I went on a retreat with 23 other women

it was terrifying and I loved it and want to do it all over again

Hi Quenchies!!! First and foremost, I’m sorry I missed last week! I thought I would have time to write while travel bound to Mexico for a retreat, and instead was consumed with studying for the CNS exam.

Now that I’ve taken the exam, I’ve spent some time in reflection trying to capture the retreat experience.

It was the Metreat, hosted by my dear friend Lisa Hayim. I didn’t post anything about it before or during because I really wanted to download the experience and savor it for myself. I wanted to be present as me the human, not me the poster of things on the Internet.

I was hesitant to try to write about this because sometimes digesting things can result in losing their magic. But there were some moments and lessons I really don’t want to forget.

In this post, I’m breaking down the itinerary and things learned from the other incredible women.

Also important to note - this retreat wasn’t gifted to me. I paid for it and I’m so glad I did because it allowed me to be entirely off my phone, fully present, wanting to soak all of it up as much as I could. My review is entirely my own, uninfluenced by sponsorship.

Here goes!

I knew Lisa before going on the retreat, though otherwise didn't know anyone else - a somewhat terrifying venture as an introvert.

Lisa was one of my first Internet acquaintances, and we became fast friends. I reached out to her after being accepted to the Master’s program that she was attending. I didn’t end up doing the program, though I did get a lifelong friend out of it.

I had been a cautious onlooker during the first two Metreats Lisa held. When hearing another friend would be joining this time, I thought this was a warm and welcome invitation to put my own application in.

(the Metreat has an application process to answer individualized questions and to ensure each participant knows what to expect given it’s not an average retreat experience)

As the date crept closer, the timing felt worse and worse.