When is the last time you put yourself first?
Unplug and Recharge
Join us in this peaceful one-of-a-kind oasis, nestled in the heart of a quaint coastal town in New London County, Connecticut
September 13, 14 and 15, 2024
Discover the Profound Benefits Awaiting You
In the rush and commotion of everyday life, it's all too easy to prioritize the needs of others ahead of our own. But what about you? When will you give yourself the gift of time, connection, inner peace and self-care?
We invite you to join us for a rejuvenating women's retreat where you'll be able to immerse in a supportive community of warm and loving women where authenticity is celebrated and vulnerability is embraced. Through empowering sessions throughout the weekend, soulful conversations and transformative experiences, you'll tap into your inner strength, wisdom, and resilience.
Leave behind anything that isn't serving you as you create new space in your heart and head for what truly fulfills you, leaving with a renewed sense of self and a positive perspective from which to create.
Take this opportunity to prioritize yourself, to replenish your soul, and to reclaim your sense of purpose and passion. You deserve this time for self-discovery, growth, and renewal.
We have room for 15 amazing women like yourself. Accommodations and food all included. Reserve your spot now ~ or if you have questions, text or call Margie at 802-238-5939
Your Hosts - Sisters Donna Crosby and Margie Dunki-Jacobs
I'm Donna - I am so grateful that I have been blessed with both a sister and a best friend named Margie. She is my biggest cheerleader. And she always makes me feel loved and appreciated. I can’t imagine doing this life without her by my side.
I'm Margie, a few years older than Donna, and I'm truly blessed to have a sister who not only straightens my crown but also speaks truth into my life with love. My heart overflows with love for her!
We can't wait to meet you!
Event Details
Check- In: Friday, September 13. 11am (All times are eastern)
Tuition Includes: Your accommodation, all activities and Friday Lunch through Sunday Breakfast
The retreat will end Sunday, September 15 at 12 noon. A full schedule of events will be provided upon arrival in your welcome package.
We invite you to just come in love and kindness and participate in this weekend with an open heart and mind.
Would you like to extend your stay? We offer an Early Check-In on Thursday, September 12, starting at 6 pm that includes a homemade delicious breakfast on Friday morning. Choose this option when registering.
The facility is an exquisite private residence featuring four separate wings, each providing ample space and privacy for our guests to enjoy.
Meals will be served in this beautiful, sunny, open space. We will happily accommodate food allergies and intolerances.
A little about this home....
This beautiful summer home features a variety of common areas where guests are free to enjoy. The sleeping accommodations include two private bedrooms with a queen bed, six bedrooms with twin beds where you and a friend can share a room or meet someone new and share a room, each with your own bed, and lastly, a cozy single room with one twin if you'd just like time to yourself.
Step Out into Peacefulness
Stepping out the back door of this summer cottage, you'll instantly sense tranquility surrounding you, inviting you into the embrace of natural beauty just beyond.
Breathe In
Breathe Out
Breathe Out
Get ready for some fun on the grounds and wonderful activities. You'll want to know that you can ...
- Play Tennis on Clay Courts (Please bring your own racquet and tennis balls)
- Enjoy Nature Hikes
- Find a Peaceful Place to Just Sit and Enjoy
- Participate in Nighttime FIrepit Gatherings (bring a warm blanket unless you're flying - then we've got you "covered." )
- and more…
Breathe Out
Breathe Out
Breathe Out
Soul Renewal by the Sea Retreat is designed to have real, practical results in your daily life such as......
- Soul purpose guidance
- Breath work
- Negative energy release
- Creative Expression
- Clarity, Freedom & New Perspectives
- Life integration
- and more…
A Little Bit About Donna and Margie
HELLO BEAUTIFUL SOUL SISTERS - I'M DONNA
I am a seeker at heart and started my spiritual journey as a child but didn’t really know that’s what it was at the time. As I grew into adulthood, I suppressed my spiritual side to “fit in” and went about my life going to school, starting a career, and raising a family.
Then, in 2012, some life events turned my life upside down, and the second chapter of my spiritual path began. The Universe started talking to me in ways I had not experienced before. And I started listening.
Since that time of “awakening,” my extended family has been disrupted, I have been through divorce, bought my own home and moved, experienced the loss of my mother, my 22-year-old daughter, and my 17-year-old son. I have lost two beloved pets, been through surgeries, and menopause. A lot of loss in quite different ways! I’ve also had a deepening connection with the spirit realm through signs and ways of communicating with Spirit. I’ve discovered my spirit animals and some guides that have been by my side for my whole life.
I have found a new community of women who support me and lift me up. And I’ve done a whole lot of healing and growth work so that I can continue finding hope in this life. My path of increasing awareness is now taking me places I never thought possible. And although I carry the grief of loss with me, the space around the grief is ever expanding to allow in the joy, love, connection, and abundance of life!
I am triple certified in Life – Spiritual – Energy coaching through Artist of the Spirit which utilizes many different coaching approaches, including energy and shamanic healing modalities. I am currently working towards completing certification for Warrior Heart Practice and Warrior Goddess Coach and Facilitator Training with Heatherash Amara, author of the Warrior Goddess books. I am also in a one-on-one mentorship with Lisa McCourt, founder of Joy School and author of Free Your Joy, The 12 Keys to Sustainable Happiness.
I am founder and facilitator of SOUL Sister Gatherings, a monthly support space for women to feel safe and held in loving energy. Our goal is to lift each other up without judgement or negativity and to support each other in our life’s challenges and celebrations. I founded Wheel of the Year gatherings as a way for women to reconnect with Mother Earth, our Pachamama. These gatherings honor the seasonal celebrations of our ancestors.
When we connect to the earth and the cycles of nature, we are honoring our own cycles as well. I am on the board of directors for Hearts with Hope, a non-profit for grieving mothers. As a board member I am integral in helping guide the group and for planning our annual 3-day retreat of healing and connection. I also enjoy holding workshops and events that reinforce our connections to each other and to the universal energy that is available to all of us.
I draw from many different teachings, wisdom traditions, and belief systems in my approach to life, spirituality, coaching, and the groups I facilitate. I am open to all backgrounds, and I welcome all belief systems in my practice.
Everything I do is grounded in love. It is my goal to hold you in a loving, safe space while helping and supporting you to grow and heal. I have a strong spiritual side, a strong intuitive connection, and many years of firsthand
experiences. Some of my experiences are working as an engineer for 34 years in the corporate Aerospace industry, divorce, sibling loss, child loss, grief, estranged family members, finding my way back to self-love, reclaiming my creativity, awakening, facilitating women’s groups and events, healing the witch wound, and much more. My life experiences, combined with my training in Life-Spiritual-Energy coaching and Shamanic and Energy healing tools, have brought me wisdom that can help guide you through your own life’s experiences, providing you with a source of support and guidance. Coaching, mentoring, guidance, and facilitating groups is not about telling you what to do, but about helping you find your own path that is true to your heart.
I so look forward to meeting you and welcoming you into the sacred circle.
HELLO BEAUTIFUL SOUL SISTERS - I'M MARGIE
My mom told me from the age of 5 years old, I'd knock on neighbors' doors and ask if I could do anything to help them. I have always had a bold, compassionate and loving soul with a sincere empathy to help others.
Growing up in Ohio and Vermont, I cherished every moment, (well, except those where I was freezing - and I had my share of those) but overall, I cherished it all, and as life unfolded, I found myself embracing varying roles in Corporate America, Hospitality, the Legal World, Academia and yes, even house flipping - but more importantly, the role of a wife and partner to a great guy and mom to two wonderful daughters. In 2018, when it was 18 below zero in Vermont, I had four words that I said outloud to my husband that changed the game. With no plans of divorcing, I simply said at the stroke of midnight as we entered 2018, "I'm going. You coming?" He decided to come with me, (smart guy!) and we happily settled into South Carolina, just 20 minutes from Charlotte, NC just over five years ago.
I could never have imagined with my new beginnings that my younger sister would also be experiencing new beginnings - but not the kind you hope for. I found myself at my sister's side as she lost her beautiful daughter, my lovely niece, at only 22; three years later to be followed by losing her magnetic personality son, at 17. An impossible loss. Having lost our mom in 2017 at almost 92, we bonded deeply over supporting each other and committed through the remaining days of our lives, that we would walk forward together, not always in sadness (although we acknowledge that and don't shy away from it), but also in the joy that this life has to give and what we can give as human beings to others. One thing we have been most fortunate of is growing up with very loving parents - and we share those memories.
After college, for four decades, I dedicated myself to the hustle and bustle of the working world, but deep within, a calling tugged at my soul, urging me to embark on a new journey, one of uncertainty, but that would fulfill a part of me that I had never known, that mentoring/coaching piece that others seemed to appreciate.
As my adult daughters ventured out on their own, I found myself at a crossroads, ready to turn the page and start a new chapter. Yet, as I gazed at the blank pages before me, I realized the power I held to script my own story. I didn't have to follow the familiar path of returning to what I always knew; instead, I could explore a passion close to my heart—empowering women to embrace their true selves. And so, Breathing Forward was born—a sanctuary where women could find the courage to step into their greatness.
I founded Breathing Forward, LLC in 2017 and ran my first women-only retreat in Burlington, Vermont followed by a second one in Charlotte, NC, and have recently attached it to a mission of hope - because that's what Breathing Forward is all about. I'm passionate about building a school in Uganda for orphaned children - Smiles of Hope Academy. Awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Humanitarian Effort in 2022, I humbly accepted it in hopes that it will bring awareness and much-needed financial support to this mission.
In this journey of self-discovery, I've earned degrees not found in traditional institutions—a Bachelor's Degree in Brokenness, a Master's Degree in Resilience, and a Ph.D. in Overcoming Pain. These titles represent the trials and tribulations I've faced and the strength I've gained from them. I've written my first book and was a co-author in two more, one hitting bestseller, about using your voice to stand up for your beliefs. My deepest desire is to share this wisdom with you as a guide so that you go through life, living boldly outloud and unafraid to do the things that your heart is calling you to do.
I want you to believe in the boundless possibilities that await you now, to realize that your dreams are within reach if only you dare to claim them. If you're ready to embark on a journey of self-mastery, to release the beliefs that are limiting you and holding you back from living your best life, then I invite you to join us for a transformative weekend of inner exploration and empowerment. Certified in Masterful Living Leadership Training, we anticipate a beautiful and harmonious weekend of connection, growth and true sisterhood. With All My Love -
Queen-Bed Room
Twin Bed in Your Own Room
Twin Beds in Shared Room
Lovely Private Room
1 Available
Late Registration July 16 and after, $1,497
Twin Beds in Shared Room
Twin Bed in Your Own Room
Twin Beds in Shared Room
Two Twins in Each Bedroom
12 spots Available
Come with a friend or make a new friend and share a room. Each with your own bed. Late Registration July 16 and after $1,311
Twin Bed in Your Own Room
Twin Bed in Your Own Room
Twin Bed in Your Own Room
Sold Out!
Cozy up in your own room with one Twin Bed
Late Registration July 16 and after $1,327