I went to the Luscious Mother retreat and it changed my life. Here’s why I won’t miss it this month.

I was feeling dried up. Worn down. Bummed out. My brain numb from the endless cycle of laundry and joyless trips to the grocery store.

My inner-monologue of hostility had started to creep past my frontal lobe and was breaking through the 4th wall of my home life. My seemingly bottomless pot of magical maternal goodness had become just another caked-on, crusty burden in the teetering tower of dishes in the kitchen sink.

I was checking boxes and getting it done, but in a decidedly unfulfilling, uninspired way. In this directionless tailspin of self-pity, I fielded a call from my friend Sarah Olin, better known as the Luscious Mother. She had read my tea leaves on social media: “You seem like you’re having a tough time. I want you to come to my Luscious Mothers’ Retreat,” she said. “You deserve to feel luscious!”

I laughed. “Given my bourbon intake, I’m so much closer to lush than luscious,” I told her.

But, Sarah isn’t one to give up on the first “no.” She promised me a weekend of meaningful connections, actual adult conversations – with completed sentences! – around singular and interesting topics (read: NOT Pokemon).

She offered an opportunity to connect with women asking themselves the same questions I was asking myself:

Can motherhood be a better look for me?

What do I need to start rocking the party that is this one spectacular life?

How do I bring my family along for the ride?

Sarah’s promises seemed lofty, but enticing. I mean, this woman can move mountains. And Mainers it would seem, because the next day I booked a ticket to fly south from Portland for my first Luscious Mother retreat. Frankly, I was in as soon as she promised a weekend devoid of laundry, grocery stores and Pokemon.

How was it? Well, currently I’m making travel arrangements for my third iteration.

The first was a paradigm shift. Two days with a posse of ladies who started as strangers, but left as a sisterhood. Our relative anonymity matched with a commitment to empathy, and openness allowed us to dispense with the need for the self-conscious veneer of social media polish and dig into the truth. We steeped ourselves in one another’s vulnerability, sharing our own trials of modern motherhood without the fear of being judged or minimized by a tag of “first world problems.”

This led to some really gorgeous connections. We are social animals, we humans. And mothers? Mothers need each other. I realized the necessity of a support system. When I returned home I formed my own circle of “luscious mothers,” and this circle has become integral for my happiness. And also, my family’s. And my friends’ families.

My second retreat was a deeper dive: a chance to tap back into that group energy. Time to reflect on the small, simple changes that were adding up to larger ones. I made some HUGE discoveries about myself, not the least of which is this:

I’m responsible for my own happiness. Not my son, husband, or dog. If I’m not feeling the joy, it’s my own damn fault.

Going into my third tour, I feel like a different person. No. I feel like a better me. My energy has changed. My relationships have changed. My vibe has changed. I no longer disrupt the balance of The Force with my anxiety and need for control. Which is nice for the whole Universe, I think. (You’re welcome.) Friends and family now come to me for advice.

“You should be a coach,” they tell me.

So, I decided they were right. Next month, I will begin the training program that set Sarah on her own Luscious path.

Wherever your path is leading you, if the New Year has you lacking—pep, direction, a proper tribe—you’re lucky to be in Charlotte. For you, luscious is right around the corner.

The deets

Luscious Mother Weekend
Jan. 18 – 20 in Charlotte
Ticket details and more information

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This paid content was created in partnership with Luscious Mother.
Photos courtesy of Luscious Mother.