intentionally designed retreats for queer folks,
by queer folks with a focus on cultivating joy
Rising: (noun) a movement upward; an act of opposition against those in power
You don't have to put yourself last
You don't have to earn the right to play
You don't have to feel unseen amid the pressures to "do more"
You don't have to grow distant from those you love
If you've felt like you've had to do any of the above, you've come to the right place. We believe in the process of queering. A process of becoming that strips away the things we're told we should be, what we should accept, and how we should show up in our world. We see the impacts of over-doing, over-being, over-proving, and strive to create a vibe that centers play, joy, and rest as an act of resistance.
Relationship Retreat: Colares, Portugal
The Outpost
May 25th-May 30th
The Outpost, Casa das Arribas, was built in the 1940s as a family estate by re-known Portuguese architect Raul Lino. The estate was carefully renovated, and upgraded to modern standards. The apartments combine luxury-hotel amenities with the privacy, space and independence of your own holiday house. Guests share the vast garden, the pool and the tennis court - your holiday casa just off the cliffs near Lisbon. Portugal is considered one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly countries in Europe. Its combination of progressive laws, vibrant LGBTQ+ communities, and increasing social acceptance makes it a welcoming and affirming environment for LGBTQ+ people.
What's Included:
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5 nights lodging in beautiful, fully appointed, private casitas
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Delicious meals twice per day, made from locally sourced ingredients
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Excursions including a wine tasting at a local vineyard, sightseeing of historic castles, a hike in the the mystic hills of nearby Sintra (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and a special group bonding activity that we're keeping secret until you arrive
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Hot and cold therapy, private pool, yoga studio and classes, and exclusive access to onsite tennis court
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Group coaching in a safe, collaborative environment specifically designed to help you feel connected to your partner(s), self, and community
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Opportunity for private coaching during "orbit hours" where you and your partner(s) can meet with Brianna or Marley for individual or relational coaching intended to provide clarity as you take it all in
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A closing ceremony that'll leave you with memories that last a lifetime
Explore Beautiful Colares, Portugal
Rising is the process of moving from Self-Acceptance to Self-Celebration
Process is a bit of misnomer as we see this more as a practice than of an achievement. When so much of our lives are consumed by the pressure to justify our competency, or our worth, or our position, giving ourselves the permission to embrace joy is a form of resistance. While this may feel foreign, it is integral to ascending beyond limiting beliefs that have held us captive.
Our goal is to help you achieve self-celebration in the following ways:
Accessing Play
Play is integral to our wellness, and so we're going to laugh, play, and have FUN. We've got excursions designed to tune into our inner children and allow space for us to let loose and enjoy ourselves and each other.
Holistic Rest & Fun
All retreats include yoga classes and at least one additional holistic wellness service (because we all need to rest and rejuvenate). Offerings may include massage, sound baths, reiki, or other energy work. Our retreats are held in peaceful spaces that encourage immersion in nature.
Community Expanding
This is where the secret sauce is: we carefully pre-screen prospects to ensure goodness of fit not only for each retreat, but also among attendees. We strive to create joyfully cohesive, dynamic, and supportive groups that will foster community that lasts beyond the time spent on the retreat.
Wellness Coaching
Through their work as psychotherapists, Brianna and Marley have designed an intentional group and 1:1 coaching framework to help you come to understand yourself in a way that empowers, uplifts, and creates tangible takeaways for integrating joy and play in your day-to-day life.
Prices below are per pair and include:
5 nights lodging, most meals, all adventures
$6,000 for a limited time
Pool House
$8,500
$6,000 for a limited time
$8,500
Garden Cabana
$8,500
$6,000 for a limited time
North Casita
$8,500
$6,000 for a limited time
South Wing
$8,500
$6,000 for a limited time
East Duplex
$8,500
$6,000 for a limited time
Piso Alto
2 bedrooms! Perfect for polycules or couple friends
$8,500
$6,000 for a limited time
Ocean Casita
We can't wait to meet you
Here we are in Tulum shortly after we got engaged
We're Brianna and Marley. We are both trained therapists, entrepreneurs, and adventurers. In our three years together, we've traveled to over half a dozen countries, and collectively been to nearly twenty. We see traveling as a massive part of the way we create intention in our relationship with each other, and to ourselves, all in the name of play. This is why we’re so thrilled to be able to create intentional retreats for LGBTQ+ folx that encourage the practice of joy we've committed to, while providing a layer of safety that allows for peace of mind.
Outside of traveling, we have provided individual, relational and group therapy to hundreds of clients with a focus on meeting the needs of our LGBTQ+ clients through a lens of social justice and self-empowerment principles intended to shape how clients react to their inner and outer worlds. We see our work as therapists as a huge asset to our ability to create a framework that can help you move towards a place of self-celebration within your own identity.
Ask us about our dogs voices when you see us
Community is where it's at
We were built for connection, not for isolation, and we just so happen to live in a time where we are more alone than ever before. Left to our own devices, we cannot expand our thinking or have perspective enough to cherish the moment.
Our quality of life, our ability to feel seen, our readiness to revise the limiting stories we have about ourselves, is healed in spaces where others feel and understand and validate the same. Together, we gain clarity about ourselves and our needs in a way that is so much harder to achieve on our own. And? We get to do it in an environment that fosters curiosity and joy - something we are routinely denied in our everyday lives.
