We gathered in Vermont with a clear intention: to come back to what matters. It was my third time holding space in that cabin, and this circle felt tender and immediate — helped beautifully by Danielle, who led a workshop and held the room with me. The weekend held long nature walks, nourishing meals made for cozy rainy days, a visioning session that cracked people wide open, and a gua sha facial ritual I guided that brought everyone into their bodies.

That is the short version: the retreat offered space to slow, to witness, and to shift. Ellen , one of my retreat guest put it well on Instagram — that feeling of “coming home to myself” and needing time afterward to digest what opened. That’s the work: the edges get soft, the small truths show up, and we leave with things we can actually act on.

Here are the practical lessons I saw land — real, simple things you can do at home to carry that weekend’s medicine forward.

1. Treat presence like a daily appointment

If you want the retreat’s clarity to stay, schedule small, non-negotiable pockets of presence into your week. Ten minutes of intentional breathing, a five-minute walk without your phone, or a short journaling check-in before bed — these mini-appointments train your nervous system to notice and receive, not react.

2. Build a single ritual you’ll actually do

You don’t need a long practice. Pick one tactile ritual (tea with intention, a 3-minute gua sha ritual, lighting a candle before dinner) and do it daily for two weeks. A repeatable, sensory practice is what makes soft states habitual.

3. Share one small check-in with someone weekly

The power of the weekend was not just the practices — it was the witnessing. Find one person to do a weekly 10-minute check-in with: what’s nourishing you, what’s draining you, one small step you’ll take this week. Accountability with tenderness is turbo for change.

4. Use nature as an anchor, not an escape

We walked a lot in Vermont because movement in nature recalibrates the body. You don’t need a forest to do this — step outside for ten minutes, notice your breath, feel your feet on the ground. Let nature be your baseline for decision-making, not a one-off “escape.”

5. Let visioning be directional, not prescriptive

The visioning workshop opened space — it didn’t hand people a rigid roadmap. Treat visioning as a compass: clarify the feeling you want, then choose one aligned action this week. Tiny aligned steps create momentum without overwhelm.

A few practical prompts to try this week

• Morning: “What one small thing can I do today that would make me feel more like myself?” (Write it down.)
• Midday: Take one 3–5 minute break — no phone, no to-do list. Breathe.
• Evening: Note one small thing you experienced that made you feel nourished.

If you’ve been craving reconnection — to your body, your creativity, your peace — I hope something here meets you exactly where you are. And I hope it reminds you that the version of you you’re longing for isn’t far away. She’s just waiting for a little space to breathe.