What Happens When Women Give Themselves Permission to Rise?

There are some experiences that stay with you long after they end.

The Anchor & Shift Retreat was one of those experiences for me.

A beautiful group of women came together to reflect, create, laugh, stretch, rest, connect, and think differently about what it means to move forward while Rising in Age.

We talked about mindset.

We talked about the words we use to define ourselves.

We challenged the idea that getting older means becoming less visible, less relevant,

or less capable. Instead, we explored what it means to reframe aging as Rising in Age—bringing our wisdom, experience, confidence, and curiosity forward with us.

We also talked about becoming our own best cheerleaders.

That matters.

Because there comes a point when we have to stop waiting for someone else to tell us we are ready, worthy, or capable of trying something new.

Sometimes we simply have to decide that our next chapter is still ours to create.

And I believe the opportunities in front of us are far greater than we sometimes allow ourselves to imagine.

One of my favorite parts of the retreat was leading an art experience.

To the women who trusted me enough to pick up a brush, experiment, play, and create something uniquely their own—thank you.

For some, it was outside their comfort zone.

And that was part of the point.

Creativity gives us permission to quiet the inner critic, stop worrying about perfection and simply explore what might be possible.

Watching that unfold sparked something in me, too.

I’m already beginning to imagine the next retreat experience.

I don’t want to reveal too much yet, but I’m thinking about even more art and creativity, more time outdoors, more movement, more opportunities to reconnect with ourselves—and, of course, the kind of meaningful conversations and community that happen when women intentionally make space for what comes next.

So, if you were not with us this time, I want you to know this:

There will be another opportunity.

And if you’ve been feeling the need to step away from your routine, reconnect with yourself, tap into your creativity, meet other women navigating their own shifts, and simply make some space to think about what’s next... I hope you’ll consider joining us.

In the meantime, I’d love for you to join my Shift Always Happens Facebook group.

That’s where I’ll be sharing insight, encouragement, conversations about Rising in Age, and updates about future experiences and retreats.

To the women who joined me at Anchor & Shift, thank you for trusting the process and bringing such beautiful energy into the room.

And thank you to my co-host Amanda Curd. Her experience, approachable yoga sessions, and calming meditation practices helped create a wonderful, memorable event.

And to those of you reading this who may join me next time, we are not done growing.

We are not done creating

We are not done becoming.

We are Rising in Age.

And some of our most interesting chapters may still be ahead of us.

With love,

Cat