Nobody is pretending it’s an easy year.
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I’ve had a run of conversations lately that all sound alike.
Women telling me they’re fine, mostly, and then admitting a minute later that they’re running on fumes and can’t tell whether the exhaustion is theirs or the world’s.
My husband and I have had our own version of this at the kitchen table. Real conversations about where we’d live, what we’d do, how much we’d want to hold on to. I didn’t expect these particular questions in my lifetime.
So I’m not pretending the ground is steady.
What I keep coming back to
When we shrink, nobody wins.
Not us, not the people who depend on us, not the wider world that needs whatever we’re each here to give.
The people I admire most right now are showing up in their fullest form. That takes fuel, and fuel is the thing most women I know have not made time to focus on.
Your relationship with yourself is where that starts.
Not as a nice idea, but as the practical source of the energy you hand out all day.
An example of what refueling looks like
At a past L’Aventure Française retreat, a remarkable woman decided it was time for her to experience the wonders of France — but she did not want to simply be a tourist.
She yearned for an experience with deep personal meaning and one that would have lasting impact.
After relishing the delights of our time in Paris, exploring off-the-beaten-track spots I love to share, we traveled to the gorgeous French countryside.
It was in the quiet natural beauty there, with time to share deeply, create joyfully, explore charming villages and take beautiful walks that deep clarity rose to the surface for her.
This what she said as she reflected on what had changed for her:
“Before this retreat I let fear inform my decisions. Now I listen to my inner self to make better, more informed decisions.”
That’s the mechanism.
Not the flights or the food. It’s the absence of anything for you to manage, the space to experience fully and open your heart, and have the kinds of conversations that only open up when nobody is checking a phone. f
The ability to trust yourself as never before might show up for you, too.
Another woman returned from this retreat having released an old wound she’d carried for decades.
One had space to clearly realize the direction she want to set for her business.
One stepped into the courage to make a bold personal change she had been afraid to initiate for far too long.
What might show up for you if you gave yourself the space to be on this retreat?
How the retreat unfolds
We meet in Paris, stay in a stylish flat, and explore museums, neighborhoods and shops as we savor the food and ambience of Parisian life.
We then take a train to the southwest where we live in a gorgeous, private retreat center surrounded by fabulous gardens in the countryside. This is where the pace slows way down.
Walks into the village, gathering from the gardens, making things with your hands, tasting the love in the food our hosts prepare for us, and shared, unhurried conversations.
Six women, September 26 through October 4.
And the experience begins before you pack, with a private coaching session and group calls so you arrive already knowing the circle.
If some part of you leaned toward this while reading, let’s talk. A short conversation tells us both whether the timing is right.
