{How it all began}

Back in January 2012, I was sitting at the local coffee shop with my “new” soulpreneur sistas (Jessica Ainscough and Nicola Chatham) mapping out the next 12 months of our business for the very first time of our lives.

The first thing we scheduled was a 6 month checkin, and instead of it being like our usual monthly meet ups (we had only had 2 of them at this stage), we decided to ‘spoil ourselves’ and take off for a couple of days in the mountains for a biz style retreat.  That week, I booked a holiday house in the mountains and told the girls no matter how busy we get (because we will get busy and stuff will come up!) this biz retreat is happening!

And it did.  And it was amazing!  So amazing, that we agreed to do it again in six months time in the summer to kick off 2013.  These six month checkins have proven to be the best thing for our businesses, our wellbeing and our friendship.

We have just gotten back from our third retreat together, however this time, things were a little different as our power posse grew from three to seven. There were now more personalities, more ideas, more possibilities, more energy, more support and more love.

It really has been a dream come true for me: being in business for myself AND having such deep and genuine friendships with powerful and dynamic women who are rockin’ their lives and their world.  I left this retreat with my heart full of gratitude, joy and love…so much so that I shed some happy tears.

 

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If you’ve been interested in creating your own biz retreats with your soul sistas (which I highly recommend you do), here are a few things I take into consideration when planning these retreats:

1) UNIFIED INTENTIONS.

+ What’s the purpose of the retreat?

+ What’s the leading priority?

+ What do you want everyone to walk away with?

+ How do you want everyone to feel?

From day one, we’ve always been very clear that the purpose of these retreats is to recalibrate our selves and our businesses.  This means disconnecting from the world around us and coming back home to our hearts and soul.

When we leave the retreat it is my intention that everyone feels nourished, supported and inspired.  And, everyone of us has a kick ass map for the next 6 months.

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2) CHOOSING YOUR SOUL SISTAS.

From left to right: Yvette Luciano, Tara Bliss, Jess Ainscough, Me, Amanda Rootsey, Rachel MacDonald and Nicola Chatham.

+ Who is invited?

+ What is your criteria?

Even though I may be leading the retreat, I’m also an active participant (it is quite a dance between these two roles, and that’s something for you to keep in mind for your own planning purposes). I am there to give just as I am there to receive.

As for choosing “who” to invite, this is all about resonance.  You just know who these people are.  There is a mutual admiration for one another.  You love each others work, and more importantly, you love each other as people.  Plus, you connect frequently.

In my case, I am in touch with my girls weekly, if not daily. Sometimes it’s a phone call, an email, a text message or a catchup.  Sometimes it’s a crisis call for help.  Other times it’s a full on brainstorming/strategy session.  And sometimes, it’s pure FUN like the movies, a night on the dancefloor or a sleepover .  With these babes, the lines are blurred between business and personal.  This hasn’t been intentional or planned. Instead, it’s been an organic unfolding. Business is what brought us together (we all met online)…friendship is what keeps us together.

With that said, I trust these girls to call my bullshit, to give it to me straight, to give me permission and to tell me what to do (as they do with me).  I trust their wisdom and their unique strengths BUT I also stand strong in my own truth (as do they).  This is super important.  We show up fully for one another, but we are not attached to our own opinions (sometimes we are wrong and that’s ok) or the outcomes of others (we all make our own decisions).  We understand that we are here to witness one another and support one another as we all enjoy this magic carpet ride of entrepreneurship.

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2) THE LOCATION.

+ How far do you want to travel?

+ What are the sleeping arrangements?

+ How much do you want to invest?

+ What facilities are essential?

+ What kind of vibe do you want?

The vibe of the retreat plays a HUGE part in the planning process.  There is a certain experience and feeling I aim to create and the location/home is pivotal in creating that experience.  Some spaces just have it, and other’s don’t.  Whilst our first venue was amazing for just the 3 of us, it was no good for 7 of us.

Here is some of my own personal criteria when it comes to choosing a location for our retreats:

• is it within a 3hr drive for all of us?
• is the kitchen fully equipped? (We learnt this the hard way at our first retreat when the kitchen didn’t have any good sharp knives.  Everything took twice as long).
• is there a fireplace/fire pit ? (This is ESSENTIAL as it’s part of the rituals we do)
• is there a long table for everyone to sit around? (Something magic happens around the dining table at meal times)
• is there plenty of space AND comfy seating in the living room?
• how many beds are there?
• how many bathrooms?
• is it in a private location? (Adds to the whole retreat feel even more)
• is there space for movement/yoga?

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3) THE FOOD.

+ Does anyone have any special food requirements?

+ Do you want to do a big food shop + cook all your meals?

+ Do you want to order takeout or eat out?

+ Do you want to organise a caterer?

+ Do you want an in-house chef?

For the first two retreats, Jess was in charge of organising the menu as it was the easiest way to ensure her strict eating requirements were met.  However, with so many more of us I decided it was time for an upgrade as our time was too valuable to be using it all on prepping and cooking meals.

Whilst an in-house chef was available to us I decided this was not the best choice.  It would of have been too disruptive and instrusive due to the open floor layout.  Plus, our food needed to be ALL organic and catered to those of us who were vegan and gluten free.  I needed someone who understood this and valued this, someone I could really trust.  That’s why I called my beautiful friend Nat Evans (creator of the 28 Day Real Food Challenge and Co-Owner of Jack Jones Fitness in Albion where I teach yoga).  From homemade almond milk and green juices, to dahl curry and veggie burgers, to tiramisu cheesecake and chocolate fudge brownies she really took care of us (and impressed us!).

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4) THE AGENDA.

+ How many days are you going away for?

+ What topics need to get covered?

+ How much will be devoted to work? Play? Relaxing?

+ Do you even need a schedule/agenda?

Ahhhh, the agenda!  Put it simply, without the agenda we wouldn’t get our business stuff done.  Some people may not need an agenda, but whether it’s been just the three of us or the seven of us, I’ve always created one to keep us focused on what truly matters: moving forward. Besides, I get a real kick out doing it.  I love mapping out ‘experiences’ and seeing how the little segments fit into the bigger picture.

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5) THE RITUALS.

+ What daily rituals are important for you?

+ How can you infuse these into a group environment?

From meditations and completion ceremonies, to oracle readings and smudging with sage, these are just a few of the rituals we infused into our retreat.  Why? Because it’s one thing to sit in circle with your soul sistas and talk next big ideas and strategies to make it happen, but it’s a whole other experience to sit in circle with your soul sistas and receive impressions from your soul.

The energy shifts.  

Consciousness alters.

Portals open.

Connections deepen.

Plus, it’s a whole lot of fun!