Transcript

#87: 10 Reasons a Retreat is Better Than a Holiday

[00:00:00] Welcome back to episode of the Hormone Hub Podcast, where we talk all things perimenopause, menopause, and have the conversations no one else is having. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode. 

Kylie: Hello, hello, ladies, I’m your host, Kylie Pinwill, albeit a little croaky today, but hopefully we’ll get through this episode without too many coughs and splutters. Now, I am fresh off the plane from Bali where we had the most amazing trip. It blew all of my expectations out of the water.

Now, if you’ve been following along on Socials, I have no doubt spammed your social media feeds with photos from our trip. So today I’m just going to sort of jump into like what came out of the retreat that was way above and beyond, you know, just a holiday. So definitely, when we’re in [00:01:00] the middle of, in the thick of things, so when we’re juggling work, family, life, plus we’re trying to navigate perimenopause and menopause, sometimes we need just to hit the pause button, and I’m going to have a look at sort of 10 kind of reasons why we all need to hit pause and why a retreat might be the answer.

So first up is we’ve got, that power of connection. So, it’s connecting sort of with yourself, because sometimes, just taking that break away from the daily noise, the distractions, it gives you the opportunity to explore your own thoughts, your own feelings, what you want.

And, definitely, I think one thing that came up time and time again throughout the retreat was the importance of connection. particularly for women, going through this stage of life and when you hear sort of other people’s stories, then, it forms that bond that you’re not alone.

You’re not going through this alone. And, it really sort of highlighted the [00:02:00] supportive environment and, just that camaraderie that, women can build within themselves, which is amazing. Now, I’m always banging on about self care and, I really think it is. Totally non negotiable.

When we’re in the hustle and bustle of life, self care often takes a back seat. And when you choose to go on a retreat it’s your opportunity to prioritise your own wellbeing, physically, mentally, emotionally. And, sort of a quote that I found the other day was, self care is about giving the best of you, not what’s left of you.

And, so many of us feeling depleted, feeling drained, that’s sort of, where we land up. So definitely, you know, in the busyness of life comes chronic stress. And, as we all know, if you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ll know that stress can wreak havoc on your hormones.

So, you know, just having that circuit breaker, can offer you a respite from stress. It allows your body to unwind your mind, [00:03:00] everything just to unwind and rejuvenate as well. Now when you bond with like minded women, and it’s not to say that everybody has to be your best friend, but you’re surrounded by women who share a similar experience and similar challenges.

And what I deliberately chose on the retreat, because I know as a extroverted introvert. I don’t want to stand up in front of a group of strangers and say, Hi, my name’s Kylie. I live in Queensland. I do this, blah, blah, blah. I didn’t want to put women on the spot. We’re all adults. So I didn’t do that.

I let the conversations happen naturally. And you know what? The bonds that formed that week were away. I could see the support, the understanding. So it wasn’t so much me. You know, directing everyone to have those conversations, those conversations were happening naturally, which was beautiful.

We also had the experience, the opportunity to kind of have a look at, holistic nutrition, [00:04:00] holistic lifestyle. And I think the Balinese are a beautiful example of this. They’re very much as, sort of a Hindu religion. They’re very much based on. Pausing, taking notice of nature, acknowledging the spirits, all of those sort of things.

But I think at the same time, this keeps them very grounded. Their sort of philosophy, they’re very happy, they’re very welcoming sort of people and they are with each other and you can see like the traffic is chaos, but there’s no road rage, they’re very respectful of, other people and it just, the chaos works.

And I think when we sort of like step back from that chaos, we can kind of regain some of that hormonal balance and sort of get an insight into, what we need. And of course the food was amazing. It was fresh, delicious, organic, natural, whole food. So, we were eating, the way we were probably in a Western style of the way the locals would eat, but.

Certainly had plenty of that. And I think even [00:05:00] though there were, big meals and the food kept on coming, no one felt overly stuffed. No one felt overly bloated or no one had any digestive issues because it was such great food. It also gave us the chance to disconnect from technology, and I think when we unplug from that digital world, it just helps again with that clarity, reduces anxiety, and you start to sleep better as well.

Reconnecting with nature, just the lush gardens, that beautiful tropical, beauty, that serenity, like it really is a dreamlike sort of atmosphere in, in Bali. And I think, when you’re surrounded in those lush landscapes we’re on the beach. So, it was a perfect sort of retreat destination and, just that holistic approach and being immersed in nature, really sort of grounds us. And there’s something sort of very healing about Bali as well. Just very spiritual, very healing. And we did have the opportunity to take part in some of those healing [00:06:00] ceremonies. And we also got to spend time at the day spa too, which was AMAZING! 

Hello, I see you there, juggling work, family, life, all while navigating perimenopause and menopause. But guess what? Maybe it’s time to break up with the hustle and grind. Going on a retreat is more than just about a vacation. It’s an investment in your well being and a step towards a happier, healthier you.

So take a moment, consider the benefits of a retreat and give yourself the gift of rejuvenation and self care. Self care is all about giving the best of you, not what’s left of you. I want you to save $500 now, jump in for the Reignite You Retreat. We’re running in Bali in April 2024 and October 2024. And yes, we sure do have payment plans available.

See you there. 

Kylie: When you do choose to go on a retreat, , there’s often [00:07:00] workshops and activities that, enable you to try something new. So whether it’s mindfulness, we did a lot of meditation. It was new for a lot of our ladies. We did, cooking classes, so we were learning, we cooked from scratch, using local produce.

We did, we went through the local markets. So much food and produce, that we just don’t see here. And, a lot of women started to kind of like tap into and we really started to think about, what are your passions? What are your hobbies that might have taken a backseat over the last 10, 20, 30 years due to having a family, having kids, having, a busy life.

And I think, when we step back from our daily routine, we get a fresh perspective on life. And I think this is where, when you’ve got that sort of newfound clarity, you can start to make positive changes and intentional upgrades to your life. When we’re looking at, going on a retreat, it’s not just about going on a [00:08:00] holiday, but I get that there’s, some hesitations and even before, I jumped on the plane, I was like, Oh my God, I don’t have time, I’m so busy and not having time is a big thing.

So, but the thing is, we make time for the things that truly matter. So, we sort of flip that. Retreat, instead of it being a luxury, it’s an investment in your health and happiness. You deserve a break and it can actually make you, more effective, more efficient when you return. Not wanting to leave family and responsibilities, and these are important, but remember you can’t pull from an empty cup. So when we take time for our own self care, it’s not selfish. It’s actually necessary because it can make you a better partner. It can make you a better mother can make you a better caregiver.

So, when you return, you’ll rejuvenate it and you feel more balanced. Another thing that sort of came up in conversation as well as, Oh my gosh, I’m, I’m not sure if I deserve this. [00:09:00] Okay, now let me clear this up right from the get go. You absolutely deserve self care and nurturing. Okay, you’ve been putting others first for so long now that it’s your turn.

 You are deserving of love, of care, and an opportunity to recharge 100%. The next one that sort of came up was, Oh, you know, I want to change, but I’m not ready to change and, change can be scary and trying something new can feel intimidating. And, certainly there were, quite a few women who it was their first time away.

In Bali, or it was the first time they’d been to Bali for like 20 or 30 years. Some women, it was the first time they’d left their families. It was the first time they’d traveled on their own. So, there were a lot of firsts, but remember that growth often happens outside our comfort zone.

And, we’re sort of at that pinnacle now of that next step. We’ve got that new chapter of life happening. So, it’s time to kind of like rethink about where do we want personal [00:10:00] growth? And I think retreats are, a very safe and supportive space to explore that personal develop and well being.

And then the other thing that I heard from a lot of women before we went was, Oh, it’s, it’s expensive. It’s a lot of money to spend on myself. Now, investing in yourself can seem costly, but if you think of it as an investment in your long term health and happiness. Okay. Now I know we certainly had a payment plan options.

We are just putting together our retreat. For April, 2024, and also for October, 2024, and we’ve got long payment plans to sort of stretch it out over that 12 month period. So, we can sort of chip away at it. So, I do want it to become accessible for everyone and work within your budget as well.

So, definitely what we want to do is create a supportive and a nurturing environment. And, gifting yourself a retreat isn’t just about, taking a holiday by yourself. It’s an investment in your future well [00:11:00] being, a step towards happier, healthier you. So, if you kind of give yourself the gift of rejuvenation and self care.

And take that first step in prioritizing your health and happiness, then, and you’d like to find out more than, we would love to have you on board for our April and October retreats. So, don’t wait, don’t use the excuses, you deserve this gift because you have worked hard for it.

All right. There’s more details on our April and October retreat in the show notes. And yeah, we’ll be popping that on socials as well. First 10 ladies to join do get a three hour pamper package in the day spa. And can I say, Oh my God, that flower bath, I mean, thanks for listening everyone. And I will see you in the next episode. 

Thank you for taking the time to listen today. You can head on over to the show notes at kyliepinwill.com/podcast where you’ll [00:12:00] find all the links. Now, before we go, it would mean the world to me if you’d head on over to your favorite podcast channel, subscribe and leave a review. Don’t forget to share it with your friends.

Then stay tuned for next week’s episode and I can’t wait to see you then.