Persephone Unleashed | Spring 2022 | The Holly Farm – Carmel, CA

 

I can’t believe we’re in our third year of this.
I can’t believe we’ve done this SIX times.
I can’t believe how many women’s lives are forever changed because they said YES to this retreat.
But I’m finally starting to believe that I made something incredible.

I created Persephone Unleashed for many reasons:
(1) because women are the WORST at paying attention to themselves, and I want to change that.
(2) because witnessing women realize their own power, and photographing it as it happens is my FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD.
(3) because I needed a place to practice taking up space. and it turned out I wasn’t the only one.

There are still three seats left for the summer retreat, coming up June 10-13th at Willow & Oak Estate — let one of them be for you, dear one.

And before you dive into the magic that was those four days, I must SHOUT from the rooftops my thanks and gratitude to the Goddess Gang that brought this retreat to life:
Venue: The Holly Farm
Catering: La Creme Monterey
Hair + Makeup: Rozetree Bridal
Stationer: Nicole Joy 
Florals: Fionna Floral
Yoga + DJ: Yoga & Mixtapes / RyToast
Shamanic Healer: Jade Chen
Vintage Rentals: Kiss Me In Carmel Vintage Rentals
Rentals: Chic Event Rentals
Wine: Ruby Cellars / Mini Vacay Wine
Essential Oils: DoTerra

Day One

As the women arrived, one by one, it reminded me how much I love watching people see The Holly Farm for the very first time. There is something inexplicably divine about this place. The air actually feels different. The energy buzzing between the ferns, banana leaf trees, and orchids neutralizes your nervous system with one single inhale.

We opened our circle with snacks, cocktails, and connectivity through conversation.
The rose was flowing as we got a hands on makeup tutorial from the makeup queen herself, Rhyan Townsend.
Then we gathered around a cobalt table and shared our first meal.
The day started with 11 women, all strangers, and ended with a thread of sisterhood woven between all of them.

Day Two

The sun was shining as we rolled our sleepy bodies into our first yoga practice with Ry. This queen. THIS QUEEN. I’ve never smiled and laughed during a yoga class the way I do during Ry’s classes. One can always count on there to be booty shaking and a TLC singalong.

After moving our bodies and opening up all the spaces, we circled up under the open sky with Jade Lotus Chen for an earth-charged meditation workshop. Working with Jade is impossible to describe, but you never leave her circle the same person.

And then the party started. Rhyan & Juju, of Rozetree Bridal, level up the JOY factor times a million. They opted for badass biker babes from Texas, and stayed committed to their accents and character roles during hair and makeup….. just wait till you see. Ry spun records and raised the vibration for everyone, but especially the four women getting photographed that day. I don’t know how these sessions get better every retreat, but somehow they do. I witnessed every single woman transform in front of my lens, completely different creatures than they were the day before.

We ended the day around a fabulously tropical table, sharing our stories and laughing those good belly laughs well into the night.

Day Three

We awoke to the pitter patter of rain through the leaves. Together we moved all the furniture in the living room and had a cozy yoga practice in front of the fireplace. There was more booty shaking. So. Much. Booty shaking. Followed by a conversation deep dive regarding animal guides with Jade, which I would never be able to put into words even if I tried.

The rain let up just in time for lunch and another day of photo shoots. Rhyan & Juju arrived as agents of the beauty secret service, and spent their downtime giving citations for “making the rest of us look bad” and arresting the babes for “looking fine as hell”. Again — just wait.

The photo shoots on day three had a strong theme of light vs. dark. Many of the women took on two looks for their session, capturing the multi-faceted light & shadow pieces that make us Women. and ohhhhhh how it came to life.

We ended our day with a Goddess Feast, where we all dressed to kill and held nothing back. Poetry was shared, dance parties were had, and the belly laughs echoed through pathways late into the night (so much so that the neighbors tattled on us. OOPS.)

Day Four

The final day. The day we closed our circle.
Each woman brought so much to the circle, and each received even more than they gave — such sweet reciprocity. And as we clasped hands at the very end, an electric current of all the power we had unlocked that weekend buzzed from palm to palm.

We gathered around our community table one last time, and enjoyed brunch, bubbles, and just a few more belly laughs.
With full and wide-open hearts, we said our farewells. Or maybe, just see-you-later.