Healing retreats don’t have to be silent, intense or confronting. Here’s what one week in a women-only sanctuary taught me about rest, rhythm and coming back to myself.

We’ve all heard about retreats – cleansing retreats, nature retreats, yoga-only retreats, even the ones where you’re meant to be silent for days.

But I could never quite see one that felt like me because I’m a big fan of talking, of connection, of being lively.

I did my research though, and kept coming back to one name: Goddess Retreats.

They’ve been changing women’s lives for more than 20 years and come highly recommended by women from all walks of life.

Not all retreats are created equal

I love all things wellness. Heck, I’m a host on The House of Wellness radio show.

So, when I first looked at the Goddess Retreats website, I was going to sign up for a ‘wellness retreat’.

It sounded safe, sensible.

But as I spoke with their team it became clear that given how full my plate was – the constant travel, presenting, media work, the pressure of always being ‘on’ – what I really needed was healing.

That’s when I realised what sets Goddess Retreats apart: They don’t just offer a menu of cookie-cutter retreats; they tailor the week to you.

They asked where I was at, what my nervous system felt like, how much rest I needed (I answered: “a year’s worth”) – and gently suggested the Healing Retreat.

It was exactly the advice I needed, because I hadn’t been entirely honest with myself about how depleted I truly was.

Lessons I learned on retreat and brought home with me#1. Rest doesn’t need to be earned

When I arrived in Ubud, Bali and stepped into the women-only sanctuary, it felt like being given permission to exhale.

For years, I’d believed rest was something I had to earn.

At the retreat, I learned that rest is required – and it doesn’t have to wait.

Letting go of constant output, being allowed to simply be, actually gave me more capacity than I expected.

We signed up for activities but were told that if, on the day, we changed our mind, there was no pressure to participate.

Hang by the pool. Sip fresh coconut water. Choose softness.

#2. Healing doesn’t have to be heavy

Healing, I learned, isn’t always dramatic or confronting. Sometimes it’s surprisingly gentle.

For me, it looked like slow mornings that began with guided breathwork instead of panic-checking emails.

Spa rituals and herbal baths that soothed more than my tired muscles (they soothed the part of me that felt ‘too much’).

Nature walks and temple visits that reminded me that I’m part of a bigger rhythm.

And circle-sharing with other women, each of us with our stories, each of us learning that connection doesn’t always have to mean performance – it can simply mean presence.

The program weaves together yoga and meditation, nourishing cuisine made fresh each day, spa treatments, cultural immersion, and workshops centred on connection and transformation – but nothing feels forced.

You’re invited, not pushed.

#3. Structure matters

Even a ‘healing’ retreat benefits from routine.

But the routine here was gentle – a flow built around rest, movement, nourishment and community.

By the end of the week, I found myself leaning into that flow: waking up without resistance, moving without pressure, eating without multitasking.

Healing doesn’t mean abandoning structure.

In fact, I realised I function best with some kind of rhythm – I just didn’t know how exhausted I was by the rigid, productivity-driven version of it at home.

And yes, I became a little addicted to the feeling of being supported by a schedule that didn’t demand anything from me.

#4. Both my loud and quiet selves belong

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that I don’t have to choose between being expressive and being still.

As an extroverted introvert, I’ve often felt like I need to commit to one version of myself – the social one or the solitary one. But in this space, both were welcomed.

I could share openly, laugh loudly, connect deeply – and then step back into my own quiet without explanation.

The retreat made me see that both versions of myself are essential.

#5. It’s not separate from real life

The shifts didn’t end when I left Bali.

Once back in Melbourne, I realised how much of what I brought into the retreat I’d been missing at home: the permission to say no, the permission to choose rest, the permission to be gentle.

I noticed how those little habitual moments – previously dismissed – now felt like anchors.

The colour-coded calendar. The long black in the airport lounge. The odd gym workout.

They’re all threads that I now understand aren’t ‘extra’ but are necessary.

I came home having changed how I think about my self-care, how I travel, how I schedule downtime, how I relate to myself.

The retreat was a gateway, not a bubble.

#6. Self-care isn’t selfish

If you’re reading this and thinking you couldn’t possibly step away for a week, or that a retreat must be intense or silent, I’d invite you to think differently.

A healing retreat doesn’t need to be something you tick off and forget – it can be the thing that brings you back to yourself.

At Goddess Retreats they offered more than a break; they offered a return. A way to reconnect to my voice, my body, my pace.

And perhaps the greatest gift: the reminder that it’s OK to choose yourself.