Tag Archives: persephone unleashed

August 20, 2024

Persephone Unleashed | Whidbey Island, WA

Five years and thirteen retreats ago, I never could have dreamed I would find myself half-naked in a PNW forest getting a dose of my own medicine.
Five years and thirteen retreats ago, I felt small and alone and thought maybe other women felt the same way and would like a safe place to practice taking up space, to be fully seen, heard & celebrated.
Five years and thirteen retreats ago, I never could have seen all this coming — that I would travel to Whidbey Island with a small group of women, in search of what ‘Wild’ means to us.
Five years and thirteen retreats ago, I was a wholly different woman.

Putting each retreat into a blog post is especially hard, because it is physically impossible to describe, explain, or show you what unfolded in these 5 days.
I cannot put into words, the metamorphosis I witnessed in these women, the grief that was processed, the old beliefs that were shed, the rebirth that was claimed.
But I do know the power of photographs, how they can transport you to a moment, even if you weren’t even there when the moment happened. So here we go.

On the fourth weekend of the fifth month of this year, we journeyed to Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington.
Amidst the cedar, fir & wysteria we shared conversation, laughter, and tears.
We shed our layers (literally), adorned our bodies with color, and created works of art using our own skin.
We gathered around a table, clinked glasses, taked story, and nourished our bodies.
We danced like animals, shook our tail feathers, and sat in meditative council with our guides.
We stepped outside comfort zones, and found it not nearly as scary as we thought.
We hugged trees, danced barefoot, and laughed till our bellies were sore.
And we were never the same

May 19, 2024

Persephone Unleashed Retreat | Holly Farm 2024

At the precipice of the Spring Equinox, a group of women traveled to Carmel Valley for a retreat centered around healing our throat space. They arrived as strangers, and left as sisters. Forever bonded by the experience.

Each Persephone retreat is unique and unlike any retreat that came before it. But this retreat was the first to have a theme, which brought the women closer in a way I hadn’t witnessed before. Throat Space healing is best done alongside wounded soldiers, otherwise who is there to witness your voice as it emerges louder and stronger than ever before?

We spent five days amidst the serene oasis of The Holly Farm, being handed cocktails and fed magical meals by La Creme.
Our mornings started with gentle yoga led by Nikki Stromsoe, followed by a Throat Speace Healing Workshop co-led by Nikki and Jade, where we got curious about our voices, journeyed to spend time with them, and cleared out many roadblocks along the way.
Our afternoons were spent lounging, getting massages & energy work or getting glammed up by Rhyan & Juju for a photo shoot with yours truly.
Our evenings were spent gathered around a beautiful table, being nourished and spoiled by the La Creme team.

It is truly impossible to describe the essence of this retreat, and the transformations we all witnessed in one another. But the photos can definitely help…. see for yourself.

Interested in attending a Persephone Unleashed Retreat someday? Join the Persephone Post email list at the bottom of the home page.

November 17, 2023

Persephone Unleashed | Maui Retreat

When I first started down the path of realizing my dream of taking Persephone Unleashed to Maui, the first thing on my to-do list was to find a venue. This task turned out to be much more difficult than I anticipated. For weeks, I scoured the internet for retreat venues, but the only ones that fit what I was looking for were outrageously out of my budget. Then one day, I found myself thinking about a beautiful banyan tree on Kauai that I visit often in my mind. Suddenly my fingers were typing “Banyan Tree Vacation Rental Maui” in the search bar. And there she was. Something much greater than myself paved the path, pulled the strings, and I watched the most incredible retreat start to take shape before my very eyes.

Nicole and I arrived to the venue one day early, and we were barely inside the front gate before we were kicking off our shoes and being magnetically pulled to the far side of the house where we beheld the very tree who called me to me through the ethers all those months before. As I placed my hands on her roots, silent tears fell down my cheeks. For 12 whole months, I had planned this retreat from across the ocean, but it never felt real. Until that moment. Until the tree whispered to me, “You made it. I’ve been waiting for you. You did the planning, now let me do the rest.” And oh, how she did.

I will never be able to find the words to aptly describe what transpired over those 5 days. The healing, grounding, connection, and unconditional love we received from the island herself as well as the women around us. This particular group of women ranged in age from 30-somethings to 70-somethings. We had three mother-daughter pairs, myself and my mama included among them. Sharing Persephone with my mom is experience I won’t soon forget.

We floated in the ocean, swam with sea turtles, danced in the rain, soaked in the sun, and were wholly nourished body & spirit.
Thank you, Maui for inviting us onto your shores. For giving us the gift of your medicine. And just weeks before you experienced a great, fiery trauma.
I can only hope we gave back to Maui in some way while we were there. Because she gave so, so much to us.

If a retreat of this magnitude tugs at your heart strings, consider signing up for the Earth Medicine retreat on Whidbey Island in May.
This is the stuff that can change the whole course of your life. I can’t explain it. But I’ve seen it happen, time and time again.
And it can happen for you, too.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE TEAM WHO BROUGHT THIS RETREAT TO LIFE (especially the local babes!):
Venue: Banyan Bed & Breakfast | Private Chef: Kyra Bramble, Lotus Chefs | Florals: Tara Lei | Vintage Chairs & Styling: Kelsi Van Velden | Yoga: Danielle, Maui Mobile Yoga
Massage: Alchemy Therapeutics | Hair & Makeup: Rozetree Bridal | Shamanic Healer: Jade Lotus | Stationer & Hype Girl: Nicole Joy

>> EXLORE 2024 PERSEPHONE UNLEASHED RETREATS <<

September 6, 2023

Persephone Unleashed Retreat | Flying Caballos Ranch | San Luis Obispo, California

Back in May, a group of 9 beautiful women gathered at the Flying Caballos Ranch in the rolling hills of San Luis Obispo.
Each and every Persephone retreat is something so uniquely special and needed for that particular circle of women, and this was no exception. There were themes of grief, forgiveness, surrender, acceptance of true self, and an across the board power-level-up.

This retreat was also spectacularly special, because we got to celebrate my dear friend Rhyan’s 40th birthday. If you’ve followed Persephone for any length of time, or attended a retreat of your own, you’ve likely seen Rhyan’s face behind a makeup brush. She and her team at Rozetree Bridal have been responsible for the glamification of each and every Persephone goddess these past 3 years. So this disco queen get to experience it first hand was really freakin great.

See yourself attending a Persephone Unleashed retreat next year?
Join the mailing list for first access to details, which will be released soon!

May 23, 2023

Persephone Unleashed | The Holly Farm | Carmel Women’s Retreat

There’s something powerful that happens when you enter into the energetic forcefield surrounding The Holly Farm — the mind starts to quiet, the heart starts to expand, breath starts to come easier, and your body recalls what peace feels like. This was our third time being invited back into this space, and it’s as if the Earth herself remembers us. It’s as if she whispers, “Welcome home, I’ve been waiting for you. Come, let me hold you awhile.”

This group of women embraced duality in a way that blew me out of the water. They embodied the spirit of “Both/And” in their photo shoots, inspired by light + dark, masculine + feminine, delicate + wild. And I watched Persephone Unleashed become the safe space of my wildest dreams — somewhere women of all ages, sizes & colors can step into different versions of themselves just to see what it feels like, if it fits or if it doesn’t. A fitting room of the Selves, if you will. Where every version, every messy and beautiful piece of you is seen, accepted, held, and loved no matter what.

But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself…..