The mental spreadsheet that never closes.

Something I learned from years of design work carries over to the retreats I lead. People rarely buy the thing you describe as your offer. They buy what the thing removes.

Here’s what I mean.

A woman considering an experience in France doesn’t lie awake thinking about museum tickets. She’s thinking about whether she can put down the mental spreadsheet she’s been carrying for a decade, and whether the person who’s been burdened by it is still there.

The mental spreadsheet

You know the one. Who needs what by when? Whose birthday is coming? Which prescription needs refilling, which form is overdue, which family member sounded off on the phone?

The spreadsheet never closes. It runs quietly during meetings, during dinner, during the movie you meant to enjoy.

The days you spend as part of the L’Aventure Française retreat, where there is no list that’s yours to manage, do something specific to a mind that hasn't stopped churning in years.

The first day or two often feels strange. By the third day, women start hearing thoughts that had been long been drowned out.

What comes back

One retreat participant told me she arrived with no clear path forward and left stronger in her decisions, and finally able to focus on taking care of herself without guilt.

Another woman said she’d been letting fear make her choices and came home listening to her own read on things instead.

That’s the return I care about.

Not simply enjoying a nice week, though it is that, but a different relationship with your own judgment that holds up once you’re back in at your desk and back in your kitchen.

The experience starts before you fly.

We have a private coaching session focused on your Enneagram style, plus group calls so you land already connected to the other women.

Six women come with me.

September 26 we meet in Paris and then travel to the countryside before flying home October 4.

Every detail is planned for you, so you can be fully present and cared for.

If you want to know whether this is your year, a short conversation is the fastest way to find out.

Schedule a time for us to talk.

Nobody is pretending it’s an easy year.

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.

Schedule a call with me here.

Inside L’Aventure Française: What days in France look like.

When women hear about the L’Aventure Française retreat, the first question is usually what the days hold. Here’s the shape of it.

We begin in Paris, living together in a beautiful, comfortable flat.

We explore the city by metro and on foot, visit museums and the quiet corners most visitors never find. We wander varied neighborhoods and eat beautifully.

Then we take the train south to Nouvelle-Aquitaine in central France and settle into a private retreat center in the country. Our gracious hosts feed us meals prepared with love. The gardens are exquisite and the surrounding villages invite long, unhurried walks.

The piece that surprises people is how personal the experience is before we even leave home.

You and I meet one-on-one ahead of the trip, to explore your Enneagram, so you arrive already grounded in who you are. And, we all meet on group calls before arriving in Paris. There’s individual coaching in the country too, along with creative work that opens your heart in unexpected and delightful ways.

I arrange everything from the moment you land to the night before you fly home. Your part is to show up and be present.

I’d love to walk you through it all. Schedule a time with me here, and I’ll tell you everything.

France is calling — is this your year?

I’ve been wanting to share this invitation with you.

This fall, from September 26 to October 4, I’m leading a small group of women to France for the L’Aventure Française retreat.

And this is what will happen.

We spend our first days in Paris, living in a great flat together. We’ll be inspired by glorious art, savor fabulous food, and revel in the city’s particular magic. I’ll share special spots I’ve discovered living in Paris (restaurants, shops, neighborhoods) that most visitors would be unlikely to find. We will fill our hearts with inspiration.

Then we’ll take the train to a country retreat in the southwest, where the pace slows and the deeper insight settles in.

The Dordogne region is incredibly beautiful and our stay will be in an exquisite private retreat center, with gracious hosts whose amazing meals are prepared with love. We’ll create together, explore villages, and have deep conversations — where insights have shown up that have had tremendous impact for past retreat participants.

I’ve led this trip for two years and learned something each time.

This year I’ve made the retreat a little shorter, eight days instead of twelve, with a lower investment to match.

Several women told me they longed to come yet couldn’t be away so long, so I’ve kept everything that makes it rich and meaningful and made the days more compact.

My father was French, and I’ve been there countless times. Sharing what I love so much with a handful of remarkable women is one of my greatest joys.

If your heart just leaned toward this, let’s find out whether it’s your year. Book a time with me and I’ll tell you everything.

Discovering Creative Magic in The French Countryside

The retreat continues!

I am taking a few minutes, just before the magical L'Aventure Française 2025 retreat concludes, to share some photos of the extraordinary places we have savored in the French countryside the last few days.

After our adventures in Paris we transitioned to living in central France.

As I wrote last week, the pace shifted. The air changed. It is exquisite and quiet here.

We have explored gardens, walked down lanes into the nearby village, and visited a picture-perfect town where we explored a subterranean monolithic church that was carved into a limestone cliff in the 7th century and expanded in the 12th century. 

We have soaked it all in, connected to deep insights as our hearts have expanded, and created joyously.

Dynamic creative power is fueling us, and as it lights each of us up, awareness and insights continue to emerge.  

I invite you to light up your heart today. Take time to savor beauty, share a meaningful moment with someone special, slow down, dream.

These are all ways to fire up your creative power! 

Ready to ignite your soul?

I am passionate about travel, and the impact that visiting new places has always had for me. In addition to visiting major sites, I love looking for special out of the way spots, hidden gems. 

And when I had the opportunity to live in Paris for a month last year, where I made many incredible discoveries, I started dreaming of bringing a group of women to France for a retreat.

I wanted them to be able to step away from their busy lives, experience the magic of Paris, and then spend time in the glorious countryside — where they could reflect, create, and integrate the inspiration of culture, spirit, art, history and food from the time in Paris.

I also dreamed of each of them returning home with incredible energy, fresh perspectives, and elevated excitement about their lives and work.

Do you yearn for a travel adventure that will ignite your heart and light up your life?

Imagine a spectacular trip to France with a small group of amazing women. After 5 days exploring Paris, you will travel to Southwest France to spend 6 more days in a superb retreat center in the countryside. You will be nurtured, play, create with ease, and connect to your creative core as never before.

This retreat — L’Aventure Française — is a remarkable opportunity to step out of your routine and embark on a life-changing experience!

You will have private coaching time with me before and during the retreat, and bond with amazing women. You will not only revel in the joy of exploring, you will cultivate powerful creative energy.

• Your elevated energy will impact you personally and professionally.

• You’ll have the satisfaction of bringing new agency to all you do.

• You’ll feel more fulfilled each day, and experience more joy.

• You’ll bring full self-expression and inspiration to everything you think and do.

• Your natural state of being will be elevated.

If you are excited to think about the possibilities, this opportunity may be perfectly timed for you. We start in Paris November 6 and return November 18.

And November is right around the corner! Now’s the time for us to talk, as only 2 spots are still open.

Email me and I will send you all the details,

And if you feel excited about the possibility of this adventure, we’ll make a date to talk. I will answer your questions, fill you in fully, and we’ll see if the fit is right.