The first time I traveled to France in the summer of 2022, I spent two weeks at an artist residency tucked away in the countryside. I arrived carrying the weight of everyday roles as a mother, wife, artist, and business owner, and I left with a lightness and a deeper knowing of who I was at my core.

For two weeks, I stepped into a slower rhythm. I painted for hours in a quiet studio, wandered wooded paths, explored centuries old buildings, journaled in the afternoon light, and rested when summer rain rolled in. Beautiful meals were prepared, and time felt spacious and unhurried. It felt incredibly luxurious to sip my morning French press, read, journal, and still have hours to create without anyone asking what was for dinner.

It was one of the most transformative experiences of my adult life.

For the first time in a long time, I felt completely free. I was not striving or performing. There was no to-do list hovering in the background and no one waiting on me. I was simply present and fully myself.

If I am honest, it took a few days to settle into that freedom. At first, I felt like I was forgetting something important, as if I might miss a deadline or had dropped the ball on a commitment. But once I moved past that uneasy feeling of not being needed to perform, I sank into my truer nature. I thrive when I am not being pulled in a dozen directions, when there is space to listen and notice what wants to rise to the surface.

Retreat Vivant is born from that experience. It is a space for women to rest deeply, reconnect with their creativity, and return to themselves. A place where everything is thoughtfully cared for so you can breathe, linger, and simply be.

A place where you do not have to perform or produce, only to arrive as you are.