You’ll leave knowing exactly how you want your life to feel, and how to choose it, again and again.
At the summer solstice, the Yukon is expansive, luminous and abundantly alive. The light lingers almost 24 hours, inviting clarity, courage and creativity. Through values-based life design, low-stakes art, movement, breathwork and time on the land, we gather to slow down and intentionally design your one wild and precious life.
This is for you if...
You want to be clear-eyed about the life you want to feel, not just the life you’re supposed to have.
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You’ve built a successful life, and a quiet voice is asking, “Is this it?”
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Life is good, and you’re ready to play, explore and light it up even more.
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You’re at a crossroads, or simply ready for what’s next.
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You’ve done the inner work, and now you’re asking, “What do I want to create?”
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You’re shedding the shoulds and making room for what you truly want.
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You long for real community: a place to be seen, heard, and free to say what you mean.
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Something wild and new sounds like exactly what your spirit needs.
Women and men of every background are warmly welcome. You don’t need to be artistic, flexible or “ready.” Just come as you are.
Discover the value you're growing into
When you know your core values, you make decisions that feel right in your mind and your body: a clear hell yes or hell no. It’s the best form of self-care in the world.
BEFORE · Know your core values
We gather online before the retreat, and Kelly guides you through the ALIGNED core values process.
ON THE LAND · Choose your aspiring value
Choose the one value you want to grow into this year, then explore it through art, movement and breath. What colour is it? What does it look like when you paint it, move it, breathe it?
HOME · Live it
Leave with a vision of how you want to live, the first steps to get there, and your aspiring value anchored in your body.
EVERY WINTER SOLSTICE · The circle continues
From the longest light to the longest night, we reunite online every December.
Aspiring values chosen by past participants: self-trust · bad-ass · wisdom · magic
Moments You'll Carry Home
Dancing on the deck at 11:30 pm with the sun still shining · releasing your inner critic into a towering bonfire · hot tubs and a spring-fed cold plunge · painting your aspiring value · long, shared meals by chef Camila · connection with new friends overlooking the valley
A Day In The Wild
Morning: Breathwork and movement with Kyla, breakfast, then a playful dance session with Andrea.
Midday: Life design with Kelly, exploring your values, then lunch together.
Afternoon: Art, insight or your portrait, with your aspiring value as the muse. Time to rest, soak, or walk the land.
Evening: Dinner, then our fireside debrief: a beautiful pause to reflect on the day and integrate what you’re learning. Sometimes a slideshow, sometimes a dance party under the sun.
Night: A gorgeous sleep in the wilds of the Yukon: a comfy, warm bed, fresh mountain air, and the soft glow of the midnight sun.
Every activity is an invitation, never an obligation. Rest is always on the schedule.
Your Portrait, Your Aspiring Value
Included for every participant · International photographer Sherri Castiglione will photograph you on the land, embodying the value you’re growing into. You’ll go home with your digital portrait, an image of who you’re becoming.
Meet Your Guide: Kelly Wood
Coach, author, keeper of the circle
For decades, Kelly has helped people find their way back to what truly matters. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation, holds a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies focused on organizational coaching and a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Coaching, and guides leaders, teams and individuals across corporate, government and non-profit worlds.
Her deepest gift is holding groups. Kelly creates the kind of space where people exhale, tell the truth, and learn and grow together. People often say they feel calmer and more grounded the moment they step into a room she is holding.
Raised in wild places, Kelly has tracked wolves in the Canadian Rockies, wrangled horses in the mountains, and run a sea kayaking business in Thailand. She brings that rootedness, a lifetime of experience, and a delightful touch of earth magic to everything she guides.
Her book release is in early 2027: ALIGNED: Stop Settling, Design the Life You Love
Photo: Sherri Castiglione in the Yukon
With An Extraordinary Team
Kelly has gathered a circle of gifted guides to hold this experience with you.
Dance · Co-host + land steward
Andrea Simpson-Fowler
Dance educator, arts leader and founder of the Heart of Riverdale. Andrea also founded Cabins Over Crag Lake, the land that holds us.
Photography
Sherri Castiglione
International landscape and portrait photographer. Sherri shares her values through her images from around the world, then captures yours.
Visual art
Becky Hill
Multidisciplinary artist and founder of Drawn Outdoors. Becky makes art feel easy and joyful, a way to see the world, and yourself, a little differently.
Seasonal Northern Cuisine
Camila Gaw
Wilderness chef with South American roots, cooking with fresh, local Yukon ingredients. With Camila, every meal becomes a gathering, and her mocktails are legendary.
Breathwork + somatics
Kyla Gagnon
Founder of THE Breath Studio. After 16 years in fitness, one breathwork session showed Kyla something deeper. Her trauma-informed, body-based practice helps you breathe your aspiring value into your body.
Intuition + Insight
Erin Woods
Known for provocative questions and an irreverent sense of humour, Erin guides you through the neuroscience of insight and how to trust your intuition. Serious work, without taking it all too seriously.
From Our 2026 Circle
“I flew from Toronto for this experience, and I’m so grateful for it. Everything felt intentional and well organized, with a beautiful balance of structure and openness. You don’t need to have anything figured out, just come as you are.”
Bahar Babadivand (on the right)
Photo: Sherri Castiglione
What's Included
Everything you need for five days of rest, growth and connection:
• An online ALIGNED core values session before the retreat
• Five days of life design with Kelly
• Daily breathwork, yoga and somatics with Kyla
• Guided dance with Andrea
• Art practice with Becky
• Intuition and insight with Erin
• A professional portrait by Sherri, with your digital image to keep
• All meals by chef Camila, plus drinks: no alcohol, but amazing mocktails
• Sauna, hot tubs and a spring-fed plunge pond
• A gift bag of retreat treasures, including your own ALIGNED trucker hat
• A yearly winter solstice reunion, online
• A circle of people you’ll carry with you
Accommodation and travel are not included. See your options below.
Photo: Sherri Castiglione
Reserve Your Place With $500
Three simple parts make up your retreat
RETREAT FEE
Early bird until December 31: $2,240
January 1 – February 28:
$2,340
From March 1:
$2,440
Includes all programming, all meals and drinks, the wellness area, your portrait and gift bag.
WHERE YOU'LL SLEEP · 4 NIGHTS
Cabin, private bath + kitchen:
$800 (2 left)
Glamping tent, with wood stove, outdoor shower and outhouse:
$520 (1 left)
Bunkhouse, shared, sleeps 10, outdoor shower and outhouse:
$120
Tent platform, bring your own tent: $60
GETTING THERE
Shuttle from Whitehorse airport or downtown, return: $100
Flights to Whitehorse are booked separately. Keep your eye on flights with Air North.
HOW PAYMENT WORKS
Retreat fee + where you'll sleep + getting there = your investment
Pay a $500 deposit today to hold your place. Kelly will then be in touch personally to set up a simple monthly
e-transfer plan for your balance.
Good Questions
I’m not artistic, or much of a dancer. Is that OK?
Completely. Every practice is low-stakes and playful. It’s about expression and discovery, not performance. Everything is optional.
I’m coming on my own. Will I fit in?
Most people come solo. Our circle is small and intentional, and by the first evening around the fire, you’ll have friends.
Is this retreat only for women?
No. Women and men are equally welcome. Everyone ready to design the next chapter of their life belongs here.
It’s hard to leave my kids and my work. Is it worth it?
Five days away so you come home more yourself, for them and for you.
How do I get there?
Fly into Whitehorse on June 24. Our shuttle picks you up at the airport or downtown that afternoon and brings you to the land, about an hour away. We bring you back on the afternoon of June 28.
How do I sleep under the midnight sun?
Bring an eye mask. Many people find the endless light energizing. It’s part of the magic.
What’s the weather like?
Days around 16°C, nights near 5°C. In Andrea’s words: “We’re in the mountains, so the weather changes like the emotions of a two-year-old.” Bring layers.
How physically demanding is it?
The land is hilly, so you’ll need to be steady on uneven ground. Everything else is at your own pace.
What if I need to cancel?
Cancel on or before May 1 for a full refund of your retreat fee (minus a small processing fee). After May 1, fees are non-refundable but transferable to someone else, with our approval.
