A cocooned weekend to soften, listen and return to yourself

Set within a private luxury estate near Launceston, Cornwall, The Return to Self Retreat is a three-night, 4 day women’s retreat designed to feel spacious, nourishing and deeply held.

Across the weekend, you’ll be cared for with Mediterranean-style food by private chef Nina, gentle movement, reflective workshops, cacao, ritual, energy work, aromatherapy, sound, and time to enjoy the pool, hot tub, steam room and quiet corners of the estate.

This is not a packed retreat where every hour is scheduled.

It is a carefully curated experience with enough structure to guide you, and enough spaciousness to let your body receive it.

A weekend to rest properly.
To be beautifully nourished.
To understand what has been draining you.
To reconnect with your body, energy and self-trust.
To return home clearer, softer and more connected to yourself.

This is for a small intimate group of women - maximum group size of 12 women.

You may arrive carrying more than a suitcase.

You may arrive carrying the inbox, the decisions, the family logistics, the work tabs still open in your mind, the emotional weight of everyone else’s needs, and the quiet exhaustion of always being the capable one.

You may arrive with a full life and a tired body.

A beautiful life, even.

But somewhere beneath the roles and responsibility, there is a part of you asking for space.

This retreat gives you that space.

A cocooned private estate.
Nourishing Mediterranean-style food.
Gentle movement.
Deep rest.
Guided reflection.
Ritual.
Sound.
Energy work.
Time in the pool, hot tub and steam room.
Space to read, walk, talk, breathe, or simply be.

Enough structure to guide you.
Enough spaciousness to let your body receive it.

Across the weekend, you’ll be guided to understand what has been draining you, reconnect with your body and energy, release what no longer needs to come with you, and create practical anchors to support your return home.

Clearer:
With more language for what you have been carrying and what needs to change.

Softer:
With a body that has had space to rest, breathe and stop bracing.

More self-trusting:
With tools to notice self-override and choose from your own inner knowing.

Reconnected:
With a felt sense of the woman beneath the coping.

Not fixed. Returned.

Everything is optional you can take part in as much or as little as you would like through the weekend, this is your space and you can use it as you need to.

The Return to Self Retreat will be held at Tregulland & Co - a private luxury estate near Launceston, Cornwall, tucked away in its own valley, surrounded by 16 acres of open land, woodland, water and wide Cornish skies.

Joanne chose this venue for its cosy luxurious feel and autumnal vibes as we start to cross the threshold of seasons. It is a place where the outside world feels far enough away for your body to finally exhale. A place with room to gather, room to retreat, room to wander, room to be quiet, and room to let the weekend meet you at your own pace.

The estate offers space to walk, breathe and step away from the noise.

There is woodland, open land, water, and the feeling of being cocooned from everyday life.

You do not need to go anywhere to feel away.

One of the most special parts of the estate is the Pool House — a restorative space with an indoor heated freshwater pool, steam room, showers and an outdoor wood-fired hot tub.

A swim between sessions.
A quiet steam after emotional work.
A soak in the hot tub beneath the evening sky.
A moment where your body gets to feel cared for without needing to explain anything.

There will be spacious time woven into the weekend to enjoy the pool, hot tub and steam room, because this retreat is not about filling every hour.

The pauses are part of the medicine.

Treatments will be offered at an additional cost.

The estate has beautiful communal spaces designed for gathering, resting and lingering.

There are places for shared meals, fireside conversations, quiet cups of tea, journalling, reading, and moments where you simply sit and watch the weather move through the valley.

This matters.

Because the women who come to this retreat are often used to being switched on, available and responsible.

The house offers something different.

Space to be with others without performing.
Space to be alone without disappearing.
Space to let conversation happen naturally.
Space to feel held by the environment, not just the programme.

We have a beautiful Old Workshop where our workshops and beautiful energy work will take place.

Food is a central part of the retreat experience.

Across the weekend, you’ll be cared for with beautiful Mediterranean-style meals by Nina, who also cooked for Joanne’s previous Cornwall retreat and was one of the most-loved parts of the experience.

Her food was described as delicious, nourishing, healthy and deeply supportive - the kind of food that helps your body feel cared for, not restricted or overcomplicated.

Sunday lunch will be the main meal of the day, with a lighter buffet / meze-style supper before the evening sound journey.

All dietary requirements will be catered for.

“The food was amazing and so nourishing.”

The retreat is guided by Joanne Turner, with carefully selected practitioners joining at specific points to support the journey through movement, sound, aromatherapy, crystals and deep rest.

This is not a collection of separate workshops. Each experience has been chosen to support the wider arc of the weekend: soften, listen, release, reclaim and return.

Joanne holds the emotional and energetic pathway throughout, so you are not left to piece the experience together yourself.

The weekend follows a gentle but powerful arc.

Soften
Let your body stop bracing.

Listen
Hear what has been buried beneath the noise.

Release
Put down what is no longer yours to carry.

Reclaim
Reconnect with your energy, desire, boundaries and self-trust.

Return
Take home practices and anchors that help you keep coming back to yourself.

Each signature experience has been chosen to support a different part of the journey — from understanding how you became disconnected, to softening the heart, reclaiming your energy, and taking home anchors that help you return to yourself in everyday life.

The core retreat arc is confirmed. Some practitioner-led elements may be gently refined as final details are confirmed, and parts of the experience may be shaped around the women in the room. The intention and transformation of the weekend will remain the same: to support you to soften, listen, release, reclaim and return.

The Woman in Between - How did she get here?

The woman in between did not arrive here by accident. She arrived here through years of being who she thought she had to be: capable, responsible, pleasing, strong, useful, successful, low-maintenance, emotionally contained, and the one who holds everything together. In this signature Saturday workshop, you’ll work with The Three Women Within: The Woman I Learned To Be, The Woman In Between, and The Woman Returning. This is not about blame. It is about seeing the pattern clearly enough to choose differently.

Cacao & Kintsugi Heart Ritual - A heart-opening process of repair and reclamation

Following The Woman in Between workshop, we’ll move from the mind into the heart. You’ll be guided through a cacao journey followed by Joanne’s signature Kintsugi Heart Ritual - a symbolic practice of reflection, repair and reclamation. This ritual invites you to honour what has cracked open, what you have been holding together, and what part of yourself you are ready to reclaim with compassion.

Fire Pit Threshold Ritual - Releasing what no longer needs to come with you

On Saturday evening, we’ll gather around the fire pit for a threshold ritual of release and reclamation. You’ll be invited to release what you are ready to stop carrying and light a lantern as a symbol of the inner light you are choosing to protect and carry forward. Each guest will take home her lantern as a reminder of the threshold she crossed.

The Energy of Self-Trust - Reclaiming your energy, truth and inner authority

Sunday morning is about reclaiming your energy, your truth and your inner authority. This interactive workshop explores energy in a grounded, everyday way - as your capacity, your boundaries, your body’s signals, and the places you give yourself away. Empowerment cards will be used as reflective prompts to help you access the question beneath the noise.

Crystal Workshop - Choosing your energy anchors

This gentle crystal workshop will explore crystals as supportive anchors for grounding, clarity, heart connection and energetic balance. The intention is simple and practical: to help you choose physical reminders that support you in pausing, grounding, listening and returning to yourself.

Create Your Return to Self Aromatherapy Blend - A sensory anchor to take home

On Sunday afternoon, you’ll create your own personal aromatherapy blend to support calm, clarity, grounding or reconnection. This blend becomes a sensory anchor to take home - a scent you can return to when life gets noisy, and a reminder of how it felt to soften, listen and come back to yourself.

Candlelit Sound Journey - Deep rest and integration

On Sunday evening, the retreat will close with a candlelit sound journey for deep rest and integration. After a weekend of reflection, release, energy work, ritual and reconnection, this final sound experience gives your body space to receive and settle without needing to process anything else through words.

The timings below are a guide and may be gently refined as the final programme is confirmed. The weekend will also be held responsively around the needs and energy of the group, so there is space for the experience to breathe. Spaciousness, rest and integration will remain central throughout.

Friday 30 October - Arrive & Exhale

Crossing the threshold. Friday is your soft landing. You’ll arrive at the estate, settle into your room, explore the space and begin letting the outside world fall away. The evening includes arrival from approximately 4pm, welcome drink or tea, Mediterranean-style dinner by Nina, opening circle with Joanne, blue lotus tea and meditation, and optional pool, hot tub or quiet time.

Saturday 31 October - Soften & Listen

The woman beneath the roles. Saturday is the deeper recognition day. The day includes gentle morning movement, breakfast, The Woman in Between workshop, cacao journey before lunch, lunch by Nina, Kintsugi Heart Ritual after lunch, spacious free time, dinner by Nina, and Fire Pit Threshold Ritual.

Sunday 1 November - Reclaim & Restore

Your energy, your truth, your return. Sunday is practical, empowering and restorative. The day includes gentle morning movement, breakfast, The Energy of Self-Trust workshop, crystal workshop, spacious pause before lunch, big Sunday lunch by Nina, free time for spa facilities or optional treatments, aromatherapy blend workshop, light buffet/meze-style supper, and candlelit sound journey for integration.

Monday 2 November - Return Gently

Integration and taking it home. Monday is about integration. After breakfast, we’ll gather for a closing circle and create your Return to Self Integration Plan. Departure is late morning, approximately 11am.

Please note that the final agenda will also be shaped based on attendee needs and will be discussed with you personally before a personalised agenda is sent out to each attendee. 

Guide. Mentor.
Space Holder. Woman.

Joanne Turner is the founder of The Zen Academy and the guide holding the emotional and energetic pathway of The Return to Self Retreat.

After 20 years in the corporate world, Joanne understands the high-functioning woman from the inside — the woman who looks capable and composed, while quietly feeling far from herself underneath it all.

Across the weekend, Joanne will guide the deeper journey of the retreat: helping you understand what you have been carrying, soften the patterns that keep you over-functioning, and reconnect with the woman beneath the coping.

Joanne Turner is the founder of The Zen Academy and the guide holding the emotional and energetic pathway of this retreat.

“Joanne holds the room with a presence that is both grounded and uplifting. She has a rare gift for guiding energy.”
- Retreat guest

Words from women who joined Joanne’s previous Cornwall retreat.

“This was a transformational weekend for me. Joanne holds space like I’ve never experienced.”

“A brilliantly curated retreat. Jo tailored it to the participants... I left with new friends and a full heart.”

“What surprised me the most was discovering I have the ability within me to connect closer to myself.”

“I haven’t felt this peaceful in myself in years and years.”

“The venue was fab and it made it feel extra special. The food was delicious and really healthy.”

Moments from our last Cornwall retreat

A glimpse of the warmth, nourishment and connection from Joanne’s previous retreat by the sea.

One of the things women often remember most is not just the setting, the food or the practices — it is the feeling of being alongside other like-minded women.

There is something quietly powerful about being in a space where you do not have to explain yourself so much. Where conversation opens naturally. Where laughter softens the edges. Where support is felt in the small moments as much as the big ones.

The connection created across a retreat weekend is hard to put into words, but it is often one of the parts women carry home with them.

Questions before booking?

A few things women often wonder before joining a retreat.

If you still feel unsure, you’re welcome to ask Joanne a question before booking - hello@thezenacademy.co.uk 

Do I need to know anyone else coming?

No. Many women come to retreat alone.

You will be welcomed gently, and the group will be held with care from the moment you arrive. There will be time to connect with the other women, but also space to be private, quiet and completely at your own pace.

You do not need to arrive knowing anyone. You only need to arrive as you are.

What if I feel nervous about coming?

That is completely normal.

Many women feel nervous before a retreat, especially if they are coming alone, travelling further from home, or know they may be giving themselves permission to soften for the first time in a long while.

The retreat is intentionally small, warm and gently held. Nothing is forced, and you will never be expected to share more than feels right for you.

If you feel nervous beforehand, you are welcome to ask Joanne any questions before booking or before arriving.

Will I have to share personal things in the group?

No.

There will be opportunities for reflection, journalling and group sharing, but you will never be asked to speak about anything you do not wish to share.

You are welcome to participate quietly. Listening is also participation.

This retreat is designed to feel emotionally safe, spacious and respectful of your privacy.

What if I do not feel comfortable participating in part of the retreat?

You can participate in as much or as little as feels right for you.

This is your retreat. If at any point you need time out, quiet space, a walk, time in your room, or a moment to integrate, that is completely welcome.

The programme is there to guide you, not to pressure you.

Is this retreat very spiritual?

The retreat includes a gentle layer of energy work, ritual, cacao, crystals, sound and intuitive reflection, but it is grounded in the body, emotional reconnection, nervous system support and practical tools.

You do not need to identify as spiritual or believe anything specific to feel held here.

The intention is not to make the retreat feel overly spiritual, intense or inaccessible. The practices are there to support reflection, release, grounding and reconnection in a grounded and meaningful way.

Is this a therapy retreat?

No.

This retreat is not a replacement for therapy, medical care or mental health support.

It is a reflective, restorative and transformational retreat for women who feel ready to reconnect with themselves in a supported group space.

There will be emotional depth, but this is not an intensive trauma-processing retreat. The work is held gently, with choice, privacy and care.

What should I wear?

Please bring loose, comfortable clothing that you can relax and move in.

Layers are recommended, especially as the retreat is taking place at the end of October and some parts of the weekend may be outdoors, including the Fire Pit Threshold Ritual.

You may also want to bring:

• warm jumpers or cardigans

• comfortable socks or slippers for inside

• swimwear for the pool, hot tub and steam room

• a warm coat for outside

• comfortable shoes or boots for walking in the grounds

• something cosy for the evening sound journey

You do not need to dress up unless you want to. Comfort is the priority.

Do I need to bring mats, blankets or cushions?

This will be confirmed in your pre-retreat information.

The intention is to provide what is needed for the main retreat practices where possible, but you are very welcome to bring anything that helps you feel more comfortable. A full packing list will be sent before the retreat.

What food will be served?

All meals are included from Friday evening to Monday morning.

Food will be prepared by Nina, who catered Joanne’s previous Cornwall retreat and was one of the most-loved parts of the experience.

Expect generous, nourishing Mediterranean-style food that feels grounding, healthy, beautiful and supportive — not restrictive or overcomplicated.

Sunday lunch will be the main meal of the day, with a lighter buffet / meze-style supper before the Sunday evening sound journey.

All dietary requirements will be catered for.

Will refreshments be provided?

Yes. Drinks and refreshments will be available across the weekend.

More detailed information will be shared before the retreat, but the intention is that you feel well cared for throughout your stay, with nourishing food, drinks and space to make tea or pause between sessions.

Are treatments included?

Optional treatments may be available at an additional cost.

These are not included in the retreat price and will be confirmed separately once practitioner details are finalised.

There will also be spacious free time across the weekend to enjoy the pool, hot tub, steam room, reading, walking, resting or simply being in the house.

Can I pay in full?

Yes. If you would prefer to pay in full, this option is available through the booking process

What if I am running late on the day?

Arrival is expected between approximately 4–5pm on Friday 30 October.

If you are running late, please let Joanne know as soon as possible so she can advise you. Depending on timings, the retreat may need to begin before your arrival, but you will be welcomed and settled in as gently as possible when you arrive.

Full arrival details and contact information will be sent before the retreat.

What time does the retreat start and finish?

Arrival is expected between approximately 4–5pm on Friday 30 October 2026.

Departure will be late morning on Monday 2 November, around 11am, to be confirmed.

Exact timings will be confirmed in your pre-retreat information.

Where is the retreat?

The retreat will take place at a private luxury estate near Launceston, Cornwall.

Full address and arrival instructions will be shared with booked guests before the retreat.

The venue is a cocooned private estate with beautiful living spaces, private grounds, a pool, hot tub and steam room.

Is there parking at the venue?

Yes there is plenty of parking.

Parking details will be confirmed in your pre-retreat information.

Can I travel from further afield or overseas?

Yes. Women travelling from further afield or overseas are very welcome.

Full travel guidance will be shared before the retreat, including recommended arrival times, local transport options and details to help you plan your journey.

If travelling from overseas or a long distance within the UK, you may wish to arrive in Cornwall the day before or stay locally afterwards to make the journey feel more spacious.

Travel to and from the venue is not included.

Are there any restrictions or precautions for attending?

This retreat includes practices such as cacao, sound healing, energy work, gentle movement, meditation, aromatherapy and use of spa facilities.

Some practices may not be suitable for everyone, including those who are pregnant, have certain heart conditions, sound-induced seizures, severe tinnitus, complex medical needs or severe mental health concerns.

Cacao may not be suitable for some heart conditions or certain medications.

If you are unsure whether the retreat or any part of it is suitable for you, please contact Joanne before booking. You are responsible for making sure the retreat is appropriate for your own health and wellbeing.

You will also be asked to complete a short wellbeing form before the retreat.

Do I have to use the pool, hot tub or steam room?

No.

The spa facilities are available for you to enjoy, but there is no pressure to use them.

You are welcome to spend free time in whatever way feels most supportive — swimming, resting, walking, reading, journalling, chatting or simply being quiet.

Will I have my own room?

There are private ensuite rooms and shared twin ensuite places available.

Private ensuite rooms are for women who want their own quiet space to rest, retreat and integrate.

Shared twin ensuite rooms are ideal for friends booking together or women who are happy to share.

Can I book a shared twin room if I am coming alone?

Shared twin rooms are best suited to friends booking together.

If you are coming alone and would like to share, please contact Joanne before booking so she can advise what may be possible and ensure it feels comfortable and aligned.

What if I am not sure whether this retreat is right for me?

You are welcome to ask Joanne a question before booking.

You do not need to have a call before reserving your place, but if you would like to talk through the retreat, room options, travel, payment plan or whether it feels right for where you are, you can contact Joanne first.

Will alcohol be included?

Alcohol is not part of the retreat offering, and we ask that guests do not drink alcohol during the weekend.

The retreat has been created as a clear, grounded and deeply held space, with reflective work, energy practices, cacao, sound, ritual, spa facilities and emotional integration woven through the experience.

For that reason, the weekend will be alcohol-free, apart from a small optional celebratory glass of bubbly at a suitable moment.

The focus is on nourishment, rest, clarity and reconnection.

Can I come if I have never been on a retreat before?

Yes.

You do not need previous retreat experience. The weekend will be guided gently, and everything will be explained as you move through it.

You do not need to arrive knowing exactly what you need. You simply need to feel that this space is calling you.

The full cancellation and refund policy can be found here: https://www.thezenacademy.co.uk/flourish-weekend-retreat-booking-terms-conditions/

Please read this carefully before booking, as your deposit secures your place and retreat spaces are limited.

Send an email to hello@thezenacademy.co.uk and we can help you decide if this is the right fit or why not book a call with me to discuss further.