Episode 128

Why Are Women’s Retreats Important?

During the interview, we addressed the question: “Why are Women’s Retreats important? Actually, a lot of the conversation between me and the Full Moon Women’s Retreats Founders Claudia Franzosi and Bonnie Bertano centered on this theme.

Many of us are isolated in our homes and jobs and do not have a large supportive circle.  Maybe our spouse is the only person we can lean on, or maybe, we do not have anyone.

That might be fine when life is easy. But we all know that problems and difficulties are something we all have to deal with. It is a normal part of life.

When times are difficult it can be – or rather, it is too difficult to take care of everything by ourselves. That is when a close circle of relatives, friends or neighbors becomes all important.

 

[clickToTweet tweet=”When times are difficult it can be – or rather, it is too difficult to take care of everything by ourselves. That is when a close circle of relatives, friends or neighbors becomes all-important #womenretreats #women #podcast ” quote=”When times are difficult it can be – or rather, it is too difficult to take care of everything by ourselves. That is when a close circle of relatives, friends or neighbors becomes all important. ” theme=”style1″]

A retreat can facilitate that each participant finds such a circle of their own. Of course, this does not happen in one day or even one week.

How to Start Women’s Retreats

We explored what is the best way to start women’s retreats.

Both Bonnie and Claudia agree that it takes time and consistent meeting with each other to build this kind of deep relationship. But the retreats are an anchor point.

The Full Moon Retreat team has their business set up that women have an opportunity to gather at least once a month in a sacred space under the expert guidance of the two founders who have extensive backgrounds in counseling and working with people of all different backgrounds.

However, both stress that a long-standing professional background like theirs is not a must. One could simply start by inviting neighbors and acquaintances over for tea. The tea can become a form of a ceremony and if the invitation is repeated on a regular basis, soon a core group of women will establish itself from the original group.

 

This is a picture from the first retreat of the vision board activity. As you can see, people are in groups working together and sharing their dreams and hopes for the future.

They are also sharing the challenges they are facing right now.

No one is required or even encouraged to offer solutions. This is simply a place to share.

That is an example of an activity a woman could organize to start her very own retreat in her part of the world.

The Location

This retreat was held at the private garden sanctuary of world-renowned Dr. Carolle Jean-Murat, MD, a Board Certified medical doctor, intuitive and international healer. The place is truly magical and you can spend an afternoon just wandering through the garden and soaking in the colors and art.

Dr. Carolle explained that she designed the garden that no matter where you stand, you always see all the colors representing the chakras.

In this room open to the kitchen – the place of the silent tea ceremony – you can see the beautiful and colorful murals covering the walls of the house.

If you look at the vision board making picture above, pay attention to the ceiling. The sky has come into the room.

 

This mural is just one of the example of the beautiful art – some by famous artists – which is found at Dr. Carolle’s house.

Of course, it is unlikely to easily find a location like that. While we loved the beautiful surroundings, nature is a wonderful place for a retreat and even your living room might be the best place to get started.

 

 

 

Some Highlights of the Retreat

• Laughter Yoga

• Deep Connections

• Being Silly

• Scarf Dance

 

About Claudia Franzosi

 

Claudia Franzosi, CEO, MFT, MPEC,  was raised in Italy.  As soon as she graduated from the university she danced with wolves for a bit, learned and forgot Thai (the language), Tai Chi (the martial art), and rock climbing in the Alps, and then settled in San Diego, California.  She is a Psychologist in Italy and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Master Personal and Executive Coach in California.  She has been in private practice since the year 2000.  Claudia is a serial entrepreneur, musician, and visionary, constantly cooking up some new idea or adventure.  Her last one took her around the world in 7 months.  She called that a “sabbatical.”  We call it “play,” something we are very fond of at Full Moon Retreats.

About Bonnie Bertano

Bonnie Bertano, CEO, is a 10th generation California-born native. She’s the mother of two amazing humans, devoting many years to full-time parenting while also working part-time so she has a deep understanding of work-life balance and self-care, having learned the hard way. Bonnie worked as a nurse then became certified in nutrition and homeopathy, selling herbs and homeopathic remedies at an integrative pharmacy. She offered educational workshops, published a beautiful cookbook, and managed a wellness center of holistic practitioners. Bonnie loves yoga, rowing crew, eco-friendly products, integrative medicine, healthy food, and great friends.

Depending on our retreats, our staff also includes licensed massage therapists, storytellers, medical professionals, laughter yoga instructors, natural healing chefs, licensed sex therapists, and other amazing humans who distinguished themselves in their ability to shake the world and make a difference.

 

Where to Find Full Moon Retreats

The Full Moon Retreats Website

Full Moon Retreats on Facebook

 

If you enjoyed this episode, you might want to listen to Julie

A Purpose Driven Business Life

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