A SOLD OUT RETREAT!
The best birthday gift to myself this year? Selling out my first mental wellness retreat!
If you'd asked me a year ago if I could envision this moment, the honest answer would've been no. Just the other day, a Facebook Memory reminded me that about a year ago, I took the leap and purchased the domain for Healing Journey Retreats:
It's been quite the journey since — from initially partnering with a therapist to pivoting to running the retreat solo, from changing the dates from January to April, from hitting burnout to overcoming fear and selling out the retreat — I'm truly proud of how far I've come.
Last year, the excitement was all about launching my own business for the first time, and now, it's about bringing the retreat to life. Even though I'm turning one year older, the lessons I've learned felt like 5 years’ worth packed into one. It was uncomfortable and painful at times, but also immensely fulfilling and rewarding. I call this growth: therapy on steroids.
The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind — getting the retreat workbook (all 60 pages of it!) finished and printed, finalizing all the details, and putting out unexpected fires. Despite the challenges, I can honestly say it's better though harder than working at tech startups, where I often faced similar challenges.
It’s not to say that I’ll never go back to tech again, but reflecting on my past, my partner made a key observation: "When you had the job, the great pay, the financial security, and benefits, you weren't happy." And he's right.
Yet here I am, living off my savings, feeling financially insecure at times, but also more confident in my ability to start a business, and make it successful.
In addition to giving my 200% to the retreat starting in less than a week, I'm already looking forward to my post-retreat aftercare program and planning the next retreat — whether it's in Tulum this coming January or perhaps Canada or Puerto Rico in 2025 — you’ll have to stay tuned!
I'm incredibly excited about the upcoming retreat. Our group of nine (lol, "9 Perfect Strangers") has already bonded through past Meet-up Circles, and our Pre-trip Meeting last week went fantastically too! I have a really good feeling about our group — it’s truly come together.
You may not hear from me for a bit as I’ll be running the retreat and decompressing after, but be sure to follow along on Instagram and LinkedIn, where I'll be sharing glimpses of our journey.
If you’re new to my newsletters, and enjoyed reading about the behind the scenes, you can find past emails about my journey thus far.
If you’ve been with me for a while, thank you for sticking around, for resonating with and holding space for my vulnerabilities as an entrepreneur with mental health struggles. Thank you for being part of this journey.
If you’d like to support me and my business, please write me a character testimonial. Or if you’re interested in attending a future retreat, you can gift a spot to yourself or a loved one.
Here's to another year of growth, learning, and meaningful connections.
Happy birthday to me,
Anna
