the breath between
a women's retreat
guernville | ca
october 15-18
2026
This is a small, intentional retreat for women who are already carrying a ton - responsibility, leadership, emotional depth - and who know when it’s time to slow the pace on purpose.
For 3 nights, we’ll step out of momentum and into a different rhythm.
Not to escape your life, but to meet it more clearly.
We'll explore the breath between reaction and response.
Between one chapter and the next.
Between knowing and choosing.
12 women. 3 nights.
I talk about the power of the pause constantly in my work with women. There's the pause that allows you to respond rather than react. There's the pause that shifts the energy of a charged moment. And the pause that interrupts habit and gives you access to choice.
This retreat exists so you can live inside that pause long enough for it to actually do something.
When you create space, clarity follows, not because you forced it, but because you stopped
rushing past what’s true.
This retreat is for women who are thoughtful, capable, and self-aware,
and sense that another layer is ready to be met.
You might be:
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navigating change, transition, or recalibration
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holding a lot emotionally, professionally, or relationally
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ready to relate to your life with more space
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drawn to depth without drama or performance
This is not a spa weekend and it’s not about fixing or optimizing.
It’s about strengthening your capacity to slow down and listen, and allowing that to shift
how you move through your life.
Over our days together, we’ll slow things down enough to notice what usually gets overridden
We’ll gather daily for:
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grounded movement
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guided reflection
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real connection
And just as importantly, there will be stretches of unstructured time.
Walk the land.
Visit the river
Journal, rest, reflect, or chat without rushing toward a point.
We won’t be chasing answers.
We’ll be creating the conditions where clarity tends to arrive on its own.
Our Nest for the Weekend
We'll get cozy in a 1890 farmhouse that's been thoughtfully renovated for gathering and connetion. Exposed beams, old brick, barn wood, long communal tables. Space to come together and space to spread out. The home is nestled on 130 acres of living land tucked into a fertile valley along Fife Creek, in Guerneville, California.
Ancient redwoods, madrone, and Douglas fir rise all around you. Trails wind through forest and open field. A creek runs steadily through the property. Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve - home to some of the most majestic trees in Northern California - is a five-minute walk away.
There are wide open lawns, quiet corners, and long views. The Russian River is minutes away. The coastline, where the river meets the sea is a short, beautiful drive.
"
what's it like to attend one of Marisa's retreats?
Come Home to Your Heart was one of the most beautiful gifts I’ve ever given myself. Every detail made me feel deeply nurtured and supported. Marisa and her incredible team thought of everything. If you feel called to this experience, trust that feeling and go.
— Amber Mest
Ready to stop rushing and start remembering who you are?
We Eat Well
Food really matters to me.
It’s not an afterthought at my retreats - it’s a key part of the experience.
When women are well fed, something softens. When the food is genuinely delicious and satisfying, the nervous system relaxes and the work goes deeper.
Chef Evan will be cooking for us throughout the retreat. His food is thoughtful, vibrant, and deeply gratifying.
Meals are built around seasonal ingredients, clean flavors, and real nourishment. This is food that grounds you, energizes you, and leaves you feeling full in the best way. It's not fussy or heavy. Just beautifully made meals you can dig into happily.
All dietary needs are welcomed and met with care.
You won’t be planning, cooking, or cleaning up.
You’ll just sit down and eat well.
That, too, is part of the pause.
This was such a beautiful experience. My partner said I seemed "settled" when I came back, and I really did feel that way, grounded and rooted.
– Cher Braden
Here’s what’s waiting for you
3 nights tucked in nature and connection, shared with a carefully chosen group of extraordinary women
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Morning and afternoon practices, guided sessions, movement, rest, and space to just be
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All meals and snacks from Thursday dinner to Sunday lunch — nourishing, rustic, deeply satisfying
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Hot tub soaks, redwood hikes at Armstrong Woods, nearby river visits, and easy outings to the shops and cafés of Guernville - or time to stay close and rest.
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Optional one-on-one pampering sessions (booked in advance for a separate fee) - for previous retreats I've teamed up with incredible massage therapists, estheticians, acupuncturists - more details to come
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Time to connect, time to reflect, time to feel like yourself again
Location & Getting Here
We'll be gathering just outside Guerneville, California, a peaceful, wooded part of Sonoma County near Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve and the Russian River. It's an easy drive from all local airports, downtown San Francisco and the East Bay.
Travel Times
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From San Francisco: ~1 hr 30–2 hrs (about 75 miles)
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From San Francisco International Airport (SFO): ~1 hr 45–2 hrs (about 95 miles)
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From Oakland / Oakland International Airport (OAK): ~1 hr 30–1 hr 40 mins (about 73 miles)
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From Santa Rosa Airport (STS): ~40–50 mins (short drive from the retreat)
Traffic, especially near Petaluma and Santa Rosa, can affect timing, so it’s good to plan accordingly.
Arrival is between 5-7 pm on Thursday, October 15.
Marisa brings such a graceful, loving, open, playful yet grounded presence.
— Jen Mintz
Meet Marisa
If we haven't met - hi, I'm Marisa!
I’ve been gathering with women for decades - in my living room, in Zoom rooms, in studios, sanctuaries, and quiet places off the grid. It’s my favorite kind of magic.
I’m a mother of two, co-parenting in a thriving modern family. I’ve walked through big endings and come out the other side with a life that’s more beautiful, more real, and more connected than anything I could’ve designed on purpose.
I'm a certified life coach, longtime student of Indigenous wisdom traditions and Buddhist psychology, and co-creator of beloved books like The First Forty Days. I guide women through the spaces that are often rushed: the grief, the reckoning, the raw unfolding.
I can’t wait to gather with you for The Breath Between.This retreat is about strengthening your capacity to pause, to feel what’s here, to choose with clarity, and to trust your own timing again.
This time together isn’t about fixing or figuring things out. This is a pause with purpose. If you feel called to this in any way - listen to that nudge.
This will sell out fast.
Love,
Marisa
The experience was beautiful, necessary, grounding, connective and brought me back home to myself.
—Morgan Whitney Cook