Geography of Change: A Forest Retreat for Navigating Life Transitions

Life transitions often arrive without clear direction. Changes in work, identity, relationships, health, or an inner sense of calling can leave us uncertain about how to move forward. Set among the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California, traditional territory of the Awaswas people,  Geography of Change offers space to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with what matters most.

Attending to body, mind, and spirit, the retreat supports personal and professional integrity and the courage to lean into action. Guided by the belief that each person carries an inner teacher and an inner source of truth, participants are invited to connect who they are with how they live and act. As we savor the spring beauty of the redwoods, we will engage poetry, prose, music, journaling, gentle guided movement, stories from diverse wisdom traditions, and mindfulness meditation practices, touching the seeds of transformation already present.

Welcoming people from diverse faith traditions, racial and ethnic identities, genders, ages, abilities and spiritual practices and in a safe, nurturing, and confidential environment, we will share periods of silence, quiet self-reflection, immersion in the redwoods, and engage in small and large group discussion, as well as laughter, lightness, movement, and renewal.

Grounded in mindfulness practices in the Plum Village tradition, Quaker faith and practice, the work of Center for Courage & Renewal® and Parker J. Palmer, we will immerse ourselves in nature, build a caring, supportive community, and engage in contemplative practices to support personal and societal transformation.

At this retreat, you will learn how to:

• Get grounded and renewed through the natural world.
• Navigate life’s uncertain and ambiguous moments.
• Cultivate courage and trust even when you don’t feel it.
• Reflect on what matters most with soul-amplifying questions, creative practices, small and large group dialogue and more.
• Align your values with your work for a greater sense of purpose and meaning.
• Cultivate body intelligence and body awareness.
• Show yourself real kindness through self-compassion.
• Practice self-stewardship while compassionately respecting your limits.

What people are saying about retreats with Valerie:

• ‘This retreat provided so many excellent opportunities for inward journeys, and identified ways that my energy, spiritual journey was blocked.’  
• ‘This retreat helped me to see more clearly the hindrances to my deepening/developing relationship to my joy and fullness.’