When I entered the online space in 2020, before the pandemic, mastermind retreats were normal. But because of the pandemic, everything moved to completely virtual and retreats haven’t really made a comeback. 

Unless you’re in my world then you DO get retreats.

I hosted three people in my hometown, people I’ve never met IRL, and called it a retreat. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

Less is More when Planning a Mastermind Retreat

First thing is first: if you are someone who wants to plan a retreat…just plan it. 

I had all these thoughts that I needed to be bigger, make more money to plan a retreat. But the truth was it actually wasn’t too expensive. We did a lot of planning and everything was reasonably priced for the weekend. 

It was so fun to put my card down and be able to pay for my clients to eat great food, celebrate what they’ve accomplished, and take a moment to soak up their wins. 

The other piece that was helpful was having someone on site so I could rest and be more present with my clients. It was nice to have an extra set of hands. If I had been by myself it would have been overwhelming to be handling everything by myself. 

I’m not someone who, when I go on vacation, wants a jam packed schedule. I don’t want to need a vacation from my vacation. 

The original part of the plan was to have one day dedicated to business, but when it came down to it, I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to let my clients enjoy Colorado Springs. We planned one activity a day to let them have time to hang out and rest. 

In person is more impactful than Zoom

Being online, on Zoom, having conversations is cool but there’s so much power in being in person.

Having the time to hang out, talk to each other, ask questions and be around each other during the mastermind retreat was really expansive. 

There were multiple times we had conversations around all the things my clients have accomplished, everything they’ve done.  One of my clients who came out, I’ve been working with her since she was a baby business owner, like just getting started. It was so cool to see how her business evolved. 

We talked about so many things, just being vulnerable and open. Building our own jokes and taking in how beautiful Colorado is. 

At the end of the day, you do so much in business so taking a moment to pause and enjoy it with people you know and trust is so valuable and powerful. 

It’s not just a bunch of randos going on a retreat together either. It’s your Mission Income people. People who you’ve been getting to know for six months. Then you get to meet your online biz bestie in person and that relationship deepens. 

Coaching beyond business 

There were lots of moments during the mastermind retreat where I got to coach the person beyond business coaching. 

We went to a spa and all did cold plunges. I remember seeing the cold plunge tub and thinking nope, not going in there. I’m not a cold plunge girlie. I grew up swimming in lakes and that is cold plunge enough. 

But when Rain decided she was going in, I couldn’t let her do it by herself. And then every single one of us got in the cold plunge tub and got coached through the process. 

People think coaching is some hierarchical thing – it’s mostly encouragement and having a deep understanding of what motivates people.

When they get stuck in their head, being able to pull them out of that. When you’re in the cold plunge tank, it’s you vs you in your head. 

So when I coach someone for the next 6, 12 or 24 months, I’m coaching not just business but also you as a person. Like, hey, I know you, I see you getting stuck but I would like to see you grow AND I know you can do it because I’ve seen you do hard things. 

So if you are someone who can’t attend the retreat or join Mission Income, that doesn’t mean there’s no options for in person relationship building. People are craving to be outside their homes and connect with other people. 

There’s something powerful in our brains about being in someone else’s energy and getting out of your comfort zone. Building those relationships is going to help you grow. 
So if you are someone who is looking at Mission Income, want to grow with others and celebrate your wins at the end of the program, lock in your spot for fall because they’re going fast.

Photo by: Alexa Vossler