Self-Care for Executives featuring Brie Doyle

Intro 0:05

Welcome to the Gooder podcast where we talk with powerhouse women in CPG about their journeys to success. This episode is sponsored by Retail Voodoo, A brand development firm guiding mission driven consumer brands to attract new and passionate consumer base crush their categories through growth and innovation and magnify their social and environmental impact. If your brand is in need of brand positioning, package design or marketing activation, we are here to help. You can find more information at www dot retail dash voodoo.com

Diana Fryc 0:43

Hi, welcome to the Gooder podcast. I’m your host Diana Fryc. And here are the Gooder Podcast we get to meet and talk with powerhouse women in CPG about their journeys to success. Thanks for joining today. This episode just to let you guys know is brought to you by Retail Voodoo a brand development firm at Retail Voodoo, we build brands, and in the food wellness beverage and fitness categories. Anyone from multinational companies like PepsiCo and Starbucks to Starbucks, like to startups like high key and everyone in between we guide mission driven consumer brands to attract a broad and passionate fan base across their categories through growth and innovation and magnify their social and environmental impact. We have built a proven process after working with hundreds of brands for the past 30 years. So if you’re ready to find a partner that will help your business create a high impact strategy that gives your brand an unfair advantage. Retail Voodoo is here to help just visit us at Retail Voodoo dot com well before introducing you to today’s guest. I want to give a big thank you to Jane Miller of Lilly sweets, the better for you chocolate sweets and treats ran challenging the sugar free market category. You can learn more about them at Lily’s dot com and I just want to thank Jane for making this connection to me and Brie today. So high chain. All right, well today we get to meet a different type of guests for the Gooder podcast with Brie Doyle who hosts transformational wellness retreats throughout the US and across the globe and is the founder of sequel’s retreats. She specializes in curating mental and emotional wellness curriculum for groups, conscious companies, schools and individuals. A yoga and meditation teacher for over 20 years. Brie is the leader in the health and wellness space who helps people heal their past and reclaim their power. Her book, You Should Leave Now: Going on a Retreat to Find Your Way Back to Yourself comes out next week. This week. It just came out

Diana Fryc 2:50

next week comes out next week next week. Oh, hey, I have an advanced copy. So hey.

Diana Fryc 2:57

See lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and three kids. Well, hello, Brie. How are you today?

Brie Doyle 3:03

I’m doing well. Thanks so much for having me, householder. Well, there is good. We’ve been getting lots of rain, which is nice. Actually. Usually it’s so hot. And it’s about to be hot, but it’s nice. Well, okay, well, so what is hot for you? Yeah, I guess I’ve heard you guys have had really, really hot so I guess I shouldn’t even you know, like Upper 90s. But I yeah. But not Seattle, hot. muggy? No. So again, we have dry heat so much easier and makes it so much easier. Yeah. Well,

Diana Fryc 3:36

I wanted to bring you on today, simply because I think there’s a in this book and when it was introduced to me in this book. And then as I started scanning through it and reading it, I was noticing there so much of what you talked about that was really valuable to our audience, really, regardless of gender, but specifically to those women who are operating at the highest level of executive leadership. And, and I thought it would be kind of a nice break for us to talk about kind of self care in a different way. So as I always like to start a podcast, I’m wondering, could you give us a little bit more about what you’re up to maybe start with she glow retreat glows retreats, since that’s kind of where your book originated from.

Brie Doyle 4:24

Yeah, sure. So I started she glows. I guess the starting I’ll happen back in 2016. At that point, my kids were really young and I was kind of struggling Personally, I had left my career as a teacher. And I was home with my kids who were young because my husband was traveling quite a lot and I was just in a kind of a dark place. I I felt sad all the time and I had no energy and you know, I just I felt confused and a bit lost with what my next steps would be. So I had this historical practice of going on personal retreats and I hadn’t done it in a while because my kids are so young, but I But I, yeah, so so then I was I, you know, I reached out to my I spoke with my husband, I was like, you know, I think I need to go on a retreat right now. So I went, and what I realized is not that there was something wrong with me, but that I had just been hemorrhaging all my energy on to everyone else. Yeah. So I came home, and I was like, you know, I know, I’m not the only one who has this challenge. I know, I’m not the only one who’s feeling lost or confused or really depleted, you know. So I, I decided I’d start hosting retreats from that point. And it just started with one retreat annually that I would do, and that hope, hoping to fill that one retreat, and it’s just kind of scaled from that point, which has been awesome. So and I host retreats all over the place, and all different themes and different amounts of time, you know, some of the a week long, and some will be like, just a weekend or even a day. So yeah.

Diana Fryc 5:47

Can you share? What in your, maybe Sarah, what retreat at the definition of a retreat, I think, because I think there’s a lot of people out there that have an idea of what a retreat is, and I think it could be sensationalized through media, maybe you could talk a little bit about how simple a retreat can actually be.

Brie Doyle 6:10

Absolutely. And that’s, you know, that’s really one of my missions is to make it accessible to all people, I think, you know, what we see in the media is like, these glamorous resorts, and, you know, certain body types and certain demographic attending these, you know, week long yoga retreats, or whatever, and that’s, you know, that’s wonderful. That’s an awesome experience to have. But I think the truth of a retreat is really, it’s just a pull away from your day to day life, and make space to kind of reconnect with yourself. And that can be done alone. I mean, I’ve walked through this really specifically, in my book, I think, you know, for some people, it’s really great to join an organized program. But for some people, it’s, it’s better to go and you know, just go by yourself and not rent a hotel room and stay for the weekend by yourself and just read and relax. And, you know, so it’s really accessible to all people. And that’s really one of my main messages. Mm hmm. And I’ve even seen some women and men and frankly, who, maybe a different kind of retreat would be being in the Pacific Northwest, there’s a lot of people that hike on their own out here. And that is kind of their retreat and release at the same time. Like it could be that simple, right? Absolutely. And I, you know, one of the things I’ve done after years of doing that myself, and also studying them and hosting them now is I’ve kind of boiled it down to nine main elements of retreat. So there are nine things that need to be included, in order for it to really be a retreat, because one of the things we see right now a lot of is kind of social parties. Yeah. Is it positioned as a retreat. And I think one of the habit patterns that specifically that women have is we are naturally communal. So socializing is something that we either do and love, or we learn to do, even if we don’t love it, but we know how to do it. Right, right. Oh, so when you go on a retreat, I mean, part of the deal is to break that pattern of constantly socializing, I mean, on my retreats, every single one of them I offer either a day or a period of time of total silence, because I it breaks the pattern of socializing with other folks Not that there’s anything wrong with socializing, just that it’s, it can be exhausting on a really basic level. So again, I nine elements, as you know, I go through this in my book, but to really spell out like, what are the things that need to happen for to really be a retreat and not just like a vacation with girlfriends, which is fantastic and can absolutely feel you but I believe is very different than a retreat, which has a higher spiritual intent. Okay,

Diana Fryc 8:31

well, so then tell us, how about how retreats have changed over the years, I think there’s a growing interest. I also think like retreats kind of came from like, the meditation kind of world, it’s been a bit more normalized, and it’s turning into something different. in your, in your mind, like, or not in your mind, but as you’ve experienced it, why has it changed?

Brie Doyle 8:56

Well, I think, as you kind of alluded to, I think there’s a lot more, you know, we kind of become really interested in curious about things that are happening in the east and as people learn more and more about Buddhism and meditation and Hinduism and all the philosophy, you know, a lot of times America will like swipe the swipe the frosting off the top and create our own. Right. So you know, that’s happened certainly with the yoga world. Like, I know, when I was first studying yoga, I was studying over in Asia, and it was, you know, it was all about who is your teacher? Like, that’s the most important thing is like the lineage under which studying or and the physical part of it was such a small piece of it. Here yoga, it lat I don’t know about where you are, but like, where I live, it’s like, it’s like an exercise class is totally Yes. Right. Yeah. Right. So we kind of take, take the idea and make it our own. And so really, what I’ve tried to do with my retreats anyway, is to have have more of a blending and hold to some of those like principles of what I think like a Buddhist retreat would be which again, Silence includes solitude, it includes like stripping away from like your iPhone, and you’re, like some of those things that we’re so used to, to kind of, to kind of to let the layers fall away so that we can get to kind of the inner work that the retreat is really about. So it’s man, like I said, so it’s not just a party. So you’re back to your question, how I think it’s changed, I think, you know, it really started under the religious context, like you see and hear about, like religious folks doing retreats. Right, right. Yes, that’s true. Right. And I, for me, my first exposure was Catholic nuns was what my mom had told me down in these, this place down in Cresta on where they would stay. And so that was really interesting to me. And but now again, it’s, it’s people are wanting to do this, because I think we’re so busy, you know, we’re so consumed, and we’re so dialed in all the time, that we’re seeking ways to have formal pullouts. Now our life, you know, because it’s not that easy to detach, it used to just be like, Sunday was the, you know, the Sabbath or the day that you spend time with your family or whatever it is. And it’s not really that way anymore, especially now that we have zoom meetings, maybe we can do this Sunday, anytime, anywhere. So I find that, you know, people are looking for, for ways to do this in a more organized fashion.

Diana Fryc 11:13

Yeah. And it’s, it’s interesting that you say that, because as a culture Americans, actually, I think, globally, we’re seeing this, people are pulling away from organized religion, because of the the bad parts of it. I mean, organized religion has some really amazing parts of it. But it’s that the parts and I think those are the parts that we miss. And and I think that retreat component is part of it. And I really do feel like this last 18 months of COVID has really exhausted a lot of people, I think we’ll be learning a lot about how living in a digital universe is taxing to the body taxing to the mind and soul. And so I would suspect, especially with that seems like an exodus in people retiring people changing jobs, they’re saying this is going to be the year of the massive shift where people have are taking stock and what’s important to them where they want to go, etc. It seems like now is the prime time if you can make it to be doing, retreating, whether it’s, you know, at the Holiday Inn in your house, or going to Costa Rica, like you did and doing it was that a week Did you go to that was your first big one at that time, right?

Brie Doyle 12:37

At that time. I mean, I had done a bunch in the past, but at that time, because my three kids were really small. It was I think it was five days when I went I didn’t join a program, I just I wanted to stay you know, I have this kind of weird pride about like staying and really cheap and brunch in places. This time I was this time, I was just so tuckered out that I was like, I want to stay in a nice place I’m going to do. Yeah, so I did that for five days. And I was like, oh, okay, like, I’m, everything’s fine. Like, I’m, I’m fine. You know, and I, you know, in the past, I’ve used retreating as like a tool for healing. And even now, you know, and but I think now, now that I know the practice, so well, I can use it for inspiration to whatever I am seeking, like, like you were saying, like, you know, a new job, or like, what’s the next move for me? Like, I think it’s a great way to kind of learn to hear your own voice again. Well, so

Diana Fryc 13:25

can you tell us a little bit about those early days, and you went to Costa Rica? And then the evolution of this new opportunity, this new world for you? Can you share a little bit about what that was like? And some of the, the wins and maybe some of the hurdles that you experienced in this transition?

Brie Doyle 13:45

Yeah, so starting my business, I you know, my I identify much more as a creative. I mean, my background, I was a teacher for a long time. And I’m a writer as well, I write fiction. So that’s really the we’re had poured all of my energy. So business was not something that I even had on my radar, but it’s something that just kind of naturally came along, because people I would come back from a retreat and people, women specifically would be like, Where did you just go? What were you doing? You’re asking all these questions like, and your husband was fine with that, you know, and I was like, hmm, people are really curious about this and interested in it. So I kind of started to perk up. And then not only that, I used to be a tour guide, too. So it was kind of like, all of the things I loved were compiled into one thing, but it’s so much learning and growth just because it was a new avenue for me, you know, not having I hadn’t had a website before. I hadn’t, you know, all these things that first time business owners have to go through I went through, but it was so fun for me. I mean, it was exciting, and that I have a lot of passion for it, because I knew and I saw how it could change people’s lives. And I do still mean every time I host a retreat, you see transformation and you’re like this is this is worth it. I mean, every time it’s a lot of work, but it’s done with it, you know, yeah, I’m in a different pain point. Now. It’s grown rapidly and so I had for a long time. I was like, I took pride in this like boot strappy deal. And I did everything myself. And you know, you learn quickly that like, that’s, you can’t do that. You burn yourself out completely. Right? I hired some people. So I have some health, which is, again, which is great. So I’m just, you know, what’s great about it is because I don’t have training in business, that’s not like what I spent my whole life doing. I’m really open. And I’m like, Okay, let’s just do this, like what’s needed? Let’s do it. You know, I don’t have all these ideas about how it has to be. And I think my creative background makes it fun and playful for me. So certainly, it’s a lot of work. And there are times when it’s hard, but generally speaking, it’s been really fun. Well, I,

Diana Fryc 15:42

you know, I, you said something that I think is really important that I kind of want to reiterate to a lot of the people that are listening right now, because I had this conversation with Janet Lee, who I interviewed almost a year ago for the show. And we talked about the fact that women have a hard time accepting that we that it’s okay for us to hire help or to or to accept help, just in general. And I think junia rota from brazi bites have the same thing to keep because she comes from Brazil, and she said Americans are crazy. Like in Brazil, everybody has a nanny, everybody has a housekeeper. But whatever reason, in the US you guys are really like stubborn. I don’t know what’s wrong is that we can’t like we can’t grow in our careers. And we can’t have the biggest impact that we can have unless we accept the help and find the help. And I think that is, I don’t know, if you identify that as part of your retreat, or if maybe you just gotten knocked down a little bit from a schedule often enough that you finally Okay, I’m just going to I just got to have some help here.

Brie Doyle 16:45

It’s definitely getting knocked down. I think it was learned by like, I can’t do this anymore. Yeah, I can’t It was my second retreat, I think. And I came home, and I got pneumonia. And I was out. Oh my gosh, you’re right. I mean, I was out for six weeks, like, Oh my gosh, totally. I couldn’t do anything. And so I was like, okay, like, I can’t do this anymore. Because I do I put my heart and soul into this man. That’s why it’s so great and so meaningful. And yet, you know, I can’t be like running around to helping people with their toilets. So, but that’s what I was doing at the beginning. Because I again, I just didn’t know that. I didn’t know. But I just I want to be accommodating. And yeah. Do you want to like really leave an impression for people? I know. Yeah. So so but I’ve learned and I’m grateful, because now it’s like I seek, I have two women who hold really, they’re really good at their roles. And it’s what it just alleviates so much for me. Yeah. And it’s there. They’ve been delightful. So and we like have visions together. I mean, it’s really awesome collaboration. So I’m really grateful. I and I think

Diana Fryc 17:50

there is have you ever heard of landmark that? No? Yeah, of course, I did landmark A long time ago, but I did landmark kind of a little retreat in some way shape, or Yes, a group thing. But one of the things that somebody told me there one time that sticks to me all the time is that Diana, when you don’t ask for help, when you don’t accept help you deny somebody else’s ability or opportunity to be able to give in a way that that is the most powerful for them. So like if I you know, just like, I’ll use a really benign example, like, I use instacart now, and I used to feel totally horrible. I’m paying somebody to do my groceries. When I put that land Mark filter on there. I’m like, I’m giving somebody the opportunity to make a side hustle. And I’m like, Oh, well, when I had that epiphany, I started tipping more. Yes, which I hate, which is something that I was like, okay, somebody is doing me a favor, and they are so happy that they have this opportunity to do it. So I think, you know, kind of along that same line, like, regardless of whether it’s a professional marketing professional or an operations professional or somebody who mowed your lawn, or, or does your laundry or whatever, I think that if we can recognize that those people want to help us not just simply to make money, but because they’re good at it or they enjoy it.

Brie Doyle 19:21

I think we could do ourselves a bit more of a favor in accepting that a little bit more 100% and, you know, to piggyback on that, I feel like women you know, I have a whole retreat on that and masculine and feminine energy and how the interplay between those two and how that influences our intimate relationships. But we talk a lot about women can morph ourselves, we have to be really masculine to be really feminine. We kind of do that. Men tend to be more like they’re born a certain way with a certain level of this much and this much and they kind of stick to that. But women based on what the culture the family the society needs will shift so like if the workplace needs To be really masculine, we can do it, we step right into that, and we do it. And I think those are a lot of the values that are really, like spread and shared and needed in the workplace, let’s say masculine energy, right. But one of the things receiving the feminine energy, right? Yeah. So, so we are culture of women has moved towards, like, overvaluing masculinity, and we kind of detach from like, our thought power, and receiving as a feminine practice, you know, so that’s one of the things that we talk a lot about is like, opening up to receive. I mean, for me, like even this book deal, I was like, for you. I mean, I was grinding and pushing and all of it to try to get this book deal. Not for this book, specifically, but for a past book. And it wasn’t coming. It wasn’t coming. And it was just crushing my spirit, you know. And so finally, I kind of had to, I like, set a little something to myself in my head. Yeah, I’m gonna just I’m gonna let this go. And when it’s ready, it will come. And that’s like, exactly what happened. It’s like the moment I stopped having this, like, aggressive, masculine, nothing wrong with masculine, aggressive energy, but I was over emphasizing that and I let go, then I received exactly what I’ve been chasing for. So anyway, yeah. Interesting. There’s a lot of conversation there. Yeah. Yeah. So you know, kind of going back to the storyline. Yes.

Diana Fryc 21:15

Was there a storyline? Going back to your storyline? Um, what was the turning point for you? Like, Was there some aha moments? That kind of turn the corner for you? Or is there some Aha, I mean, there could be 100 aha moments. Thank you, Oprah. It could be like, what was the aha moment that made you kind of like, press forward on it? And then what were the like, Oh, you know, crap. What is you know, that you’re learning from bad experience or good experience?

Brie Doyle 21:48

Yeah. I mean, there’s been so many. And there’s, I think there’s so many at every turn. I think, initially, again, the first one was just for me, like assessing my own state and realizing how low it was because I don’t tend to live from that state. But I was in a religious state. So that was the first impetus to like, make a move. And then as far as business is concerned, I mean, after the first retreat, I was like, I mean, all kinds of feedback from everyone like holy pally, like, you need to, like, why are you not doing more of these, and it was so fulfilling to me, because I had felt, again, I had felt a loss and almost, you know, of course, like I felt deep meaning with with my children, but I also felt like all my skills and all the work I’d done, like I just had, it had gone, you know, anywhere to directed, receiving that feedback from people, I was like, okay, you know, I’m, I’m ready. And as my kids are now getting older and older, it feels like it’s a natural, you know, progression to be able to step in a little bit more, offer a little bit more. I would say along with that. The challenge is like, you know, they’re older, but they’re not like in college and gone, constantly having to be like, I know, I could go gangbuster, like, I can put everything into this. I could do multiple retreats a month. I mean, I know that and I am probably at some point, I will, but I really have to stay in integrity with myself because I have this like achiever. Yes, energy, you know, so I’m like, go, go, go, push, push more, more. I can do it. I can do it, I can do it. But then I wake up in the middle of the night, and I’m like, you know, my kids like, Oh, you know, so so as my mother knows, it’s like, it’s, it’s the constant conversation. And so I’m not going to, like intentionally pump the brakes in a way that like, I it’s sometimes I wish I could just pull gas it but then I’d regret it. Do you know what I mean? I do. Yes. So I’m just trying to stay in integrity. It’s like, that’s the beauty is like, aha moments, both profound and wonderful, and like, hard and painful, you know, because I don’t want to miss a man. I remember, like, one of my recruits, I was gone. And my daughter got a concussion and like being away for those kind of things. When you’re in another country, it’s just like, Oh, God, like, yeah, this feels hard, you know, but we all we all deal with those things. And it’s a normal part of and it’s in, it’s good for them. You know, it’s like, I know, my husband handled it just fine. And she was totally fine. And it was good for me to be like, they cannot they’re all right, so Okay, so I feel like there’s constant learning and constant aha moments both like yes, this is awesome. And oh dear, I better shift from being a learner is like one of my commitments to myself, like growing is what drives me, you know? So yes, as a result of that, I feel like staying open and shifting and feedback, both spoken and unspoken, is really important to me. So I’m constantly reading and learning and reassessing my programming and as I read I evolved my programs to because I okay, I’m really committed to offering like the latest research that I love science, I love science based health. So I love offering people the latest in what’s out there so that people can have these experiences and really dabble in what’s what there is.

Diana Fryc 24:46

Yeah, yeah. Well, one of the things I’m thinking back to when we prepare for this time together we talked about especially because this is a initiative on on my part is diverse. And I’m not just talking about our sisters of color, but I’m also talking about our LGBTQ community. And talking about our immigrant population, I’m talking about people with disabilities, and how retreats, at least right now, for the most part, feel very much like a privileged opportunity. And yet the benefits would be so far reaching if we could extend it down. And I think some of it still has to do with, like I said, the Hollywood of vacation. But there are some real barriers, first of all, to somebody who might be working multiple jobs, single family, have severe physical disability, time and price are absolute barriers to doing something that’s like a glamorous perspective. And in the meantime, I know you’re trying to kind of normalize it and bring it down and take the the whipped cream part off of it, right. There’s some changes need to happen and whether on how we communicate it, and when we communicated that sort of thing. Can you tell, tell us how you and even the larger community in what you do, are finding ways to educate and include a wider audience in this practice arena?

Brie Doyle 26:22

Yeah, I mean, just around the messaging first to touch on that, I think that it brings me ease to know that this does come from like religious practices in the sense that like, you can go, I mean, before I was doing all of these retreats, when I would go on retreat, I would go and stay in a monastery for $30 a night and out, all food was included. And it was like, literally, there was a desk, there’s a desk in a bed, and it was vegetarian food. And it was very austere, and it was super basic, you know, but like, I like that’s what you want to attend. You know what I mean? Like that. And I and I hear what you’re saying about like taking time off, if you’re working multiple jobs, or you don’t have childcare, all of those things are real things. And yet, you know, if you can find your if your sister can watch your kids for one night, so you can go have like a one night, I mean, even that is significant, because I think, otherwise, we go through our lives, and we just have our heads down, and we just plow right through. And so no matter what your circumstances, there are ways, you know, that’s the great thing about really opening up this conversation, that it’s not about the place or the anything, it’s just about going inside of yourself. That’s all. So it doesn’t have to be so glamorous. And so I think that’s really important. I mean, I have a blog that I do regularly, not in the summers, because I take the summers off, but I do really regularly and I speak about this event in my blogs, too, because I do think I don’t want cost to be prohibitive for folks. And I, you know, I’m having a big event on Tuesday, and I’m having a couple people come on scholarship, I offer scholarships from I posted my big Costa Rica retreat. That’s a commitment I have as well is that I believe that the people who probably need this the most who could bet not not the most, but the people who could benefit as much as anybody else. Can’t make it because of those very reasons. So, you know, I think we have to keep having this conversation. Certainly, like all the inequities that are present right now are not going to be all solved in one quick minute. But I think how the conversation like you’re doing is so important than just opening it up to all people and really starting to say like, yes, I do have to work these two jobs, and I deserve a little space for myself to no matter what, you know. Yeah, yeah. Well, let’s,

Diana Fryc 28:28

let’s talk a little bit about your book. And as I flipped through it, and I was, and I was honest, before we hopped on the call that I have only just started reading, when I say only just reading it, I’m like 10 pages then. So I haven’t gone into the meat of it. But I have skim the contents. And and I’m curious. So You Should Leave Now: Going on a Retreat to Find Your Way Back to Yourself So is this book a direct translation of the work that you’ve been doing with, you know, from the retreat perspective, or is this something else?

Brie Doyle 29:04

Yeah, it’s, you know, it’s both, I would say I have that my book is broken down into four sections. And the first part of the book is like the call to retreat. It’s really the commentary on the feminine the female predicament and the American predicament and kind of how we’re living our lives. And what about that is not working so well. And why reading is so important. So the first section is really research based. We don’t get into that real heavy on my retreats necessarily. As I spoke about earlier, each one of my retreats has a different theme. So we’re focusing on masculine and feminine aid. Sometimes we’re focusing on personal growth work, sometimes we’re focusing on triggering holiday. I mean, it’s all Yeah, the book is really you My hope is that someone can pick it up and read it and from it, they can it’ll motivate them to go on their own retreat. You know, they have all the tools that they need to go do it on their own, or they can figure out this so the second section is about the How to so it’s, it’s where you figure out like do I go by myself or do I go on an organized program so it kind of walks you through like What do I need right now and it’ll change every time, you know, one time, it might be great to go in organized one, it might be good the next time to go on a solo one, you know, I hope that retreating is more of a tool regularly as a proactive mental and emotional health piece, because that’s the thing about mental and emotional health, we only hear the horrifying statistics, you know, we think of health, we think of like broccoli and skinny jeans, we don’t think of like, you know, mental health and what that really means. So all we hear those statistics, so, so retreating is really a tool for being proactive. So the second section is all about that. The third section is about what actually happens when you’re on retreat, because I believe there’s what I call the internal emotional and energetic trajectory that we go through. And it’s the same every time. So when you go on a retreat, you’re going to hit all these specific stages. I spell that out so that when you’re on retreat, and you’re hitting one of the hard moments, it’s not like okay, well, I better leave, I’m done. Because those hard moments That’s right, before you have your breakthrough, right. So, so spelling that out for folks makes it so you know, you know, okay, this is normal, and I’m just in one of them hitting my wall. This is how I phrase it. And it’s about transitioning home, because that’s a real stage, too, that people don’t generally talk about, you know, you come home from this experience, you feel like your life is completely transformed or shifted, or you want to shift this and shift that people ask you one question, and then they’re done. And that’s fine. But it’s hard sometimes when you’re really trying to make significant changes. So the last section is about that. So it’s, you know, it, there’s certainly lots of things that happen on my retreat that’s in the book and examples and things like that, but it’s it’s its own entity to its really the aim is to put retreating on the map as a as a tool for folks to use.

Diana Fryc 31:38

Well, I what I love about that is, again, kind of going back to what retreating is and what retreating isn’t, you know, it just is doubling down on the fact that you don’t have to spend a lot of money in order for there to be a lot of value from it. And I love that you provide this, you know, this great tool in for people. It’s a kind of like, it could almost be a one on one, especially to the uninitiated. Like, here’s what it could be like, you’re fine. You don’t want to commit to it. Just read through this. Tell me what you think. I love it. Yeah. And so what why was it now why was why the book now,

Brie Doyle 32:25

because I do think we’re in a unique because I do think we’re in a unique period of time, and that we are so connected all the time. And I just think that this is not a you know, we hear about retreats, but it’s not positioned as a tool for everyone to use at all times. We hear all kinds of things about meditation and mindfulness and breath work and all these different things which are fantastic, but and can be transformational too. And I just, I felt like this is another tool to be in, for folks to use to access no matter what you’re going through. So I felt like now is a really important time, especially given post COVID. You know, people are needing whether you’ve been living alone, and that’s been really hard and not find an organized program, because that’s the other thing that a lot of people have stripped away, I certainly feel like I’ve kind of stripped away some of that social engagement that is is unnecessary, you know, like that was happening before COVID that I would just do out of habit, because this is what you’re supposed to do. People are like yearning for deep connection, you know, yeah, it’s like, deep and meaningful connection. And that’s what retreat can offer us, you know, whether you go by yourself, and then you come home and have real conversations about what really matters, or you join a group and you’re having those real conversations on the actual retreat. I mean, I, I think that’s the kind of connection that we’re all seeking is that soul connection, not just the surface level stuff anymore. I mean, we’ve seen many of us have lost friends and family members or seen people get sick or evaluated who we are, or we’ve thought about what is you know, now what do I want to do career wise, like so. So I just think it’s a good time. And a retreat is a great way to kind of reevaluate your life and really figure out what matters to you. And,

Diana Fryc 34:01

and you know, what I love about you saying that retreating is sort of mental health care, because they think right now as love that mental health is being elevated and normalized. Yeah, I think we still though feel like mental health is like requires medication requires doctors. And I think just like anything else, like when we’re when, you know, being in the naturals industry, and you’re, you’re related to it somewhat through your husband. Yeah, they’re, you know, what we learned from our doctors is in order to avoid in order to avoid a heart attack in order to avoid a stroke. These are the things that you should do for yourself. And I think retreating, like what you’re talking about is the step you do so that you can avoid the absolute mental breakdown, the falling off of the cliff, and I think, the more we kind of engage in these little things, then it could be like even taking a moment and looking at something pretty in your office and just focusing on it, learning those mechanisms as ways of eating your broccoli, but for your mental health, for your and for your emotional health. Yeah, I think it’s really, I think is that’s, I think that really needs to be normalized, taking yourself taking care of yourself before you lose it

Brie Doyle 35:25

Totally, I love that you say that because I, you know, I really believe it’s like, we heal from the inside out. Now, it’s like, there’s nothing outside that we can take or do or it’s gonna make us better. You know, it’s like more to figure out from the inside out and heal. And so, like you said, I mean, retreating is really proactive. And that’s, that’s my mission is like, once a year, you make a deal with yourself, my husband, I have this path that each of us go once a year, okay, matter what even if it’s hard, you know, even if the kids are busy, it’s like, we each go personally, this is outside of me, hosting retreats, I go on my own retreats, too, because I have to live the work, you know, I believe in it so deeply. And, and he does too. And we’ve come home from that completely renewed. And that’s what people think, oh, how selfish are like, Oh, that must be nice. And you’re like, it is nice. And it’s also why my relationship is strong. It’s why my sense of passion with my career is strong. It’s why my relationship with my kids are strong, because I take myself first, you know, so it’s this interesting paradigm with women specifically, where it’s like, we’re just to take care of everyone else. And then ourselves, you know, but I think that are like having all these conversations about, you know, feminine power. And women like all the opportunities we have now, I think we’re ready for this kind of conscious shift of like to fill yourself first and then you can fill other people. Yeah. So yeah. All right. Well,

Diana Fryc 36:44

so tell me you’ve been sharing this book with people. I don’t know how many people you spoken with so far. But what’s the response? And what are you hearing from either the industry that you’re in? Or, you know, just readers in general? Yeah. So

Brie Doyle 36:57

I do have some pre readers, because it’s not released to like the, you know, the mass public yet. I don’t have all the feedback. But reviews are starting to come in. I just had a review from Publishers Weekly. That was really good. And yoga and Life magazine yesterday, a chapter of my book was in there. So people are responding to it. Because you know, again, like, there couldn’t be a better time for this title. You Should Leave Now Like people like yes, I should. So, media, yes. So I feel like it’s the timing feels sort of divine. And, you know, of course, I’ll hear both sides. I’ll hear like, Oh, yeah. If so I’m open to that too. But so far, it feels like it’s it’s being well received, which makes me feel Yeah, yeah. Wow.

Diana Fryc 37:37

Well are you know, it’s so exciting. Like, I’m inspired. I’m inspired by your story. I’m inspired by the book. And we’re going camping this weekend. And this is in my to read list. So You Should Leave Now is going to be in my to read list. I also have a friend that lives in Costa Rica. And I got to tell her about what you’re up to so she can find you.

Brie Doyle 38:00

Yeah, that’s awesome. Thank you. It’s a small world, the connections that I always have, right, like the people who come on my retreats. It’s amazing the synchronicity that happens, you know, it’s pretty, it’s pretty awesome how it all works.

Diana Fryc 38:13

There’s a few questions I like to ask absolutely everybody. So I am going to go ahead and ask them. So I love it when my guests share some sort of like, I call it a happy hour today, you know, something that you can share with us next time you see them? Do you have some sort of interesting fact either about retreating or any of the places that you hold retreats that you’d like to share, but share with us?

Brie Doyle 38:38

Yeah, sure. I so one of the places that I hold a retreat is in Crestone, Colorado, and it’s it’s very austere, it’s very basic, my folks who come on my Costa Rica retreat. It’s very lavish and beautiful and plush towels. And then they come to press down in there, they come to crest down in there like that. But I think it’s a good I think it’s actually a good thing. Because so so it sits there’s a labyrinth on site, which people have had some of the most profound transformations in that Labyrinth, I actually went into the labyrinth last time and I, I had an incredible, like, mystical experience that it sounds crazy, but it was I saw all four of my grandparents and it was really it’s a sacred science. And this This place is a historical, it’s a Native American peace ground. It’s a place where Native Americans used to come through and people would have to drop their weapons because it was a sacred space because healing waters on site. So again, like when you show up to this place, you’re kind of like what the heck is this place it’s not you know, gorgeous by any means. But you stay there a few days and your energy starts to shift and so all the pieces that I would I would my little tidbit is like all the places that I choose for retreat and I would suggest this for people to to have some kind of like land resonance, some kind of energetic, okay, or, you know, like hot springs are really nice or the place I go to in Costa Rica is In the Blue Zones, the Blue Zones are the six places Yeah, in the world that have been identified where people live well over 100 years old. So it’s in that nicoya Peninsula. So every place I choose has some kind of like energetic resonance, because I think that that really influences us, especially as we’re stripping away from all the habits and patterns that we’re used to at home, all the phones and everything, to then kind of absorb the energy of the land is really important. So I like that question place, because I like to see the faces of people who have recently shown up to Costa Rica, show up and they’re like, why, but then by the end, of course, everybody’s, like, vibing at a whole different level. But yeah.

Diana Fryc 40:39

Are there any other women leaders or rising stars in your world that you’d like to, like elevate or just simply publicly crushed on you know, who’s doing great work out there that you would just like to shout out to

Brie Doyle 40:56

so I mean, so many people but as I was thinking about this one woman that’s really helped me tremendously. Her name is Kat Caray, and she has a program called the Instagram makeover and I my 40s and I, you know, social media is not something that was like a natural part of my upbringing. So taking her course was so transformative for me so hard for me and I have so much more confidence, social media wise. Now I’m having other people helped me with social media. But you know, to get my brand really dialed online was an important important step for me. And that was her courses. so helpful. And that’s I love cat girl. And she’s like up and coming Instagram make over. She’s amazing, okay, it’s an Instagram health. And it’s like her courses like 295 or something ridiculous. It’s affordable. It’s really affordable. And it’s so great. I mean, it takes you through all the steps of really coming up with your brand. She calls her brand still essence. For women, she’s amazing. And then I have a friend, Julie Hudson, who just launched a whole purpose breathwork. She’s a breathwork teacher. And she’s fantastic. I know, there are a lot of these up and coming. But she’s so intentional. So beautiful in the work she puts out. She just is really, you know, you feel good being around her. So she’s another one. And then Melanie cross, she has a company called crossable health. And she’s a functional medicine nurse. And James is all she uses. Alternative Medicine and alternate plant medicine, I guess. Yeah. All kinds of different things. But functional medicine is something that really interests me, it’s really in line with, you know, what I believe about healing and not needing all these external things that are these chemical things to heal ourselves. And so she speaks a lot about that. So I love I mean, there’s, I can go on Brie Hill creative is another one. She’s an artist. So there’s so many so many. Yeah, yeah. Great. Thank

Diana Fryc 42:42

you for sharing that. Yeah. Tell us what, what kind of trends or brands? Are you? I mean, this is usually a question that I of course, asked my guests who are in the CPG space, but then related to your industry in your category, What are you watching?

Brie Doyle 43:01

So this was a hard question. For me. I had to like think on this for a long time. Because as you kind of suggested, I mean, brands and my friends are gonna laugh when they hear that because I am like the least brand conscious, but I’m a bit clueless about that. But I certainly follow, you know, mental health statistics and trends and spiritual like things on trains on that level, if that’s how I, you know, so I’m really curious about the statistics there. Unfortunately, again, I do a lot of research in the the hard things that are happening for people. So like 10 point 3 billion people, adults have suicidal thoughts. Currently, you know, one in four adults has a diagnosable mental health disease. And again, I’ve researched this stuff, so that it helps inform the work that I do. So the trends that I follow are more like what’s happening society? For folks. And yeah, and so how can I help that? That’s always the question I’m asking myself, create for people to like, really work with that, because people don’t tell us how to deal with loneliness, or are constantly ruminating thoughts. There’s not like one direct way. So that’s really what I aim to create. So we’re not brand specific. I think partially health is really cool. They’ve done a really good they have a really cool model of its functional medicine doctors, but it’s online. So you subscribe, because your functional medicine doctors can be ridiculously expensive. Yeah. So you can subscribe to their program and then you have like a monthly console. I just think it’s a really interesting and awesome way to make functional medicine more accessible to people, but you can’t spend like $500 each appointment so so that’s a really interesting brand and company that’s growing, growing growing so fast. So really cool, huh? Yeah, it personally helps. Harding. Parsley health. Yeah, Robin something as the founder. I’m sorry. I can’t remember her name, but I

Diana Fryc 44:43

want to make sure that I heard that correctly. Okay. Well, thank you for that. I don’t know if they check it out. Yeah, well, listen, we’ve been talking with Brie Doyle, the author of You Should Leave Now and the Founder, owner of She Glows Retreats, free. Where can people learn about If

Brie Doyle 45:00

they want to find out more, yeah, so I have a website, just BrieDoyle, calm and from there you can get my book you can see that my retreats. You know I do one on one soul sessions I’ll probably be moving slowly away from those just because life is picking up. But right now I’m still doing those and I teach classes all around and then I’m also on Instagram, that’s my most active platform and it’s well, well being by Bri. So at wellbeing vibrate. Yeah, so those are probably the most the two places where I’m most active. And again, if you subscribe to my website, then I send regular blogs but now’s not the summer on the summer. Okay.

Diana Fryc 45:39

Oh, well, Brie, thank you so much for your time and all that you do for all of us out here. And really looking forward to watching your your company grow and prime. I suspect it in a couple of years, there’s going to be another book because that seems like kind of the natural thing. Once you get once you write the first one. The second one just starts to fill your brain pretty quick. Totally. Thank you so much. I’m honored to be here. Thanks for having me. You’re welcome.

Outro 46:11

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