What I learned from hosting my first retreat
And how to apply transferable skills to a new career
On Thursday last week we wrapped on the first ever Focus and Flow retreat.
Hosting a retreat was something that I had been wanting to do for a long time. But I always had this idea that I should wait until I reached a certain level of success in my other career first.
At the start of this year I realised this was just an excuse, dressed up as procrastination. I have previously wrote about the importance of facing our fears and gradually this has become one of my themes for this year. And who knew when that so-called success would come and what even the barometer for it would look like?
So, in December last year I made the decision that I would finally take the (cold) plunge and began looking for venues to hire.
It didn’t take me long to find ‘the one’, a beautiful villa in Portugal. The process of finding it was reminiscent of when I worked as a producer/director, scouting for locations. It was something that came naturally to me. When I was in pre-production on a shoot, I would often spend hours speaking with location libraries and going on reece’s . And most importantly, I always enjoyed the process.
The same was true of the logistical side of things, in my previous role as a producer I had created call sheets, budgets etc. So putting together the retreat schedule and coordinating travel plans came naturally. That’s not to say it was easy, but I had a foundation to work from, so I wasn’t going in blind.
I didn’t plan to find a project that had similar skillsets to those that I had developed in other capacities, it sort of just happened. And it was only during the process that I recognised the familiarity.
If you’re looking to branch out and try something new, make a list of your experience and skillset and then match those with areas of interest and hobbies. It’s great to do something your passionate about, but it’s much easier if you have existing experience that can help you navigate this new path.
Marketing was the biggest challenge and the accompanying concern that there wouldn’t be enough people attending the retreat. Or that if there were, they wouldn’t get on with each other.
I experimented with a varying degree of tools such as Instagram ads, weekly emails, newsletters and distributing flyers - but the most effective way turned out to be through the workshops that I had run the past eighteen months. The majority of people who attended, had attended my previous breathwork sessions.
Lessons learned from running my first retreat:
1.) The projection of what could go wrong, did not match the reality. Meaning the fear we mentally create is often more debilitating than the end result. Everyone got on well during the retreat, friendships were made and there were zero awkward silences. Well, apart from when I spontaneously broke out in song towards the end of a breathwork session, reminiscent of David Brent in the Office.
2.) Ideas are just that until you take massive action. For years I have been wanting to run a retreat, but it was only when I made the decision to book a venue, that it became a reality.
“Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.” - W. Clement Stone
3.) Things won’t always go as planned and that’s ok, it’s how you respond that matters. On the penultimate day, a few people got ill which meant I had to cancel the final breathwork session. But it became part of the integration for everyone. It’s all well and good using breathwork when things are going well, but it’s how you incorporate it when faced with challenges that counts. That applied to both myself and those on the retreat.
4.) Community is everything. I’d previously written about this, but spending five days together in a communal space, connecting on a deep level, highlighted the importance of connection. Self-regulation is imperative, but co-regulation is powerful.
5.) Have fun along the way. Even though there were moments of stress I made sure to enjoy the process and bring a light vibe to the retreat. You can heal yourself AND have a laugh at the same time. It needn’t all be so serious dude!
6.) Trust your gut. Having attended numerous surf camps and retreats, I wanted to create a unique offering of all the modalities that helped me over the years. And the feedback I received was that breathwork and cold plunges complimented surfing and yoga.
If you have ADHD, you might know what it’s like to have a million ideas, but struggle to take action, or feel like you need to be more “together” before you start. But the truth is, many of the traits that come with ADHD - creativity, sensitivity, intuition, adaptability - are superpowers when it comes to creating something meaningful. The trick isn’t to fix yourself first. It’s to build in a way that works with your brain, not against it. And to remember: clarity often comes through action, not before it.
Want to learn tools to help you gain clarity and take action?
Join me on Saturday October 4th at Self-Retreat Studio, Camden 6:15–8:15pm.
Learn to connect with your authentic self through breathwork. Link to register here.
A few of you have asked about what I use for focus, two supplements I’ve been loving lately are Brainzyme (code STEVIE10 to receive 10% off) and Syfa. They’ve genuinely helped me and if you want to try them, I’ve added links above. These are affiliate links, which means if you buy I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Riding the waves of life at the Focus & Flow retreat.