Grief & Loss "Finding a Way Forward" Solo Coaching Retreat

People keep asking how you're doing, and you've run out of ways to say "not great" without making them uncomfortable. They mean well, but they don't get it. They think that if enough time passes, you'll just be fine again. But you're not fine. And you're exhausted from pretending. McMinnville is quiet. It's wine country, a small town, the kind of place where you can actually breathe. You'll stay at a nearby hotel and spend your days working with Susan and Sandy at their place. It's comfortable, cozy and safe... the kind of space where you can fall apart if you need to. Susan and Sandy start by just listening. What happened. What it's been like. The complicated feelings nobody else wants to hear about. The guilt, mixed with relief, mixed with rage. They've worked with enough grieving women to know all of it is normal, even the parts that feel shameful. Then they start giving you actual tools. How to notice when you're spiraling before you're in the middle of it. What to do with your body when the panic hits. Ways to ground yourself that work at 2 am when you can't sleep or in the middle of the workday when it all comes crashing back. These aren't abstract ideas. They're specific techniques you'll use next week. They work with what you need each day. If talking helps, you talk. If you're too exhausted, you don't. There will be time to walk the town, sit in a café, explore the vineyards, get a massage, or go back to your hotel and sleep. Whatever your body needs. By day two, your chest doesn't feel quite as tight. You're sleeping a bit better. One of the tools they taught you actually worked when the panic started creeping in. Small things, but when you've been drowning, small things matter a lot. By day three, you're starting to see a path forward. Not that the grief is gone, but that you can carry it without it crushing you. You laugh at something and don't immediately feel guilty. You make a plan for next month. You start to believe that maybe you can honour what you lost and still have a life. You'll leave knowing that healing doesn't mean forgetting. It means learning to live again. This is a private retreat designed around your needs. All your sessions are adjusted based on what emerges and what you're ready for. Day 1 - Arrival and Beginning 4:00 PM - Arrival and settling in. Your hotel is ready. Take time to unpack, breathe, and let the travel day release. 5:00 PM - Welcome session with Susan and Sandy at their place. This is an easy conversation, not an interrogation. We'll learn what you lost, what you're carrying, and what you're hoping these four days might offer. We'll share how the retreat will unfold and set the intention for our time together. Just the beginning of feeling held. Evening - Rest. Walk the town if you'd like. Let the quiet settle in. Day 2 - Speaking What Hasn't Been Said 9:00 AM - Morning session. We'll begin with your story. Not to analyze it, but for you to let it out. You'll have space to say everything, including the parts you've been too ashamed to speak aloud. The relief, the anger, the guilt. All of it. 12:00 PM - Lunch and rest. 2:00 PM - Afternoon session. We'll start giving you actual tools. How to notice when you're spiraling. What to do with your body when the panic hits. Ways to ground yourself that work in real life, not just in theory. 5:00 PM - Free time. Walk the vineyards, visit a café, or simply rest and integrate. Evening - Journaling prompts if you want them. Otherwise, rest. Day 3 - The Deeper Work 9:00 AM - Morning session. We'll explore what's underneath. The fear of forgetting. The terror of moving forward. The part of you that's stuck and the part that's ready to live again. We work with whatever's actually there, not what should be there. 12:00 PM - Lunch and rest. 2:00 PM - Afternoon session. Working with whatever emerged in the morning. This might be grief, rage, relief, or something you didn't expect. We follow what's alive. 5:00 PM - Free time or optional walk with one of us. Often, this is when unexpected conversations happen, the ones that shift something without trying. Evening - Rest, reflect, and integrate. Day 4 - Integration and Moving Forward 9:00 AM - Integration session. What has shifted? What you're taking home. What support you need for the road ahead. We'll help you build a tangible plan for the triggers, anniversaries, and hard moments waiting for you. 12:00 PM - Lunch. 1:30 PM - Closing session. A marking of what you've done and where you're going. You'll leave with practical skills that work. You'll leave having spent four days with people who didn't minimise your pain or rush you through it, but who also showed you that you're stronger than you thought. 3:00 PM - 4.30 PM - Departure