WE LOVE THE WAY YOU CREATE.

At Nurture, we intentionally partner with people who seek to build a new way forward in a world that is in dire need of nurturing attention and sustainable solutions for the way we work, live and create. We see you as someone whose unique expression of tangible creative talent influences, inspires and informs your life: both as a business owner and in your own personal and professional development. We’re inspired by YOU, your creative process and the work you are doing in this world and would love to have you join our team!

HOW WE RETREAT.

Nurture is magic. The community that is built through the friendships forged over this soulful weekend of creativity, sensuality, good food and warm togetherness is potent. Nurture inspires a delicious ripple effect beyond any networking opportunity we’ve found out there. It’s also literally delicious, as shared decadent harvest table meals provide the foundation for our connection.

One of our past facilitators, Kathryn Bondy, put it this way: “I think what stands out about being a facilitator is the bonds you form – for sure with the attendees, but so strongly with the other team members: you get a deep sense of shared fate. It feels fated that you meet and connect and grow together personally and professionally once the retreat is over.”

Each cohort of facilitators is specially curated to encourage connection and cross-pollination of your unique blend of talents and personalities. We think you’d flourish here!

HOW WE WORKSHOP.

At Nurture, we seek to explore creativity as alchemy. We believe deeply in the nourishment provided by working with our hands and our hearts to make something beautiful. Through a collaborative workshop design process with Nurture founder Sonja, workshop facilitators build a two-hour hands-on workshop to share the metaphors and life lessons they’ve learned through their tangible craft. Nurture workshops are less about the materials or skills we’re working with, and more about YOU and how you create and see the world through your tangible craft. Together, we explore your unique creative process and observe how it can reflect our inner selves back to us and help us see things in a new way. Through the act of creating something with our hands using your preferred medium, we hold space for our light and our darkness, our struggles and our triumphs. We delve into how we can intentionally work with and through the reality of the full spectrum of emotions and experiences life offers. We also have a ton of light-hearted, playful fun!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TANGIBLE CRAFT?

We’ve gotten recent feedback that Nurture attendees resonated most with our hands-on workshops where the tangible craft element is also the core creative practice of the person facilitating the workshop.

What we mean: A person who is a professional in their craft, ie: ceramicist working with clay, florist working with flowers, fibre artist working with fabric, etc.

What we don’t mean: A person who wants to explore their area of professional expertise with a craft they are not a professional in, ie: a therapist who wants to talk about how collage helps with self expression.

In response to this feedback, tangible mediums will be our focus for Nurture workshops going forward. We will be moving away from featuring more intangible topics (even if those teachings feature a creative component). Much as we love exploring these topics in our lives and enjoyed featuring them in past retreats, we have found they are not the best fit for the workshops at Nurture.

WHAT YOU PROVIDE

• Attendance at our (mandatory) Nurture Team Meeting held virtually via Zoom exactly one month before retreat date.
• A two-hour workshop that captures the spirit of how you approach your creative process, where participants work on a tangible takeaway item in your core creative medium.
• Help setting up the retreat space to make it cozy and resetting the space before we leave.
• One assigned kitchen assistant shift at one meal (mostly to help with dishes)
• Support for other workshop leaders as needed. It’s fun, it’s creative, collaborative, and abundant with good vibes.

WHAT WE PROVIDE

• A cozy virtual meet & greet Nurture Team Meeting exactly one month before the retreat.
• Special Nurture Team Dinner and private team retreat the first night of the retreat: candlelight, wine, connection and all the info you need for the weekend ahead. We get grounded, relax, and set up the venue in an intentional, leisurely way.
• We cover your full ticket to Nurture (valued at $1200), plus a $250 honorarium for your Nurture workshop.
• We cover up to $200 towards materials expenses for your Nurture workshop.
• Features and promotion across all of our social media channels and website to share about you and what you do and what makes you and your creative process resonant.
• A Nurture gift bag full of curated items by local makers and artisans.
• Sumptuous meals prepared intentionally with your special dietary needs in mind.
• Full access to all workshops & retreat activities.
• Fruitful, meaningful connection with incredible creative kindreds and membership in the Nurture community at large: collaboration, cross-pollination, and all manner of creative partnerships, opportunities and friendships post-retreat.

YOU BECOME PART OF THE NURTURE FAMILY – WE ARE HERE TO UPLIFT YOU, SUPPORT YOU, AND TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOU!

“Nurture is coziness. Nurture is community. Nurture is learning about yourself in ways you never expected. It’s allowing yourself to be as open as you feel comfortable with, or as private as you feel you need, but at the same time knowing you are safe. Each moment provided an opportunity to connect with people in a different way. For example, during downtime and while setting up my workshop, I was able to connect with the other facilitators. During meals and downtime, I was able to sit and chat with different ladies. There was always an opportunity to connect. Nurture, in some magical way, becomes whatever you need it to be at that moment in your life.”

– Melissa Condotta, Sunday’s Company

“Difficult to describe as words can’t quite capture the magic. There is something powerful about bringing a group of thoughtful, open, and curious people together and seeing things bloom. Everything was magical, from the energy of the people, the grounds, the nourishing and scrumptious food, the intentional time we made for ourselves and those with us on the retreat. The workshops were varied and provided time to get introspective, share and play with creativity and just be in the moment. As a facilitator, I felt taken care of and supported the whole way through. From the trust, freedom, and compassion throughout the planning stages to the retreat itself and upon return and acclimatization “back to reality” after such an amazing weekend. You have created a very potent potion. I felt hugged the whole way through 🙂“

– Talia Silva, Talia Silva Ceramics

A FEW OF OUR PAST FACILITATORS

PAST WORKSHOPS GALLERY