From Guilt to Growth: How a Portugal Retreat Reignited My Next Chapter

After 13 unforgettable days in Portugal, I returned home with more than just a suitcase full of keepsakes, I came back with a renewed sense of clarity, confidence, and direction. What began as a much-needed pause evolved into one of the most transformative chapters of my life.

And like many women in midlife, I nearly talked myself out of it.

I felt the guilt before I even boarded the plane, guilt for taking time away, guilt for investing in myself, guilt for stepping outside the never-ending cycle of doing. But what I gained from this retreat was a powerful reminder that we don’t need permission to pause. We just need to believe we’re worth the time.

A Luxury Wellness Retreat That Was Anything But Surface-Level

Hosted by the phenomenal team at Temple Skin Retreats, this journey through Portugal wasn’t just well-organised, it was soulfully and intentionally curated. From the moment we landed, every detail was designed to reconnect us with who we truly are beneath the layers of stress, responsibility, and hustle.

We received beautifully bound itinerary booklets that felt more like novels than schedules. They guided us through a 13-day experience that blended mindfulness, wellness, adventure, and connection in the most extraordinary way. It was five-star treatment on every level, with a purpose.

Highlights from the Retreat:

Daily affirmation cards and surprise wellness gifts that felt like mini rituals
Michelin-star meals and world-class spa treatments across Portugal
Hydrotherapy, infrared saunas, and luxurious day spa appointments
Private journaling time and group coaching sessions with some of the best in the mindfulness space
A chance to run my Next Chapter™ workshop for a room full of ambitious, soul-led women

We also embraced the creative, making pottery, designing wine labels, mixing aromatherapy scrubs, even receiving Alchemist Certificates from Six Senses. And in a moment I’ll never forget, a peacock wandered into one of our private dinners, feathers fanned, standing proud. A sign, I knew, of new beginnings.

I even swam in the ocean, yes, me, the one terrified of sharks.

The Power of the Pause in a High-Performance Life

For ambitious women, especially those navigating the second act of life, the idea of taking a break can feel foreign or even selfish. But I can say this with certainty now:

Pausing isn’t a luxury. It’s a leadership strategy.

Whether you’re leading a team, a family, a business, or a community, you can’t pour from an empty cup. This retreat gave me a front-row seat to what happens when you allow space for realignment. You begin to see the path clearly. You stop proving and start choosing. You begin to lead, not just others, but yourself, with more presence and intention.

And that’s what reinvention is really about. It’s not starting over, it’s starting again from experience. From wisdom. From your truth.

Countdown to TEDx: Reinvention on the Global Stage

Now, just five weeks out from delivering my TEDx Talk in Florida, I can feel the alignment kicking in. Every moment in Portugal prepared me for this next milestone. The retreat gave me the clarity and grounding I needed to fine-tune my message, sharpen my story, and walk onto that red carpet with certainty.

My talk, “The Midlife Advantage: Why Your Greatest Success Comes After 40,” is a tribute to everything I’ve lived, learned, lost, and rebuilt. It’s about shifting the narrative on aging, resilience, and leadership, and showing women that this season of life isn’t a crisis. It’s a calling.

A Message for the Woman Who Needs the Nudge

If you’re reading this and you’ve been wondering when the right time will be to pause, to pivot, to choose yourself, let this be your sign.

Take the trip.
Write the book.
Start the business.
Say yes to the unknown.

You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a little courage, a lot of self-trust, and a willingness to become someone you’ve never been before.

Because when you do… everything changes.

Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Temple Retreats. And to the next version of me, I’m ready.