Fall 2024 Retreat
Be sure to join us Friday-Sunday, October 18-20
Our keynote will be the amazing Amy Gonzalez-Nelsen !
I am a self proclaimed Bravery Activator, Intuitive Soul Polisher and Anxiety Warrior. My life journey so far has had many levels of highs, lows, successes and defeats. Lots of moments where I thought the sun would not rise the next day.
In the midst of this uncertainty came that big “AHA”, the monumental awareness that choosing ME, that being human is BRAVE. That the word brave is the ability to chose life, my life. It is the very fabric of my being, the energetic thread that binds my soul and spirit. It is ME!
Brave is the acknowledgement of a Bold, Authentic, Vulnerable, Energy.
It is in this intuitive knowing that I get to choose Me each and every day. Choosing to get up in the morning, to participate in my life. To removing myself from situations, people, places that does not serve my highest and greatest good. Embodying my Brave, is giving myself permission to wake up each day and dare to try again. To stay present in the moment. To embrace my journey to inner peace. To rediscover my voice; to fully declare "I am enough, I am worth it and damn I am brave!”
I have made it my life’s purpose to pay it forward to the world. To share my wisdom, healing and my journey. It is my goal to advocate, educate and guide as many women as possible. To support, and assist them in acknowledging that their bravery matters; their mental health matters, that their own journey matters. For we are a brigade of brave souls.
Brave On everyone, Brave On!
We have a new location this year, Cedar Valley Retreat Center near West Bend, Wisconsin. We hear the food is fabulous and when the Council women visited, it seemed like a cozy and comfortable space.
Cedar Valley is 100 acres of pastoral beauty nestled in the heart of Washington County, just a short drive north of the metro Milwaukee area. Your creative spirit will soar while walking the beautiful trails, or enjoying a sunset. There are abundant indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities. You can attend workshops, enjoy thoughtfully sourced and prepared meals, and simply relax.
Summer 2024 Retreat
We gathered August 9-11 at Ronora Lodge and Retreat Center, Watervliet Michigan. We enjoyed the spacious Cherry Wood House, a new modern, accessible facility!
This weekend "back to the land" on the 400+ acres of woodland and lake within the spirit-filled place called Ronora gave us time to explore, relax, drum, sing and commune with nature and each other.
Some of us made the trek down to the private Lake Sherwood and relax in its well-maintained and welcoming space. Kayaks and paddleboards were available and the beach area is small but clean. We took long walks along the trails and savored the view and the breeze from the open windows, hearing birdsong in the mornings, and yet took advantage of air-conditioning in the warm afternoons. The great room has lovely acoustics for singing. Ronora helps accommodate those of us with mobility issues by supplying aids in one of the spacious bathrooms. We even took a field trip to a wonderful nearby metaphysical shop.
This year there was a small group of us, and caterers were unavailable for various reasons, so we decided to cook for each other. Sticking to our Summer tradition of vegan meals, we found some recipes and prepared delicious chickpea tacos with cilantro-lime pesto, a bean-and-corn salad with Pat's delicious homemade vinaigrette, crispy tofu with Asian slaw, and a lovely gluten-free pasta with green beans and a walnut-lemon seasoning. Everyone brought favorite snacks and fresh veg and fruit for salads. Diana made her signature fluffy scrambled eggs (okay, not vegan) and we made our own overnight oats.
Cooking for each other was such fun we talked about doing that again for the new winter retreat.
Weather was typical Michigan cool sunny days and cool nights, making outdoor gathering pleasant and crisp. As we put out chairs under a shady tree across from where the old Grandma's House used to be before it was burned down after a lightning hit, we noticed that we could still feel the energy from the space that holds vibrant memories for many of us.
