The gift of an art and nature women’s wellness retreat…

This past weekend I co-hosted an art and nature-based women’s wellness retreat in Maple, Wisconsin right on the shores of Lake Superior. We stayed in a huge renovated barn that was both rustic and luxurious with huge leather couches and a wood-fired sauna and hot tub. I nicknamed myself the Fire Ogre because I spent the better part of two days stoking fires for guests in between activities. At one point I was literally stirring the hot tub with a paddle to warm the waters. It was both hilarious and infuriating, but it added to the ambiance and camaraderie in a way I can’t explain.

In fact, there was a lot about the retreat weekend I can’t seem to put into words. The way the everyone showed up in a loving and vulnerable way to care for themselves, but also hold space for others in the group. It was truly a magical weekend. One thing I love about hosting retreats is the inherent healing power of communing with other women. This weekend was no different.

My co-host, Maddie Johnson, uses art as a process (rather than a product) and it helps people use their creativity to access their intuition. I found myself not wanting to stop art making, even though my 8th grade art teacher stifled my creativity by saying all of my pieces were “uhhh whimsical” and not the good kind of whimsy. Maddie has a way of guiding you to let go of your inner critic and really play with art materials in a way that feels good. Maddie and I also have a way of goofing off to the point where we’re laughing until we cry, which either attracts or deters guests…we’ll never quite know.

Working with Maddie is what makes my passion for retreats come to life, and the guests are the icing on top. Not to mention, the fact that we get to support other women-owned businesses in the process! We had Desiree Jenkins from MamaRootsBus nourishing us with delicious food all weekend long, Liane Olson from Let Movement Nuture Openings Yoga providing gentle yoga and sound baths, and Ashlee Gulden-Bennett from Pine Sugar Photography capturing everything on camera.

If you are interested in learning more about our retreats, feel free to send me an email: madelynsteen@hushmail.com. I’d love to chat about it!