resting is part of working
create a personal retreat, fill your well
dec 6 & 19 @ 3pmpt – 4:30pmpt
you give a lot as a helper or healer. when was the last time you truly rested?
are you okay?
hello healers, helpers, nurses, midwives, acupuncturists, therapists, firefighters, hospice workers, massage practitioners, teachers, counselors, first responders, caseworkers, and anyone who holds space for others to help themselves, get through a hard time, or make the world a better place.
there are sometimes immense demands on our time and energies. we have big hearts, we love what we do, our work truly matters, and even with best self-care practices, we can still get jumbled or thrown by cumulative client, patient, or student energy, personal or professional stress, and the complexity of what we do.
we can name that, hold it all with humor and compassion…and we need to be well.
rest & joy
in this short, effective workshop, you learn how to create your own personal retreat (even if it’s only a day long). in it, you have spaciousness to unwind, enjoy what you love, and discover who you are in real-time. retreats can be grand or simple, powerful or fun – you’ll be building your own, so you get to craft what’s possible, and what you need. once you learn how, you can easily make this part of your regular life.
our truths are: we need places of renewal as helpers. it’s easier to create with a kind, supportive group of kindred spirits than alone. resting is part of working – and it can be easy.
instead of ‘big fancy vacation’ to unfrazzle yourself and get back in ease and flow, we learn how to do ‘gentle and nourishing,’ by creating restful, beautiful experiences that fill our wells in the loving presence of others who get it and cheer us on.
from a quiet and rested place, you’re available to hear the truth of your own heart again, and enjoy your life outside of what you do.
why this matters
every single helper and healer I work with craves space to slow down, and come home to themselves again. most modern humans probably do. you might think having a personal retreat is a nice dream or a luxury, will happen ‘after this next thing is over,’ or isn’t attainable for you.
not so.
you being able to rest and connect with yourself real-time is an absolute necessity. you’re precious, irreplaceable, beautiful, and a gift to creation, and remembering your own heart, what truly matters to you, or why you came here in the first place, is really important.
you have to be able to shine as a healer. to shine, you have to be able to rest. period.
you don’t have to be a millionaire, go to exotic places, or need a year off (well, those are great, too) – all you really need is at least one full day for your retreat, an open heart, some creativity, and a willingness to come home to yourself again. in this powerful workshop, we do just that.
the experience
wed dec 6 @ 3pmPT: gather with other interesting helpers and healers, and move through an easy-to-follow, step-by-step process to create a restful, easy, fun retreat that’s just for you.
*interim* over the next two weeks, at the time that works for you, you go on your retreat. everyone in circle is doing the same thing, in their own way.
tues, dec 19 @ 3pmPT: our second gathering is convivial, tender, and potent. we share how it went, and the stories are beautiful, funny, and powerful.
what you learn
it’s fun to be in circle, working together on individual expressions of the same project. we’ll explore the topics below, and complete step-by-step workbooks that make creating replenishing retreat very easy. we’ll cover:
- what’s your strong retreat intention?
some themes you might choose: rest, spirituality, creating, renewal, introspection, healing - what’s possible for your situation, where you’ll go, preparation
there are basic nuts & bolts to get in place, step-by-step, that will make your retreat solid - how to navigate common pitfalls and setbacks
there are some main obstacles that can arise on retreat (hey, cell phone) – we’ll prepare for them - how do you actually…relax?
‘full speed’ to ‘slow’ is a really big ask. learn tools to soothe phone addiction and being ‘on’ - how do you open and close a personal retreat?
important! you’ll learn to open and close with strong, clear intention – this welcomes power
left to your own devices, you might think ‘oh! personal retreat, sounds great!’ and maybe not actually go on one. in a circle of other wonderful humans who help and heal as their calling, with shared momentum and encouragement, this is a collective – yet uniquely personal – adventure.
about me
strong, regular personal retreat practice didn’t ‘just happen’ for me. (nope!)
as a highly sensitive person and empath, I worked too hard, gave too much, and wound up with severe illness and burnout as a result. eep!
I decided to engage 3 days of retreat a month, for 13 months – and I healed. all these years later, I still take retreat every month, and love it.
after helping people heal for 20 years (more here), it’s become abundantly clear to me that ‘healing’ is coming home to yourself. retreat is a strong pathway that helps us slow down enough to do that. I’d like to teach you how.
who this is for
- your heart is gentle and kind. your work in the world is some form of helping or healing
- you’d really welcome some time and space for yourself, without it feeling too hard to set up
- at a minimum, you can set aside one entire day in your schedule for a personal retreat
who this is not for
- you have elder, child, animal, or work responsibilities that won’t allow a full day off right now
- you’re dealing with active trauma or illness (blessings, that needs special tending)
- taking a day to yourself will cause tension or resentment from a family member or partner
time & cost
two-afternoon workshop + workbook: $145
meet other lovely humans, design your retreat, come home to yourself, share your experience
day one: wed dec 6, 3pm-4:30pmPT via zoom (create your retreat in circle)
day two: tues dec 19 3pm-4:30pmPT via zoom (share how it went, two weeks later)
*note: you’ll need to be able to take one full day of retreat between gatherings
frequently asked questions
what you create is all up to you.
your retreat can be modest or fancy. what matters is you choose it, love it, and it supports you.
depending on what you want and need right now, I’d expect to spend something like this for your actual retreat:
frugal and creative: $75-100ish (mini- or one-day retreat)
b&b and a meal: $175-250ish (overnight retreat)
adventure or decadent: $500+ (special adventure, or multiple days)
and!
I REALLY, REALLY encourage you to plan at the very least one full day outside of your usual space.
there are important reasons for this (physical and energetic) and we’ll talk about them in circle.
for now, even the most beautiful objects in your home have identity and memory attached to them. a big key on personal retreat (at least in this workshop) is to get outside of your daily rhythm so you can discover who you are, real-time, without old stories, energies, or ‘identity anchors’ that can keep you stuck or tired.
we’ll talk about this in circle – going full speed for years (or decades) and then screeching to a stop is going to freak anyone out.
so we don’t do that.
we’ll normalize what may come up for you on retreat as you embrace slowing down, and teach you a tool that will help (a lot) with phone addiction or the racing mind that says ‘I have to do x, y and z.’
no matter what happens on your retreat, it is your friend and teacher. so if you feel you need to check your phone and use the tool you learn in circle a million times…you’re learning something important, and we’ll decompress at our second circle about it. same goes for not feeling like you can actually slow down.
the whole beauty of personal retreat is that it gives you a space to see and feel what you need to – and if you can’t slow down or stop checking your phone, that might actually BE the beautiful gift that begins to create real change for you. we’ll talk about this quite a bit – it’s a great question.
it’s my very, very strong hope and most fervent prayer that you take what you learn in circle, make it your own, and create a regular personal retreat practice because you love it and it helps you.
this can be a whole way of life, that is so rich and rewarding. first, you learn how, then you do it, then you calendar more (we’ll talk about this). practice makes…beautiful.
lived experience:
‘I was feeling a lot of anger around my job, which I love but is really intense. I’m so glad I did this – I was on a road to burnout and couldn’t see that my anger was telling me how much I needed a change. this might sound sort of cheesy, but this retreat changed my life. I made some changes that I found on retreat, and it was actually easier than I thought. I put three retreats a year on my calendar, and I’m really happy I learned to do this.’
– nancy
‘anna is a master of articulating healing in a way that makes sense to my 3D life. she shared the importance of personal retreat with me, and I still think about it a lot. she taught me we can often carry old ideas of ourselves, and when we go on these retreats, we have an opportunity to meet our current selves and set new dreams in motion. she gently and skillfully helped me through the entire process – and did it with so much kindness and humor I just felt like I was having fun. it was a real gift.’
– sabrina
‘anna deeply inspired me, and creatively guided me to explore a new way to savor time alone – my own personal retreat! she helped me create my kauai retreat, where I was blessed by a life-changing sunrise on a healing beach, a profound labyrinth walk, and I received a powerful message that brought me the clarity I was seeking – and couldn’t have found in any other way. I will hold it in my heart forever!’
-amy
join the workshop: dec 6 & 19
I’ll email your workbook, materials, and zoom link a couple days before the workshop. welcome!
helping others is important. and your happiness is more important still.