Permission Granted: To Rest

What if, for one weekend, no one needed anything from you?

You’ve spent years being the one who remembers.

The one who checks in.

The one who keeps track of what everyone needs and quietly carries more than anyone realizes.

For one weekend, you don’t have to.

A deeply restorative women’s weekend for those who are tired of carrying everyone else and ready to experience what it feels like to be cared for.

February 5 to 7, 2027

Wonder Bear Lodge near Galena, IL

i want this

An intimate gathering of no more than ten women.

Two nights away. Every meal prepared for you. A professionally facilitated sound bath. Gentle invitations to move, reflect, connect, or simply be still.

It’s for the woman who remembers everything, except what she needs.

If reading this feels familiar, you are exactly who I created this weekend for.

As a licensed therapist specializing in trauma, overfunctioning, and the nervous system, I have spent years sitting with women who care beautifully for the people around them while placing their own needs last so consistently that they barely notice anymore.

Somewhere along the way, rest stopped feeling like something they were allowed to experience and began feeling like something they had to earn.

Permission Granted was created from that work.

It is a carefully held restorative weekend where your nervous system can begin to exhale.

Log cabin-style house with a front porch, icicles hanging from the roof, snow on the ground, and snow on the roof. The house has large windows and a wooden door with stairs leading up to it.

You remember the dates no one else does.

❧ A friend’s biopsy
❧ The anniversary of a parent’s death
❧ The appointment someone has been quietly dreading
❧ The first holiday after a divorce
❧ The days that carry grief for the people they love

You carry invisible calendars for other people.

A hot tub filled with bubbling water on a covered deck, overlooking a backyard with green trees and a small wooden shed.

You do not need to arrive completely depleted to deserve this weekend.

You do not need to justify needing rest.

You only need to show up.

You may feel at home here if...

❧ You are tired of always being “on,” even when no one can see it

❧ You finally get a few free hours and realize you no longer know how to rest inside them

❧ You want more than a weekend away. You want to return home feeling genuinely restored

❧ Meaningful connection sounds lovely, but you do not want to feel pressured to socialize or share deeply all weekend

❧ You want someone else to think about the meals, the timing, the atmosphere, and the small details for once

Reserve my room

Throughout the weekend, you will be invited into:

❧ Slow mornings with coffee, tea, and nourishing breakfasts

❧ Long stretches of uninterrupted time to read, rest, journal, walk, use the hot tub, or simply sit in the quiet

❧ Cozy meals shared around the table without anyone asking you what is for dinner

❧ Optional unburdening experiences designed to help you set down some of what you have been carrying

❧ An optional sound bath led by a trained facilitator, with nothing required of you except to get comfortable, listen, and receive

❧ An opportunity to write a letter to your future self, which will be mailed back to you months after the retreat

❧ An optional exchange of affirming notes among retreat guests, so each woman leaves with reminders of how she was seen

❧ A small circle of women who understand what it means to carry more than most people realize

A large wooden dining table set for a meal, with plates, silverware, wine glasses, water glasses, and a decorative centerpiece with small potted succulents inside black metal frames, in a wood-paneled room with natural light and stairs in the background.

A glimpse into the weekend..

Arrive in the late afternoon, settle into your room, explore the lodge, and let your shoulders begin to drop.
We will gather for charcuterie, refreshments, and a cozy welcome dinner. The evening will offer a gentle introduction to the weekend, with no pressure to share more than feels comfortable.
Wake slowly and join us for breakfast when you are ready.
The day will include optional movement, quiet reflection, nourishing meals, generous open time, and a professionally facilitated sound bath.
Read by the fireplace. Take a nap. Soak in the hot tub. Sit with other women over coffee or wine. Walk outside. Close your bedroom door and enjoy the quiet.
There is no correct way to spend the day, except the one you choose.
On Sunday morning, enjoy a slow breakfast and a little more time to rest, connect, or simply be before departing late morning.

The setting

Nestled among the trees near Galena, Illinois, Wonder Bear Lodge was chosen as intentionally as every other part of the retreat.

The home is filled with natural light, oversized windows, soft leather sofas, spacious gathering areas, fireplaces, a large kitchen, and quiet corners where you can disappear for awhile.

Interior of a rustic wooden living room with a stone fireplace, wood-paneled walls, a flat-screen TV, and a kitchen with a bar counter and chairs.

A cozy bedroom with wood-paneled walls, a metal bed frame with white bedding, a window with white curtains, a blue armchair, a beige patterned rug, and a wooden dresser with a plant on top.

Accommodations and Investment

$1,195 per guest.

Pay in full at registration.
or:
Reserve your space with a 50% deposit. The remaining 50% will be charged automatically to your original payment method 30 days after registration or on November 15, 2026, whichever comes first.
$995 per guest.
Pay in full at registration.
or:
Reserve your space with a 50% deposit. The remaining 50% will be charged automatically to your original payment method 30 days after registration or on November 15, 2026, whichever comes first.
The two-payment option is available through November 1, 2026. Registrations made beginning November 2, 2026, must be paid in full at the time of booking.
If the standard payment options are the only thing preventing you from registering, please contact me before booking to ask whether an alternate arrangement may be available.
Because this retreat is intentionally small and your registration reserves one of only ten guest spaces, all payments are nonrefundable to the original payment method.
If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your registration to another eligible woman with prior approval. Otherwise, the amount you have paid may be applied as a credit toward another Sunbeam Hollow Sanctuary offering for 24 months from the original retreat date. You will be responsible for any difference in price.
Registration closes when all ten guest spaces have been reserved.

Attending with someone you already know?
Guests registering together may also request to share a king-bed room at the shared-accommodation rate of $995 per guest. Because availability depends on the remaining room configuration, please contact me before registering so I can confirm that a king room is available for you.

Ask about king sharing

reserve my room

For two nights, someone else holds the details. You simply arrive.

Your retreat registration includes:

❧ Two nights of lodging at Wonder Bear Lodge
❧ Your selected private or shared bedroom accommodation
❧ Full use of the lodge’s fireplaces, hot tub, kitchen, and shared living spaces
❧ Two nourishing breakfasts
❧ One leisurely lunch
❧ Two cozy dinners
❧ Coffee, tea, water, wine, and light refreshments throughout the weekend
❧ Gentle movement, guided reflections, a sound bath, & yin-style yoga
❧ A journal
❧ Your letter to your future self, mailed to you months later
❧ An optional exchange of affirming notes among retreat guests
❧ A thoughtfully curated welcome packet mailed to your home approximately 2 weeks before the retreat
❧ A retreat journal
❧ A welcome gift bag with thoughtfully chosen comforts for your stay
❧ An (optional yet private) quiet ritual of release, using dissolving paper or the fireplace to let go of what you are ready to set down
❧ A thoughtfully chosen parting gift
Transportation to and from Wonder Bear Lodge is not included.

Dining area with wood-paneled walls and large windows, featuring a round wooden table with six leather chairs, a chandelier overhead, and a small side table with coffee mugs and a coffee maker.

A spacious rustic living room with wood-paneled walls and ceiling, a stone fireplace at the center, large windows, leather sofas, a patterned area rug, and decorative pillows and stuffed animals.

Part of you may already know you need this.

Another part may already be listing all the reasons you should not come.

The work will still be there. The laundry, emails, errands, and responsibilities will not magically disappear.

But the version of you returning home after two days of genuine rest may meet them differently.

This weekend was not created for the woman who has plenty of extra time.

It was created for the woman who cannot imagine making the time and may need it most.

A cozy bedroom with wooden walls and ceiling, a large bed with white bedding and pillows, a ceiling fan with lights, a window with white curtains, a small bench, and chairs. The room has a warm, rustic feel.

You do not have to perform rest here.

You simply get to receive it.

This retreat may not be the right fit if...

❧ You prefer continuous activities and a highly structured itinerary

❧ You are seeking intensive therapy or trauma processing

❧ You currently require clinical, crisis-level, or medical support

❧ You want a high-energy social weekend with constant group participation

Questions I Get Asked:

Absolutely.
You will be warmly welcomed in, with opportunities to connect with the other women throughout the weekend. You will also never be expected to socialize when you need solitude.
Yes. You may each reserve a private room, choose a shared room with separate beds, or share a king-bed room together. Each woman pays the shared-accommodation rate of $995 when sharing a room.
You do not need to know how to *do* a retreat.
Come exactly as you are.
I will take it from there.
About two weeks before the weekend, you will receive a welcome packet with everything you need to know, including what to pack, how to prepare, and what to expect when you arrive.
No.
This is a restorative wellness retreat led by a licensed therapist. It is not group therapy, an EMDR intensive, or a substitute for individual mental health treatment.
Comfortable clothes. Cozy socks. A swimsuit for the hot tub. A favorite book if you would like. Earbuds. Anything that helps you feel most like yourself.
There is no dress code.
Think warm breakfasts, a fresh lunch, cozy dinners, charcuterie on Friday evening, and light refreshments throughout the weekend.
Food that feels nourishing, generous, and comforting without being overly formal or fussy.
Wine will be available for those who would like it, along with nonalcoholic options.
Please contact me if you have any food allergies (katie@truecolorscounselinginc.com)
Of course.
This weekend is not about taking anything away from you. It is about giving something back.
Because this retreat is intentionally small and each registration holds one of a limited number of accommodations, all payments are nonrefundable to the original payment method.
If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your registration to another eligible woman with prior approval. Otherwise, the amount you have paid may be applied as a credit toward another Sunbeam Hollow Sanctuary offering for 24 months from the original retreat date. You will be responsible for any difference in price.

You have spent enough weekends recovering just enough to do it all again on Monday.

This one can be different.

Come exactly as you are.

I’ll take care of the rest

Reserve my room

A cozy bedroom with wooden log walls, a large wooden bed with white bedding, a bench at the foot of the bed, two lamps on nightstands, a ceiling fan, a sliding glass door leading to a balcony, and a small sitting area with a gray armchair and a potted plant.

Permission Granted: To Rest

What if, for one weekend, no one needed anything from you?