May 27 – June 1, 2027

This is for you.

If you are reading this, some part of you already knows that the way you have been doing things is not sustainable. You have been holding it together with extraordinary skill and at extraordinary cost. You show up. You deliver. You carry more than anyone can see.

And you are exhausted in a way that sleep is not fixing.

I know that exhaustion. I have lived it.

The Still & Sovereign Retreat exists because I know what becomes possible when you finally stop performing and start being.

Maybe you already know all of this. You coach it, champion it, or live it professionally. And yet here you are, still running the deficit, still putting yourself last. This retreat is not an introduction to rest. It is the space where you finally do it. And do it in style!

This is my invitation. Read it as the love letter it is.

Join the waiting list

I’ll send one email with the early bird rate when 2027 places open – unsubscribe anytime.

The first Retreat just ended. Here’s what guests said:

• “Rare, precious, and very much needed” – Em, 2026 guest
• “I felt 100% still and sovereign” – Em, 2026 guest
• “Unlocking my life’s thesis is the greatest gift that this retreat gave me.” – Latrice Torres, CEO, LeaderKeys
• “An excellent mix of serious time and silly time” – Asmara, 2026 guest
•  “The best retreat ever” – 2026 guest
• “20/10 experience” – LH, 2026 guest

This Retreat Is for You If…

You are an introverted woman, Black, of the Global Majority, a neurodivergent woman, or a woman committed to social justice, who has been running on empty for longer than you want to admit.

• You feel drained by constant social interaction and need real, uninterrupted alone time to recharge.
• You have been telling yourself you will rest after the next thing. And the next thing never stops.
• You are done with advice that treats you as the problem. You know the system is the problem, and it is failing you.
• You believe rest is a right, not something to be earned, but you do not yet know how to claim it without consequence.
• You are ready to stop performing and willing to disrupt the patterns that are keeping you depleted.
• You are ready for a week where you are held, not managed.

Photo credit: Lisa Hurley

This Retreat Is Not for You If…

• You are looking for a quick fix or a productivity hack.
• You can only see the value of more, not the blessing of less.
• You are not ready to genuinely disconnect for five full days.
• You want high-energy group dynamics and a packed social programme.

I See You

The world was not built for you. That is not a metaphor. The systems you navigate every day were designed to extract maximum productivity while making you believe that your need for different conditions is a personal failing.

If you are an introverted Black woman or woman of the Global Majority, the weight is exponential. You are masking your personality and your culture simultaneously. You are managing other people’s comfort while suppressing your own needs. You are twice as good and half as rested, and you have been this way for so long that depletion feels like normal.

A lack of psychological safety and the need to mask are documented chronic workplace stressors for women navigating intersecting marginalised identities. For introverted women carrying the additional weight of racial and cultural code-switching, that compounds. Your exhaustion is not a character flaw. It is a predictable outcome of an unjust system.

It is not normal. And it is not inevitable.

I know this because I have spent more than 20 years as a Reiki practitioner, studying how energy moves and what happens when it is chronically depleted. I also know it because I lived it. There is another way to operate. I have found it. And I want to share it with you.

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Why I Built This Retreat

This is not a programme I designed from theory. It is the distillation of more than 20 years of practice, as a Reiki practitioner and an introverted Black woman. I have learned the physical cost of failing to set boundaries around my energy. And eventually, I said “no”.

The deepest transformation I have personally experienced has always come from getting away. From distance. From stepping out of the daily demands long enough to actually hear myself. On the other side of those experiences, I showed up with more agency, more power, a better sense of what I needed, and the ability to demand it.

That is what I want for you. That is why this retreat exists. And that is what we will build together in Barbados.

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Five Days in Barbados

There is a reason I chose Barbados specifically. It has something rare: a culture that values warmth without overwhelming energy. You can engage when you want. Retreat when you need to. No one questions it.

Barbados is one of the safest Caribbean destinations. The weather is consistently beautiful, 25–30°C with warm ocean. UK, Canadian and US citizens do not need visas. Direct flights from London, Toronto, Montreal, New York and Miami make it accessible.

But here is what matters more: the energy is grounded. The moment you arrive, you feel it. A warmth that goes beyond temperature. A pace that does not demand constant motion. A culture where rest is not treated as laziness.

For five days, the default setting will not be ‘do more.’ It will be “do less”, because you are already enough. That shift alone is worth the journey.

La Maison Michelle: A Statement About What We Deserve

This villa is owned by a Black woman of Barbadian heritage. That is not incidental. It is central.

Michelle C. Ifill has created world-class luxury with intention. Every detail reflects her vision of what Black women deserve when we are not accommodating other people’s comfort. Part of my commitment to anti-racism work is supporting businesses that create economic empowerment in our communities. When we spend money with Black women-owned businesses, we are not just purchasing a service. We are redistributing resources.

And when you’re relaxing in the infinity pool at sunset with a rum punch in your hand, that standard becomes something your body remembers

Your home for five days includes:

• Luxury en-suite accommodations
• Rooftop infinity pool with panoramic Caribbean views
• Private chef-prepared meals using local ingredients
• Villa manager and full staff
• Spaces designed for both gathering and solitude

The Experiences

Each excursion is chosen to honour introvert energy: culturally rich, beautiful, with built-in options for engagement or quiet observation. Some of you will want stillness. Others will want gentle movement and exploration. Both are equally right. The schedule holds space for both.

• Oistins Famous Fish Fry: authentic Bajan flavours and music. A true taste of Barbados you won’t want to miss
• Luxury Sunset Catamaran Dinner Cruise: turquoise waters, a stupendous sunset, optional snorkelling. Or just float and observe. The food is delicious.
• Animal Flower Cave: the perfect spot to relax, unwind, and enjoy the beauty of Barbados at its northernmost point.
• Floating Sound Bath: lounge in the pool while enjoying sound healing. Water and sound combined create the ultimate relaxation.
• Rooftop Party with Live Steel Pan: optional evening celebration. Join or enjoy the music from your room.
• Bajan Cooking Lesson: learn how to prepare a local specialty
• A la Carte Spa Services: available at the villa. Book what calls to you.

A Typical Day (Not a Rigid Schedule)

This is a rhythm, not a requirement. If you need to skip something to recharge, do it. This retreat honours your autonomy.

The Brunch and Learn sessions are designed to give you tools you can carry home with you: restoration practices that build your personal toolkit. Sharing circles are an invitation; no enforced round-robins. Each day has a theme and each Brunch and Learn session builds on the last.

The afternoons are less structured: excursions and gatherings chosen to let your body embody what the morning began.  Evenings drift: live steel pan, a playlist someone queued, singing if the moment calls for it.

What Changes

By the end of the retreat, you will understand what has been draining you, have firmer boundaries with scripts to back them up, and know how to reclaim your time.

Thirty days after Barbados:

• You will have experienced a standard of rest, space, and care that was designed entirely around you, and you will leave knowing that standard is not a luxury. It is what you deserve. That knowledge does not leave when you board the plane.
• You will have built trust and connection with a phenomenal group of women.
• You will experience replenishment (not expectations of productivity) in a carefully curated space.
• You will have a daily restoration practice that takes minutes, not hours.
• You will know your personal energy equation and be protecting it deliberately.
• You will have boundaries in place that are holding, with the language to back them up.
• You will be operating sustainably rather than running at a deficit.

The shift is not just practical. It is how you see yourself. You move from adapting to the system, to the system adapting to you. From ‘I will rest when it is done,’ to ‘rest is how it gets done.’ That is impact without exhaustion. Not as an aspiration. As a lived reality.

Why This Works When Other Things Have Not

• Built for introverts by an introvert. Not adapted from extrovert solutions. Your depth is your strength. Your quiet is your power. I will never ask you to perform your recovery.
• It addresses systems, not just you. This retreat names white supremacy culture, capitalism, and the patriarchy explicitly. Rest as resistance. Boundaries as radical acts. Personal liberation and systemic analysis together.
• Twenty years of lived and practised knowledge. This is not theory. It is the distillation of two decades as a Reiki practitioner and the hard-won knowledge of someone who has walked every step of this path.
• Small moments, not grand gestures. What I wish someone had told me earlier is that you do not need a sabbatical. You need small moments of restoration, practised consistently. That is what we build.
• Intimate by design. Maximum eight women. No forced networking, no icebreakers, no performance. Just quiet connection developing naturally over five days.
• Balanced to meet our energy needs: We go deep, and we laugh, sing, dance and have fun. Both matter.
• Built for women who already know the theory. You do not need convincing that rest matters or that boundaries are necessary. You need the conditions to finally practise what you already know. That is what these five days are for.

This Gathering is Unique

Not because there will not be future retreats. But this specific group of women, in this specific moment, will create a very special experience. The women in this room are not beginners. They are the ones who have been doing the work for others for years. This is their turn – your turn.

How We Keep This Space Safe

• Pre-retreat connection call: meet everyone and set intentions before you arrive.
• Built-in alone time: space for solitude and individual processing is protected.
• You get to choose – your energy sets your schedule, and you are free to opt out of what doesn’t serve you.
• Intimate group: eight women maximum. Meaningful connection without overwhelming energy.

What Is Included

• Five nights luxury accommodation (27 May to 1 June, 2027)
• Daily brunch and afternoon tea
• Three chef-prepared dinners
• Sunset catamaran dinner cruise
• Animal Flower Cave tour
• Bajan cooking lesson
• Floating sound bath
• Rooftop party with live steel pan
• Daily beach access with transport
• Transfers to retreat venue (27 May & 1 June)
• Local transport within 3 miles
• Villa manager, chef, and full staff
• Pre-retreat connection call

What Is Not Included

• International airfare
• Travel insurance (highly recommended)
• Oistins Fish Fry meal (affordable, pay as you go)
• A la carte spa services
• Extra beverages beyond meals
• Staff gratuities (at your discretion)
• Personal expenses

Cancellation Policy

Due to venue commitments, the full investment is non-refundable at the point of booking. Travel insurance is strongly recommended to protect your investment in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

If we cancel the retreat for any reason, you will receive a full refund.

Send any cancellation queries to hello@sharonhurleyhall.com with a copy to jazz@villalamaisonmichelle.com.

Questions You Might Have

How do I know if I’m ‘introverted enough’?

If you feel drained by constant social interaction, need alone time to recharge, and often feel pressure to perform or mask your natural tendencies, you belong here. You do not need to fit a textbook definition.

What if I need to work during the retreat?

The villa has Wi-Fi. But consider: if you cannot step away for five days, that is exactly why you need this.

I have dietary restrictions.

Share them during registration. We will work with the venue to accommodate you: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies, whatever you need.

Can I bring someone?

This is designed for individual transformation. Come solo and give yourself the full experience.
(If you really want to bring a friend, get in touch for double occupancy options.)

Weather in May?

25–30°C (77–86°F), warm ocean, outside the hurricane belt. Consistently beautiful.

Visa requirements?

Most people, including citizens of the UK, Canada and US, don’t need visas to enter Barbados. Check the rules for your country on this Barbados Government website. Passport valid for duration of stay required.

Is this only for Black women?

I am committed to centring Black women’s experiences and wellbeing. All introverted women who resonate with the retreat’s values are welcome.

Is there an age or professional requirement?

No. This welcomes introverted women at any age and any stage.

Here Is What This Is Not

• A spa retreat where you get massages and return to the same patterns.
• A networking event where you collect business cards and feel exhausted.
• Generic wellness advice about bubble baths and saying no.
• About fixing your introversion or making yourself more palatable.

This is about learning to operate on your terms in systems that were not designed for you. That is different.

Your Permission Slip

You do not need to earn this. You do not need to wait until you are more burnt out. You do not need anyone’s permission.

Except maybe your own.

You have been telling yourself you will do something like this when things slow down. When the timing is better. When you have achieved the next thing.

Things will not slow down. The timing will not get better. There will always be a reason to wait.

What if the only reason you need is that you deserve to operate from fullness instead of fumes?

Eight women. Five days. One chance to learn a different way.

I hope you will join us.

Join the waiting list

About Your Guide

I’m Sharon Hurley Hall. I have spent more than three decades as a journalist, author, and educator.

I am not offering you this retreat because it seemed like a good idea. I am offering it because I have lived what happens when you finally get away from it all. I came out with a better sense of what I needed, having given myself permission to make ME a priority.

That is what I want for you.

This did not come to me overnight. Over 20 years as a Reiki practitioner, I have understood energy: how it flows, how it gets blocked, and what it costs when you keep giving it away. I also learned the hard way. I exhausted myself for others to the point of illness. At a certain point, I had to say enough is enough. I started managing my energy, setting boundaries, and standing firm in them.

What I’m offering you in Barbados is the distillation of that journey. Not theory. Twenty years of practice, lived experience, and the hard-won knowledge of what it actually takes to stop the depletion and build something sustainable.

What I also know, and wish someone had told me earlier, is that you do not need a sabbatical to start restoring yourself. You need small moments, practised consistently. That is what we will build together.

The first Still & Sovereign Retreat ended recently. ‘Curation’ was the word my guests came back to: care, detail, energy, laughs.

Today I live my mantra, impact without exhaustion, by prioritising my restoration, creating space for insights, and being intentional about my time. Still & Sovereign is not just the name of this retreat. It is how I operate. And for five days in Barbados, it is how you will operate too.

Want the other credentials? I’m the founder of Sharon’s Anti-Racism Newsletter and the SHHARE anti-racism community. I’m also one half of the award-winning Introvert Sisters podcast team. And I have led and co-led teams to create Reiki gatherings and a well-attended holistic health fair. I hold MA degrees in Media and Cultural Studies and in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. And I’m the author of I’m Tired of Racism: True Stories of Existing While Black and Exploring Shadeism,

Questions about the retreat?
Email hello@sharonhurleyhall.com with ‘Retreat Question’ in the subject line.

Questions about La Maison Michelle?
Email concierge@villalamaisonmichelle.com

Join the waiting list

I’ll send one email with the early bird rate when 2027 places open – unsubscribe anytime.