Host a Retreat: I Will Help You Build Yours, Anywhere

I have spent seven years building and running retreats, and almost none of them were on my own land. They were in Iceland, Switzerland, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Dolomites, Tulum, Santa Fe, the Grand Tetons, Bryce Canyon, Asheville and Joshua Tree. Every one of those is written up, with photos, on my past retreats page. If you want to host one, I can help you build it, wherever you want to hold it.

What I help with

The first retreat is the hard one. Most of what goes wrong is not the idea, it is the arithmetic and the pacing.

• The shape of the days. How much to schedule and how much to leave alone. Groups need less programming than first time hosts think, and more transitions than they plan for.
• Lodging and location. Finding a place that fits your group without blowing the budget, and knowing what to ask before you sign anything.
• Local teachers and vendors. Who to bring in, what to pay them, and what to handle yourself.
• Group size. The number changes everything about how a week feels. It is worth deciding on purpose.
• Budget and pricing. What it costs to run, what to charge, and how to price it so the retreat pays you rather than costing you.
• Filling it. What actually gets people to book, and what to have ready before you announce.

Or use one of my spaces

That Desert Space is 2.5 acres of cactus gardens and fenced in quiet outside Joshua Tree, California, with a fully furnished house, a full kitchen and bathroom, a queen bed, a two person infrared sauna, and camping areas to sleep under the stars. Shops and restaurants are 15 minutes away.

That PNW Cabin is an A-frame in the Cascade Mountains, roughly 90 minutes from SEA airport, with a wood fired hot tub, an infrared sauna, a firepit, and outdoor dining and reception setup for up to 14 guests.

Either is available to host yours. If you want to see how a group moves through the desert one, the Joshua Tree retreat page shows the shape of a week there, and my retreat guide covers what I include in my own.

Photography

I photograph every retreat I run, and I can photograph yours. This is the part people skip and regret. Real images are what fill the next one.

Rates

My involvement will be negotiated in part of planning and will be a percent commission of your ticket sales.

Frequently asked questions

Do you help plan retreats anywhere, or only at your own spaces?

Anywhere. Most of the retreats I have run were not on my land at all. I have built them in Iceland, Switzerland, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Dolomites, Tulum, Santa Fe, the Grand Tetons, Bryce Canyon, Asheville and Joshua Tree. If you have a place in mind, I can help you build a retreat around it. You can see all of them on my past retreats page.

What do you actually help with?

The parts that are hard the first time. Shaping an itinerary that has room to breathe, pacing the days so people are not exhausted by day three, sourcing lodging and local teachers, setting your group size, building the budget, pricing the retreat so it actually pays you, and the logistics that eat first time hosts alive.

How long have you been running retreats?

Seven years. Enough to have made most of the mistakes already, which is the useful part.

Can I hold my retreat at one of your spaces instead?

Yes. That Desert Space is 2.5 acres outside Joshua Tree, California, with a fully furnished house, a full kitchen, a two person infrared sauna and camping areas. That PNW Cabin is an A-frame in the Washington Cascades about 90 minutes from SEA airport, with a wood fired hot tub, an infrared sauna, a firepit and outdoor dining setup for up to 14 guests.

Will you photograph the retreat too?

Yes. I photograph every retreat I run. Having real images afterward is what lets you fill the next one, and phone snapshots will not do that.

Tell me about the retreat you want to run