF WE DID IT.
Equal parts excited + exhausted, we are already talking about planning our next one in the fall. REGISTRATION OPENS NEXT WEEK! Same place, slightly different tune, but so much goodness already coming your way!
So, let me give you a little play-by-play from our first ever women’s retreat!
HERE’S HOW IT WENT DOWN:
We had twenty-three women aged from 22-70. I absolutely LOVED the fact that we had such a broad range in age. I remember growing up thinking how badly I wanted to just fit in with all the people my own age, but during college, I grew to understand how important it is to have the shared community and wisdom of older women in my life.
All traveling in from:
- Austin + surrounding areas
- Dallas, TX
- Midland, TX
- San Angelo, TX
- Waxahachie, TX
- Rockport, TX
- Boulder, CO
- Boston, MA
How cool is that!?
WHAT WE WERE UP TO:
Coffee. Yoga. Food. Photography. Food. Malas. Connection. Yoga. Spa. Breathwork. Free Time. Community Meal Prep. Real Talk. Setting Intentions. Moon Goddess Dance Party. Fireside Chats. More Dancing. Late Night Munchies.
I needed this weekend and the new friendships in my life like you wouldn’t believe. I was frail from an incident back in July that left me not trusting women. This weekend was something more of healing, magical and proved not everyone is like this one person that hurt me and my daughter. I thought I’d stay in my little bubble. There was a shift in my soul and heart and I believe in the goodness in every single one of the ladies and friendships that played out over the weekend and since then……THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!!!
WHY A RETREAT?
Throughout the weekend, many of the attendees would ask us “Why a Retreat?” And the best short answer I could give them was, “because it just felt like it is something we needed to do.” Amy, Brandy and myself, connected through our journey in seeking self-love + healing during our time as students in the NTA. Even though two of us aren’t seeing clients or have a clinical practice, we still very much want to connect and love on the women within the NTA community and beyond. Bringing our passion for good food, self-care, community, healing, connection, #realtalk, and not being afraid to get a little goofy is what inspired us to want to bring a whole bunch of like-minded ladies together.
For so long the culture around female friendships has been portrayed in a negative, backstabbing, me-against-you kind of light, and frankly, we are just fucking tired of it. The ridiculous idea that we need to be pitted against each other in order to gab, gossip or gain the attention of men is disgusting and sad. This is NOT a competition. I truly believe there is enough love, success, abundance, and connection for each of us if we are willing to open ourselves up to it. Rather than resist or come from a scarcity mindset, setting ourselves up to receive and share brings forth so much more life, freedom + ease.
And during the darkest of my days, its the female friendships that held me up and carried me when I wanted to give up. Women need each other. So we are working toward breaking those barriers + walls in hopes of allowing our true selves to experience the real meaning of community.
I went in with no expectations. At the moon goddess party it all came together. This weekend was exactly what I needed without know I needed a thing! I loved being surrounded by strong women of every age and NO drama! It left me wanting more!
YOU SHOULD COME!
We are already underway with planning for our next women’s retreat in Blanco, and we would love for you to join us. We plan to extend our time together, work with some amazing sponsors, and bring in some new speakers and activities. Bring your best girlfriend, ask for it as a birthday present or mother’s day gift, or claim it as self-care and #treatyoself.
We want to give you plenty of time to plan, budget and prepare for the next retreat, so our Early Bird Registration for the October Dates opens next week on Wednesday, March 14th.
If you have any questions regarding the retreat experience, please reach out! We’d love to chat with you.
We hope to see you there!
View the entire gallery here!
