SHEREE HANNAH WELLNESS DIARIES: Testing, testing, one, two, three…

Is this thing on? Kidding. But honestly, I feel like I need a little microphone tap before we get into this one.

I am a strong believer that life is a classroom, and with hosting my first retreat this weekend, I am so truly excited… but life has also been testing me (because of course it has)

At the heart of my retreat RISE is nervous-system regulation, learning to expand your capacity for the life you actually want to hold… and let me tell you, becoming an event planner overnight has 100% tapped on that window for growth in a number of ways. 

Don’t get me wrong, I asked for this, and my intention was to create the most magical experience for my clients here in NZ, and open up the room for women to really be held, having an experience that shifts something in their life, mindset or body, a deeply supportive transformation (not simply another vanilla wellness event)! 

So adding another massive project to my never ending to do list was very much self-inflicted. However, as someone who is pretty much a solopreneur, one-woman band, I am over here organising the goody bags, making sure I have picked up all the vouchers, checking the catering is taken care of, making sure the forms are put together for breathwork, working out who is collecting food and when, getting the food orders in, doing the final run-through at the event space, figuring out the tech, remembering all of the last-minute details that somehow still get forgotten, and trying to make sure every person who walks through that door has a genuinely beautiful experience (I have got to hand it to event planners, man. This is something else). 

Whilst I have coordinated events and co-facilitated events before, it has not been to this level, and not while still running my clients, doing in-depth blood-work interpretations, spending hours in sessions, selling tickets, creating the content, communicating with sponsors, and managing all the bits in between. Flying solo, for the most part.

Don’t get me wrong, I have an amazing assistant over in the States, incredible sponsors who have been helping put things together, and beautiful people around me. But there has been a real lesson in, how do I hold all of this and still make sure this event goes off without a hitch? How do I make sure everyone feels cared for, considered and held, without forgetting something important or burning myself into the ground in the process?

It has been really interesting.

It has also been a really beautiful lesson in receivership.

Because as an eldest daughter, we are often so used to holding everything. Being the capable one. Being the one who can make a plan in chaos, who thrives when there are twenty moving parts, who is already three steps ahead and quietly making sure everyone else is okay.

And yes, I absolutely do thrive in chaos. There is probably a neurospicy part of me that loves a deadline and a giant list. But when my sister-in-law-to-be reached out and offered to help, my mind instantly went to, okay, but how do I make sure she still has a good time? My other helpers want to participate in some of the activities too, so I have to work out what everyone is comfortable doing. Even asking a friend if they could collect the Bowler Bowler catering came with that little hesitation in my body.

Then my sister-in-law-to-be messaged me back and said, “Sheree, I love this. I thrive in this environment too, don’t worry, oldest daughter vibes. I am here to be your wingwoman, your right hand. You just let me know what you need. I am here to help.”

I cannot tell you the relief that washed over me. My whole body took this giant sigh, I almost cried!

There was still that little part of me going, okay, but how can I make sure she is supported too? But this is one of my biggest lessons, right? Yes, expanding my capacity. Yes, learning what I can hold. But also learning to receive, and knowing I do not have to do all of it on my own.

Which feels very fitting for RISE.

Because RISE is more than just a name. It is a framework we are going to be teaching and embodying across the weekend: Regulate, Integrate, Strengthen and Elevate.

Not another vanilla wellness event that is simply a recharge, or another self-care day that leaves you feeling lovely for twelve hours before you are back in your normal life, waiting to “start again” on Monday. We do not need another chance to reset or restart. We need experiences that help us understand why we keep ending up back in the same patterns, and tools that actually support us to move forward differently.

So this weekend is not about escaping life. It is about being more available for it.

We are moving through the nervous system and what regulation actually means, because it is not just being calm all the time. We are looking at the patterns, beliefs and protective responses that have shaped the way you move through the world. We are making space for breathwork and the kind of embodied experience that allows your system to feel something different, not just intellectually understand it. We are talking about the female body, hormone literacy, strength, self-trust and what it looks like to make your biology an advantage rather than feeling like your body is constantly working against you.

There will be beautiful food, connection, movement, breathwork, reflection, cold plunges, yoga, conversations that matter, and hopefully a few moments where someone goes, ohhh… that makes so much sense now.

But more than anything, I want people to walk away feeling more connected to themselves. Like their body is not the enemy, or another project to fix, but something they can actually understand and work with. I want them to leave with tools, support and lived experiences that they can take back into their real lives, because sometimes we hold things in our system for so long that we need an opportunity to experience a different response before we can begin to rewire it.

So yes, I am excited. I am a little bit stretched. I am deeply grateful and I am practising letting people help me!

Wish me luck <3 I will fill you in next week on how it all goes ✌🏽x