What a Sold Out Wellness Day Retreat Looks Like - a Recap

Let’s be honest. You know the gap. You’ve seen what passes for “wellness programming” at most events - a 6am yoga session tacked on as an afterthought, mocktails loaded with more sugar than that sad “energy” bar you also passed on. You know it can be so much more. You’ve just maybe never had the chance to experience what “more” actually feels like.

On January 25th, 54 people found out. The New Year Holistic Wellness Reset - a public personal wellness day retreat I hosted via SamTalia Wellness at the stunning San Damiano Retreat in the Danville hills of the SF East Bay - sold out. And based on everything that followed? It delivered. (And yes, they want more. 😊)

The Framework That Made It Different: The 8 Dimensions of Wellbeing

This retreat wasn’t built around a trending theme or a single hot-ticket modality. It was built around a model: the 8 dimensions of wellbeing - physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, environmental, social, intellectual, and occupational. Every session of the day was thoughtfully designed to address a different dimension, so that by the time our guests walked out through the doors of San Damiano, they’d genuinely touched on every part of what it means to truly be well.

For those of us in the events world, this framework is worth knowing - and honestly, worth adopting. It’s the difference between programming that feels nice in the moment and programming people are still texting you about three weeks later. When wellness is designed around the whole person - not just their stress levels or their step count - the experience lands differently. Every. Single. Time.

What the Day Looked Like

Retreatants were encouraged to sit, stand, or move around even while listening to facilitators, recognizing that we all have different physical and comfortability needs that don't always fit "sitting still in a chair". I opened the day by walking attendees through an overview of my “Input, Output & Environment” framework, sharing openly from my own journey of recovering from serious health challenges through natural, holistic approaches. It was personal, it was real, and it set a tone of authenticity that carried through the day.

From there, the incredible Kathryn Chess, Nutritionist and Joyful Living Coach, took the stage with breathwork, gentle movement, and intention setting - a grounding practice that pulled people beautifully out of their heads and fully into the room.

Joel Barnehama delivered a deep dive into financial wellness - one of the most under-addressed dimensions in personal wellness spaces - with some eye opening realizations. Attendees left with options and insights they genuinely didn’t know were available to them. Mind = expanded.

Tamar Schwartzbart, CPT, led a physical wellness session built around joy and accessibility, honoring that every single body in that room was different and completely worthy of care. Michelle Ford bridged the afternoon programming with with Sacred Sound Medicine: a deeply restorative sound bath using ancient instruments and crystal bowls that gave every person in that room permission to simply receive. It was, hands down, the highlight for many attendees - and we will definitely be having her back!

Woven throughout the day: self-reflection worksheets, small group conversations, a brief intro to Myers-Briggs personality types where retreatants explored how their beautiful differences interact with one another, a nourishing shared lunch, and the freedom to wander the 55 acres of trails and labyrinth at San Damiano Retreat at their own pace. (Seriously - the property is breathtaking. These Danville hills do not miss.)

Kathryn also closed the experience with her “Anchor & Activate” practice - a tool for internalizing the day’s insights and actually carrying them forward into real life. People didn’t just leave feeling good. They left with something to use.

Why This Kind of Retreat Stands Out

Finding a personal wellness retreat that goes beyond surface-level is harder than it should be. Most are built around a single modality - a yoga retreat, a meditation day, a nutrition workshop. All valuable. None of them the full picture.

What SamTalia Wellness does differently is design from wholeness first. Every dimension of wellbeing gets a seat at the table. Every facilitator is chosen because they bring both deep expertise and genuine heart to their work. And the environment - a sacred, stunning retreat space like San Damiano - is never an afterthought. It’s part of the medicine.

If you’ve been searching for a holistic wellness retreat near you that actually delivers on the word holistic - this is what that looks like. And if you’ve been thinking about what it could look like to bring this level of intentionality to the experiences you create for others, that’s a conversation I am always excited to have. 😊

More Retreats Are Coming - And They Will Sell Out

Based on the incredible response and further demand to this retreat, SamTalia Wellness will be hosting additional Holistic Wellness Retreats throughout 2026 and into 2027. April and August dates are being finalized now, with details dropping soon. Heads up: most of the upcoming retreats are being designed with a smaller, more intimate capacity to create a more up close and personal experience.

Want to be one of the first to know? Join “The Elevated Era” and get the scoop first!