Everything I Know About Hosting, I Learned at My First Retreat

You’ve heard that saying, “practice makes perfect,” well, that couldn’t be truer for my first two retreats. I made a lot mistakes and lost a lot of money. Instead of dwelling on my mistakes and wallowing in self-pity I chose to learn from them and move on as well as forward.

My “why” for wanting to host retreats wasn’t (and still) isn’t to make money. It’s to create a safe and welcoming space where guests can show up exactly as they are, not who they are trying to be and to be met with love and support. When I completed yoga teacher training in 2018, I realized that was the first time that I had been in a room full of strangers where everyone was so open and loving and so damn supportive. Knowing that the majority of people are not going to sign up for a yoga teacher training, I knew I could create a similar feeling but in a different type of experience; a retreat instead of a training.

I had a lot of expectations before I hosted my first retreat. Some were met, some were exceeded, some were a total disaster and some were complete surprises. In fact, there were many more surprises than I had anticipated.

I had scouted the location for my first retreat in in northern Michigan in late April which happened to be the resort’s off-season. When I returned to host the retreat in August, it wasn’t peaceful and serene like I had remembered. Instead, it was packed with vacationers, most of who were very drunk and very loud bachelor parties. Not only did they disrupt our days when they were out on the golf course, they also partied late into the evening. It sounded like we were rooming with a fraternity. I hated it and vowed to never host in a non-private setting again.

I also hated that we had to use the resort’s kitchen staff. Not only did this make my schedule way less flexible, I also thought the food was terrible and over-priced. I haven’t hosted without my own private chef since that first one. I now have the flexibility to change the schedule if I need to. My chef sometimes packs meals for us so that we have more flexibility with the length of an excursion. And most importantly, with a private chef on my team, we can easily accommodate all of the food allergies, restrictions, and concerns that our guests have.

Since my first retreat, I have always had a professional photographer as a co-host and that has proved to be more valuable than I initially anticipated. I was planning on having better content for marketing but I totally overlooked the fact that our guests would LOVE to have their photo taken by a pro. We now have to allow more time for photo sessions on excursions and I love when guests get into it.

I figured out the hard way that I needed more time to launch my retreat, too. That was an expensive mistake. My first retreat launch, I only allowed for 3 months prior to the retreat start date and most of my guests need about 4-6 months (up to 12 for international) to leave their families and responsibilities. I didn’t have an audience built yet either, so I would have been better off starting with a smaller offering, both for time and money.

Live and learn I did, and I do not have any regrets.

If you’d like to fast forward past the “making expensive mistakes” part, I’d love to help!

So what do you say? Are you ready to finally pull the trigger and host the retreat of your dreams?

My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am retreat host, travel designer, and a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.

I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things.

My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.

Anna VanAgtmael | Retreat Host | Travel Designer