Reclaim your JOY in life through deep and reverent introspection, authentic connection and sisterhood in beautiful Sonoma and Napa Valleys, California while immersed in safety, luxury and adventure!
MARCH 26TH-30TH, 2025
Do you miss the joyful free-spirit that you used to be?
Are you craving more aliveness?
Do you want to leave those blocks to your authentic joyous self in the Pacific Ocean?
Do you want to remember your authentic nature no matter the circumstances of your life or the world?
if so, this all inclusive retreat is for you!
It includes
Expertly planned retreat sessions which will encourage you to remember your joyful essence and to expand your capacity to live in a joyful state,regardless of your circumstances,
4 nights luxurious accommodations at Casa Sebastiani (the estate house for the Sebastiani Winery) or at the upscale Sonoma Hotel (both centrally located next to Sonoma Square),
All joyfully prepared and joyfully presented, farm to table meals served at the retreat site
All wine and alternative non-alcoholic beverages (during retreat tastings and on the last night)
One cooking class preparing an old Italian favorite dish from the Sebastiani family
All transportation to excursions in Sonoma and Napa valleys,
Wine tasting (non-alcoholic options available) and charcuterie at Balletto Vineyards in Sonoma Valley
Your choice of a hot mud bath, hot springs bath or massage in Calistoga
Aerial tram and wine tasting (non-alcoholic options available) at Sterling Vineyards in Napa Valley
Personalized tour of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at the old Christian Brothers Winery in St. Helena, CA
Specialized gourmet dinner and wine pairings (non-alcoholic options available) at Greystone (CIA) prepared and served by graduating students from CIA.
meet your host:
hi, i’m molly!
I have been a teacher, student and avid retreat leader and participant my entire life. After growing up in Illinois, I moved to California for college (and years beyond) where I relentlessly pursued and claimed my joy. In California, I found great alignment spiritually, emotionally and physically. My joy emanated genuinely from my essence.
In the years that followed a move back, however, I allowed the all-too common stresses of work, marriage, child-rearing, divorce, and aging parents to obscure my memory of who I truly am. I accomplished much of what I thought was my purpose; attending law school and then graduate school in Washington DC, earning an Ed.D. (Education Doctorate), teaching at a University, becoming Director of a huge teacher education unit, getting married, having two kids, producing, producing, producing.
What I neglected during my time of “high achievement”, was my true self, my joyous being, my childlike view of the world. I forgot about and neglected Little Molly, the child, whose grandma put “M’s” on her clothes. I realized that I was no longer the free spirit that others remembered me as when I was a kid. After years of taking antidepressants and drinking wine with my girlfriends while complaining about the daily stress and grind, I found myself broken open. My marriage ended, I was replaced at my high prestige job, and I got the call with the news that I had breast cancer. I refer to this as my “dark night of the soul.” I wanted my joy back, I wanted me back and I committed to making that the most important priority of my life.
What I have learned in the past ten years of coaching, studying and retreating, is that the extent of my joy is directly proportional to my willingness to make space for the pain. It is through allowing ourselves to feel all of our emotions, cleanly and without making stories about them, that we can begin to transform them. This is the miraculous work of alchemy. In my work, I have also embraced rich practices of gratitude and of presence which act as constant reminders that I am surrounded by beauty and goodness. And finally, I have found love….profound love for myself which allows me to love others from a place of overflow and genuine care, no longer attaching to people to soothe my anxiety or meet my needs.
In looking back at my journey, I realized that my story is hardly unique. In fact, I see now that we are all on this hero’s journey to remembering who we are. It was on a life-changing retreat in Greece this past summer that I realized I want to help others and that I have things to teach and tools to share. I birthed the adventure retreat concept and I knew that joy would be my purpose.
I decided to combine my two greatest passions in life— leading retreats and traveling to inspirational places— in this signature California adventure. For me, there is no better place to come alive. I hope that you will join me and other beautiful sisters on a journey to true awakening as we find ourselves and our incredible joy within while also exploring Sonoma and Napa Valleys!
In my view, joy is an everlasting state of being, it is not transitory like happiness. It is always there, always accessible. It is our essence. Authentic joy arises when we move from our heads to our hearts. It expands when we remember that we are human beings (not human doings!) and it is allowed to flow when we feel safety and when we recognize the benevolence of the universe and that things truly do happen for us, and not to us. Joy is increased when we recognize our oneness and our connection with all there is. Joy is augmented when we see beauty, when we feel free and when we are grateful. Joy is how we were created, it is our truest disposition, it is the way that we are intended to be in the world.
what is joy?
SINCE THIS IS THE JOY RETREAT…
Siena Ballance grew up in Santa Barbara, California and always loved cooking and baking with her mama and sister. Her mama would lay out a colorful array of ingredients while Siena and her sister would spend hours creating concoctions. This sparked her love and joy for cooking; a joy that always feels contagious with the people she shares it with. Her love for food has always been deeply rooted in family, art and community; throughout her path, she has always strived to bring each of these components into the food she creates. In college she apprenticed with a recent James Beard Award winner, Barak Olins. Barak introduced her to the art of wood-fired sourdough bread baking. She furthered these skills working as a lead baker at Forage Market, a wood-fired bagel bakery in Portland, Maine. In 2021, she moved to Washington and worked as a pastry chef at White Salmon Baking Company.
Overtime, Siena felt strongly connected to the White Salmon, WA community and in the summer of 2023, she started her own bakery, Mins. In starting Mins, she hoped to craft beautiful, nourishing meals and baked goods sourced from local ingredients for the community she loves so much. Her business has involved selling at local farmers markets, catering various events, and selling directly to local cafes. She is excited to continue expanding Mins, always hoping people can taste the joy in the food she creates! She is so looking forward to catering this retreat!
meet our chef!
here are the details:
travel:
There are several options for flying into the area. We recommend Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa. This easy to navigate airport is 29 miles from the retreat site! We will do our best to coordinate rides to and from this airport with our vans. Other options include Oakland International Airport or San Francisco International Airport (both approximately 58 miles from the site). If you choose to drive to Sonoma, on-site free parking is available.
investment:
$2,800 for single room ($2,600 early bird if paid in full by 12/31/24)
$2,300 for shared accommodation ($2,100) if paid in full by 12/31/2024)
PAYMENT PLANS:
2 payments of $1,400 each for single/ or $1,300 each early bird
2 payments of $1150 each for double/ or $1050 each early bird
4 payments of $ 700 each for single/ or $650 each early bird
4 payments of $575 each for double/ or $525 each early bird
Have questions? Just email me at mollyisu03@gmail.com ! I’m more than happy to help!
find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. for to miss the joy is to miss all.
“
-Robert Louis Stevenson