Among other things, I plan community and company retreats for a living.

Last week, I spent Monday through Wednesday in the Catskills at Lifebridge Sanctuary for Coaching Corner’s retreat. Immediately after, I went to Industry City to coordinate a 100 person company retreat with Recess.

It was a fulfilling but very full week.

It got me thinking about the definition of “retreat”, which is:

“an act of going away especially from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable”.

In times of war, that means retreating back into safety to re-group, make a plan, and (hopefully) come back stronger.

It’s an intentional decision to pause.

While I have planned retreats this year, retreating myself has been on the bottom of my to-do list.

That’s because I’ve been grappling with the tension that a lot of us feel, especially when we work for ourselves.

It’s this underlying belief that working more = money, value, safety, and security.

But if I explore this belief further, I know it’s not always the case.

Working harder may not be the right decision in a season where my body is craving rest. Working more may mean I’m choosing to repeat old patterns that I’ve adopted from growing up in corporate.

So for the rest of the year, I’m “retreating”.

This doesn’t mean that I will do nothing, but it means I will intentionally set myself up for a stronger 2026.

I was chosen as an emerging leader for the Beat Burnout retreat in Lenox, MA! This could not have come at a better time for me, and I’m excited to relax + learn more about myself and the 14 others who are in the program.

Other ways I’m planning to rest is really to reset my daily and weekly habits. Eating nourishing food, working out regularly, and staying in the Catskills before heading back home for the holidays.

As a solopreneur, it’s easy to do things alone, but it’s time to ask for help! I’ve been on the hunt for a virtual assistant to help take a few tasks off my plate, so I can focus on outreach and building my personal brand. I’m hoping for this person to start in November!

One larger project for me during my retreat is to think about what type of work I want to do next year. After picking up a little bit of everything under the sun, I want to hone in on my ideal client and project.

This means connecting with people who are doing cool, interesting things and planting seeds for future collaborations down the road.

I know that by choosing to retreat and not take on new client work, it means I might be sacrificing short-term income.

While this was a hard decision to make, I know that the space I’m creating now will give me clarity, creativity, and energy to build what’s next from a place of alignment, not exhaustion.

How do you plan to retreat this year to come back stronger for 2026?

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You heard most of my feels this week, so I’ll just leave you with this bulldog that brings me pure joy 🐶