Gazing across the lake, you reflect on the past few wonderful days - connection and learning, hikes and massages, leisurely uninterrupted meals, the luxury of being a grownup and doing grownup things...

A deep sigh escapes you and with it, heaviness falls away like Autumn leaves.

Taking in the gorgeous colors, you feel pride in investing in yourself, without needing anyone’s approval. For once, you're doing something not for your kids, not for your family, but for YOU and because of that, you are ready to be unapologetically YOU in motherhood like never before.

Fearlessness and confidence emerge as you step into the closing circle with your new friends. You see your path to freedom with crystal clarity.

Welcome to the magic of the lakehouse!

And what is possible for you here?

How luxurious and freeing would it be to...

• Awaken in the morning, not to a kid's foot in your ribs or a fight about screens, but to the sensation of being truly rested and ready for a fantastic day?
• Spend 5 glorious days and nights full of grownup talk, grownup food, grownup activities, and grownup sleep? 
• Release motherhood's heaviness and let go of responsibility? 
• Set down your burdens and learn to maintain that lightness even in the midst of the wildness of motherhood.

This is and more await, as you surrender to pampering care, with total trust that your hosts are overseeing everything with wisdom and foresight.

In just a few days you'll find yourself...

• Crystal clear on who you really are, beyond the rules you use to contain and manage yourself for others.
• Connecting with your natural ideas and desires on a deep level, so you can parent from your heart center, without limits.
• Changing the story your inner critic keeps telling you, so freedom becomes your default way of being.

Get ready to unleash a whole new experience of motherhood as you experience guided coaching circles, somatic work and exercises designed to take you past discomfort or hesitation into boundless parenting. 

How fun and connected would it feel to...

• Have a new adventure instead of only distant memories of vacations past?
• Create connections with amazing moms just like you?
• Collect beautiful memories and fabulous new friendships?

Say YES to shared experiences and growth that will sustain and support you for months to come!

A typical retreat day...

Greet the day with a gentle wakeup session (lakeside meditation, perhaps?), followed by a delicious breakfast with nary a Cheerio in sight ;)  Then make your way into the community space for morning parenting circle, full of openness, laughter and breakthroughs.  Now, let's take a break with a phenomenal luncheon prepared by our own private Chef Andrew. After some chill time, we're off on a fun excursion designed to both take our morning concepts deeper while delighting and entertaining you beyond any fun you've had in recent memory! The afternoon brings free time for a massage (yes please!), journaling, 1:1 coaching (that's right - I have set aside time for us to work together privately if you choose!), or just chilling the heck out!  Then let's come back together for a tuned-in and grateful feast of a dinner, followed by a peaceful evening circle to close our day. 

Whether you're letting go of inner blocks in the water release ritual, learning new skills in a coaching circle, reveling in Fall colors on a brisk hike, or just laughing 'til you cry with new friends, this retreat is going to blow your mind and expand your heart beyond anything you've ever experienced.  I can't wait to greet you with open arms on my doorstep this October!

Welcome to Traverse City!

For many, TC is a hidden treasure that surprises and delights.  On the coast of Lake Michigan, TC has everything for everyone, all housed in a picturesque small town.  Shopping, dining, wineries, breweries, distilleries, hiking, spectacular views, breathtaking sunsets, and the friendliest people you'll ever meet.  And you'll be just a few miles away from the hustle and bustle of downtown in your very own lakeside oasis!

You will be joining me in my waterfront home on Long Lake in the forests outside Traverse City - I am truly your hostess in every way. The view from our porch, and practically every window in our home will have you pinching yourself. The Autumn colors around the lake take your breath away. (Fun fact - the pictures here were all taken by me and my family just with our phones!  That is how spectacular the natural beauty surrounding us is! #nofilter).

Don't worry - you will have ample time to simply rest and rejuvenate in this incredible space interspersed throughout our time exploring ourselves and the area with hikes, wineries and spa treatments as well as delicious meals, and simply socializing with your retreat-mates. To cap off our days, enjoy a cocktail, mocktail or delicious glass of wine and soak it all in fireside!  Did I mention you won't lift a finger to cook or clean for 5 days straight?!

Accommodations

This gorgeous lakeside home boasts 5 tranquil bedrooms for you to choose from, some available for double occupancy. Keep your room all to yourself, bring a friend or ask for help connecting with a roommate if you like!

What people have to say about 

our Accommodations...

Discover Your Path to Freedom

Throughout our time together, you will use creative exercises, somatic work, connection with nature, and introspection to move beyond hesitation and self-imposed limitations. You will return home...

• With freedom and fearlessness to parent on your own terms.
• Having a lived experience of not to holding yourself back or managing yourself for others. 
• Crystal clear on exactly HOW to tap into courage and wildness at will.

Finally the boundless, authentic parent inside of you is set free!

What would it be like to be untamed in parenting?

• Release the constriction of parenting from fear and worry. 
• Learn to hold calm power within you.
• Be authentically, fully yourself in every parenting moment with your child.

Allow the care and tenderness you’ll receive from your host, skilled practitioners and your peers to infuse you with newfound freedom and liberation.

Who is ready for some FUN?

Did you know that fun and enjoyment are not just luxuries, but actual necessities to mental wellness? During our time together we will be getting a healthy dose of this essential, but often neglected, ingredient.

Take yourself off of the back burner and rekindle the part of you that craves laughter, joy, frivolity, and liberation in all the beauty Traverse City has to offer! 

• Unique visits to local artisans, wineries and businesses
• Gorgeous hikes in the Fall colors
• Excursions to local towns for shopping and sightseeing

Who knows? You might just have the most fun and connected belly laugh of your life, just on the drive to our next excursion! 

What's included

• All group activities, including but not limited to morning wakeup, parenting circles, excursions, and evening closing gatherings.
• 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners, including food and drink during group excursions, and our Welcome dinner and Farewell breakfast. Even grownup drinks are free to you!
• Pre-trip Preparation Call to have the chance to meet everyone in the group, share your intentions for the retreat, and learn how to best prepare for this epic experience.
• Rustic luxury accommodations in my lake house. Single or double occupancy options available (room descriptions above).
• Transportation to and from airport Thursday 10/16 & Monday 10/20 (designated times only).
• All optional free time activities - massage (yep - that's NOT extra - even the tip for your massage therapist is included!), 30 minute 1:1 coaching session, and guided journaling.

What's not included

• Your round-trip airfare or other transport to and from Traverse City, MI.
• Any transport to and from the airport outside of designated pick-up and drop-off windows.
• Any additional purchases for yourself, including but not limited to souvenir shopping, extra spa services, personal taxis, and tips for private services.
• Personal, medical or trip cancellation insurance.

Bonuses!

• Pre-retreat call - A chance to meet everyone in the group, share your intentions for the retreat, and learn how to best prepare for this epic experience.
• Access to a Private Retreat Chat Group – so we can share our excitement before the retreat, make connections with new and old friends, ask questions, receive up to date trip info, stay connected post-trip, and of course use the group as a fun photo dump to share all of our experiences captured!
• Post-Retreat Group call – let’s see how everyone is adjusting to being back home, especially with using their newfound parenting tools!

Meet your hostess ~ Ann Kaplan

After working with parents for over a decade, and raising 4 of my own kids, I have seen it all, and lived the dream (and nightmare!) of parenting through every childhood stage, from infancy through adolescence. I know the cycle of committing to being the parent your child deserves, losing control, feeling awful, and committing to being better next time. I have seen the yelling and power struggles. I know all about the uselessness of threatening, bargaining and lecturing.

But most importantly, I also know that you absolutely can turn your relationship with your child around, and that peaceful, well-behaved and respectful kids aren't just for the lucky few. I've made it happen for myself and have helped hundreds of families do it too.

In addition to being a mom myself, I'm also a Love&Logic (tm) independent facilitator and an IPEC trained life coach, which means I'm not just winging it. I have a unique holistic approach to parent work that includes emotional support AND effective discipline that empowers children,  improves behavior, and heals families. 

There are plenty of coaches out there - I am the one for you if you want someone who knows about discipline PLUS the emotion and chaos that make that discipline hard, someone who will give it to you straight, and love you fiercely.