Join us for a 4-day private intensive coaching retreat in Oregon's Willamette Valley for women at career crossroads. Your career feels like someone else's life. Maybe you climbed the ladder only to realize you don't want what's at the top. Maybe you were laid off and this forced pause has you questioning everything. Maybe you're financially successful but professionally miserable, knowing you're meant for something more but you're paralyzed by the fear of change. You've spent years, maybe decades, building this career. The thought of changing feels overwhelming. What if you choose wrong? What if you can't afford it? What if you're too old to start over? These fears keep you stuck in work that drains you, even when you know something needs to shift. This retreat helps you break through. Working one-on-one with Susan Cook and Sandrina Weller, you'll spend four days uncovering what you're actually meant to do, releasing fear and limiting beliefs about career change, and designing work that aligns with who you are now. Four days of intensive daily coaching using interactive exercises, deep listening, and creative methods that accomplish more clarity and direction than months of career counseling. This isn't about polishing your resume or job search tactics. This is deep work on what would actually feel meaningful, what's keeping you stuck, and how to move forward despite the fear. You'll leave with clarity about your professional path, practical next steps, and renewed confidence in your ability to create work that matters. The retreat takes place in McMinnville, Oregon with accommodation, meals, daily intensive coaching sessions (4-6 hours), personalized exercises and materials, and continued support after you leave. Four intensive days to get clear on what you actually want professionally, release the fears holding you back, and create a realistic plan for making it happen.

Retreat Date(s)

We offer this retreat on demand, all year, weekdays or weekends. After you contact us we'll find the best openings for you. This is not a group retreat - just you and us.

Itinerary

This 4-day intensive retreat is designed to move you from career confusion to clarity and action. Here's the typical flow. Day One: Honest Assessment You arrive in McMinnville in the afternoon and meet Susan and Sandy. First session dives into where you are professionally and how you got here. They ask questions that cut through the story you tell yourself to what's actually true. What do you love about your work? What drains you? If money weren't an issue, what would you do? You begin articulating feelings you've suppressed. The disappointment. The boredom. The sense you're wasting your potential. Susan and Sandy create such acceptance that you find yourself being honest about professional dissatisfaction you've hidden, even from yourself. Day Two: Uncovering Patterns and Passions Morning session explores what's been driving your career decisions. Through systemic work, you see family messages about work, cultural conditioning about success, beliefs you inherited about what's possible. Maybe you learned "creative work doesn't pay" or "stay in secure jobs" or "ambition is selfish." Seeing where these came from loosens their grip. In the afternoon you'll enjoy a AromaTouch Massage at our favourite Spa in town. Time to integrate and soften before we continue to uncover what actually excites you. Interactive activities that bypass your practical inner voice to access genuine passion. What work would feel like play? What problems do you want to solve? What impact do you want to make? Patterns emerge showing you directions you hadn't considered. Day Three: Designing Your Professional Future With clarity on what's been holding you back and what genuinely interests you, day three focuses on possibilities. Susan and Sandy guide you through envisioning your ideal professional life. Not the one you should want, the one you actually want. You explore options: pivoting within your field, complete career change, entrepreneurship, part-time work for more freedom, using your skills differently. The coaches help you get realistic about what each path requires while honoring what feels exciting, even if scary. Day Four: Creating Your Roadmap Final day translates vision into action. You create a practical plan with concrete next steps. Maybe that's informational interviews, taking a course, starting a side project while still employed, financial planning for transition. Susan and Sandy help you sequence steps logically and identify support you'll need. You also plan for obstacles: fear that will arise, doubt that will creep in, practical challenges you'll face. Having strategies prepared helps you navigate setbacks without abandoning your path. You leave with clear direction and tools for moving forward even when it gets hard, and ongoing support from Susan and Sandy if needed.

What's Included

Pre-retreat zoom call Welcome drink during our check-in meeting Approximately 20 hours of personalised life-coaching with two experienced coaches in a private coaching setting Light lunches, fresh, locally grown, from one of our health food places in town Water, tea, coffee, and healthy snacks served throughout the day Daily meditation and Breath Work Daily schedule is personalized to your needs 1 hour AromaTouch Massage at our favourite Spa in town Course Manual - personal notes, inspiration, personalised exercises Two post retreat zoom calls to support accountability in your career transition process Post retreat accountability package for a reduced rate Transportation during the retreat related to the coaching work sessions Luggage storage Free parking available onsite Wifi connection

What's Not Included

Flights costs Travel insurance Accommodation Breakfasts and dinners Additional activities not included in the itinerary

Food (if applicable)

We invite you to our table as friends & family - light lunch, water, tea, and coffee, as well as healthy snacks like fruit and nuts, are included in your booking. We know and love the best health food places in town and during your retreat days we invite you to explore fresh, regional, mostly organic food. We will adapt to your dietary wants and needs, whether you are vegetarian, vegan, GF or you have other wishes.

How to get there (if applicable)

Book your flight to Portland International Airport (PDX). Uber transportation to McMinnville appr. $100​/​one way. Unless you prefer to rent a car, we can arrange to pick you up at Portland International Airport (PDX) for 100$ (one-way) and for 200$ (round-trip). Making special memories in McMinnville! Nestled in the heart of Willamette Valley, McMinnville was just nominated as the friendliest small town in Oregon! With an inviting climate that's temperate year-round, McMinnville is a great place to visit in any season. Hospitable, welcoming, and very friendly, the town is an ideal destination for a weekend getaway or a longer break to unwind, explore, and choose your own adventure. Whether you're in the mood to sip local wines, enjoy the Pacific Northwest scenery, or simply stroll the cozy streets of this historic Oregon college town where you can browse galleries, family-owned businesses, and unique boutiques, McMinnville offers a variety of experiences to make your visit unforgettable. Our Coaching to Connection workspace is right downtown on 3rd Street!

Past Reviews (optional)

Review of Coaching to Connection by W.W. Realizing that it’s ok for me to “sparkle” and to want to “sparkle” and that I still can bring my lifelong dream to reality was the most meaningful experience for me from this retreat. The retreat exceeded my expectations as I truly feel empowered to go back to my life and create my lifelong dream of being a motivational speaker. I have a clearer idea of what stops me so that I can address it. If I could wave a magic wand that would allow all women to have this experience, our world would be completely different! This work lifts women up in a culture that prefers to keep us down and we need women who are empowered to follow their dreams. I feel so blessed to have been able to participate in this retreat. The ratio of “work” to “rest” and “play” felt perfect to me! This retreat has been truly life-changing! Review of Coaching to Connection by J.W. The dynamic of the relationship was set as a space of trust. From the pickup at the airport, through the delivery to the hotel, the daily sessions, and the lunch breaks together- it all created a sense of safety for me. I felt supported from start to finish. I had no idea what to expect, so I just let the process happen, which can be scary for me. Coming to a foreign city to do this kind of work added to the unknowns. This retreat met my needs in the biggest way of me NEVER feeling pushed. You held space and time for me until “I got it”, no matter how long it took. For someone who doesn’t feel heard or understood, that’s huge! This work and opportunity for women provide a next-level way to receive coaching and counseling in an intense and ongoing format that you don’t get through hourly sessions. The ability to talk it out, go through the course without stopping, and restart “next time” after only one hour, is exceptional. You really accomplish directional movement in your journey towards your goals, and that is hard to accomplish in weekly hour-long sessions. A superior benefit and worth. Review of Coaching to Connection by Lacey "The way the retreat begins with the key events throughout my life, I was able to see what got me here to this place. I have talked about and examined each of those events in isolation 1,000 times in my life, but seeing how they build upon one another was eye opening. From there, isolating key triggers put works to the ambiguity. Also, the looking in, which happens so rarely as I have kept myself so busy. I have never stopped to turn inwards. The action steps of what’s next allows me to go home and put it into practice. Who I am without my titles, awards, etc. will be my next step. The retreat far surpassed my expectations for I was able to take 4 days for myself (which has never happened before) to do the uncomfortable work. I truly feel that every woman should go through this process to remember who we are and our worth in this world that will crush your soul if you let it."