Upcoming Event | October 10-14, 2023
Freeing Your Soul with Art +Nature (1 Spot)
“Is it time to find new passions and possibilities in your second stage of life? Would you like to explore an adventurous side of yourself, or try something new that taps into your creative potential? Does reconnecting with nature, quieting your mind, and centering yourself sound like just the re-set you need? Our retreats are made for you.”
Our October retreat offers the opportunity to eat, paint and play during New Hampshire’s gorgeous foliage season. You’ll join new friends in meditation, yoga, hiking, and painting or daily adventures in a beautiful countryside area, just minutes from some of the most dramatic views the Lakes Region has to offer. We’ll be staying in a renovated, vintage farmhouse and surrounded by an orchard, farms and old stone walls that go on for miles. This five-day retreat is designed to allow you opportunities to jumpstart creativity and to reflect on opportunities for renewal, reinvention and redirection in this second half of life.
If you are a new or experienced painter, you can choose to paint with our resident artist, Amy Brnger. If you’d rather explore, you’ll head off on some local adventures with our team leader Janie Moyers. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to be with all the women in the retreat when we start with a centering and meditation session, and later come together for yoga, a hike designed to showcase some of the beautiful fall color, delicious meals, a spirited cocktail cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee or dinner out. We’ll enjoy locally sourced gourmet meals by our private retreat chef and fun dinner conversations, mixing it up intentionally each night to ensure you meet new women. Our “fireside chats” after dinner also provide opportunities to connect with other retreat participants as our chef shares nutritional advice about healthy and holistic eating, or Sabet leads a discussion on aging gratefully. Best of all, you will meet other curious, interesting women who are seeking to fuel new passions in this second half of life!
We partner with artists known for their unique painting styles, as well as their ability to adapt their teaching style to both beginners and experienced painters. We try to work outdoors as often as possible to take advantage of our gorgeous settings. This is a no-judgement opportunity to take a risk and try something new.
If painting is not your thing, Janie, our Adventure Group leader, will be your hostess for activities like a flower arranging class at a local farm, an excursion to Squam Lake, or a trip to Castle in the Clouds. We change these activities each year depending upon the interests of the women who sign up to be an adventurer. This allows our painting classes to stay small and for some women to see more of the local area.
On This Retreat You Will Enjoy:
A meditation session with Leah Mason, where we start by setting intentions and centering ourselves for the days ahead.
Fifteen hours, over three days, of plein air painting with artist, Amy Brnger OR explorations with our adventure guide, Janie Moyers.
A ninety-minute afternoon yoga session on the lawn.
All lunch, dinner and cocktail hours with gourmet, locally sourced food created by Kristen Carlson, our private chef and certified holistic nutritionist. We also enjoy one dinner out at a local restaurant.
Everything you need for a delicious make your own breakfast.
Fully stocked bar with wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages and some fun cocktails designed to complement dinners.
A beautiful woodland hike, culminating in beautiful views of the Lakes Region.
An afternoon cocktail cruise, taking in the beautiful fall colors reflecting on Lake Winnipesaukee.
A “fireside chat” with our chef and nutritional coach, Kristen Carlsen talking about the importance of nutrition and it’s impact on health, hormonal imbalances, and disease prevention.
A ‘fireside chat” about finding new purpose, passions and meaning in the second half of life, led by our retreat founder Sabet Stroman.
A balanced itinerary of painting, exploring and relaxation.
The perfect chance to unplug, while being surrounded by inspiring women.
Description of Retreat Events
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Back by popular demand, we will be painting with artist Amy Brnger. The fifteen hours of painting includes an artist demonstration, color mixing with a limited palette, and using loose brush strokes! Learn about value contrast, composition, and how to create a strong background to your landscapes, simplifying passages and shapes so that you can stay out of unnecessary details that deplete the impact of your paintings. Discover how to paint rapidly with a big brush in order to capture the changing nature of organic forms. We will be painting outdoors, with the surrounding NH landscape as a backdrop. We make it easy for you by supplying easels, palettes and paint as well as offering the option to buy a “class kit” that includes canvases, several large brushes and some basics for new painters.
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Since some artists like to keep their classes small, we usually include a few women who ignite their curiosity through experiences. We create experiences for our adventure group based on the interests expressed. In the past, we have created beautiful flower arrangements at Full Moon Flower Farm, biked the Cotton Valley Rail Trail, spent the day at Squam Lake Science Center hiking Mt. Fayeh and taking a pontoon boat ride with a lake naturalist. Our adventure women are also invited to enjoy watching any artist demonstrations, and to participate in the painting group’s feedback session. It is not unusual to have an adventure club participant decide to come to another retreat as a painting participant after being part of these experiences.
Details About the Retreat
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Our retreats are limited to 12 participants, all women in addition to our chef, artist, and three retreat leaders. We carefully curate the group to avoid “cliques”, encouraging participants to come alone or with one friend at most.
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This year we are excited to stay in the nearby village of Moultonborough, retreating in a sprawling 1792 farmhouse surrounded by a historic barn, woods, a pond, and an old apple orchard. We have use of the spacious barn for painting and other activities, as well as the surrounding grounds for quiet walks or coffee by the pond. Most participants will have private bedrooms, with several sharing two beds and bathrooms. There are two living rooms for gathering, and numerous spots for some quiet reflection time. The surrounding area offers opportunities for some nice walks to Lees Pond or the Loon Center.
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You can’t jump-start creativity without food for the soul! Our private chef creates visually gorgeous, delicious gourmet delights and cooks with love and talent! You will enjoy locally sourced lunches, dinners, and cocktail hours each day. Chef Kristen makes everything from scratch and will accommodate dietary preferences. We survey your preferences, and the bar is stocked with a large variety of wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks. Our kitchens are full of whatever you request for a do-it yourself breakfast. You’ll also find cookies cooling on the counter for a mid-day snack!
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The least expensive and most direct flights tend to be from Boston Logan airport. From Boston, we are a two hour and 15-minute drive. Janie is masterful at helping with transportation coordination by encouraging Boston flight arrivals close in time and booking a shared rental van (shared fee not included) for airport pickups. A fun stop in Newburyport for lunch is usually on the agenda as well. Renting a car at Logan is an option as well. Closer airports are in Manchester, NH and in Portland, Maine. Each are about an hour and a half away, and there are private transportation or car rentals available. We know the transportation can seem a little daunting and are happy to help every way that we can.
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We are very casual! During the day you might want leggings, tops, sneakers, and a lightweight sweatshirt or jacket for our boat cruise. Evening is slightly cooler, so a few pairs of jeans and sweaters are great. For our one dinner out, just add a casual pair of shoes to those jeans! If you are painting, bring an old shirt or apron that you can cover your clothes with. Stuff to leave behind: flashy anything, high heels, significant others, stress! Painters: We supply basic materials, as well as the option to purchase canvases and brushes in advance. A specific supply list will be published. If you are driving and have a portable plein air easel, please bring it.
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Travel to New Hampshire and the retreat location
Painting supplies such as canvases and brushes (a kit with brushes/canvases can be purchased for a fee).
Trip insurance (we can recommend several with Covid coverage).
Expenses associated with packaging and shipping artwork safely home. -
Because we are in close indoor quarters at our house, we require proof of Covid vaccination. We also require a rapid test to be reported within three days of the retreat start date. We have rapid tests available and can test quickly if needed during the retreat.
If any retreat guest becomes symptomatic or tests positive for Covid-19, we will quarantine you safely, either at Sabet’s home in Wolfeboro or a local motel. Expenses associated with quarantining will be the participants. We acknowledge the reality of the world we now live in and will do our best to minimize the risk of exposure for all participants. -
Retreat fee for lodging, all food, beverages, cocktail cruise, dinner in town, hike, meditation, and yoga class: $1950. If you are in one of the shared rooms (two beds), you receive a $100 deduction.
Painting workshop with Amy Brnger $350 includes paint, basic supplies, plein air easels.
Adventure Women with Janie: (3 participants max) $150 includes Castle in the Clouds admission fee, Squam Lake Nature Center entrance and pontoon boat ride, and transportation.
Deposit of $600 upon registration and acceptance, with balance due one month in advance of retreat
Payments accepted by check or Venmo.
Please contact Sabet Stroman at forthesoulretreat@gmail.com before mailing deposit. -
We require a $600 deposit to hold your spot. This is non-refundable unless we can fill your spot with another participant. One month prior to the retreat we ask for the remainder of your payment, and this becomes nonrefundable unless we can fill your space with another participant. We do everything we can to fill a last-minute cancellation so that you can be refunded as much as possible.
If the retreat is cancelled because of a decision made by the founder and her team, you will be fully refunded, except for expenses incurred with airline bookings.
We highly encourage the purchase of trip insurance to cover any last-minute cancellations or illness. Make sure you purchase one that covers Covid related cancellations. We are happy to offer a few insurance suggestions.
Our Retreat Team and Detailed Schedule*
The October retreat will be led by Sabet, Janie and Pete (taking a break from the kitchen this time). We are excited to welcome holistic nutritionist and chef Kristen Carlson to help us with our September and October 2023 retreats! Please go to the website to learn a little more about each of us.
*We may sometimes substitute a different experience or activity because of weather or last-minute challenges.
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4:00p.m.-4:30p.m. Arrive! Settle in, grab a drink and relax or go for a quick walk around the grounds.
Cocktails and dinner. Watch the sun set with a cocktail in hand, chatting with new friends! After dinner, we’ll gather in the family room to get to know each other a little better and review what the week has in store for us. -
Setting Intentions for the Week, with Leah Mason a local meditation coach.
Painting with Amy Brnger or Adventures with Janie
Lunch
Painting class or adventures with Janie.
Dinner
Dessert, and “fireside chat” with Sabet on Aging Gratefully -
Painting class or adventures with Janie
Bag Lunch on our Lake Winnipesaukee boat cruiseYoga on the lawn
Dinner at local restaurant
Dessert, and “fireside chat” with Chef Kristen on “Maximizing energy… Health, Nutrition and Hormones“ -
Painting class or adventures with Janie
Lunch
Fall foliage hike OR Castle in the Clouds visit with views
6:00 p.m. Cocktails and dinner -
Saying goodbye. Checkout 10 a.m.
An afternoon flight allows you to fit in a little more time exploring- perhaps with a stop in Wolfeboro, Sabet’s hometown.