Wow, what a month it has been! From launching my retreats in London in September, to three-days of reinvention inspiration in Windsor, I have loved every minute. Here's the inside story on how it went and a little bit about what is to come...
Just over two years ago, when I was signed off sick from work, close to burnout with 'psychological exhaustion', if you had shown me the photo above, I would have found it hard to believe that this could be possible. I probably would have questioned that it is actually me!
I am living proof of the possibility of reinventing your career for the second act of working life. It hasn't happened overnight - or by accident - my new business is as a result of some deep work around understanding my values and strengths, and discovering my purpose for this next chapter. Slowly but surely - you have to trust the process - the vision becomes clear. Rosie's Reinvention Retreats for midlife women was devised to fill the gaping hole I saw in the marketplace when I was feeling low on energy, confused and full of questions about what I wanted my work to be about. And I couldn’t be more delighted to see that the concept has resonated with so many women.
Turning to coaching was transformative for me - I loved it so much, I trained to be a life coach, qualifying last summer. I was also lucky to be able to access some incredible experts during my career transition too - bona fide leaders in their fields - that I was lucky to have within my network from my 24 years working in the media. Thus, I wanted to bring some of that magic to lots more women in a unique 'retreat-in-a-day' format. I am now on a mission to normalise the concept of reinvention so we may enter this next phase positively, equipped with some self-awareness, new skills and a support network. And boy did we do that!
I held my first Career Reinvention Retreat at Corinthia London in September, and attendees delved into where they're at now in their career and where they want to be, we work-shopped our concept of 'success' at this stage of our life, and there was a dynamic session on values and purpose. Each retreat is divided into sessions around my 'Reinvent like a PRO' concept which offers a chance to Pause, to Reflect and to Organise what your next chapter might be about. The day included an introduction to Rapid Tapping with mind coach and 'celebrity tapper' Poppy Delbridge, which helps to banish negative thought loops and make space for the belief that you can flourish.
It was then into our first three consecutive dates of Rosie's Reinvention Retreats at the beautiful Fairmont Windsor Park and wow, it exceeded expectations. We kicked off with the Career Reinvention Day, this was followed by Small Business Reinvention, and finally Wellbeing and Menopause Reinvention - which aptly fell on World Menopause Day, 18th October 2024.
Over three days - each retreat ran from 9am until 7pm - we delved into each subject through workshops, coaching sessions and talks. There was plenty of time for networking and asking independent questions to the experts too. Plus coffee breaks, a gorgeous healthy lunch, and time out in the afternoon to make full use of the spa faciliaties. Every retreat day simply must include time for a pamper!
Some of the expert speakers included Holly Tucker MBE, one of the UK’s most-respected entrepreneurs. From founding Not On The Highstreet, to launching Holly & Co - a shopping platform for the UK’s small businesses and true artisans - Holly has dedicated her career to providing a platform for small businesses allowing creators to compete with the big guys. We were extremely lucky to get this intimate opportunity to be mentored by her as a group and I learnt so many valuable business lessons.
Executive coach Amy Savage from This Is Glow provided practical coaching sessions on two of the days, to help gain greater self-awareness and improve confidence and it was a joy to watch our attendees get to know each other better through her workshops. TV presenter-turned-media mentor Andrea McLean joined me for the Reinvention Conversation on the Careers day, to discuss her many career pivots and why she sees no shame in failing when things don't go exactly to plan.
On the Wellbeing and Menopause Day, we took a deep dive into this time of life with experts including Dr Raj Arora, Kate Rowe-Ham and nutritionist Jo Lyall. We also explored the concept of 'Ageless beauty' and make-up in midlife, in a panel hosted by Ally Oliver, with dermatologist Dr Malvina Cunningham and Studio 10 Make-up founder Grace Fodor.
Some of the messages I have received after the retreats have made me feel so proud and that my second working act is going to be a purposeful one.
- 'I felt so supported, lifted, and looked after.'
- 'This truly was a retreat like no other.'
- 'I feel reborn.'
- 'Congratulations on this quite exceptional event.'
- 'Feeling seen, heard, and supported.'
With huge thanks to our sponsors And Begin and Attivo without whom it would not have been possible. There is nothing more satisfying than when a partnership feels authentic and seamless in every way and I was delighted the And Begin CMO Sophie Van Ettinger shares my vision for empowering women at this stage of life and joined me on stage at the start of each day to share her story. Each attendee had their own chance to discuss their skincare needs with a 1-1 with the And Begin team, and left with a full-size sample of And Begin's revolutionary Moisturiser-in-an-SPF. Plus Attivo provided financial planning sessions with Associate Director Katie White who attended the retreats. I feel strongly that no reinvention journey can be complete without an understanding of how financial planning can help to achieve our lifestyle vision and future goals.
Here's a look inside the amazing retreat goodie bag, it's worth over £200 and contains some of my favourite wellbeing products including Gold Collagen Forte Ageless, The Better Menopause supplements, Flow Brew, and of course my new book Be Kind!
Entering the second half of working life has never felt better. If you missed out this time, stay tuned for more retreat announcements to come! I always love hearing from you, so please reply, comment on Instagram or use the form on my website to tell me if you'd like to know more about my retreats and which themes you're interested in. I am now focused on launching our digital membership offering and planning more unique, luxury day retreats for the year ahead. And there will be some mixed-sex retreats too! It feels unfair to prevent our menfolk from getting in on the reinvention act too.
I know I have truly found my purpose and it is wonderful to share this journey with you.
Until next time, keep reinventing. You have only just begun to unlock your potential, I promise you.
Rosie
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