The magic that happens when you trust.

NURTURING

May 14th, 2017

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I have started this blog post many times over the last few weeks and there is a virtual waste paper basket full of crumpled drafts with ample spillage out on to the floor. This is a somewhat romantic image for me, who imagines myself the female version of Ewan McGregor's character in Moulin Rouge in a garret somewhere trying to elicit the essence of Beauty, Truth and Love on an old typewriter that has a sticky 'e'. 

My struggle is I don't know how to put into words exactly the magic that occurred as a result of how everything unfolded with the retreat a few weeks ago. Remember when not a soul signed up and it was a week before and I had no idea what the heck to do?

But then I got quiet and the quiet told me: there is still a way. There is ALWAYS a way. Trust.

A peek at the Nurture Spring Menu

NURTURING

April 24th, 2017

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One thing you might not know about Nurture is the fact that allergies and food sensitivities are accommodated with the opposite approach those of you who need to eat this way might be used to. Cardboard baked goods, fruit plates and soy substitutes will never grace your plate at Nurture. Instead, I get really passionate about working with restrictions in such a way that an attendee with limited food options feels NO limits at the table. 

The Nurture approach is, in a nutshell, to face the challenges life inevitably brings us in our personal lives and businesses and apply creativity liberally to inspire a solution.  This approach not only solves the 'problem', but embraces beauty (even in the breakdown), attention to detail and being present to the process itself as an act of deepest love. 

When No One Signs Up for Your Retreat, or, On 'Failing' with Dignity

NURTURING

April 18th, 2017

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This blog is no stranger to me sharing the ups and downs of this Nurture adventure and how it has affected me personally. Admittedly, despite the fact that I have committed to making (really delicious, organic) lemonade out of some metaphorical lemons, I am still struggling with how best to share with you what is going on now. 

The truth? Not a single person signed up for the spring retreat, which is set to happen next week. 

Insert: all the normal human reactions to this type of situation. Anxiety. Fear. A feeling of failure. Self Pity. Yep, the ugly kind. The mindless inhalation of way more than the 'recommended serving' of crispy, salty food. 

A Day in the Life at Nurture: A Retreat

NURTURING

April 10th, 2017

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7:28am

You wake up from one of THOSE sleeps. The delicious kind where your body rests fully and your dreams are sweet. Maybe it's the quiet (aside from a lake loon or two). Maybe it's knowing you have the full three days to unwind. Maybe it's the local wine, the hearty dinner, or the heartier laughs from the night before.

Your feet swing over the side of the bed onto the handmade rug below. Your roommate is still snoring slightly, and you giggle a little as you slip past her, across the old hardwood floor to the bathroom to draw yourself a bath in the clawfoot tub. 

Sprinkling in some of the herbal-infused bath salts from Sunfire Herbals that were in the 'Self Care Starter Kit' you got when you arrived, you sink into the warm water and breathe in the lavender, your hands absentmindedly swirling the flower petals as they float past. You linger. You breathe deep. The lavender mixes with a slight hint of freshly roasted coffee wafting up from the kitchen below, where a murmur of lighthearted voices indicates that breakfast preparations are underway…

What is Nurture: A Retreat?

NURTURING

March 27th, 2017

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While like-minded explorers have a rich and fertile playground to discover what Nurture is all about on this website (it's built to encourage meandering and digging and I'd like to think that a reader who gives herself the time to move from page to page may even find a secret garden or two that speaks to her soul), it was recently pointed out to me that some readers want “just the facts, ma'am.”

So, here they are. I'm (of course, naturally, hilariously) dying to elaborate, but look to the tabs at your left, or click the menu button above if you're on mobile and there's all manner of details for those of you who enjoy a good meander.