Top 10 Lessons from Hosting 10 Well Weekend Retreats

Lesson 1: No matter how much planning I do, things WILL change, and I have to be ok with that.  Always have a plan A, B, C, and D!  "Detours" are inevitable.  Just plan to expect the unexpected.

Lesson 2: New experiences are always a good idea!  Some of my favorite memories from past well-weekends have been new adventures! Like our treetop adventure in Lake Tahoe, or rafting in Yosemite. 

Lesson 3: Trailhead parking can suck. Always plan ahead and arrive early, especially when you have 2-4 cars that need to find space.  It doesn't hurt to pray to the "parking gods" either! 

Lesson 4: Always set an intention to attract the right people to the retreats.  Sometimes it's not about what you do on the retreat, but WHO you do it with.  We have always had amazing groups of women on each and every retreat!  I sure am lucky to attract a strong, powerful, amazing tribe of women!

Lesson 5: Stop losing money!  The first 6-7 well-weekends I hosted, I actually lost money.  Somehow, I always forget the amount of hours and planning that goes into putting together a world class adventure!  

Lesson 6: Always take home a physical reminder of the adventure. This past retreat in Yosemite, we made intention bracelets.  Photos are great, but reading words that your retreat-mates wrote about you, or having an intention bracelet to look at as a reminder, is so powerful.

Lesson 7: Each retreat will be different. Don't try to recreate them, even if they're in the same location.

Lesson 8: Recovery is needed after a retreat for at least 2-3 days. I have to build this into my schedule, knowing that it takes this long to decompress! 

Lesson 9: Nothing beats personal connection.  Since the TBP is online, and we have members all across the globe, these annual retreats are invaluable. Nothing beats getting to connect in person and share a common adventure together.

Lesson 10: Plan ahead for things out of my control. What happens to the well-weekend if I get sick and can't attend? What if there's a forest fire that closes the place we are staying? Things out of our control, while rare, CAN happen!  This happened to me this year, and it was scary! Luckily all worked out, but man, what if I couldn't lead the retreat? It's time I had a backup plan for ME!