NURTURE: FALL 2023

Nurture: A soft place to land. A community that has your back. A weekend of creative nourishment and tending for entrepreneurs, leaders and caregivers.

Settle in and get cozy while you read about what’s in store at Nurture this November 17-19th.

YOU’RE AMONG FRIENDS HERE IF…

• You’d like to remember to put yourself first more than once in a blue moon – ahead of your work, your partner, your friends, your children, or the latest global crisis, because you know doing so will help you show up better to the communities and causes you care about.

• You miss your creative self. You might feel restricted, burnt out, resentful or simply numb but those inner whispers refuse to be quiet and you want to finally listen.

• You want to define what success looks like for you compared to how it’s ‘supposed to’ look. You’re seeking new ways to succeed that don’t come at the expense of your own intuition.

• You find the ‘old ways’ don’t work anymore and you’re hungry to find methods that feel good to your heart, the people in your life and the planet we’re lucky to call home.

• You often default to battling feelings of heaviness, overwhelm, isolation and self-doubt or condemnation in your journey of personal growth and discovery. You are tired of those feelings being the first responses to the inevitable struggles in your life and you crave a more tender way.

• You wonder how to balance daily functioning and being responsible for those in your care (at work or at home) with your calling. You recognize the need for creative agency and meaningful boundaries in your own life.

• You often struggle to meet your own needs because you’re focused on accomplishing goals, helping others and doing important work in the world. You want to actively know that you are allowed to have needs; to meet those needs; to realize that those needs are okay; and embrace the fact that all of yourself is okay. 

ME TOO.

Hello, dear friend. I’m Sonja. For me, being a human on this planet, much less one who runs a business, has only ever gotten easier when I added good company, good food and a good sense of humour. 

I started Nurture in 2015 out of an inner invitation to prioritize my own creative practice and that decision changed my life profoundly. It provided me a way through my sticky and unmet parts to a place of deep self regard, inspired creativity and clear purpose: I am on this planet to feed and connect people while unapologetically being myself. I want to facilitate a safe space to explore your own clarity of purpose and you-ness, too.

I love creating spaces to feed you on your journey as much as I love butter and chickens (which is A LOT). I’ve curated an incredible team of kindred spirits to help me feed you on other levels, whom have found both purpose and solace in their own creative practices and intuitive rituals.

We’ve put our hearts and souls into every detail of this retreat for you.

WHAT IF YOU FELT YOUR CREATIVE SELF STIRRING AGAIN?

What if you found a space where you can really hear yourself and get some answers, or, more importantly, ask the right questions?

Imagine…You’ve signed up for Nurture, and you’re packing your bag and your heart for:

• A cozy, restorative weekend getaway to connect with kindred spirits in sisterhood, solidarity and self care.

• Creative, compassion-filled antidotes to the feelings of heaviness, overwhelm, isolation and self-doubt or condemnation that often accompanies being a leader or entrepreneur.

• Open, safe & nourishing space to look at things that are asking for the light to be brought to them.

• Creative workshops that put you in touch with the deep, pleasant sense of your own company with beautiful, tangible handmade take-home items infused with your spirit from each workshop.

• Connections that offer community, support and perspective, not to mention belly laughs and real witnessing.

• Memories of shared candlelit meals, fresh air and new friendships that continue to nourish your life (and, by association, your professional and creative endeavours) beyond the retreat.

NURTURE IS FOR YOU IF …

• You run a business and/or are a leader in your field or community. You might also be a caregiver or working professional in an industry where you are looking after others (hello also to moms!) but want to focus on looking after you.

• You are feeling creatively stagnant in your work and wish to nurture the seed of a creative idea or project that is brewing within you.

• You long to hear your own voice again, and be introduced to creative ways to re-calibrate your life so that you are at the top of your own priority list. You want to know what that looks like for YOU.

• You value aesthetics and the power of beauty, intentionality and creativity.

• You love good food and eating and enjoying meals with others. You’re excited to experience sumptuous meals that tell a story, make you feel nourished and alive and bring your sensual self to the surface via a harmonious approach to colour, texture, flavour and seasonality.

• You crave a supportive, purpose-filled and equity-driven community of kindred spirits whose values include: integrity, creativity, honesty, service, warmth, wholeheartedness, imagination, boundaries, respect, and inclusion.

• You thrive in this community because you actively pursue personal and professional growth and are intentionally showing up in your own journey to embrace the full spectrum of emotion and human experience from a place of love and compassion, just as you desire to provide that space for others.

• You yearn for some time to contemplate, unwind, connect and restore in a natural setting. You’re into forests, flowers, lakes and fresh air to restore you, invigorate you, and inspire you.

NURTURE IS NOT FOR YOU IF…

• You are looking for a business retreat. While many of us attending and facilitating Nurture own our own businesses, and our businesses benefit organically from attending, we do not cover business topics and our workshops are not business-centred.

• You are looking for a crafting or maker retreat. While elements of each workshop centre on learning tangible skills to create and make, the lessons of each workshop are about the inherent metaphors each area of creativity has to offer, and how these metaphors can influence and inspire our lives.

• You are expecting deluxe accommodations. The bedrooms at our location are beautifully simple and comfortably rustic. The vibe is less ‘luxury getaway spa’ and more ‘cozy cottage’. Slava, the retreat centre’s beautiful housekeeper, makes her own cleaning liquid with cedar boughs from the property, boiled down. The bed linens are washed in this and hung on the line to dry in the fresh air.

• You are in the middle of a personal or existential crisis where more support is needed. While this Retreat and its activities are therapeutic in nature and a safe space is intentionally created, it is not therapy, nor are any of the facilitators registered or licensed therapists or counsellors. Should any personal issues or associated emotions arise that are beyond the scope of our ability to hold the space for, we are more than happy to direct you to safe, effective and accessible resources.

• You are not that into food or sharing meals. Mealtimes at Nurture are both magical and metaphorical, and the heartbeat of the retreat

THE VENUE

Set in a rambling, 1930s farmhouse on a cliffside overlooking Lake Simcoe. Accommodations are simple and cozy, with vintage quilts adorning the beds, and clawfoot baths to soak in (there is also access to a shower, if you prefer). A bright, open sunroom space features a long harvest table where we’ll gather for workshops and sumptuous meals, with windows that look out onto the gorgeous lake view from 3 sides. The property features stunning flower and rock gardens, with walking paths and sweet nooks, swings and benches to retreat to. Stairs lead down to the lake, with dock seating, while a forest path leads to a full-size labyrinth nestled amongst the pines.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTES: The first floor of the main retreat house is wheelchair accessible, with one bathroom on the same level (with walk in shower). An additional first floor bathroom (with walk in shower) is one small step up. There are two bedrooms on the main level (1 Lush, 1 Cozy) and three (Cozy) on the level with one small step. Accessibility needs can be communicated at checkout and expanded upon in our attendee intake form so that we can follow up with you to ensure you will be comfortable. If you have questions in advance of checking out, please don’t hesitate to contact us at connect@nurtureretreats.com.

THE FOOD

At Nurture, the food is a notable highlight – it’s what we are known for. From the ingredients to the styling and presentation, everything is custom-designed to best support and nourish you, the story of our retreat, and the work we are doing together. Nurture menus are primarily vegetarian – inspired by a whole foods, seasonal approach featuring local, organic produce. Intentionality and organic sensuality shine through in all of the dishes. Everyone feels welcome and included, as allergies and food sensitivities are fully accommodated.

Breakfasts and Lunch are build-your-own from a smorgasbord of delightful, nourishing offerings that you can enjoy anywhere you like – the table; a hammock; your room; picnic-style on the lawn. Dinner on Saturday and brunch on Sunday are sumptuous, candlelit communal meals, at the gorgeously-styled harvest table featuring a family-style feast of platters heaped with sensual, seasonal bounty. We also have our Nurture SnasketTM – a basket full of snacks for you to graze on or indulge in should you feel peckish between meals.

THE CREATIVE SUPPORT TEAM

CREATIVE PRODUCER – STEPHANIE PELLETT (she/her)

Stephanie (@stephpellett) is a magical being, who will be assisting with all aspects of the retreat to make sure you are comfortable and happy.

Aside from intentionally infusing all Nurture systems and retreat logistics with love, Stephanie is a creative business coach and educator. Her goal is to make your business more sustainable, more expansive, and ultimately more FUN for you by streamlining your systems, supporting your business strategy, and helping you prioritize your self-care. She is the creator of The Profoundery, an online business community full of accountability, resources & connection for thoughtful, values-based entrepreneurs. She is a host on Learn With Shopify and has taught classes in partnership with Creative Mornings and Make Lemonade. Her podcast, Slowpreneur: Business without the Busy, aims to spark conversations about new ways of living and working that support and honour our humanity. In her spare time, you can find her reading romance novels and spending with her puppy (preferably simultaneously).

RETREAT PHOTOGRAPHER – FRANCES BEATTY (she/her)

Frances Beatty (@francesbeattyphoto) of Frances Beatty Photography will be gorgeously capturing the beauty and the essence of our weekend with her camera and her truly aesthetic and soulful eye.

Frances loves to photograph stories of all kinds at all stages of life, in south Georgian Bay, and beyond. From intimate weddings and adventurous elopements, to maternity and family. In her words: “I am a memory keeper, a detail observer, and a confidante. To do what I do, connection is everything. I want to get to know you. I want you to feel like I’m a friend, rather than the hired help. I want to help you document your story in a natural and unobtrusive way. I want you to experience something when you look at your images and remember what it felt like to be truly present in that moment. I love to give my clients space to be themselves, and to observe and capture them in a very natural, honest and uncontrived way.”

Frances’ photographs have been featured in solo and group art shows in Toronto and Manhattan, including one piece that was displayed on a billboard in Times Square.

THE WORKSHOPS

Nurture workshops explore creativity as alchemy.You’ll experience a window into the creative practices of a collection of artists from varied disciplines, specifically chosen because their art form infuses their lives with a framework of meaning. While each of the workshops will provide you with the basic skills needed for each offering and a tangible takeaway, you will be immersed in the act of creation as a way IN to your own Self. Your workshop facilitators will guide you on this journey of working with a variety of materials that have spoken to them, so that you can be inspired, ignite any areas of stagnancy, and learn about your own creativity through the lens of a creative pursuit from a facilitator who lives and breathes it.

WORKSHOP – GENTLE DECAY

Facilitated by: Caitlin Jeffery (she/her) of Gentle Decay

Found at: @gentledecay

Working with: dried and pressed foraged florals

Cait founded Gentle Decay on the principle that beauty can be found in death. Death doesn’t have to mean the end of something, it can also signal the beginning: where there is darkness, we find light. Most people buy flowers which serve their purpose for a short period of time, until they are discarded and forgotten. By intervening in this natural process, we can instill new life into (what would otherwise be) a dead product and play with this concept as a metaphor for life. Gentle Decay cherishes all things natural & doesn’t use any additives to aid in the preservation process. Gentle Decay believes in letting all things be exactly as they are & finding beauty in whatever that may be.

Together, we’ll explore the life-death-rebirth cycle and the floral art of preserving memories.

WORKSHOP – PATTERN & PACE

Facilitated by: Liza Wallman (she/her), mixed media artist

Found at: @lizawallman

Working with: yarn, crochet, mixed media

Liza’s multidisciplinary practice is rooted in the gender spectrum, the role of interior & home in culture, and building a sense of belonging. Often her work takes shape through exploring a feminine subject and presenting it using a masculine visual language. Historically feminine practices or subjects were (are) often relegated to craft or, more oppressively, free labour. Through her work, she explore these practices and at some point in the creation process, intercepts the usual practice with a new historically masculine element. Given the broadly upheld hierarchy of gender, she includes this masculine element in an attempt to bring reverence to historically feminine practices or subjects and to question the gender binary.

Home and the interior are a constant theme of contemplation. Working in mediums such as fibre, resin, sculpture, photography, film, painting, and drawing, home is imbued in everything she creates, working out of her home studio in Toronto, Canada.

Together, we’ll explore themes of home and belonging through the art of crochet.

WORKSHOP – POETIC PIGMENT

Facilitated by: Christie Wong (she/her) of Girl on Saturn & Sonder Taller

Found at: @mimaschrwonstie

Working with: natural pigments, fabric, paper, chocolate & poetry

Christie calls herself an illustrator, photographer, and a ‘girl on saturn’ these days. But really, she’s a poet that also writes visually. She finds freedom in the creative experience, and is ready to take your creative projects to new galaxies. Fresh off a sabbatical in Mexico digging deep into her artistic practice, Christie is primed to share about the benefits of time spent connecting with what wants to come through you.

Together, we’ll explore the poetry of naturally sourced dyes and how our personal and ancestral histories are permeable.

DEAR FRIEND, I THINK YOU READ THIS FAR FOR A REASON …

If you’re ready to commit to yourself and your creativity

If you’re tired of feeling guilty for taking the time for yourself

If you need to disconnect, recharge, and reinvigorate yourself

If you need a creative community of support…

THERE’S ROOM FOR YOU AT NURTURE.

Choose your accommodation preference below to check out and we’ll send a sweet package to your inbox with all the details and next steps. We can’t wait to share this weekend with you!