16 April 2026 - Issue #030

Hey Reader,

I had a pretty exceptional weekend, as I was invited to spend a few days at Sumberkima Hill (more on this coming soon) to discuss the future of retreats and why collaboration and co-creation should be the norm in our industry, rather than the exception.

Surrounded by talented, inspiring, kind and generous women (plus one man, Bernhard the founder of Sumberkima) I could feel my brain buzzing the whole time.

I left this unique retreat centre nestled in the northwest of Bali with so much clarity about what my path will look like that the four-hour drive back to Ubud was spent with the biggest smile on my face and the feeling that everything is slowly falling into place.

While I take some time to properly process and turn everything I experienced at Sumberkima into something more structured, I want to share something I wrote at the beginning of the year on this exact topic: the role collaboration plays in building retreats that feel aligned, sustainable, and actually enjoyable to run.

One of the people I met at Sumberkima was Joanna, who's hosting the retreat below.

I don't want to just talk about collaboration and mutual support in our industry - I actively want to practice it. Sharing her work here feels like a natural way to highlight the kind of retreats I want to see more of and support the people behind them.

From the Blog

Collaboration Is No Longer a Nice-to-Have. It’s How Retreats Thrive The idea that we have to build everything alone is still very present in this industry, but it’s also one of the biggest things holding people back. In this article, I talk about why collaboration isn’t just a nice extra but something that makes retreats stronger, more sustainable, and far more impactful for everyone involved. Read the Article

What's Stirring

It's not the first time I've brought this up, but I feel more and more the need to talk about this constant debate happening in my mind about how I deal with what's happening in the world, both on a personal and professional level.

One of the positive notes about living in Asia is this constant feeling of being in a very safe, comfortable bubble.

I hate to generalise so treat this as my personal experience, but I think it's so much easier to detach ourselves from everything happening in the world when we live in close contact with nature and with the simplicity of a lifestyle that doesn't involve the necessity of staying up to date with the political and economic worldwide situation.

While it's very easy for me to choose this approach on a personal level, I often wonder if there's a specific expectation of me to show up in my professional capacity with a different approach.

Should I keep investing time and resources creating retreats while the world is on fire?

Or is there some sort of expectation for me to pause the experiences I'm creating or at least stop promoting them?

As I said in my latest post, I don't think there's a clean answer.

I have an opinion and I shared it on Instagram, but I'm also very interested in knowing how the rest of the industry feels, what the people facilitating retreats feel, and what participants who might be hesitant to book a retreat for themselves at this specific time are thinking.

As long as this decision doesn't come from guilt or from the desire to answer an external expectation, I personally support anyone who's navigating these difficult times and doing it with honesty, no matter what their decision is.

Retreat Radar

​ ​Growing Roots Lake Gozna, Romania |20 - 26 July 2026 Led by Joanna and Nicoleta, this retreat is an invitation to ground, breathe, and restore in the ancient forests and mountains of Romania. The element of Earth guides the week, inviting you home to your body, to stillness, to presence. Through grounding yoga, silent mountain meditation, forest bathing, and earth mandala creation, you'll reconnect to the foundation of your being. The focus is on nourishing the root chakra - cultivating safety, stability, and belonging. It's about remembering how to trust the body, the Earth, and life itself. More Info

Coming back to Ubud dropped me straight back into a very full work week.

Sunrise walks in the rice fields have started to feel less like a nice ritual and more like something I actually need to stay grounded, especially after the calm of Sumberkima and the very different energy of Bali Spirit Festival that just kicked in in Ubud.

There's a lot moving at the moment. Work, travel, ideas, a few things slowly taking shape in my personal life, and the feeling my life is going in the right direction.

I'd love to know how you're feeling in all of this, whether things feel clear, messy, exciting, heavy, or a mix of everything.

Reply and tell me what's moving for you right now.

Ciao ciao,

Milla

P.S. Hosting a retreat, event, or programme soon? I'd love to feature it in Retreat Radar. Just hit reply with the details (where, when, what makes it special). It's free and open to everyone in this community 😊