About Fristad Collective
Fristad (pronounced FREE-stahd) is Swedish for "safe haven" or "sanctuary." A place of safety and protection where people could find refuge.
Women are navigating systems that were not designed with their lives in mind. Caring responsibilities fall disproportionately on women. Work traditionally performed by women is paid less. The cost of childcare limits workforce participation. One in four women experience intimate partner violence. Superannuation balances reflect decades of structural disparity. Even research funding has historically prioritised men’s health over women’s.
These are not isolated issues. They are the cumulative result of systems and social norms that were not built with women’s lives at the centre.
Structural change is where the real work happens, and those conversations need to continue. In the meantime, women need somewhere to stop and recover clarity.
That is what we build. A Fristad.
WHAT WE DO
Fristad Collective offers retreats, workshops, and resources to support self-understanding and agency.
HOW WE WORK
Some of what we offer is fully funded and free, like She Rises Retreat, because the women who most need rest and restoration the most are often the ones given the least financial breathing room.
Some of what we offer is paid, with considered pricing and occasional sliding scales, because sustainability matters and allows the work to continue and expand access over time.
All of it is designed to remove barriers and prioritise self-understanding over self-optimisation.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Growth happens when people are given safety, not shame. Space, not pressure. Access, not gatekeeping.
That is what Fristad Collective stands for, whether the offering is free or paid, whether it is four days at a retreat or five minutes with a resource on your phone.
HI, I AM ANDREA
I’m the founder of Fristad Collective. I grew up in Sweden and moved to Australia in 2015.
I have never been good at accepting that things just are the way they are. I looked at what was on offer for women who were exhausted, overstretched, and ready for something to shift, and I kept seeing the same gap. The support that existed was either out of reach financially, or it was asking women to optimise rather than actually understand themselves - their patterns, their relationships, what’s getting in the way and what they actually want their lives to look like. I wanted to build something different. So I did.
Here's what I believe:
We are not broken. We are tired, overstretched, and often disconnected from ourselves but not in need of fixing. Self-understanding > self-improvement.
Agency matters. When people understand their brain, their patterns, and their inner world, they reclaim choice.
Growth is not linear. Pauses are not failures. They are often where the most important work happens. And it's okay to change our minds. Many times.
When people are supported with honesty, care, and curiosity, the impact reaches far beyond the individual. It ripples into their relationships, their work, and their communities.
Access is not a nice-to-have. The women who often need rest and restoration the most are often the ones the system has given the least financial breathing room to. That is a structural problem. And it’s one I refuse to design around.
We can do better.
These beliefs are the foundation of Fristad Collective, and it shapes every space, conversation, and offering I create — including She Rises Retreat.