Take a Menopause & Breathe: A Retreat for Menopause After Cancer Treatment
Introduction
A Retreat for the Menopause Cancer Treatment Brings
The Retreat
Take a Menopause & Breathe
A retreat for women navigating menopause after cancer treatment
You got through treatment.
Perhaps everyone around you breathed a sigh of relief.
But what if you didn't simply go back to feeling like yourself?
Cancer treatment can bring menopause crashing into your life with very little warning — sometimes years before you ever expected to be thinking about it.
Suddenly there can be hot flushes, sleepless nights, aching joints, brain fog, anxiety and exhaustion.
Your body may look or feel different.
Your confidence may have changed.
Sex and intimacy may feel complicated.
And while everyone is understandably delighted that treatment is over, you may still be trying to work out who you are after everything that's happened.
That's why I created Take a Menopause & Breathe.
Not because you need another weekend focused on cancer.
Quite the opposite.
This is a few days focused on you.
Somewhere you don't have to explain
There's something incredibly powerful about being with women who just get it.
You don't have to explain why menopause at this point in your life feels different.
You don't have to explain the impact treatment has had on your body.
You don't have to feel guilty for struggling with something because you know you're supposed to be grateful.
And you don't have to spend the retreat talking about cancer unless you want to.
You get to be a woman again. Not a patient.
For four days in the Devon countryside, you'll have space to rest, breathe, understand what's happening to you and discover practical ways to support yourself through treatment-related menopause.
There'll be honest conversations.
Menopause education.
Coaching.
Mindfulness.
Beautiful food.
Gentle movement.
Time outside.
A hot tub and cold plunge.
Plenty of tea.
Probably quite a lot of laughter.
And, importantly, time when absolutely nothing is expected of you.
This isn't about "getting back to normal"
Because perhaps you don't want to go backwards.
You've been through something enormous.
Maybe the question now isn't:
“How do I get the old me back?”
Maybe it's:
“What do I need now — and how do I want the next part of my life to feel?”
We'll explore practical ways to support symptoms including hot flushes, poor sleep, fatigue, joint pain, brain fog and anxiety, including options for women who may have limitations around HRT.
Everything we discuss is designed to sit alongside your medical care, never replace it.
But we'll also make room for the things that don't fit neatly onto a symptom checklist.
Confidence.
Body image.
Relationships.
Sex and intimacy.
Fear.
Boundaries.
Rest.
The pressure to get back to normal.
And what you actually want from your life now.
Nothing is compulsory.
You won't be expected to tell your story to a room full of strangers.
You can talk.
You can listen.
You can laugh.
You can cry.
You can disappear for an hour with a book.
You decide what you need.
Just seven women
This retreat is deliberately small, with a maximum of seven women.
That's important.
I want you to feel known rather than lost in a group.
I want conversations to have time to breathe.
And I want you to be able to spend a few days with women who understand something fundamental about what you've experienced — without cancer becoming the thing that defines any of you.
You'll be looked after, supported and very well fed.
And hopefully, somewhere amongst the conversations, countryside, food, rest and laughter, something starts to shift.
You begin to feel less alone.
You understand your body a little better.
You discover things that might genuinely help.
And perhaps you start to feel something you haven't felt for a while:
like yourself.
Not the old you.
You, now.
And that's a very good place to begin.
Who will be there?
Is this retreat for me?
This retreat may be for you if cancer treatment brought menopause into your life earlier or more abruptly than you expected — and you're now trying to navigate what came afterwards.
Perhaps you're:
struggling with fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, hot flushes, joint pain or anxiety
taking endocrine therapy and finding the side effects difficult
unable to use HRT, unsure about your options, or looking for additional ways to support yourself
feeling less confident or less at home in your body
finding sex, intimacy or relationships different since treatment
technically "finished" with treatment but don't feel finished with everything it changed
tired of being the strong one
craving some proper rest without having to organise it yourself
wanting to meet women who understand without spending four days talking exclusively about cancer
wondering how to start looking forward again rather than simply getting through
But there's something else I want you to know.
You don't need to be struggling terribly to deserve to come.
You don't have to wait until you're exhausted.
You don't have to prove you've had a difficult enough time.
And you don't need a dramatic reason to want four days where someone else looks after you.
Perhaps you're actually doing pretty well.
But you'd like to understand your body better, meet women who've walked a similar road and give yourself some proper time to think about what comes next.
That's reason enough.
Come on your own — many women will.
Or, if there's someone who has been through a similar experience and you'd love to share this with, one of our accommodation options sleeps two.
However you arrive, you'll be joining a maximum of seven women.
Small enough to feel safe.
Small enough to be heard.
And small enough that nobody gets lost in the room.
You have spent enough time being a patient.
For these four days, you simply get to be you.
Day 1
Day 1 - Arrive & Settle
Arrival, Welcome and Gentle Orientation
Your four days in Devon
There'll be a gentle rhythm to the retreat, but this isn't a timetable you'll be marched through.
Everything is designed to give you information and support alongside genuine time to rest.
And if what you need one afternoon is a nap rather than another activity?
Have the nap.
Day 1 — Arrive & Exhale
No need to arrive feeling brave
Arrive, unpack and take your time.
You might feel excited.
You might feel nervous.
You might sit in the car for five minutes wondering what on earth you've signed yourself up for.
All completely normal.
There's no expectation to walk through the door and immediately tell seven strangers your life story.
We'll settle in gently, get to know one another and share our first meal together.
We'll also do a relaxed creative exercise that gives you an opportunity to look back at the road you've travelled so far — without making the whole evening about cancer.
Then it's time to settle into your accommodation and breathe.
You've arrived. Nothing else is required of you today.
Day 2 — Understand & Ease
Understanding what's happening can change how you feel about it
We'll begin slowly with morning mindfulness before exploring what treatment-related menopause actually is and why the experience can be so different from natural menopause.
This is your opportunity to ask questions and start making sense of some of the changes you've experienced.
We'll look at practical approaches that may help with things such as:
hot flushes, sleep, fatigue, joint discomfort, brain fog, anxiety and stress.
We'll also talk about ways to support yourself when HRT isn't appropriate or isn't something you want to use.
This isn't about handing you another enormous list of things you should be doing.
It's about helping you understand your options and identify small things that might make your life feel better.
And then?
Free time.
Get into the hot tub.
Try the cold plunge if that's your thing.
Sit around the firepit.
Walk.
Read.
Chat.
Nap.
Do nothing whatsoever.
Nobody will ask you to make your downtime productive.
Day 3 — Share & Restore
The conversations we don't have often enough
By now, something rather lovely usually happens.
Everyone has relaxed.
Nobody needs to make small talk anymore.
And the conversations become more honest.
We'll create a safe, supported space to talk about some of the things that can be difficult to discuss elsewhere.
That might include confidence.
Your changing body.
Anxiety.
Relationships.
Sex and intimacy.
Feeling older before you were ready.
The expectation to be "back to normal".
Or simply the exhaustion of having been strong for such a long time.
You never have to share anything you don't want to.
Listening counts too.
The afternoon is deliberately restorative. We'll explore practical ways to manage anxiety, encourage relaxation and — importantly — relearn what proper rest actually feels like.
There'll be plenty of downtime, followed by an optional gentle evening activity.
And probably another long conversation around the table.
Day 4 — Reflect & Carry Forward
What do you need now?
Our final morning isn't about creating an enormous self-improvement plan.
You've had quite enough to deal with already.
Instead, we'll look at what you've discovered over the previous few days.
What's helped?
What surprised you?
What does your body need more of?
What would you like less of?
What could make everyday life feel easier?
And perhaps the bigger question:
What do you want now?
You'll choose a small number of realistic intentions to take home with you, together with practical techniques and a framework you can return to when life gets busy again.
We'll finish together before saying goodbye and heading home.
Hopefully rested.
Definitely well fed.
Possibly with several new WhatsApp contacts.
And with a little more understanding, confidence and compassion for the woman who's been through all of this.
You.
Where will you stay?
Your space in Devon
After everything your body and mind have been through, having somewhere you can properly switch off matters.
So your accommodation isn't just somewhere to sleep between retreat sessions.
It's part of the retreat.
A place to close the door.
Take your bra off.
Put your pyjamas on ridiculously early if you want to.
Read.
Nap.
Have a cup of tea in peace.
And have some time when absolutely nobody needs anything from you.
Choose the space that feels right for you
We have a small selection of individual accommodation options at Yonder Meadow, each with its own character.
Prices vary depending on which accommodation you choose, so you can select the option that feels right for you and your budget.
Most of the accommodation gives you your own private space.
That feels particularly important on this retreat.
There will be plenty of opportunity to spend time together — eating, talking, learning, laughing and sharing — but you don't have to be with the group every minute.
If you've had enough conversation for one day, you can retreat to your own little space and close the door.
No explanation necessary.
Prefer to come with a friend?
You can do that too.
One of our accommodation options sleeps two people, so if there's someone you'd love to experience the retreat with, you can book to come together.
Perhaps it's someone you met through treatment.
Perhaps it's a friend who's had a similar experience.
Or perhaps you've both been saying for ages that you need to get away together.
This might be the opportunity to actually do it.
And if you're coming alone, please don't think everyone else will arrive in pairs.
Coming by yourself is completely normal and very welcome.
With no more than seven women on the retreat, you won't disappear into a large group — and you certainly won't be the only person wondering slightly nervously what everyone else is going to be like.
A little bit rustic. A lot special.
This is countryside accommodation rather than a conventional hotel.
That's part of its charm.
You'll be surrounded by nature, with space to breathe and places to sit, talk, wander or simply do nothing.
There's a hot tub for long soaks, a cold plunge for anyone feeling considerably braver, and a firepit for evenings when nobody is quite ready to go to bed.
It's relaxed.
It's informal.
And you don't need to dress for dinner.
Bring comfortable clothes, something cosy and absolutely nothing you feel you ought to wear.
Which accommodation should I choose?
When you click through to book, you'll see the available accommodation for your chosen retreat date, with photographs, details and the price for each option.
Choose the one that makes you think:
“Yes. I could happily disappear in there for a few days.”
The accommodation price may vary, but the retreat doesn't.
Whichever option you choose, you'll receive the same retreat experience — including all meals, coaching, menopause support, sessions, activities and follow-up.
Your room may be different. Your place around the table is exactly the same.
Clover - a unique and beautiful wood wagon. Think wood, copper, brass. Just for you. Ensuite shower room. Prices from £800
Daisy - a spacious log cabin. Chunky beams. Room to breathe. Just for you. Ensuite shower room. Prices from £800
Willow - unleash your inner gypsy. A gypsy caravan in the woods for one person. Nearby shower and compost loo. From £650
The Beehive - a croft style holiday cottage with a double bed and single bed, suitable for friends coming together. £650 per person when two are sharing, £999 if just for one (email me on takeamenopauseandbreathe@gmail.com if you want to book this as solo accommodation).
Want to stay offsite but attend the retreat for all the events and facilities? Come as a day retreater and enjoy everything that everyone else is but without accommodation. £400 for the 4 days.
