Women in Military Resiliency Retreat
March 21st-23rd, 2025
Weekend SCHEDULE
LOCATION:
Join Sally for an incredible weekend of connection, discovery, fun, and relaxation for women in military! What a fabulous way to celebrate Women's History Month. We welcome active duty, guard, reserve, veterans, and wives of military.
Friday:
3:30-5:00pm - Arrive and get settled in your yurt or cabin
5:00pm – Gather for a rundown of the weekend events,
ice breaker, meet our facilitators, & set intentions for the weekend
6:00pm – Dinner - the food will be amazing
Bonfire fun after dinner
Saturday:
7:00 – Coffee & light breakfast available
Note: you are welcome to make coffee/tea in the office anytime
7:45 - Hike to the lake and around camp trails with Sally
9:00-9:45am – Yoga for all levels with Alicia Allen
10:00am Esmeralda (Esme) Aharon - "Beyond Imposter Syndrome: Unmasking Bias and Reclaiming Confidence"
11:15am - BRUNCH
12:00pm - Break or kayaking
Afternoon Options:
12:30pm Ropes Course (weather dependent) or arts & crafts
2:00pm Living your Values Presentation and collage work with Yolanda Y. Loving, LCSW (Gunzel)
2:45 - Break
3:15pm Chaplain Alexis King - Moral Injury
4:00pm Break to get ready for winery or art
4:15pm Optional Pleasant Hollow Winery excursion on the camp bus or stay at camp for arts and crafts
5:30pm Comedy - with Shay Dominguez
6:00pm Dinner
7:00pm Pajama Party at the bonfire
Sunday Options:
7:00am Coffee in the kitchen + walk or run around the lake
7:45am - Light breakfast available
8:30am Facilitator break out sessions (details will be provided)
9:15am - Meditative Journaling Session with Sally
10:00-10:45am - Yoga for all levels with Alicia Allen
11:00am - BRUNCH
11:30 - Laughter workshop with Shay Dominguez
12:00 - Goodbyes and pack up
During the entire camp, you can pick and choose what you will attend. Curate your weekend!
Take all the free time that you want!
Sleep late, have a friend grab you breakfast!
What to bring:
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Bedding & pillows
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Towels for shower
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Headlamp or flashlight
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Sunscreen
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Throw or blanket for the bonfire/meals
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Ear plugs
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A variety of clothing/hats for weather changes
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Hiking boots if you want to explore, shower shoes, comfy shoes for camp
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Swimsuit if you want to cold plunge :)
Lodging:
Wonderful Yurts and heated cabins. You can request a small cabin or yurt all to yourself with an upcharge.
Our Facilitators:
Sally Drake, Retreat Creator
Sally is the owner and Race Director of MSE (Multi-Sport Experience) Racing and produces quality endurance events including triathlons and running races in the Greater St. Louis area and Illinois. MSE Racing also provides timing and race services for other local directors. She is also a USAT Level II Triathlon Coach, coaching triathletes of all levels from newbie to elite, with a passion for helping them achieve or exceed their goals. She specializes in ultra-endurance, much through her experience in completing 13 full Ironman triathlons. Other specialties include training over 50 and fueling for optimal health and performance.
Esmeralda Aharon is a powerful speaker and award-winning author whose journey from migrant farmworker to U.S. Air Force veteran exemplifies resilience. As a first-generation American and combat veteran with several Middle East deployments, she spent 26 years in Religious Affairs, strengthening service members' spiritual well-being and creating policies that left a lasting impact on the Air Force. Today, Esmeralda leads DEIB programs at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, championing healthcare equity and empowerment.
Co-founder of Latinas Rising, Esmeralda amplifies Latinas’ voices through the acclaimed anthology Calladitas Rising, #1 International Best-Seller in the U.S., Canada, and Brazil across 59 categories—25 of them at #1. Her own stories, featured in Calladitas Rising and the international best-seller Tenacity, inspire audiences worldwide to find strength in adversity and reclaim their voices, empowering readers to embrace resilience.
Shay Dominguez is a content creator, writer, and comedian. After getting her MBA in Marketing in 2014 at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, she knew she wanted to do something else. In 2015 she was introduced to improv comedy at The Improv Shop in St. Louis. Shay moved to Los Angeles, CA in 2015 where she studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade, The Groundlings, iOWest, and Second City, then found her way to Atlanta, GA in 2020. Shay has shared her wacky takes and original perspectives with the world through online sketches, in person and self-produced shows, including her take on late night, Late Nite with Shay Dominguez, and a range of comedy characters.
In addition to comedy and performing, Shay helps businesses integrate humor into their marketing and facilitates laughter workshops to groups and businesses guiding them to find humor through life’s hills and valleys and practice the power of laughter.
You can find her anywhere @shaydjokes
Website: www.shaydominguez.com
