COSTA RICA
WRITERS RETREAT
REVEAL & EXPRESS YOURSELF
$500 DEPOSIT
Creative inspiration is calling.
Will you have the courage to answer?
Have you felt that inner knowing that if you just had time and space set aside to focus on creation, a powerful message would be unleashed for the benefit of humanity?
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Maybe it’s the thing you can’t stop thinking about. Or perhaps it’s that little nagging thought at the edge of your consciousness that just won’t leave you alone.
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Maybe you can’t shake the feeling that there’s a message you are meant to share with the world. Perhaps there’s a defining experience that made you who you are today, and you feel called to pass what you’ve learned on to others.
Join us on a
writers’ retreat
When you give yourself time and space, you can do the deep work necessary to bring forth the message only you can in the most impactful and inspirational way.
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Ultimately, our intention for you is to reconnect with parts of yourself that have been neglected and to shine a light on parts of your story you are ready to release by devoting uninterrupted time and space to start (or perhaps complete) your book. During our time together, you will be nourished and supported—and reminded that the writing process does not need to feel arduous or solitary.
It’s not just about setting aside the time to write (although that may be a big part of the appeal for you and we don’t want to discount it!)—it’s about the synchronicities and surprises that are sure to show up when you answer the call to gather with us in this sacred creative energy.
You might come in with a specific plan and measurable goal (e.g. a number of words to write or chapters to complete). Equally, you might have no idea what you want to create during our time together—and that’s OK too!
One thing we know for a fact:
The writing process is sure to be transformative. If you say yes to this retreat, you will not be the same person by the end as you were when you arrived.
In this supportive and transformational experience, you can expect to:
Connect with your divine nature and remember who you are and what you have to share.
Learn to free and express your authentic voice.
Awaken and unleash your creative life force energy.
Learn techniques to remove writer’s block by becoming a channel for what desires to flow through you.
Receive direct one-on-one and group feedback.
Gain insights about the publishing process and next steps for your book.
Share your wisdom and expertise for the benefit of others in the group.
Leave with an inner-standing of how to turn your message into an inspirational book.
Costa Rica Writers Retreat at Sonora Jungle & Yoga Retreat
Your Investment: $3,000 USD
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A $500 USD deposit is required to reserve your spot. The remaining balance will be due on 9/1/22.
Not included in this price are your round-trip airfare to SJO (San Jose, Costa Rica) airport and other optional activities and services you may choose to add on.
After making your deposit, you will receive an email with information about when to arrive, what to pack, and other logistical details.
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Don't miss your chance to take part in this intimate retreat experience—just 10 rooms are available!
Your retreat investment includes:
Six nights’ accommodation on a lush property in Costa Rica.
Well-appointed and comfortable accommodations in a private room* with private bathroom, electricity, hot water, and wifi. (We encourage you to minimize your online time to be present during this retreat, and we also know being connected can be important to stay in touch with loved ones and to back up the work you complete while here.)
Transportation via private shuttle from SJO (San Jose, Costa Rica) airport to the retreat property and return to SJO.
Healthy vegetarian meals (plus snacks and beverages) each day to nourish and replenish your body and soul and stoke your creative fire. We are able to accommodate most dietary needs and requests with advance notice.
Daily workshops and activities related to writing, publishing, connecting with your intuition, and other topics relevant to the creative process.
Daily guided sessions of gentle movement (such as yoga) to support your body and keep the energy flowing.
Healing and grounding ceremonies to support you in connecting to and honoring your experience.
A 60-minute one-on-one call with one of our book doulas to help you speak into your vision.
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A post-retreat integration call for the group.
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Access to an online writers’ community to support you once you return home.
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A life-changing experience to support you as you bring your message into the world!
* If you wish to attend with a friend or partner and share accommodations, you can book two spots (double occupancy) in the retreat for $4,999. Please email hello@awakenvillage.com for personalized payment links if you wish to split the payment between two people.
Join us on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast to be steeped in nature. Immerse yourself in resplendent biodiversity and let the magical vibration of your surroundings inspire you. The retreat will not only help you set aside the time and the headspace to get some writing done; the energy of the place will transform you. The story you write here won’t be the same one you would have written at home, as the retreat program and setting help you open up to new perspectives and possibilities.
Sonora Jungle & Yoga Retreat Center is a four-hour drive from the San José airport through the mountainous cloud forest of Costa Rica. Surrounded by a spectacular black sand beach, ancient trees, colorful flowers, and a symphony of animal sounds, this is the perfect setting for creative inspiration and personal transformation. The decor is modern and minimalist with elegant details. With fine linen and cotton fabrics and the warmth of Caribbean wood, you will feel welcome and comfortable. The property includes group gathering areas, a yoga space, and a swimming pool, as well as well-appointed guest rooms with private bathrooms.
Sonora works with local eco-sustainable companies and farms to serve tasty and healthy dishes with ingredients that complement the warm hospitality of the guest service team. Property owner and chef Alessandra puts her heart and passion into the meals served on site. Having lived in Italy and India before coming to the Caribbean, she infuses the retreat center’s culinary creations with flavor combinations that surprise and delight. The retreat center uses the best organic ingredients from local farms, including indigenous growers who use natural methods. Some items (such as the bread and jam for breakfast) are produced with love right here at Sonora. All meals for our retreat will be vegetarian.
Meet your retreat guides
Amanda Johnson
Amanda has one mission: to inspire others to reveal and express more of who they truly are. One way she does this is through her work as a writer, editor, and book doula, guiding other authors to reveal and express their message in the most authentic and impactful way. She is the author of Becoming Enough: A Heroine’s Journey to the Already Perfect Self, the founder of Awaken Village Press, and the host of the Being Inspired Radio Show.
In the process of bringing her own inspirational book—along with many others’—into the world, she has discovered that one of the most important elements for completing a book is a quiet mind with clear access to your inner truth and most authentic self. As a book doula, it is her privilege and responsibility to guide and create the container for you to tap into your divine energy in the most ideal environment in preparation for birthing your book into the world.
Elizabeth Gudrais
Elizabeth’s initiation into the Awaken Village Press approach to artistic creation came during the 2019 Costa Rica retreat, so she is thrilled to be helping to facilitate a similar experience for participants in the upcoming retreat. The 2019 retreat was a life-changing experience for Elizabeth, challenging her to step from her “comfort zone” (a foundation based on her education in literary theory and analysis) into a more intuitive approach not bound by prescribed principles or established formats.
Books and language have been Elizabeth’s playground since she was a little girl, and she delights in guiding others to become more comfortable in the world of literary forms and the written word. She is also the facilitator of the Awaken Your Book five-month group program for writers. When she is not supporting Awaken Village Press authors, Elizabeth is at work on two books of her own (with two more book ideas after that). With broad and deep experience in magazine and newspaper journalism, as well as editing and ghostwriting, Elizabeth possesses keen insight to crystallize the heart and essence of your book and find an effective structure to make your unique message both beautiful and impactful.
Jaime Fleres
Jaime Fleres is a writing maven + transformational depth coach devoted to supporting people in discovering their soul purpose + unique voice so they can unabashedly express themselves + their ideas in the world.As a book coach + editor, Jaime supports creative professionals on a mission to write the book that can only be born through them. She is passionate about helping healers, coaches, therapists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries write non-fiction and memoir books to transform lives and support others.
Jaime is the author of Birth Your Story: Why Writing About Your Birth Matters (2017), the Honoring the Whole Astrological and Lifestyle Planner (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), and The Author Playbook, which she shares with her coaching clients. She has many more books patiently awaiting her attention.
Jaime holds an MA in Writing, with an emphasis in teaching writing, and a BA in Women’s Studies and English, both from San Diego State. She is a former college writing professor at colleges in California and Minnesota.
Jaime also practices Shamanic Astrology, transformational depth coaching, + sound medicine. She has led workshops and retreats all over the world and is often asked to guest teach in high-level coaching and wellness programs.
When not engaged in the world of writing + healing, Jaime loves to travel, sing, revel in nature, dance, read, paint, eat tacos, and sip rose tea. Jaime currently lives in the sacred Blue Ridge mountains of Asheville, North Carolina.
SophiA Hardy
Born from a long lineage of Celtic and Druidism, SophiA comes from a heritage of medicine women, witches, and healers—powerful women who worked with plants and herbs, who were deeply connected with nature and her wisdom. They are still alive within her; their presence flows freely through her blood. Since a young age, magic, miracles, and strange occurrences have flowed through and around her. She struggled to see their blessings, and for a long time chose to run away from her gifts and magic. Instead, she chose to be a businesswoman of the Matrix. She also chose to become abandoned, to lose everything to become a single mother of five, fending for the life of her children. Life has shown her that she is strong and resilient—and that she can evoke the warrior within.
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The last 30 years of her life have been spent in Central and South America with indigenous communities and shamans. She immersed herself in their ancestral wisdom, their medicinal plant ceremonies, and their legends and lores, connecting with the secrets and sacredness of life.
For those in search of transformation, rebirth, and connection with the soul, SophiA provides powerful, magical, and unique support. Through her ceremonies, workshops, retreats, shamanic immersions, and one-on-one sessions, she teaches you how to live in an abundant, natural, and authentic way, following your intuition and using your power and gifts.
Claudia Gallo, RYT 500
Originally from San Jose, Costa Rica, Claudia spent more than a decade traveling, living, and teaching around the world. She lived and taught mostly in Malaysia, but constantly took workshops and other trainings in other parts of Southeast Asia and the USA, always deepening her practice and learning creative ways of sharing the yoga traditions. She has recently moved back to Costa Rica and is one of the in-house yoga instructors and the retreat manager at Danyasa Yoga Eco-Lodge.
Claudia did her first 200-hour teacher training in India at Himalaya Yoga Valley in 2011, and her 300 hours were completed in 2017 in New York at YogaWorks. Claudia also has a vast interest in healing and restorative practices, which led her to dive deeper into energy work, yin yoga, yoga nidra, and most recently, expressive embodiment practices.
As a third-generation instructor with a background in sports and adventure, Claudia possesses an energetic yet serene personality that invites you to a journey within. Her well-rounded classes focus on the awareness of the body, importance of the breath, calming of the mind, and opening of the heart—inviting you to a deeper connection and balance of the mind, body, nature, and spirit.
Committed to sharing wellness in an integrative and functional way, Claudia’s events, workshops, and retreats reflect the love and passion she has for the practice—qualities she is able to transmit so practitioners' hearts are touched and inspired to look within, tap into their inner wisdom, and come back into full trust.
“I’m walking away a completely different person than when I came. Part of this experience has been reflecting back on the story we’ve been told of who we are. We’ve done some work on rewriting that story, and that’s helped me to write a new story for myself and empowered me to step forward into my truth and let the words flow.”
Trish Campbell, Costa Rica Writers Retreat participant
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