Healing, Travel & Finding YOU Again

In this episode, we sit down with travel agent and wellness retreat coordinator Clara Cortez to talk about what wellness retreats are really like—and why they might be exactly what you need. From cultural immersion in Peru to breathwork, yoga, and deep personal resets, Clara shares how these intentional experiences help you reconnect with yourself, especially as a busy mom navigating burnout, stress, and loss of identity. 

We go into: ✨ What actually happens on a wellness retreat ✨ Breaking misconceptions (no, it’s not “witchcraft”) ✨ Why moms need time to reset without guilt ✨ The importance of rediscovering who you were before kids ✨ How travel can transform your mindset, health, and relationships If you’ve been feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected—this conversation might be your sign. 

🌿 Our special Guest this week: Clara Cortez Travel agent & wellness retreat coordinator Website: www.forlifetravelandretreats.com IG: @forlifetravelandretreats

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to Mama's Playground. Yay! So, okay, so this is Darlene. Monica. We got Monica, and today we have a super, super, super special guest, Clara Cortes.

SPEAKER_02 0:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Thank you for having me. Yay, long time friend. Oh my God. We've known each other for so long. She's married to a very special person that's like my brother. So you're like my sister. And we wanted to invite you for so many reasons because of your energy, because of everything that you're doing for women like us. And so we brought you so we can talk a little bit more about that.

SPEAKER_02 0:43

Yay! Awesome. Thank you. Thank you for having me. I watch you guys. You know that I sometimes I heard you mention my name once, and I was like, that's me. Yay. I think it was in another episode, but um, I do watch you guys, and you guys are amazing, and I'm so happy to be part of this.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Yay, thank you. We're so happy to have you. Yes, so happy to have you. So let's talk about okay, talk a little bit about what you do.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

So I um I have always wanted to be a travel agent, and this came full circle about five years ago. Um, if you look at my high school yearbook, you can see travel agent was on there, like that was manifested. Um, that came back full circle about six, five, six years ago, and now that is what I do. I'm a full-time travel agent. I specialize in um wellness and I specialize in holistic retreats and wine tours. So that's what I've been specializing on. Um, I do a lot of group travel. Um, I took people we last year about 60 people. So a lot of the things that I do are group and small wine tours with um yoga involved and wellness. So that's where I am right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Which, by the way, she just got back from Oregon.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

From wine country. Uh, is that what they're called? Wine country?

SPEAKER_02 2:00

Wine country, Oregon, yes, okay, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

And we're drinking uh you guys are drinking. I was saying we know who the boring one is. Breakfast is baby. Yes, yes, yes. I've been responsible. I know, yes, my stomach is going so cheers. Thanks for bringing me. It's okay. That's a whole myth of not being able to toast with water. What do you think about that? I think it's a myth. I think that you know what is the energy you put into it.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

You see, let's just pretend that this is like a white, not a white one, but you know, something on sparkling. Yes, I'm gonna be able to do it. Something sparkling.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Something, but how how incredible that in your school yearbook it said travel agent, and now you've been doing it.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Yes, it was one of those questions, you know. They're what do you want to do when you grow up? What do you want to do when you get out of here? And that was definitely something that was top of mind since I was young. Um, I wanted to be a travel agent. My parents talked me out of it. There's no money in that. You need to like go a different direction. So I went into the corporate world, um, always staying within the industry of travel. And, you know, six years ago, I had like a moment where I was like, what am I doing? Like, I really this is something that I really want to do. Now it wasn't the best timing because we know what happened six years ago, right? So um it wasn't the best timing, but it did give me an opportunity um to learn a lot about it, to study the market, and then I just kind of launched what I wanted to do and what what I was passionate about.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

And you're amazing because the trip that you were talking about that you organized last year, my sister was part of it with uh the family, yes, and she told me I will never travel again if it's not with Clara or if she can make it if she organizes everything they stay in amazing hotels, the tours you planned. Oh my gosh. So you did Italy?

SPEAKER_02 3:57

We did Italy, um, we did Croatia and we did Greece. Yes. Oh my gosh, and just listening to you, that fills my heart because that is exactly why I do it, because I want to share my experiences with so many people, and sometimes I know that's not within everybody's reach, but if you can travel um and you can do it organized with intention, I say do it because it is definitely a game changer.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Yeah, and people can think like, Oh, we don't need a travel agent, we'll just go online and book it. But no, because the fact that my sister was saying she didn't they didn't have to do anything, like everything was planned, everything was perfect. The hotels, she said, wow, and just the tours, and just having somebody that knows, and sometimes when you're in other countries, you're just lost, and it's so overwhelming when you're walking into these new streets and so many restaurants and so many places to stay. And is this a good area or it's not a good area? So I believe that still now, and and I think forever, uh, having somebody like you to organize that makes it so much easier to travel.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

Glara, do you do you do travel like women's group travel?

SPEAKER_02 5:11

I do, I do actually. I don't just focus on women. Okay, um, I focus on people that really want a different experience, but a lot of my groups do tend to be women only. Um, it just kind of works out that way. Um, and it's really nice because you have women, for example, my wellness retreats, you'll have like-minded women that are looking for the same thing, they're looking to reconnect with themselves, they're looking to be grounded, they're looking to reset their nervous system because you know, life is hard. You're always on the run, you're always stressed. And I always say, Yeah, get out there and do your yoga, but there's nothing like having seven days for yourself and just disconnecting so that you can come back to um come back to life and say, Okay, I have a purpose. I have a purpose, you know, and I'm reset and I'm re-energized and I'm ready to take whatever it is that I was dealing with on.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Sign me up.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

Sign me. I'm I'm right there with you. I'm right there with you. I keep saying that us women, especially the, you know, the the our audience, you know, moms dealing with uh toddlers and and I mean I think you're an empty nester now, right? You are just okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

I have what, like maybe 15 days before it's official.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

Yeah, but we were talking the other day on the phone, and you said, you know, a lot of times, and and I include myself in that, we dedicate so much to our kids. Yeah, in my case, it's just Luna, and I see her growing and growing, and I'm like, oh my gosh, what's gonna happen when she goes to college and I can't go follow her?

unknown 6:46

Right.

SPEAKER_02 6:47

Um, you go travel.

SPEAKER_01 6:49

So it's and then so 100% girl. So some people, I don't know, they okay, now I'm gonna enjoy the time with my husband, but in my case, my husband's always working and he also travels, and I'm thinking, okay, I need to, what am I gonna do? When I don't have somebody to care for, like a child at the house. And right. And that's something. Is this how you came about going organizing the retreats?

SPEAKER_02 7:13

Yeah, I think about, you know, I was doing travel, I was doing all travel, everything for everyone. And um, I think like two years ago, two or three years ago, it dawned on me that I was going to be an empty nester soon. And then I just kept like looking at Andy and his habits and his routines. And I was like, I'm not, I'm not for that. Like, I'm just like, listen, I I love that you watch sports all day long, but but you know, I needed my time, and this is how I kind of came about discovering um my purpose, I would say, and how I came about discovering what I really wanted to do with my life, and this is where I, you know, brought wellness into my life. And I don't know, you know me for many years. You know I'm a massage girl, you know I'm like, let's go, let's go on a hike, let's go to yoga. So, all those elements of my personal life, I said, I want other people to like experience this, you know. I want other people that are feeling like me to kind of have this. And I started working with um Viviana, she's from Sana Yoga. What is it? And Vivi Viviana Gago, Viviana Gago, Sana Yoga. She is a owner in Jersey Studios, um, yoga studios, and she's phenomenal. And you know, she was like, all right, let's do a yoga retreat together, and that's kind of how we ran with it. And we've been doing um yoga retreats together. We did Panama last year. Um, one of her instructors, Yaya Jahaira de um Laluz, she she did um Puerto Rico, which that you know that's close to your heart. And um, we're doing Bali next year, we're doing Chile, we're doing um Peru three times actually, because it's a very um spiritual, spiritual um country, and then people just ask for it, you know. People just want to experience that.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

And it's all are all of these, are they what do they consist of? Is it because you had mentioned something that you also have doctors there?

SPEAKER_02 9:18

Yes. So for the one in Peru in January, we have uh Dr. Freddie. He's from the key house here in Miramar, actually, and he does a lot of holistic medicine. Um, he does acupuncture, and he works with, you know, um, he works with the elements of holistic medicine, which is like earth, um wind, everything that that revolves around like just healing without medicine. And he's actually gonna be the host of the retreat in Peru, alongside Allison, who is a yoga instructor, and they're both going to be collaborating on this retreat, which is gonna give people the opportunity to really just heal and you know, talk about everything that's going on with their body, their organs, how are they feeling? And one of the cool things about Dr. Freddie is he'll tell you, take your tongue out, let me see, and and then from there he can tell you everything that is happening with the city.

SPEAKER_00 10:13

So it's amazing, it's amazing. I know for a fact for our listeners, for like the women that are stressed and they're constantly in the go and they're trying to take care of their kids and they're like, I need a vacation. You know, you know, I know, and I'm sure you know, but I think now you're kind of getting into the mode of like being in your own and owning like your yourself, right? Because now your kids are getting older, they're getting out of the house, you're being able to do more for yourself. I want to say 100%. Would you say when you had like the small kids, do you ever look back and say, I wish I would have traveled more? I wish I would have taken the time to travel more and maybe leave the kids with, I don't know, grandma and grandpa, and actually do more things for myself, or you feel like I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 10:56

That's a that's a really good question. And you know, I think that I've always um prioritized my kids. I've always been a basketball mom, uh travel volleyball mom, I've always been in a dance, and I've always been there for them, but I never shied away from self-care and I never shied away from a weekend getaway with myself and my girlfriends and or my husband, you know. So I definitely um highly recommend that to people, and I think that's one of the biggest reasons why I'm always so positive, maybe because that's what people tell me. Tell me, like, listen, you're so positive, you have such great energy. And I said, may and I keep thinking back, I said, maybe because I did prioritize my self-care at times, you know. And that's why I keep kind of that's kind of my message now to women like do not put yourself in the bottom of the list. Like, you have to start prioritizing, you're always taking care of somebody else, you're always putting some always putting someone's needs before yours, and that's perfectly. I'm gonna cry. Yeah, no, and that's beautiful. I get it. I don't, yeah, but find a little weekend to reset, find, you know, a retreat or find something you love to reset because you know, we all need that we're all humans, and when anxiety starts to kick in, girl, it's hard to get rid of that anxiety unless you're like completely disconnecting from everything.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Would you say, as a you know, travel expert and doing this for several years, would you say that there's a place that you would recommend? Like, let's say moms are stressed, and then let's just say not everybody has the resources to leave their kids somewhere, right? So there's people that are by themselves, their parents are not around, and they want to travel, they want to at least take a little weekend away. Is there places that you would say, My God, I would so recommend for you to go this weekend with your kids? It's gonna be great for you. You're gonna get some time, but your kids are also gonna have fun, and it's just this is gonna be such a good getaway for you. Oh, to go with the kids. Yeah, okay. There's gonna be people that I mean both, right? If you want to take a girl's from Disney, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Because everybody thinks about Disney, but but you need a vacation from Disney.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Yeah, when you come back from Disney, you need a vacation from Disney sometimes, you know?

SPEAKER_02 13:10

So I would say that when you're talking about traveling with kids, um, it's not a retreat, it is a vacation, okay? So you are doing a vacation and there's gonna be some level of stress because you are responsible for these children and you're always connected to someone.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Yes, and that's not being an old dad and it drives you crazy throughout the day. It's like I want to have a beer or a glass of wine, and they want chicken, nuggets, and frown. And they just want to lay by the pool. They're like, look at me, look at me, I'm jumping, I'm splashing the point.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

I don't want to watch you know.

SPEAKER_02 13:43

So I wouldn't um that's a tough one. That's a tough one because the reason for retreats is to completely disconnect. And when you're on a vacation with family, you are not disconnected, you are connected, so there is a huge, huge difference there. Um, like, but I also run into the issue where, you know, genuine question what you just asked, what can I do? Because I can't leave my kids. Um, and then I have the moms that are like, Yes, I'll take that Caribbean vacation, but then they don't want to put their kids in the daycare. Now my kids don't like it. Well, you know what? They're gonna like it.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Okay, but can I tell you that I am that person, not because they won't like it, but because I'm paranoid. So I was telling Darlene, we went on a cruise. It was like a four-day cruise, like to the Bahamas.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Wait, I hear the helicopter.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

We're there in the cruise, and I go to Benjamin. Oh my god, like I want to go see a show. I want to do something. I can't take them with it. So we go to the kids' club and we get there, and I was like, okay, like maybe we'll leave them there tomorrow. Okay. So then I run into this guy. I was telling the name, we run into this guy like at the at the desk. I was asking some information, and the guy goes, Oh, are those your kids? And I was like, Yeah, he was an older gentleman. And I said, Yeah, they are. He's like, Oh my god, I remember those days. He's like, Me and my wife would come to the cruises. This was um uh Royal, not Royal, uh Norwegian, I think it was. He goes, I remember, he's like, We put our kid in the, you know, the what is it called? The club, yeah. In the kid club, he's like, and we left them there, and all of a sudden, like an hour later, he had like gotten out of the kid club and he was roaming around and he found us at the bar. And I was like, How old was he? He's like, Oh, like yours, like seven years old. And he said that to me. I said, Nope, I'm not leaving them at the kids' club. I was like, what if they get lost and sudden my mind started going into this whole thing? We're in the middle of the ocean, and this there was like a kid. There was a kid taking care of the kids, and I was like, I don't know. What if he's not looking at them and then they get out and we're on the other side of the ship, and like my mind just like no?

SPEAKER_01 15:41

My experience was the totally opposite. I mean, I was there, and then she loved it, and we would come get her, and she was like, I'm not ready to leave. And something happened to me, and I haven't had that feeling in so long, and this was uh about three, four years ago. Um, Fabian wasn't feeling well, so he went back to the cabin and Luna was in the kids' club. So I go to Fabiana and he's like, No, I'm just gonna stay here for a little bit, and then I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna go get Luna, and I go get her, and she comes out and she's like, I don't want to leave. So she goes back in, and we have the drink package, by the way. And I go, What am I gonna do? Fabiana's sleeping, Luna's in the kids' club, I'm in this cruise. I'm like, What it was just one of those moments that I had the time. You had a retreat, and I didn't know what didn't know what we had like a two-hour like short retreat. So that so this was this years ago. Um, and then I remember I went to the uh bar, adults only, obviously, and I got my book and I got uh my proseco, and I said, This is so beautiful. This is amazing, but I haven't had that feeling in so long. But imagine seven days of that. Yeah, has there been um a situation where you see I'm sure that you see people changing? You know, they come, you know, stressed with their, you know, their body tight. Yes, and then when they leave, they're like so happy and and loose and free. Has there been a situation that you remember that you're like, wow, this this really changed this person's life right now?

SPEAKER_02 17:21

Yes. Um, actually, we were in a retreat in Panama, and um we were doing it with Sana Yoga, and she had a lot of her um community there. So a lot of people from her community signed up, and then I had a um participant from Puerto Rico reach out and say, Hey, I want to go on this retreat. Like, what do you think? Um, I also do my due diligence to make sure. I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

They're calling you, they want to book you already, you see?

SPEAKER_02 17:49

And I thought I turned it up. So um, we were in the retreat in Panama, and the Puerto Rican lady called me and she was like, Listen, I'm from Puerto Rico. I want to see if um I can go in the retreat. So I also do my due diligence to make sure she would be a good fit. Um, I just don't want to put somebody in a retreat that is not gonna be a good fit with the community that we're in, right? We're trying to build. Um, retreats are not for everybody, they really aren't. You know, if you want a vacation, if you want to be drinking all day, if you want to be partying, that's not the type of life you're gonna get. No. So um she was a good fit for it and she came with us. She didn't know anybody, she was very hesitant at first because she was like, I'm a little scared because I don't know anybody on the retreat. Um, she left there and she was like, What a beautiful experience. She goes, Uh everything that I intended to come out of this retreat came out. I am transformed, my life has changed. She goes, Tell me when your next retreat is because I want to go. Um and she's coming with us to Bali. And you know, this is her not coming into a community if she doesn't know anybody, you know. Everybody kind of welcome her, like-minded women that are experiencing the same exact thing she's probably experiencing, share stories, get to meet new people. Now, those same people that were in that retreat go to Puerto Rico and they're calling her, like, hey, let's meet up for a drink, let's hang out. She has a group, she has a community of people that are like lifting her up and building her up. And I think that that's what the retreats are for. You know, I think that it's just finding people that are have some of your same struggles. Maybe they are tired. It could be something as simple as like, I'm exhausted all the time, you know, exhausted.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Why are you trying to podcast then? I love how Monica just looks at me because now I'm looking at raising my hands, too.

SPEAKER_02 19:42

Yes, yes, yeah. We need we need a retreat. So that's exactly what it's like. And I find that in every retreat, there is people that they just connect so well. There are people that just connect so well and they just become friends, and that is what fills me. Like, as part of my job, I'm like, I have to make sure that everything goes smooth and I have to make sure that everything logistically is um, you know, going to the way that it's supposed to, and pivot whenever I need to pivot, if something happens, you know. Um, but most importantly, like the beauty of the retreat is how people connect with each other. A thousand percent. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

What do you tell those people though that are scared? Like, for instance, I'm sure there's somebody listening and they're saying, Oh my god, that's me. I want to get out, but I don't know anybody, I don't have any friends to go with. Like, I really want to meet new people because you get that. Motherhood, I always say this when you become a mom, I feel like sometimes it's very lonely.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

It's isolating. You, you know, your husband's probably working, he doesn't understand what you go through as a woman with the kids and so on, and then your friends are in another maybe state, they moved or they're in their own things, and then you're isolated sometimes, and you say, My God, I want to find connection with other women, people that, you know, have the same uh thought process or the same kind of um, I guess, background, or how do I how do I get out of this comfort zone and do that little weekend trip and connect with other women? What do you tell people that are scared to, you know, come out of that and say, Oh, I don't want to, I don't even want to try it. They want to, but they don't, they don't want to, you know, because they're scared to do it. Like these experiences that these, you know, that these people have. Um, I don't know. I don't know what my question is, but yeah, no, I get the question because I get that a lot.

SPEAKER_02 21:21

I think people have a misconception of what a retreat is like. They think that you're gonna go there, they think that every it's gonna be like um you're just following somebody around and you're just having to do everything in their agenda and you don't have any time for yourself. So retreats are like quite the opposite. Yes, you are on an agenda, but you can do as much as you want or as little as you want. You know, if you want to go to the way, you choose. If you want to sleep all day, you sleep all day. If that's what your body needs, then you do that, right? So, first of all, it's really important, okay, as a retreat leader, like for example, working with VB and myself, that we identify like, why are you doing This, you know, like why are you going on this retreat? Is it because you need a vacation or is it because you really want some sort of like healing, transformation, a reset of the nervous system? Um, do you want to be part of the community? So, why are you doing this? Um, secondly, it's important to see what kind of traveler are you? Are you okay with staying in a bus that's been converted into a bedroom? You know, like are you okay with that? Or are you a hotel traveler? Because if you're a hotel traveler and you like all the amenities of a concierge hotel, this might not be the retreat for you. Okay. And then the third thing is don't be scared, going back to your question, because you're gonna meet people, okay, and you have to try it, right? Sometime you have to get out of your comfort zone and try it. You might hate it, you might like it. And sometimes I tell people you might have just gone to the wrong one, you might have just booked the wrong retreat. Okay, so don't you know if you want to give it a second shot, give it a second shot, but try it with somebody different and get in the information.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

So, on that, the retreats that you have, are they focused on different uh goals, or is it mostly for your well-being, for healing, holistic retreats, or you have some, let's say, for couples that want to get back into want to start a relationship a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

Um you know, most of my retreats are revolve around yoga, they revolve. Um, I work with people that are healers, I work with people that do regression sessions that will cleanse you from any negative energy that might be revolving around you. I work with people that you know they're willing to kind of work with you to see what your needs are and kind of make the best experience of the out of the retreat. You get massages, you get to sleep, you get a full cultural immersion. Like you are doing, I'll give you an example from Puerto Rico, and I know that you know all about Puerto Rico. We did bomba dancing. How many Puerto Ricans have even done that? You know, like a lot of Puerto Ricans haven't even done that. They're like, oh my god, you're gonna do bomba dancing? Like, that's amazing, you know. So we're bringing people from out of the island to do something that it's that was created in Puerto Rico that some Puerto Ricans haven't even done. So, you know, that's beautiful. That's bomba dancing. I was just gonna say that.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

So that's very it's the typical music, it comes from uh, you know, Afro roots. Like you see, like bomb the bomba, the plena, which you probably know about Plana now because of that funny, but bomba is in it's a beautiful dance and the rhythms, and you go to Calle Loisa in Puerto Rico, not Calle Loisa, Loisa, the town, and and it comes from there, and you see, you know, the it's it's beautiful. And and for example, when you go, let's say to Peru, to all these other places that that you have, do you do the same thing? Do you try to um immerse in the culture? I I love that 100%.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

I absolutely love that that is definitely part of the retreats, it's incorporated into everything. Uh, when we go to Peru, we'll do Machu Picchu. We're definitely gonna be doing a picnic out in the desert with you know, with the people from there, with the local people. We're gonna be eating from the ground, things that are cooked under the ground. So it's gonna be a full cultural immersion. Um, aside from that, you are going to get the benefits of wellness, the massages, the one-on-one, like January, the one-on-one with Dr. Freddie, where he's really digging into what is wrong with your body. Why are you feeling exhausted? You know, Monica, why are you feeling exhausted, darling? Darlene, why don't you bottom stuff if you already see the exhausted?

SPEAKER_01 25:54

Wait, I need a whole week with him, and I I really love and respect that it's not just a retreat that you just go and you do yoga and then you sit and you talk. You have professionals there, you have a doctor, you know. Professionals, no, it's not very organic. Let's just call it a retreat and go and have fun.

SPEAKER_02 26:13

No, it's very intentional, very intentional. Like the October one that I'm doing with Vivi again from Sana Yoga. It's yoga, it revolves, everything revolves around yoga, around breath work, you know, the importance of breath work. I had to kind of learn that myself. I'm like, That's hard. It's so hard. It is a technique that it's so hard to maneuver, but once you have it and once you practice it, it just makes you feel like 10 times better. You go about your day like just 10 times better, you know. So those are things that are incorporated into the retreats. That Vivi's gonna bring her magic and she does her yoga sessions, and he she does her, you know, gentle flows, and she does that very intentional at different times of the day, so that people feel like they are grounded and reconnected with themselves. You know, so everything is very intentional.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

So that's sound healing and all that?

SPEAKER_02 27:09

Sound healing is one of the beautiful things that we do. That's the one in October, right? Yes. So I have one in October with Sana Yoga, and then I have one in October. And where is this one? This one is in Peru. And Peru, yeah, October. This one is gonna be um, this one's gonna revolve around culinary, which if you guys have ever eaten Peruvian food, it's phenomenal. So it's gonna have some culinary, cultural, and then it's also gonna have the healing portion of it. So it's um a sacred journey around Peru. So we will start with Lima, and you will get to see that side of Lima. Um, we do a lot of yoga in Lima, a lot of breath work in Lima, and then we go over to the to the Cusco side, to the Andes.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

Yeah, this sounds I love that. Yeah, right now, and yeah, and the Peruvian food is amazing because of the Japanese influences and it's so good. So then the one in January is the one with the doctor. Dr.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

Freddie, yes, and this is the way of water, and we called it that because it is a rainy season in Cusco. Um, and we purposely selected January because we want it to revolve around cleansing, and we want it to revolve around new energy, new energy, and kind of start January and start 2027 with like just feeling super, super like reset and unplugged, and just that is so important.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

I feel that that's one that I I'm really considering because I I feel that I need that, and I need it now. Yes, I need it now, but in January. No, I feel that also in the summer. It's like I was saying, you know, classes are gonna start what August 10 over here is super early in Puerto Rico. I remember it was towards the end of August, and then the whole thing starts again, you know, the the the school, the after school things, the homework, the it's so many things. It's this what do you call it? Rat race? Rat race, yes. And I was saying, I haven't had a vacation in forever. And I say, even if you don't go and take a vacation, but just take some time for yourself to reset. Because if you go from finishing the school year and then you have camp and summer and all the things, and then you go straight to starting another school year, it's it's it's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 29:24

It is a lot, it's a lot. I have I have a question, and I'm sorry to interrupt you, Darlena, because I'm here thinking, I'm thinking, I'm thinking about this. You're thinking about booking, okay? No, I am, I am. No, I'm just here, my mind is thinking, you know, I'm usually always thinking. No, I was thinking of how people sometimes think that these type of retreats could be like witchery and all that. Like, how do you tell people, no, this is not, you know, something like, you know, I don't know, witchcraft. We're not doing witchcraft in the middle of Peru and the in the middle of a field or anything like that. This is actually for wellness. Yes, because I have a friend that does breath work. She does, you know, cacao medicine. She's Peruvian, actually, and she does, you've met her, Friorella. Yeah. And she does all that stuff. And um, you know, I know, I remember when she first started, I remember people being like, oh, what is this like? Witchery? And I was like, this is not witchery. I was like, there's really is there is a science behind the breath work, there is a science behind all of this, you know. Some people are very closed-minded to these type of things, and they won't even give it a shot, even if it will be beneficial for them. Right. You know, so how do you has anybody come to you and said, Oh, Clara, I don't know, oh, what is it that you're doing? You know?

SPEAKER_02 30:29

I kind of read the room and I do get that vibe from certain people. And you know, I'm not here to try to convince those people to come on the retreat. I'm really not. I'm like, listen, um, if this is not for you and you're going in it with a negative attitude, then really you don't need to be here, right? But it is not at all witchcraft, it is not at all what everybody thinks, or most people, or some people, not most, because I think that over time people have been educated on what wellness retreats are and what yoga retreats are, and they are that they are yoga. So if you have a yoga studio down the street, maybe you want to go into that yoga studio and see what it's about because we're just taking these yoga sessions into beautiful sceneries, putting them into sceneries where combining it serene and calm, and you're actually like being present and in the moment of like living your life, you know. So I'm not trying to convince anybody, anybody that it's otherwise, but if you really wanna know for yourself, start with a yoga session, right? Yeah, start with a yoga session, go see a holistic doctor and see what that's about. Don't go to Peru and see, let me see if this is for me. Start small, start here, you know, and then you can build on that.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Yeah, don't go to Peru, but a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

Like, you know, I'm like, if I'm looking at it from a perspective of like, I don't drink wine, but I'm gonna go on that wine tour because you know what? I'm gonna see what it's like. Um it's gonna be a wine tour.

SPEAKER_03 32:02

Like, go to a restaurant and drink wine. That's what it's gonna be like. You're gonna ruin it for anybody. Exactly. You're gonna ruin it for anybody. Oh, I don't like this.

SPEAKER_02 32:10

I don't like this. Like, exactly, you know? So that's why we always do a good job on like saying, hey, is this really a good fit for you? Is this gonna be a good fit for you?

SPEAKER_00 32:18

So I have an idea. Right, okay. The last time she had an idea, you know that she has an idea of having a mom camp, mama's playground for next summer. But a camp. And I said, Oh my god, darlene, we're gonna get like bounce houses and we're gonna put it out there, and every and all the women are gonna get in their bathing suits with beer and we're gonna go down the slide and we're gonna and we're gonna be like living it up, you know, like we were 15 years old. You want a vacation? She needs a vacation.

SPEAKER_01 32:44

She wants to be at the park, but then I said, and then and then the sponsor for that event will be like Ben Gay Adeville. We'll get the massage in there. We'll get the massage in there. But I think I I I what's your idea?

SPEAKER_00 32:57

No, but I was just thinking I did because I had asked you previously. I said, okay, so what do you do with the kids? And I know the kid thing is not your forte. It's more like the retreat about the wellness. No, but I'm just thinking, this is just some, I don't know. Maybe there's like women out there, like, oh my God, I would love to go on Glara's retreats. I would love to do that, but I've got the kids and I don't have anywhere to leave them. What can I do? About doing the well, if I mean, listen, we have that, but there's gonna be people that don't have that luxury to leave them at grandparents and all that. You guys should think of doing like this retreat. I don't know how much of a retreat's gonna be, but a retreat in the middle of like the mountains, the mountains, and then you've got like with the view of the ocean. Is that not a retreat? Nah, no. So let me ask you.

SPEAKER_03 33:42

What am I thinking about while you're doing while you're drinking your personality?

SPEAKER_01 33:48

Oh my god, oh my god, I wonder what other kids are doing. I wanted to pick them up.

SPEAKER_03 33:53

Let me see, let me see.

SPEAKER_01 33:54

They texted me, right?

SPEAKER_03 33:57

Do they need me to pick them up?

SPEAKER_00 33:59

Yeah, okay, so forget it. Scratch the idea.

SPEAKER_01 34:02

It wasn't right now, which is called summer camp.

SPEAKER_00 34:05

Okay, it was just a thought that I have, but you're absolutely right. I would be the first one going, Darlene. Where are they? Did they jump off the mountain? Did I know? Oh my god, where's Noah? Where's Jacob? Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't, I would not have time for journaling, you wouldn't have time for any of that.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

It would be Julie weird.

SPEAKER_01 34:22

Of course, because no, no technology. You know, we can't do that with that.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

We do have retreats that do not have um Wi-Fi, but for the most part, I think that the world is caught up and everybody, everywhere we go, everywhere we go, there is a Wi-Fi connection. Sometimes it's not the best. Okay, sometimes it's not the best, but people truly go there to disconnect.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

But for example, for moms that they and and here I'll include myself, I can go for a week. I mean, I'm saying that, and and I have to practice that because for me to leave without her, but I I am so interested actually in doing the January one. But for moms like, you know, like us that we're there, not not so much work. Oh, I gotta answer my boss's uh phone call. But if you want to talk to your kids or if you want to just make sure that they're okay, um, what is the how does it work?

SPEAKER_02 35:19

So you can talk to your kids at any time you want. You have your phone. We do not take your phone away. We do not take your phone away.

SPEAKER_03 35:26

It's not a cult, Arlene. You can literally pick up your phone and call your kids while you're on a walk or on a hike to go see the llamas. Like there is no problem with that. Okay, I just want to make that clear. I said you might run into the issue where there might not be Wi-Fi connections. Okay, but you can call your kids and your husband whenever you're calling my husband in the agenda.

SPEAKER_01 35:56

Is there like a 30-minute when your loved ones gonna come clear?

SPEAKER_03 36:01

I said I can only call you from 4 to 4.05.

SPEAKER_01 36:06

I don't think but that's not bad. If you have like a donate in the schedule, if you have okay, you know, uh techie time, and then it's like for 30 minutes you call your loved ones, and then you have to lock your phone on a phone. I'm gonna listen.

SPEAKER_03 36:23

We have a retreat for you. We have a retreat for you. I know what you're saying. Zero, zero phone, zero. Okay, you have to tell me when to call your husband. Not to be checking for me.

SPEAKER_00 36:36

I was thinking she's thinking this because she did this that the retreat uh of with the church on the of a mouse, and the mouse takes your phone away. Uh okay, and you cannot use your phone, so she's already thinking a week without my phone.

SPEAKER_01 36:47

You know the interesting thing that happened? It was my first time leaving Luna. It was just two days, and that day she had a birthday, Fabi. It was just two days.

SPEAKER_03 36:58

So you really didn't disconnect because you were thinking about Fabian take her to the did um oh my god, what are she wearing? What did she wear?

SPEAKER_00 37:08

I think send me a picture. I want to see the pictures.

SPEAKER_01 37:11

But no, the funny thing is that that was over on a Sunday, and that Sunday we had a mass, and in that mass the family would come. That Sunday, when I wake up, everybody, everybody, everybody actually they didn't take the phones away. We had them, but I don't know. I never went to get it. Every decent, you gotta turn it off, don't you? It was off, but it was in my bag in the in the room. But I never I was, you know, going by the book. But the morning that we were, you know, told, hey, you know, go for it. It's the last day. They the mask time had changed, and I thought that I had told him that Friday. So that morning, I see like people calling, you know, some people calling family members, others like me were still like, you know, I'm still here. I don't want to communicate with anybody until I get to watching me, and I said I was not gonna pick up my phone. Even when we're on the car driving there, I didn't even check my phone. I said I am not gonna check my phone until after I see my family. What happens? My family wasn't there, they had the wrong time. If I would have called them in the morning and said, Mass is at this time. So I'm there in mass, and everybody has like their family members, and I'm thinking he got confused with the time, and I was so sad. And I said, I just came from a retreat and I'm so happy, and but it made me so sad, and then I'm like, What an idiot. I should have called them and said this is the time of the mass, anyway. So, but my thing in that moment it was I wanted to stay disconnected, right?

SPEAKER_02 38:42

And that's okay, that's okay too, you know. And they have retreats for everything, they have retreats where you're completely disconnected, they have silent retreats where you don't speak for seven days. That's like eat pray love.

SPEAKER_00 38:54

That's like eat pray love. You guys never saw the movie? Yes, we I saw it, and she I love that movie. I love that movie too. So when I think of these retreats, I'm like, oh, I want to do an eat pray love kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 39:04

But no talking is that no talking for how for seven days, no talking, yeah. Not like no talking, no talking.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

Can that be is that is that possible?

SPEAKER_02 39:14

Is that something that you're interested in? Because we can make that happen, and even the people that serve you your food and they are trained not to speak on these retreats. So we put like a sticker around.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

No talking for a week. For a week, I would be talking to myself a lot.

SPEAKER_02 39:28

I'll be like, so it'll be just it's just on what you're looking for, you know what I mean? Like, what are you looking for? What is the intention of the retreat? What do you want to come out feeling like? What is it? You know, so it's those are deep questions, reflections. You have to say to yourself, what is it that I'm feeling? And most of the time it's just as simple as like, I'm so tired. Yeah, like I just want to sleep, you know, or you've lost yourself.

SPEAKER_00 39:55

Let's be let's be honest. Like in this, you lose yourself, you lose yourself, especially in motherhood, because everything becomes about the kids or about the house or about the husband or about, you know, just trying to get yourself together. And sometimes you lose yourself and you want to find that person that you know exists, you know it's in there, but it's just trying to crawl out of your skin to get there, and you say, What do I need to do? And sometimes I feel like my God, a retreat away for one week could definitely, I mean, it could definitely peel those layers and get you back refreshed. That when you come back, you go, Oh my god, I found myself. Yeah, I found myself, you know? I found yourself I found myself. I feel like me again. Yeah, and I and I'm sure it's like a cycle because then you start to cycle again. It goes another six months without that, and you get deeper and deeper in the hole. But I think it's just a matter of like um, you know, being conscious of the fact like I was able to get there on this retreat. I feel like myself again. And even though I'm coming back to my you know routine and all that, I I know that inside of me there's this, you know, feel grounded. I feel grounded.

SPEAKER_02 40:55

You have a purpose a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 40:57

What message would you give to that mom that's listening? Uh midlife mom, about to like her kids go uh like it's happening to you, or that are in the middle of you know, raising little kids, and that she's exhausted and she doesn't feel seen, and this stress could be affecting her health, her relationship with her kids. Sometimes I find myself like Luna and in a bad mood with her, and then I feel bad because it's not her, it's just me that I'm exhausted, and she's the one person that I have in front of me. Or relationship with your spouse. What do you tell to that mom right now to get her out of that hole?

SPEAKER_02 41:42

You know, we were all somebody before we had kids, before we had our husbands. We were we were individuals, we had hobbies, we had moments where we wanted to spend time with our friends, we wanted to go out to drink, we wanted to have wine, you know. And I always go back to that and I always say, I'm grateful that I have a husband that allows me to do what I do because he's at home a lot by himself. I'm grateful that my kids support what I do. Um, but I did go through that challenge of like, I feel bad leaving them, you know, like, or if I do, it's only for a weekend, you know, and I'm also grateful that my parents were around to take care of them. But what I would tell the moms that need this, I'm like, I would say, listen, you have to do this for yourself because it will change the relationship that you have with your husband, and it will change the relationship that you have with your kids. Just resetting yourself and really finding purpose and what you who you are. It's not even what you want to do, it's who you are. Because when you go on these retreats, all of a sudden you say, Man, I remember when I used to paint. I remember when I used to read a book, you know? And these are little habits that you kind of dropped and you kind of put them in the back burner because you just don't have time because now you're like, hey, I have to take them to the soccer, I have to take them here. So you remember all these things and all of this, your personal purpose, your individuality comes back to you. And it's like, okay, this is who I was before I became a mom, and this is this is your genuine self. You know, so I would say find that. Find those little moments. Wait, before you had the kids, before you had your husband, find that because those are the things that are genuine to you. That's what makes you who you are, that's what makes you a human being. That is like a true, like your true self, you know. So find that. I think we at this at this age, it's funny.

SPEAKER_00 43:45

I was thinking of my my my my mom and thinking of like the older generations that back in the day, God forbid that you even leave your kids and go on a week vacation. We're obviously more open to that. Obviously, we joke and we're like, oh my god, we're not gonna leave.

SPEAKER_02 44:00

our kids uh but we would if we had the house i have to work on it i have because with the leaving her but you know talking to you and what what you just said like i get goosebumps and and i get ah i'm not i get it's it's it's so important what you just said like remembering and connecting i always think about little darlene yeah i always have her like here and i think about her and i go what would she want what would she want and i tend to put her aside because i have little luna at home and i have to focus on her but i i believe that that is so important listening to that but yeah the whole leaving them and and that guilt of okay i'm gonna take a vacation to peru I'm gonna go on this retreat and then but then I have a child at home that is dying to go stay at a hotel and have a mini vacation and it's working on you know you have to work on yourself first every time you come and also I always think about the message that you're giving your kids right are you giving them that message that it's like you need to be home like you need to be home your place is at home you you can't be traveling because now you have a husband and now you have kids like your responsibility is your kids and your and I always say maybe that's the reason why our kids don't want to have kids you know what I mean like maybe it's our fault because I always talk to you she's like it's too complicated it's too hectic and I think that sometimes we might have passed out the message of like you can't live your life because you're too busy taking care of other people so I try to incorporate her I try to incorporate my daughter into yes travel now that she's older when she was younger I had like guilt of leaving her but my job required it at times like there are mothers that have to travel for a living and yeah there's guilt to that but then there's also like that sense of my daughter is becoming or my son is becoming more independent without me they're figuring it out you know as we go.

SPEAKER_00 46:00

And honestly that's probably a a good thing in that it's a good thing because you don't want them later being 18 years old still like you know attached to the head attached to the head you know and I see that a lot I see that a lot and I you know going back with the reason why I said this is I started thinking of the older generations right like our grandmothers and my mother and like just like and these are women that were always you know taught to be with their family be with their family be with their family. Imagine all the uh stuff that they have pent up to this day you know if they're in their 80s that they never were able to kind of like find themselves again because they got lost in it. You should do now here's a good idea a retreat for the older women yes yes yes for the older women and say you know what now that you guys are grandparents or you know you might not be a grandparent but you know you have all these things that maybe you have to come back to where you were 50 years ago you know maybe just find yourself on this trip. I think that could be a good idea that's a great idea.

SPEAKER_02 46:59

No and you know what I get I'm sorry to interrupt you but I get the older people they're like I can't do that anymore but that's not for me and that breaks my heart it breaks my heart because I deep down in my mind I'm like yes you're right I said I wish you would have done it 20 years ago you know time flies time flies and then you never regret the trip you take you always regret that you didn't that you didn't you know when you could have so yeah it's one of those things that it's like try if you can and I always tell people don't wait don't wait don't wait I mean just going back to Zell it was always pushing it was yes I mean it was always pushing it was always pushing the travel it's like no we have baseball we have baseball until finally she was like okay we're doing it you know and I was so happy for her when she was like it it wasn't her actually I think it was her husband Joey Joey yeah because that's the thing you know it just like my sister and she three kids and two of them and baseball uh now one and it's been baseball tournament after baseball tournament you had the volleyball as well and it's just it's all about the kids and I remember her saying oh my God Joey just got this for next year because people think that it's impossible to do it but if you do it and you do it you know with time you can save money you can organize a babysitter you can and I looked at you for that one you can um you if you plan ahead but it was him that he said absolutely you know we don't know how we're gonna do it but we're gonna do it and uh we already said yes and it was a great experience and now you're planning another trip for next year Japan so that same pack that is that went to Europe is also doing Japan next year so they're very excited we're very excited I you know that's what I live for I live to see people like just having a good time and enjoying themselves I think that's my purpose in life I honestly do believe that like even when people are in my house I'm just like oh my god are you are you okay do you want to drink do you want this host and the brunches that we want to be having a good time yeah no Plata is the best host I think we gotta do the brunch um and I it would be great if we we as mama's playground we can jump on this retreat and have uh that's one thing if anybody wanted to contact you yes which is the best way if they want to either book a trip or to go on one of these retreats. So I can I give my phone number on here or is that like okay yeah so so I've had this number forever it's my cell phone number but my number if you wanted to speak to me directly if you wanted to have if you have questions about the retreat it would be 786 390549. Slow sorry 786 390549 um if you want to look at my website my website is for life travel and retreats dot com www dot for life travel and retreats dot com and that's spelled um www dot f o r l i f e t r a v e l-d r e t r e a t s forlife travel and retreat that's also my instagram so you can always find content on my Instagram as well definitely so wait I just want to put one last point if you are that lady I'm looking at the camera and you are in your 40s late 30s your 50s and you feel like you are not being seen you feel lost in your life there's something just not it's just not you know GLADA's your girl absolutely I'm here for you and if you have questions just call me maybe this is not the right retreat but we have you know we have Peru we have Chile in 2027 we have Bali we have actually actually I told you we're doing that three times and maybe you just want to be part of a group that's traveling somewhere that's okay too maybe retreat is not what you need that's okay too but if a retreat is what you need then definitely I would highly recommend it if you're trying to reconnect with yourself you know I am so in I am so in for sure um thank you so much for being here thank you I love you and I love what you're doing for all these people and it's it's so special and it makes me happy when I see somebody like you that found your purpose in life and you look so happy and I see it in your eyes and you're glowing about the skin is glowing my skin is glow but that might be the I'm like just put it you land it you landed at midnight all the way from the west coast to the east coast we're doing a wine tour over there and that's why I I'm already looking you guys are sleeping so am I about to cheer with the water again allow it but I I got I brought you guys a bottle a bottle of a rose from um the wine country Oregon and I was just there doing a retreat with my very good friend who's a Samalier she's an advanced certified level three samalier Cynthia Bencourt um and she does amazing an amazing job at educating on the wineries and educating on how to cite um what is it smell and sip okay and then you're supposed to she does like a one basic one-on-one on how to how to go you're supposed to spit it out which I never do if you want to I never do either she does often but I never do either but she's also doing um I connect with her to do a lot of my wine tour retreats see so the retreats are not only about well if the wine is it's part of self-care wine is wine is wellness wine and wellness are go together because you can you know it's cultural it's food it's you know tasting it's just experimenting with new things and very relaxed in a very relaxed environment so I would say wine is wellness yes amen and anybody that wants to disagree with me let us all sorts of retreats love it well thank you so much and hopefully we can uh do something together we can go one of those we would love to have you guys that would be amazing do your podcast have a lot of ideas do your podcast from uh from one of the mountains over in Peru you know yes I love that okay well thank you next week bye tears