she rises retreat
Rest is not a luxury. It is A foundation.
A Free, Fully Sponsored Four-Day Retreat |
2-5 October 2026 | Mudgee, NSW
For women who are usually excluded from wellbeing spaces. Not because they don't need them, but because they can't access them.
Women are praised for resilience, but rarely offered rest .
What She Rises is
She Rises is a free, four-day retreat grounded in rest, reflection, and collective strength.
Over the October 2026 long weekend, ten women will come together at Zensi Retreat in Mudgee, New South Wales for nourishing food, restorative practices, and guided reflective work.
This is not about starting over or becoming someone new.
It is about creating the conditions to come home to yourself.
She Rises is intentionally designed to remove the barriers that usually keep women out of spaces like this — financial, practical, and psychological.
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Fully sponsored. No hidden fees.
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No expectation to share, fix, or transform.
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You are not broken. You are rediscovering.
Who this retreat is for
She Rises is for women who are often left out of wellbeing initiatives.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Women carrying unpaid or invisible care work
Single mothers who never gets the chance to stop
Women navigating illness, burnout, loss, or major life transition
Women rebuilding after violence, displacement, or control
Care workers and other essential workers always caring for everyone else
Women who simply never come first
This retreat is for women who feel stopping is not an option.
Women who have been strong for a long time.
And women who hear a voice inside asking:
What if things could be different?
This is not a spa weekend. You won't leave with a massage and a face mask. There is rest, yes. Deep, restorative rest. But also reflective work that helps you understand your patterns, reconnect with your values, and reclaim choice over what comes next.
This retreat is for women who want more than escape. Women who sense that pause + reflection could unlock something they've been too busy to access.
You do not need to be at breaking point.
You do not need a polished story.
You just need to recognise that this space matters.
The Space
She Rises Retreat will be held at Zensi Retreat, a calm, modern sanctuary in Mudgee, NSW.
Open fields. Quiet skies. Clean lines. Soft light.
A yoga studio, pool, magnesium bath, sauna, and spaces designed to breathe.
The environment is intentional. It tells the nervous system it is safe to slow down.
The accommodation will be shared twin or triple share rooms.
A DAY AT SHE RISES
Saturday
7.30 –
9.30am
9.30am
10.30am
12.00pm
3.00pm
4.00pm
6.45pm
8.15pm
Breakfast
Come when you are ready. Fresh food prepared by Actively Nourish
Morning movement and grounding
Somatic movement and gentle grounding to open the day · 45 min with Ruby
What Actually Matters Workshop
A values exploration. Our values shape everything. When life pulls us away from them, we lose our footing. This session is about recognising what matters most · Andrea and Berit · 90 min
Lunch
A long, leisurely lunch prepared by our on-site caterer.
Breathwork
A guided breathwork session to transition into the afternoon · 45 min with David
The Patterns We Live In Workshop
An exploration of the behavioural patterns we find ourselves in. How stress and old patterns shapes the way we show up, and how awareness is the first step to changing it · Andrea and Berit · 90 min
Dinner
An intimate evening meal prepared by Actively Nourish · Shared table, good conversation
Sound bath
A restorative sound bath to close the day and help you sink into the best sleep you have had in years
Every day is thoughtfully designed to give you time to breathe as well as time to go deep. Please note the schedule is subject to change as we finalise the program.
What to expect
This is not a self-improvement retreat.
No productivity hacks.
No forced vulnerability.
No expectation to leave transformed.
Instead, She Rises offers:
• Guided group sessions focused on reflection, nervous system awareness, and agency
• Restorative practices that support deep rest and embodied insight
• Space for solitude alongside shared conversation
• Nourishing food and unhurried days
• A pace that allows insight to emerge rather than be forced
The work here values self-understanding over self-optimisation.
Gentleness over urgency.
Empowerment over performance.
Who holds this space
ANDREA MOLANDER - Founder & Host
Andrea is the Founder of Fristad Collective, with an educational background in behavioural science and a decade of experience working in organisations supporting individuals and teams through change.
She Rises Retreat is founded and hosted by Andrea, who brings thoughtful, grounded facilitation to every aspect of the retreat. Her ethos centres on agency, reflection, and creating psychologically safe spaces where insight can emerge without pressure or performance.
Berit Fahlen - Psychotherapist & Co-Host
Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA) and Teaching & Supervising Transactional Analyst (TSTA)
Berit is a Senior Psychotherapist with more than 35 years’ experience as a practitioner, trainer, and supervisor. Her work is grounded in psychoanalytic and transactional analysis traditions, bringing depth and relational insight to reflective work.
Berit’s approach is guided by a deep curiosity about people’s “why,” and a commitment to supporting individuals to reconnect with who they are beneath roles, expectations, and long-held patterns.
Ruby Chapman - Movement, Sound & Ceremony
Ruby is the co-founder of Zensi Retreat and a sound healer, movement teacher, meditation guide and ceremonialist. She works with the body, breath, mind and sound to create experiences that invite genuine rest, reflection and presence.
At She Rises, Ruby weaves her practice through the retreat -holding space for women to arrive, to move, and to settle into something deeper
DAvid Leonard - Breathwork Facilitator
David is a certified breathwork practitioner and self-described former sceptic - it was his own transformational experience with the breath that changed things for him, and eventually changed the direction of his life.
He brings warmth, humour and genuine heart to every session.
At She Rises, David uses breathwork to transition the energy of the day - creating the conditions for something to shift
Ellie Tough - Clinical Nutritionist
Ellie is a Clinical Nutritionist and Registered Nurse based in Mudgee. She works at the intersection of nutritional medicine and nervous system support, helping women understand how what they eat affects how they feel.
At She Rises, Ellie offers each participant an optional one on one nutrition consultation - no agenda, no pressure, just personalised support from someone who genuinely cares.
Why She Rises exists
Women are praised for resilience, but rarely offered rest.
Celebrated for strength, but seldom supported with space.
This is the contradiction at the heart of how we treat the women who carry the most.
Women are the backbone of families, workplaces, and communities.
They care. They lead. They hold it all together.
And they are given the least margin to stop.
Many women have forgotten what it feels like to pause.
To breathe.
To ask honest questions about their life and direction.
She Rises exists because space to rest creates clarity.
And clarity creates agency.
When women are given time and safety to stop, they begin to reconnect with their own insight, values, and capacity to choose what comes next.
This retreat exists because the system isn't working.
Wellbeing spaces are everywhere.
Access to them is not.
The women who need rest most are the ones who can't afford it - financially, practically, or psychologically.
She Rises changes that.
The philosophy behind the work
Rest
Rest is not a reward. It is the starting point. Reflection provides direction and clarity. From clarity, we rise.
Reflect
We are not broken. We are rediscovering. The strength and clarity we seek already exist. We need space, not fixing.
Rise
Together, we rise. Growth is amplified through connection. When one woman is supported to rise, the impact extends far beyond her.
How to apply or nominate
APPLICATIONS FOR SHE RISES RETREAT ARE CLOSED
You can apply by sharing a short reflection on why this retreat feels meaningful for you at this moment in your life. Applications are submitted via the application form can be submitted in writing or via a short video.
There is also the option to nominate a woman who you believe would benefit from this experience.
A small selection panel will review applications with care.
Selection is not based on writing ability, trauma, or hardship alone.
It is based on alignment with the retreat's purpose and readiness to use this space for reflection and renewal.
15 May 2026: Applications open
06 June 2026 at 12 pm: Applications close
July 2026: Successful applicants notified
2- 5 October 2026: Retreat takes place.
Ten participants will be selected.
Every woman who applies or is nominated will be treated with dignity and respect.
What happens next
She Rises is intentionally small — ten women, four days, one retreat.
If you would like to receive information about the retreat, join the mailing list below.
You'll receive:
• Application updates
• Updates on the retreat as it takes shape
supported by
She Rises Retreat is made possible with the support of our partners. We are grateful to the businesses and individuals who believe this space should exist. Together we rise.
the space. Pilates Studio — Supporting Partner
A note for potential sponsors
She Rises Retreat will happen in October 2026.
The venue and accommodation are secured and paid for by Fristad Collective. This retreat is not contingent on additional funding — it is already underway.
Sponsorship allows us to expand what is possible: better food, richer programming, wrap-around support, and the potential for future retreats.
We partner with sponsors who value accessibility, integrity, and long-term impact. Partners are invited to support something deliberately small, thoughtfully designed, and deeply human.
This is not about branding a retreat.
It is about backing access to space, agency, and collective strength.
If you or your organisation align with this work, let's talk.