RETREAT RECAP

Mexico 2026

Lily pond and cypress-lined garden at Feronia


A week of being held, understood, and gently reminded that hope can still live alongside loss.


A week of being held, understood, and gently reminded that hope can still live alongside loss.

I returned from the 2026 Feronia retreat last week, and I’m still taking it all in. Eight women, all of whom had lost a child to suicide within the last six years, gathered to take time for themselves in the company of others who truly “get it.”

Retreat guests walking across a garden bridge at Feronia

The retreat took place at my friend’s exceptionally beautiful home in Mexico. From the moment the gates open, you’re enveloped in serenity. Towering trees and the gentle bubbling of a Buddha fountain greet you. A stone bridge crossing marks your arrival into a truly magical place.

The people who care for this home are warm and welcoming, and we were truly pampered, with exceptional meals, beautiful bedrooms, and thoughtful attention to the smallest details.

Host preparing food at a table during the Feronia retreat

The moments we’ll remember

Retreat participants practicing morning yoga on the Feronia lawn

So many moments stand out for me. We practiced yoga on the lawn in the mornings with curious peacocks eyeing us. The meals were delicious, prepared with much love and presented with beauty. One evening, we enjoyed Feronia’s outdoor movie experience, complete with popcorn and sundaes. A sudden rainstorm had us dashing for cover, but the staff met us with umbrellas, and honestly, the downpour just added to our experience.

Why we gathered

Retreat participant hiking in the mountains near Feronia

These moments alone would have made it a wonderful getaway. But we were also there for a very specific reason: to make space for our grief, our children, and what comes next.

There is something about being with other moms who understand what it means to lose a child this way. Every story is different. Whatever came before, we all experienced a loss that remains hard to imagine, even years later.

Retreat guests sharing a conversation beside the pool at Feronia

Our time in Mexico toggled between carefree moments together and deep conversations about our losses, our beautiful children, who we are now, and what we want to carry into the future.

Together, we created an ofrenda for our children, displaying their photographs and items that represented them alongside the traditional water, food, and marigolds. On our second day, we participated in a temazcal ceremony centered on the theme of rebirth.

Memorial ofrenda with candles, marigolds, and photographs created during the Feronia retreat

Each day, we took time to reflect on a journaling prompt. These prompts gave us space to explore our own thoughts and opened the door to deeper conversations. Alongside all of this, there was hiking, shopping, pool time, and amazing massages.

Retreat participants reflecting together at Feronia

I left feeling lighter, as I so often do after spending time with other bereaved moms. Together, we created space for a true sense of belonging, for feeling deeply understood, and, dare I say, to find hope for the future.

I left feeling lighter, as I so often do after spending time with other bereaved moms. Together, we created space for a true sense of belonging, for feeling deeply understood, and, dare I say, to find hope for the future.

NEXT RETREAT

If you’re longing for this kind of connection, I’ll be gathering with another small group of bereaved moms in Sonoma, California, February 25–28, 2027. I’d love to have you join us.

Explore Sonoma Retreat

Living Forward

Living Forward

A space for grief and wellbeing to coexist.

A space for grief and wellbeing to coexist.