Retire Happily, a Bespoke Retreat for individuals and couples.

Planning your retirement is important for a few reasons. By having an idea of what it can be like before you get there, you can take the worry out of the experience and enjoy moving to onto the next bit of life.

You've been identified with your work for so long - so now who are you going to be? It's time to discover your answer. By moving past the limitations you may be putting upon the idea of retirement; the ‘what I can and can’t do’ beliefs, you can start to discover what will feel fulfilling and truly make you happy. And you can remove the ‘shoulds’, most of which have been picked up along the way and never questioned. I am a great believer that life, let alone retirement, must never be based on a ‘should’.

Time to rediscover who you are and go and live it!

This retreat is also available for couples. Working out together what your retirement can look like, ensuring that both of you get to include your interests and that there is space for both individual pursuits as well as things you enjoy together can be the key to a happy retirement together. Taking the time to work out what your joint retirement can look like can ensure that you start off on the same page going in the same direction. The couples retreat is over three days and costs €5960.

I've worked with individuals for nearly 20 years and many have been on the brink of retirement. Some have felt lost as to what their retirement can look like, others thought they should go and get a new job because life felt so empty. All of them have moved on to a completely new life that is so full they simply don't know how they could have possibility fitted in a job!

I see my role as helping you peel back the blinkers, discover yourself in a new light, one that is not limited by the title you've held for so long. You can rediscover who you are. Let go of the person defined by your work and reconnect with yourself, your values and your interests that may have gone by the wayside in your busy life. Not only that you may be inspired to deepen your relationship and friendships.

- A minimum of six hours of conversation both days focused on exploring your retirement as well as any questions you bring with you on retreat. Our conversations are an organic exploration of you and your life and what it can look like going forward.
- Free transportation to and from Malaga or Granada airport and around the local area.
- Accommodation and all meals.
- A morning guided meditation.
- A massage on the afternoon of the first day.
- Informal time together for general chats.
- Lots of downtime to reflect on our conversations.
- A going home plan to ensure that you roll out your new life
- The option of having follow-on support sessions after our retreat - see below

Experience shows me that having downtime in a retreat is as important as the times we spend together so I have built in lots of down time. As well as a lovely massage you'll have time for silent walks in the afternoon, or for you just to be still with yourself. These times are key to your retreat to give you the time and space to reconnect to yourself and create the environment for your insights to arise.

We can also take a walk up in the mountains if you like walking. Walking and talking can create many ah-ha moments (walking opens the door to your subconscious) and the scenery is just fabulous!.

We all know how we can go away on a retreat or workshop and arrive home fired up with new ideas only to find that a week later you are back in your same old routine. I don't want that to happen for you.

So you'll have the opportunity to have follow-on support option to help you continue to create your retirement with your new found ideas. We can discuss this option on retreat so that if you choose it you get exactly the support that you want.

First off we'll have a chat to discuss where you are in the retirement process, why the retreat is the right thing for you and what you hope to get out of it. You also get the opportunity to ask me any questions you might have about how the retreat works.

Once we agree the retreat is the right thing for you, we’ll book in dates and I will send you an agreement and joining information for your retreat.

If you are coming to the Spanish retreat the fee includes transfers to and from Malaga airport, accommodation and all meals.

If you choose a virtual retreat you can go on a retreat either in the comfort of your own home or you can go somewhere lovely in your own country to take the time out. The format is very similar.

Just drop me a line

"As a Global HR Director for a FTSE 50 company I knew I wanted to manage the transition leaving a full time corporate role into what ever the future could provide. After a chat with Jessica I felt a high degree of trust which was important and she clearly has a depth and breadth of experience which I was also looking for. It was a great decision.

The retreat was in a fabulous location and from the very beginning i knew it was going to be a great experience. I was able to deal with the endings of a corporate life and consider new beginnings including retirement. It was a great process where I learned techniques that I still use now 4 months after the retreat. It has helped me to transition from corporate life into retirement in a positive and pro active way. Highly recommended."

After renovating the house and taking a few trips, we were both at a loss for what we wanted our third act to be and feel like.
Enter Jessica. We each had one-on-one conversations to clarify our individual needs and values, then came together to start putting in place a roadmap that would guide us through both the practical and the emotional journey of our retirement.
With thoughtfulness, compassion, wit and warmth, Jessica led us through conversations and reflections knowing when and how to challenge our thinking, and help us expand our ability to see further and deeper than we could on our own.
Retirement requires far more intentional planning than we had anticipated. Jessica was the guiding hand that allowed us to start thinking as individuals and as a couple. HIGHLY recommended.

I went along with my husband to the Retire Happily Together retreat, thinking it was really more for him than for me, since I’ve still got another three years before I retire. But it turned out to be wonderful – we both got so much from it. For me, it was a bit of an eye-opener, realising how important it is to actually talk about what I want my life to look like once he’s retired.
I saw that I still need my own bit of downtime – the sort I used to have when he was off at work — even if he’s at home now. Being able to talk that through was really helpful. I also hadn’t even considered planning my run-up to retirement, but now I feel so much clearer about what the next three years will look like. It’s such a relief, I didn’t realise how much I needed that sense of direction until now!

When I was 31 I thought I had everything I ever wanted. I had the husband, the car, a successful job, the thatched cottage with the roses over the door and the multiple holidays. I had everything that was supposed to make me happy, but it didn’t. I felt completely stuck and alone and angry that after all the effort I was deeply unfulfilled and unhappy. In July 1991 I had the courage to say ‘enough’, that there must be more to life than this - and I’ve never looked back since.

What started off as a personal journey of discovery ended up becoming my life’s work. Everyday I wake up feeling blessed that I get to guide, mentor and support people to connect to their heart, discover who they are and go out and live it.

I'd love to help you too.

Often clients request that their company pay for their retreat as part of their retirement support. If you would like to explore this with your company I have some information that you can present with your request. Please let me know when we chat and I can send you the relevant information.

There is no wheelchair access to the main house. However If this retreat is appealing to you but you are worried that it might not be suitable then let's have a chat about it as I can then look for a suitable venue to accommodate your needs.

Spain has finally caught up with the world and so all rubbish is recycled. Local produce is also use when available - especially the lovely freshly squeezed orange juice. And don't forget the local spring water - straight from the Sierra Nevada mountains.

You can book on dates to suit you, both week days and weekends are possible. We will discuss the best time for you to come when we have our initial chat. You will arrive in the afternoon of the first day and we will drive up into the mountains. You will then have two full days on retreat before leaving in the morning of the fourth day.

The price for the retreat for one person - 2 days, 3 nights - is €4260
For couples - 3 days, 4 nights - the price is €5960

You can arrive at Malaga or Granada Airport and we will travel up to the Alpujarras in Southern Spain to one of the traditional white villages called Bubion. Transfers are included in the price - all you need to do is get yourself to Spain!

We stay in a traditional house that I take especially for us so you have a private safe space to discuss whatever you want.