Heyyyy! I’m writing to you from Paris (I’m spending a month here with my daughter) but not too long ago, I was having a different kind of adventure…
I hosted a weeklong retreat in Italy and another one in Scotland. Which one was my favorite? Literally impossible to choose. Check out the retreat highlights (down below) and you’ll see what I mean.
I hope these stories and photos inspire you to throw yourself into a beautiful adventure this summer—whether it’s a trip to a foreign country, or a trip to a hiking trail five miles outside of town, or simply a corner of your own city that you’ve never visited before.
Life is short, and we’ve got see the world and make memories while we can. Get up. Book something. Lace up your sneakers. Make it happen. You will not regret it…
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ITALY
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We took a class Mamma Agata’s cooking school in Ravello. Hello, pasta!
Oh, no big deal… just sailing on a private yacht off the coast of Capri. One of my retreat guests (Miz Laura Wagner) said it looked like a scene from Duran Duran’s “Rio” music video. So true. LOL.
photo by Susan Honnell
photo by Susan Honnell
photo by Susan Honnell
One of my favorite moments of the trip was… lounging on the beach with fresh peach sangria and grilled mozzarella on lemon leaves. Bikinis. Sandals. Beautiful female bodies of all shapes and sizes. Celebrating the joy of the sun on our skin and living full out.
One woman said, “I have to remind myself that the stress and nonsense in my regular life is the illusion, and THIS is real. Italy with like-minded women. The love and the respect for truly living… THIS IS REAL. Drama at home is NOT.”
Hell yes to THAT.
photo by Susan Honnell
photo by Susan Honnell
Oh yeah… the chef at our villa just happened to be the 3-time reigning pizza champion of Italy. Holy mozzarella. Check out this awesome video.
This was our final dinner at the famous Chez Black. I could hear the surf rolling in, and see the twinkly lights of Positano coming on as the sun set. Each woman at the table took turns sharing one thing she loved about herself. Tears.
After the retreat ended, I stayed at a hotel in Naples for one more day. I peeked outside and realized that a Pride Parade was going right by my window.
Eeeee! I cried, waved, and danced in the window. Magical.
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SCOTLAND
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That moment when you summon a falcon and it lands right on your outstretched arm and you’re like, “Is this real life?”
I’m obsessed with the book (and TV) series called Outlander, which is set in Scotland, so obviously we did an Outlander-themed historical tour. Oh, the kilts!
Did I mention we literally slept inside a Scottish castle? We pretty much lost our minds. My assistant Ashley kept exclaiming, “We’re eating inside a castle!” “OMG, we’re having tea inside a castle!” “Susan, we’re dancing IN A CASTLE!!!!”
The scenery surrounding the castle was unreal.
There was this moment at dinner one night… I could hear the fire crackling behind me, I was watching the champagne fizz in my glass, and I was looking around at these remarkable women—moms, entrepreneurs, community leaders, writers, activists, coaches, healers—and listening as they shared their stories and their goals, and I thought to myself, “It does not get better than this right now.”
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NEXT UP
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And THIS October, I’m doing a retreat in GREECE.
There are still has a few bedrooms available. You can see all the info here. (We’re staying in Santorini. OMG.)
If you want to come… save the date, make your deposit, and then leap out of your chair and squeal with joy because there’s SO MUCH AMAZINGNESS to look forward to. Yesssssss!!!
“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”
–Anonymous
Whether it’s a $7 movie ticket, a $7,000 cruise, or a walk down an unfamiliar street that costs nothing at all… there are so many experiences that you can seize and savor in this life. Taste all the flavors. Wear all the colors. Travel. Explore. Sleep inside an actual, OMG-for-serious castle at least once in your life, if you want to. Make memories. And make your fantasies come true.
