As you may know, last October I attended a Pangea Dreams retreat. This retreat has been a massive step in the transformational journey I began almost four years ago! And because I loved it so much I wanted to share it with you from the moment I came back…but life came along and time went by…
5 months later, I finally got the time (dah!) to write about this fantastic experience! But where to start?
Travelling is one of my biggest passions! And one of my favourite things about travelling is the experiences I get to live. I’m therefore very often researching unique and fun ways to travel like…attending a digital & wellness retreat!
Photo by @samkat
I decided to join the Pangea Dreams retreat in Bali mainly because I was at a professional crossroad, looking to get a new sense of direction in my career and to grow as a digital professional. So when I discovered Pangea Dreams, I knew I found the perfect way that would help me get out of this limbo and make of my dreams a reality (plus, Bali had been on my bucket list for quite some time!).
However – and it’s important for me to emphasise this – it’s not because you attend a PD retreat that you’ll become the next travel influencer or digital entrepreneur overnight! You will have to work hard for this and this is one of the key lessons I’ve learnt from our hosts!
Photo by @samkat
Sure, the retreat is about learning the latest digital skills allowing you to grow as a professional no matter which field you are active in, but it’s also so much more! I therefore chose to narrow it down to the 5 things I loved the most about this amazing experience (random order):
Morning yoga sessions & gratitude practice
I know it might sound silly to start my list with this, but it literally CHANGED MY PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE! Our daily routine always started by waking up at 6:30 am, an aloe vera shot + a nutrition-packed shake and an hour-long yoga session.
Yoga practice was one of the things I was the most excited about when I signed up for the retreat! I never practised yoga before, but it had such an effect on me that since coming back I enrolled in a yoga class! I always came out of these morning sessions more at peace with myself.
Following our sporty morning routine and before the workshops started, we would then practice gratitude by sharing things we were grateful from the previous day and what our intentions and goals were for the present day. Again, I loved this daily gratitude practice so much I’m still doing it every morning before starting my day!
The connections I made & learning to be vulnerable without feeling judged
For me, friendship is what fuels my life, so one of the things I was also very excited about attending a Pangea retreat was the connections I’d make. I hoped to build a real girl tribe where I’d feel empowered and supported to become the professional I really was meant to be. And it’s exactly what I got! The women I met in Bali understand better than most people I know the fears and doubts as well as how much work goes into trying to succeed as a digital professional.
It’s so important to be surrounded by people who allow you to be who you really are, with your vulnerabilities!
Photo by @samkat
Workshops
To be honest, don’t expect a laidback-wake-up-when-you-want-and-let’s-go-to-the-beach type of holiday when joining a PD retreat. We had a super packed schedule, filled with plenty of workshops covering everything from branding to blogging, photography and more. However, I didn’t mind, as that’s what I signed up for: to learn all I could from industry professionals!
I wasn’t a digital newbie when I joined PD. But now after the retreat, my digital skills reached an unmatched level, from creating SEO focused content to approaching brands and hotels I want to work with, as well as taking professional looking pictures. In a nutshell I know how to create work that genuinely defines me on all levels and makes me unique.
As for the workshops, I loved all of them, but I especially enjoyed and learnt a lot from Carly’s “Building Your Personal Brand”, Lauren’s “Blog SEO 101” and the one and only Tracy Komlos’ “Passive & Active Income Strategies”.
Photo by @samkat
The helpfulness of our hosts
Having such a tight schedule, the amount of information you get can quickly become overwhelming (which was my case at one point). However, do not fear, after the workshops all of our hosts were always open to sit down to go deeper into one topic and answer (almost) all the questions we may have. This constant availability and willingness to help us was invaluable to me, and I’m deeply grateful to them for that. The support also continues after the retreat (Special shout-out to Carly and Sam ;-))!!
Photo of Lauren, me and Carly by @tracy_komlos
Stylish accommodations
Being passionate about stylish travel, interior design and decoration, the boutique hotels and villas we stayed at during the retreat (I also stayed in other accommodations after the retreat) where for sure one my personal highlights! I was like a kid in a candy store (more on this topic to come in another post)!
Pangea Dreams definitely set me up for success, as a digital professional! I 100% recommend signing up for a Pangea Dreams’ retreat to anyone wanting to invest in herself and her professional future! Although, it’s key to keep in mind these retreats are fairly challenging! As I explained, the programme is super tight; so much information and knowledge is coming at you. You won’t even have the time to process it until you’re back home. And finally, it can get quite emotionally intense as your vulnerabilities come to light. But, it’s so worth it!
If you still have questions regarding the retreat, feel free to email me here or get in touch on Instagram. I’ll be more than happy to help you out and give you some useful advice!
Exx
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