Retreats Change Lives – They Just Do! I say this a lot – I have seen it, sat in awe of their magic and felt it on a deep, personal and spiritual level. They let you bathe in their light and will leave you forever changed.

Retreats can happen close to home or in faraway mystical lands, ones that leave you immersed not only in what you are learning but in the culture of your surrounds as well. They step you from your ordinary lives into the extraordinary – just for a moment so you can stop, reflect and reconnect with yourself.

Retreats support dreamers, people with logic, extroverts and introverts and everyone in between. Through them, you learn about people’s WHY. You learn about their purpose in life (even when they don’t know what it is) and you are often with them through life changing moments – which in turn can change yours.

They are the perfect instrument for entrepreneurs, as they facilitate an environment that is not found anywhere else – not in 1:1 interaction or day workshops, they nurture not only personal growth but a connection for your tribe in a very short period of time. They build a connection that is not found elsewhere.

I first understood the power of people being together and experiencing something when I was still a teenager. When I was immersed into the world of Girl Guides and Youth Groups. Weekend camps were a time we would talk about life and all the stuff that goes with it and bonded us together – there is a story of a penguin that has reared its head constantly in the 30 plus years since. But it is a prime example of the sharing of an experience.

I was also witness to this in a program as an older teen and young adult – Youth Insearch was a peer-based program that allowed young people the space to heal and grow and this was done through talk and support.

I recently caught up with one of the beautiful girls Bridie when I was in LA – it had been 25 years since her and I had last seen each other and it was like no time had passed because of the common bond that we shared.

Every Retreat that I have been a part of since that time – either as a facilitator or participant I have seen lives changed. This usually happens in an instant and it is like a light bulb turning on – suddenly they see clearer and know the path that they must take. Suddenly the world is a brighter colour and everything makes sense.

The recent Retreat I ran to Mexico with Michelle Premura from Turquoise Barn in Bloomville, New York is a prime example of this – workshop wise for a Retreat it was pretty low key as it was all about connecting with our senses and the world around us. Now for those of you that know me know that I have been on a bit of a spiritual path since leaving social work but this totally blew me way out of the water. (If this is too woo woo and I have lost you now then that’s ok) but if you can imagine what being connected to the earth and the earth’s energy is like then you will understand.

From the moment I caught my breath waiting for the shuttle bus at Cancun airport it was like my feet were heavy on the earth (not in a bad way) but in a safe and secure way. I felt calm like I knew where I was. Then when I went swimming in a cenote on the way to Chichen Itza something inside shifted and I had faced a huge fear of swimming in water where there were fish, and the waters healed me – in a way that was not describable. Then we arrived at the Mayan Temples where 1000’s of years of civilizations came together, and if you can imagine an electrical current running through your body then that is what the buzz felt like. If you have been watching the Outlander series and Claire is at the stones then that’s what it is like internally.

I cannot fully begin to tell you how this retreat and the connection of the women that were there and the bond that we now have. I talk to one of them regularly through technology and it is like I ache to be home with them, to a home I have never known before – the bond of sisterhood and ancient wisdom that has clearly changed me and the way I look at life.

And that is how Retreats can change lives – through connection, with others, ourselves and the earth – it is in – and how as an entrepreneur they can change your working world.

The leanings of the world both old and new – it is a realm of magic that is not fully explainable in words it is something you need to experience yourself.