For the Soul Retreat

07/10/2024

Can flowers make you cooler??? At least they make you happier on a brutally hot day! Can’t wait till we visit in September for our retreat farm tour and flower class!

05/02/2024

The best thank you note ever from one of our 2023 retreat women (card from lovepop.com.)Just loved seeing so many retreat friends, and getting sooo excited for our September retreat! Join our waitlist on our website forthesoulretreat.com.

04/21/2024

It’s Retreat Reunion time in Richmond, VA where I live when not in NH! Janie (from Williamsburg, VA) has spent the weekend showing Christi (from OK) some of the Virginia sights, and they arrive in Richmond tomorrow for our kickoff dinner. Our 2023 retreat women wanted to get together this spring, so we invited them AND all of our local retreat participants to some fun dinners, the VA Garden Tour, a day trip to Williamsburg and an opportunity to hang out and reconnect. Chef Pete arrives tomorrow ( with her famous chocolate zucchini bread). Can’t wait to see everyone!❤️🎂🌺🌻🍾🥂

12/16/2023

So excited about plans for our 2024 retreat! We’ll be back on the lake in Wolfeboro and also in an amazing renovated farmhouse straight out of Architectural Digest! And…new this year…ART+ADVENTURE! If you want to be on the early info list for our September 9-13 retreat, send us a note at [email protected]!

10/15/2023

Here’s to Janie, my retreat co- leader🍾😍 Her zany sense of humor, deep care for every retreat woman and non-stop energy is amazing. We love you, Janie!

09/17/2023

Our September retreat ended Friday and oh, what a week! Kathleen’s Instagram post says it all! ❤️ Weve had one spot open up for our Oct 10-14 retreat, and if this sounds like a fit for you let me know!

09/15/2023

It's impossible to capture this last day in less than 100 photos. Here are some I love the most. Painters. Adventurers.Experiencing our retreat so differently, yet just the way each wants to.

06/26/2023

Out of my comfort zone and loving it all! We ask women who come to our retreat to step out of their CZ by coming alone, painting for the first time, turning strangers into friends and maybe taking a good look at what they want their second half of life to be like. My 6 day, 70+ mile hike on the Camino de Santiago was my way of pushing myself this year. I was rewarded with SO many new friends, new and sometimes uncomfortable experiences, an immersion in nature that is unsurpassed and the final sense that yes, at 67 years young, I am strong and curious. Can’t wait to share my experiences at our September and October retreats, and plan a new adventure for 2024 that pushes me even farther! And have a few photos in mind that I’m going to paint and show my favorite artist

02/19/2023

We have about 20 women who are on our early registration list... women who have waited for a spot from previous years, asked about coming back or stayed in touch to let us know that one day they really want to participate in a retreat! Early information went out to all of you patient women today (please check spam or folders that filter just in case). If you did not get the email, and have been touching base PLEASE let us know that you are still interested before the general mailing goes next week. Complete retreat information is on our website now and we'd love to hear from you if you want to make sure you are on our list! We have TWO amazing retreats and artists for 2023 and WE CAN'T WAIT!!!! And if you don't paint, remember a few women go on curated adventures with Janie! Join 12 women for a unique opportunity to

11/03/2022

When we started our retreat four years ago, this is what it was all about! The second half of life presents SO many opportunities…maybe kids are grown, career is winding down, or a busy life filled doing for others finally has a little breathing room. It’s a time in our lives when we can find new passions, new creative outlets, and make wonderful new friends. I started .com after a year spent floundering when I stepped away from a busy consulting job and raising seven wonderful kids. This new passion has introduced me to fabulous women and artists from across the US, and given me the chance to “work (play)” with a team of dear friends every year. I can’t wait to dive into new book for more great ideas for this second act! paintingworkshops #

09/27/2022

These two made our first night cocktails and dinner so fun! Janie greeted everyone at the door with apple cider sangria, and Christi put together an amazing display of appetizers. And this fabulous group of women had so much fun meeting! Can’t wait to paint with tomorrow, after morning meditation on the beach🍁🧘🏼‍♂️

09/26/2022

Morning view from our painting and nature walk location on Thursday. A dear friend shares her beautiful farm with us, and it is the highlight of the retreat! Thank you,AC❤️.

09/10/2022

Beautiful Squam Lake is on the agenda this year for our adventure women! Each year we allow a few women with adventurous souls to join our artists, and Janie always tries to mix it up a little to keep it interesting. You may know Squam from “On Golden Pond”, and it is just as pristine and quiet as the movie portrays. To scope out the day, we hiked, took a pontoon boat cruise with a nature guide, visited the pollinator garden and of course finished the day with homemade ice cream from the marketplace! In two weeks, there should be some lovely fall color to complement the vintage boathouses that dot the shore. Can’t wait for all of our retreat women to join us❤️!

08/26/2022

One of my favorite parts of holding this retreat is planning the retreat! Last week, Chef Pete and I brainstormed menu ideas (well, mostly I just agreed that she had great ideas❤️😂) at her home in Massachusetts and I’m continually astonished at her creativity! This woman loves to feed people, and wants to make sure that whatever she puts on the table reflects the season and complements the activity of the day. For example, after an early fall evening boat ride, she knows we will be ready for a warm fish stew and crusty bread…and trust me, her soups and stews are to die for! One month to go, and I can’t wait!

08/07/2022

Dahlias the size of dinner plates! Zinnias, nasturtiums, hostas, rudebeckia, hydrangea, ferns, daisys,coneflower, salvia…this is just a sampling of the flowers we can choose to paint while staying at one of our retreat locations. And no one does flowers better than our guest artist ! On the shore of beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, on a point surrounded by mountain ranges and a quiet cove, with a large beach perfect for our yoga and meditation class. My heart sang today when I stopped by to chat with Lulu, the owner. We are oh-so-lucky to have fabulous friends that share their home with us! Our September 2022 retreat is full, but get on the waitlist or get in touch to be on the list for next years retreat. It’s a once a year thing, hosted by friends as a retirement project!

06/29/2022

Today I settled for peace, letting a walk in the woods and a visit to a favorite farm stand remind me of good things. Barbara Kingsolver said it so well. “There are days when I can’t live in this country. Not the whole thing at once, including the hateful parts, the misogyny, the brutal disregard of the powerful for the powerless. Sometimes I can only be a citizen of these trees, this rainy day, the family I can hold safe, the garden I can grow. A fire that refuses to go out.”

06/13/2022

Gorgeous views and great dinner , my new favorite restaurant in town! I love all the weekend energy you see from the third floor deck, especially after a morning hike . Hmmmm…retreat dinner when we give Chef Pete a break?

05/12/2022

Well, if you’ve got have Covid… have it in your favorite place and use the quarantine time to explore back roads and country lanes! May is usually mud season in NH, but this past week has been beautiful. I spent the week going for drives, reading some good books (Dictionary of Lost Words), working in my flower garden and making some connections (email!)for our September 26-30 retreat. I can fly back to Richmond soon, but I don’t want to! #

05/08/2022

Happy Mother’s Day to all who have been influential in a child’s life- mother, aunt, friend,teacher, mentor. Thank you for sharing your time,love and gifts.

And now-do something for yourself! Put your feet up! Read a book! Tackle a painting you’ve put off! Go for a walk! Create in your garden! Practice some yoga and stay in child’s pose an extra long time. Be still.

Give yourself permission to let go of the need to be productive. To fix something. To take care of someone. Let your family - especially your daughters- see you doing something for yourself, valuing yourself. Putting yourself first for a change.

Make a resolution to do this for yourself once a month, once a week, once a day. Whatever begins to shift the balance.

Love yourself❤️
yourself

03/21/2022

02/05/2022

We are so excited to announce the dates for our 2022 retreat! An email went out today to our 2021 waitlisted women, and once we have heard from them we will open registration up to everyone. We have just 12 spots, and they fill up quickly! Our wonderful artist this year is , and I am over the moon about having a chance to work with her in person after 2 years of zoom art classes! Our fabulous meditation guide will be with us, as well as our hiking nature guide. Too many great things to list here- amazing food from our own chef, beautiful lakefront houses, a fun cocktail cruise and brilliant, curious women in the second stage of life who are challenging themselves in new ways. Full details are available on our website (link in bio). Make sure you sign up for our email list or shoot us a message .com

12/16/2021

Best holiday gift ever! Thank you for taking the time to edit and compile delicious recipes from our September 2021 retreat! And of course special thanks to Chef Pete for sharing her menu! Janie mailed these out a few weeks ago, so if you have not gotten yours let me know! And stay tuned for 2022 dates! After checking with our waitlist from our last retreat, we will post remaking spots and date by mid January.

10/13/2021

I love my little town. Caught this guy playing one of the downtown pianos. Thought he might be local, but he drove off in a BMW with Massachusetts plates so maybe he was famous😂😂😂You never know what you’re going to find in a town that has homeowners like Jimmy Fallon, Mitt Romney and more! We love going on the celebrity home tour when we have our retreat cocktail cruise!

09/19/2021

It wouldn’t be an art retreat without posting some beautiful work by our participants. was a fabulous teacher, and we were fortunate to have clear September days and gorgeous views for inspiration! This whole retreat idea grew organically from the opportunity to host a workshop for in 2019. We decided to make it more than just a class, and our ideas grew and grew! The adventure group idea grew from the need to keep the painting group small, yet have a few more people to share in the cost of the house we rent (we also use mine- it’s a freebie). was a 2019 participant who did not want to paint, and she helped inspire and organize our two other non-painters. We knew she had to be part of the team after watching her in action! Our ideas for the future continue to grow, but one promise is that our groups will always stay small, and provide lots of opportunities for everyone to have fun, learn, challenge themselves and make new friends!

09/14/2021

It’s so hard to capture today in one Instagram post! So I’ll leave out the meditation session with for now, won’t rave about the delicious lunch by , won’t post flower arrangements done by our ,or the fun dinner on the outdoor porch. I’ll let these photos tell the story if a beautiful plein air session after classroom time with artist . As you can see from the photos, is a wonderful teacher, spending individual time with us and meeting us where we are in our painting journey.

09/13/2021

We started the night with this amazing charcuterie board created by our chef, and ended with a surprise celebration for her birthday! Happy birthday !

09/13/2021

What better way to start a retreat than with this amazing charcuterie board created by our chef, and ending the night with a birthday surprise for her! Swipe to see all the fun!

09/03/2021

Fingers crossed! Less than two weeks for our September retreat! Painting, hiking, cocktail cruse, biking, morning meditation and yoga by the lake,farm tour with flower arranging, spa visits, dock time, kayaking, phenomenal food, and even better women!!!

08/27/2021

Happy National Dog Day! Meet Tenny Blue (adopted with this name and refused to let us change it) our retreat hiking buddy! He begs for boat rides and is great at keeping the bow weighted down😂😂.

08/21/2021

View from my dock with morning coffee!