THE SECOND BLOOM
An Immersive Retreat for Perimenopause, Menopause + the Art of Becoming
Saturday, October 24 | 10 AM–6 PM
Ashley Masters Healing Arts Wellness Center
Investment: $950 | Intentionally limited to 13 women
There is so much we are never told about this season of being a woman.
For much of our lives, the conversations surrounding our bodies center around beginnings—our first periods, fertility, pregnancy, birth and motherhood—and then, somewhere in the middle of our lives, our bodies begin changing again while the conversation around us becomes remarkably quiet.
Or, when perimenopause and menopause are discussed, the language can feel almost catastrophic, filled with stories of symptoms, decline, loss and aging, as though this deeply human transition is something to manage, correct, endure or somehow survive.
The Second Bloom is an invitation to tell a different story.
Not one that dismisses the very real experiences that can accompany this transition, because changing cycles, disrupted sleep, shifting energy, unfamiliar emotions and changes in our bodies, sexuality and sense of self can leave even the most deeply connected woman wondering, What in the world is happening to me?
We deserve honest conversations about all of those things, but we also deserve a conversation that doesn't begin and end with everything that might go wrong.
The Second Bloom is an entire day devoted to understanding, nourishing and celebrating the woman you are becoming.
From the moment you arrive, tea will be flowing and the pace will be intentionally spacious, allowing us to gather not as women who need to be fixed, but as women carrying our own stories, questions, experiences and hard-earned wisdom. No two women will experience this transition in exactly the same way, which means some of the most valuable wisdom in the room will come not only from those guiding our experiences, but from one another.
Throughout our day together, we will gently reconnect with our bodies through movement, gather in honest conversation, journal and reflect, learn and ask questions, make beautiful things with our hands and share an abundant catered lunch around the table. We will explore practical ways of nourishing and supporting ourselves through perimenopause, menopause and beyond, while leaving plenty of room for the lived experiences, questions and conversations that cannot be captured in a textbook.
The Midlife Apothecary
Together, we will enter The Midlife Apothecary, where we will explore herbs through the lens of nourishment, relationship and ritual, becoming curious about the plants that may become companions during this season of our lives.
Rather than simply being handed a prescribed formula, you will have the opportunity to engage with the herbs themselves, learning, tasting and creating a custom tea blend that reflects what nourishment means for you right now. Your blend will be yours to take home, extending a small piece of The Second Bloom into the days that follow.
The Nourishment Table
At midday, we will gather around the table for a beautiful catered lunch with nothing else competing for our attention. There will be time to eat slowly, refill our tea, continue conversations that have begun throughout the morning and experience the simple pleasure of being fed.
The day will also include intentional spaciousness between our experiences because nourishment should not become another thing we rush through. There will be room to sit on the porch, write in your journal, wander through the apothecary, talk with another woman, rest quietly or simply notice what your body is asking for and respond accordingly.
The Aromatics of Becoming
Our afternoon continues with The Aromatics of Becoming, a sensory exploration of aromatherapy, ritual and the ways scent can become part of our evolving relationship with ourselves and our changing bodies.
Together, we will explore a thoughtfully curated collection of aromatics, slowing down enough to notice what draws us in, what awakens something within us and what simply feels good. Rather than approaching aromatherapy as another tool for correcting or controlling the body, we will explore scent as an invitation into presence, pleasure, grounding and ritual.
Each woman will then create a personal aromatic blend inspired by what she wants to cultivate in this season of her life, whether that is softness, steadiness, sensuality, energy, rest, clarity or something entirely her own. Your custom blend will become another small piece of The Second Bloom to carry home, offering a sensory reminder to return to yourself long after our day together has ended.
Demystifying the Change
Later in the afternoon, acupuncturist Jocey will guide us into a deeper exploration of perimenopause and menopause, bringing education and the wisdom of Chinese medicine into an honest, accessible conversation about what is happening within our changing bodies.
Rather than prescribing one “right” way to move through menopause, this portion of our day is intended to give us greater language and understanding, creating room to ask questions, explore supportive practices and become more informed participants in our own care. We will bring our individual experiences into the conversation as well, recognizing that professional knowledge and lived wisdom can sit beside one another and that there is enormous value in women being able to say, This is what has been happening to me. Is anyone else experiencing this too?
Our hope is that greater understanding creates less fear, more curiosity and a deeper ability to recognize what our bodies may be communicating, while also helping us identify the questions we want to carry into conversations with our own healthcare providers.
Acupuncture + Sound
After a day of movement, conversation, education, creation, nourishment and connection, we will allow the energy of the retreat to become quieter as we transition into our final experience together: Acupuncture + Sound.
You will settle into stillness as Jocey offers acupuncture and Ashley fills the room with the resonance of singing bowls and sound, creating an opportunity to stop gathering information and simply receive.
After spending the day listening to our bodies, learning about them and exploring new ways of supporting them, this final experience asks nothing from you. It is an invitation to exhale, integrate and allow yourself to be held exactly as you are, without needing to accomplish, understand or become anything in that moment.
What You Will Carry Home
You will leave The Second Bloom with your custom herbal tea blend, your personal aromatherapy creation, a beautiful journal and The Second Bloom retreat manual, thoughtfully created to hold education, reflections, resources and space for your own discoveries so that the conversations we begin together can continue long after the retreat has ended.
More than anything, however, my hope is that you leave carrying something that cannot be tucked into a bag: a little more understanding of your body, a little less fear about what is changing, new questions and language, meaningful connection with other women and perhaps an entirely new way of seeing this chapter of your life.
We do not have to pretend that every part of perimenopause and menopause is beautiful in order to believe that there is beauty here, nor do we have to cling desperately to the women we once were or quietly disappear into whatever comes next.
There is another possibility.
We can become curious about our changing bodies and learn how to nourish them differently, listening more closely to what they are asking of us while sharing what we have learned through our own lived experiences and receiving the wisdom other women bring to the table. We can honor what is falling away while remaining open to the freedom, clarity, softness, pleasure, wisdom and possibility that may be emerging in its place.
Most importantly, we can stop treating this season as the closing of something beautiful and begin asking what might be preparing to bloom.
This is your invitation to lean into The Second Bloom.
Your Day Includes
Your investment includes a full eight-hour immersive retreat experience with gentle movement and embodiment, unlimited Five Goddess Farm tea throughout the day, guided journaling and reflection, honest community conversation, The Midlife Apothecary herbal tea-making experience with your own custom take-home blend, The Aromatics of Becoming aromatherapy experience with a custom take-home blend, an abundant catered lunch, perimenopause and menopause education with Jocey, a closing acupuncture and sound bath experience, and your own journal and beautifully curated Second Bloom retreat manual.
Saturday, October 24 | 10 AM–6 PM
Investment: $950
Intentionally limited to 13 women.
Full payment is required to reserve your place. Due to the intimate nature of The Second Bloom and the advance planning, practitioner commitments, catering and materials prepared specifically for each guest, all registrations are non-refundable.
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