Are Women’s Retreats Worth the Investment?

As your career evolves, it’s hard to know the best ways to invest in your personal and professional growth. Should you book sessions with a career coach? Focus on self-care? Mentor other women? 

One way you can try a lot of these options at once is by attending a women’s retreat. Uncut and Uncensored host Caroline Stanbury and her friend and partner Elizabeth Pearson are hosting one in Phoenix, Arizona, and they unpacked the opportunities these experiences can offer. Read on to see if women’s retreats are a good option for you.

Connect with women offering fresh perspectives 

Attendees at retreats like Stanbury and Pearson’s are usually “ambitious women who feel a calling for something bigger,” coming from diverse industries and backgrounds. 

Most retreats will start with an introduction or icebreaker, so you and the other attendees can learn from each other. “I think that everybody’s stories are powerful and deserve to be told,” says Pearson. “It’s going to be amazing, the through lines and the similarities that we find within everybody.” 

The facilitators aren’t the only ones who can help you grow and learn. “I always like to say, it’s like a board of advisors. You’re going to have 20 women around, powerhouses who are going to be like, ‘Oh yes, I know somebody in that who could help you,’ or ‘This is what I did when I was in that situation.’ And there’s no ulterior motives.”

Empower yourself and other women

Women’s retreats offer so many learning opportunities. One of the topics Stanbury and Pearson feel passionate about is teaching women how to invest. 

“I just want everybody who shows up to really feel hopeful that they can leave on Sunday really feeling empowered. Because at the end of the day, that’s really how we want women walking around this planet, is to feel powerful and like they’re creators, versus being passengers,” Pearson says. 

Caroline believes one way to do this is to make your money work for you and invest in yourself. “There’s a lack of women really feeling okay about investing in themselves,” she says. 

Elizabeth adds that most women “don’t have a deep belief in themselves that they deserve that. This is why we’re having the leadership and pay gaps that we are—because women don’t advocate for themselves.”

These retreats provide a safe and supportive environment for learning new skills, from money management to self-advocacy.

Get outside your comfort zone

You might want to go on a retreat with a friend, but you also might want to push yourself to fly solo. “Sometimes it’s better to come to these things by yourself,” says Pearson, “Because it gives you permission and nudges you to meet other people and to make those connections.” 

You can take this willingness to try new things with you long after the retreat is over. “Being able to change and adapt,” Stanbury says, will help you through any obstacle.

Embrace relaxation and having fun

Don’t overlook the “retreat” part of the retreat—take the time to enjoy getting away from it all. Most retreats take place in fabulous locations. “The package that we’ve negotiated is insane,” Pearson says. “I mean, this room rate is like a third of what it normally is.”

“We wanted it to feel like a girls’ weekend more than a coaching session,” Stanbury says. “We just really want everybody to feel super pampered, like just let us take care of it. We’re going to create a wonderful safe space so you can really kind of crack open if need be,” Pearson adds.

The environment naturally fosters connection. “I see us with red wine, Uggs, and pajamas,” says Caroline.

Make new friends

“Today it’s very, very difficult to make these [deep] connections, because we live in such a fast world,” Pearson says. “It’s such an insular world with Instagram and everything looks so f***ing perfect. And it’s not.” On the contrary, she adds, “When you’re stripped of everything,” being raw and honest “brings out the best in people.”

The connections you make on a retreat could stay with you for a long time. And some organizers will facilitate keeping those connections going. “There will be an option to get together with this group again,” Pearson says. ”Month to month if we want to, but we’ll provide some options so that everybody can stay in touch and there’s continued support.”

For more information on Caroline Stanbury and Elizabeth Pearson’s coaching strategies and their retreat, listen to Uncut and Uncensored with Caroline Stanbury.