Welcome to Wild Women Hawai'i
Soften
A heart-nurturing women's retreat to soften into your wild, wise self.
Big Island of Hawai‘i · April 23–26, 2026
Do you long for someone to take care of you for a change?
To wake slowly to the sounds of birds and mist in the cloud forest…
to breathe without rushing…
to sit down to nourishing meals prepared with your comfort and fulfillment in mind.
For four days and three nights, you’ll be invited to rest in simplicity,
to be held by nature, community, and care.
There are no workshops, no sales, no pressures, and no performances.
This retreat isn’t about self-improvement.
It’s about receiving.
You’ll be gently guided by a somatic practitioner to meet your body where it is,
through forest therapy and quiet, restorative practices that soothe the nervous system
and bring you home to yourself.
There are no poses to master, no exercise routines, and no busy excursions.
You’ll have time to wander the forest trails at your own pace,
with private after-hours access to the sanctuary,
a gift not offered to the public.
Two sound baths, each created for deep rest and release,
will help you soften further into stillness.
We’ll gather in circle, not to perform or compare,
but to be witnessed and heard.
To share stories, laughter, and presence
with other women who are remembering that being cared for is not indulgent,
it’s essential.
This is your time to exhale.
To be nourished.
To remember what it feels like to be tended to.
Soften is...
Soften is a women’s retreat held in one of Earth’s rarest ecosystems, a high-elevation tropical cloud forest on the slopes of Hualālai on the enchanting Big Island of Hawai'i, where clouds drift through ancient trees and the air smells of bark and rain. Each invitation has been lovingly curated and thoughtfully woven into every layer of Soften, offering space for a return to your authentic self.
Imagine this:
Waking to the hush of clouds drifting through forest trees.
Bare feet on wooden floors.
A comforting mug in hand as tropical birdsong drifts across the open lanai.
Fresh breakfast. Warm heart.
A shared rhythm with kindred spirits.
The lush forest beckons.
Soften is a retreat for women who long for deep peace. We’ll gently wander trails, unplug while the forest breathes around us, and allow our bodies to soften.
Wild Women Hawai'i creates nature-rooted, gentle spaces for women’s healing and authentic connection. Whether you’re here in Hawaii or flying in from elsewhere, you’re warmly welcome. The majority of women who join our retreats are between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five, with a welcome mix of both younger and older women. We deeply value the richness that comes from a multigenerational gathering—where women of all ages come together to share their stories, wisdom, and support.
Throughout the Weekend, We Invite You to:
Ground
Settle into the elemental energy of Hawaii. The birdsong, the cloudmist, the fire in the hearth, the scents of fresh earth, all invite you to calm your busy mind and root into the natural healing of this rare and beautiful space.
Rest
Let the warm embrace of the tropical forest soothe your nervous system. Slowing down activates the body’s natural rhythms of repair and renewal. Rest is medicine. Here on the Big Island, a slow pace is honored as a sacred pause that allows you to soften, breathe, and simply be.
Connect
Deepen your connection with the land, with kindred women, and with your self. The pace of this retreat makes room for peaceful sisterhood without pressure, conversation without performance, and connection that arises naturally.
Embody
Listen inward and more fully. Through gentle somatic practices, you’ll attune to sensation, soften stress, and strengthen your inner compass. Embodiment invites you to let go of an overactive mind and inhabit your life more fully, with clarity and steadiness through the wisdom of the body.
Reflect
The quiet of the forest opens a space for what arises to integrate gently. Whether journaling or sitting in silence on the lanai, creating with your hands, or walking among the wisdom of the trees, you’ll have time to settle your mind and body gently into alignment.
Rejuvenate
The forest is alive with healing energy. Each meal, each breath of fresh air, each practice becomes nourishment. Renewal unfolds naturally when the noise of the world and its demands falls away.
At the end of this journey, you may find yourself rooted, restored, and more deeply attuned to the wisdom within you.
Soften is not just a retreat, it is a homecoming to your inner peace in one of Earth’s rarest and most healing places.
The Rhythm of the Weekend
Each day follows a gentle, grounding rhythm, unhurried, restorative, and filled with space to breathe. Everything we do is an invitation, never an obligation.
Daily Highlights:
-
Creative and nourishing vegetarian meals from our personal chef
-
Calming and soft somatic practices
-
Guided forest immersions and forest bathing
-
Spacious time for rest and optional journaling
-
Cocooned sound baths
-
Peaceful evening sharing
How the Days Flow:
-
Morning: relaxed breakfast, gentle somatic tune-in, forest immersion or sound healing
-
Midday: nourishing lunch and quiet rest
-
Afternoon: forest therapy or creative expression on the lanai, with spacious time for yourself
-
Evening: elevated dinner followed by peaceful evening sharing
A simple daily itinerary is posted each morning. You are free to rest whenever your body calls.
Space is intentionally limited to 6—8 women.
Your Experience Includes
-
Three nights accommodation at Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary’s Retreat House nestled in the cloud forest.
-
All nourishing vegetarian meals, nonalcoholic drinks + snacks prepared by one of the island’s most sought-after private chefs.
-
Guided forest bathing + quiet immersions in the cloud forest, guided by a certified Forest Therapy Guide.
-
Daily soft, somatic practices to land peacefully into each morning, guided by a licensed Somatic Practitioner.
-
Two sound baths — one outdoors in the forest, and one cocooned indoors for deep peace.
-
Creative art time on the lanai with space for reflection and expression.
-
Evening sharing by candlelight and firelight
-
Bookend ceremonies to open gently and close joyfully, framing our time together.
-
Unstructured afternoon “free being time” in the forest for personal restoration.
-
A welcome gift bundle chosen to support your retreat journey and carry the memories home with you.
-
Round-trip group transportation from Kona International Airport (KOA) to the retreat site, included for ease and peace of mind
-
On-site parking
-
Wifi connection — We encourage a gentle digital detox. With minimal electronic distractions, you’ll have space to arrive fully, rest deeply, and absorb the beauty of your organic surroundings.
-
Limited-time gift: A complimentary 30-minute private somatic session, scheduled (online or in person) before or after the retreat to support your preparation or integration.
What’s Not Included
-
Airfare
-
Travel insurance (recommended)
-
Personal expenses
Whether you’re a wild woman returning for another gathering, or wild-curious and just discovering Wild Women, you are welcome here.
Retreat Flow
Arrive on Thursday, April 23rd between 4-4:30 PM HST
Depart on Sunday, April 26th by 10:00 AM HST
A detailed daily schedule will be shared at the retreat.
Over the course of four days, you’ll move through a rhythm that is unhurried, grounding, and gently held:
-
Somatic Practices — body-centered tools to ground, regulate, and rediscover inner peace.
-
Guided Forest Immersions & Forest Bathing — slow, sensory walks and experiences in the cloud forest to restore calm and deepen connection.
-
Sound Healing — outdoor and indoor sessions that cocoon you in reverb and stillness.
-
Evening Sharing — soft circle gatherings to share, listen, and feel supported in sisterhood.
-
Gemstone Art on the Lanai — a creative exploration with natural materials (no experience needed).
-
Quality Vegetarian Meals — nourishing, thoughtfully prepared dishes from our private chef.
-
Spacious Free Time — to rest, journal, or simply wander among the trees.
Why We Stay Rooted
Unlike adventure-tourism retreats that move from place to place, Soften is designed for nervous system restoration. Rooted in one private cloud forest, we slow down and cultivate peace. When the noise of outside stimuli is removed, the body can finally downshift and catch up to the heart.
The Heartbeat of Soften
At the heart of this retreat are gentle, guided practices to help you slow down and reconnect with yourself, nature, and each other.
Forest Bathing invites you to experience the forest with your senses — noticing textures, scents, and sounds as they unfold.
Somatic practices are body-centered ways to ground, regulate, and rediscover steadiness within.
Both are beautifully aligned, simple, and accessible, designed to support your nervous system and invite a deeper sense of peace, so you can:
-
Slow down and reconnect — step out of the rush of daily life and into gentle, guided practices that invite you to arrive fully in your body, free from distraction.
-
Experience the forest as medicine — feel the textures of moss and bark, breathe in the scent of earth and flowers, and let birdsong awaken your senses and restore your spirit. All guided by a certified Forest Therapy guide.
-
Find inner steadiness — through soft somatic practices, ground, regulate, and rediscover the quiet strength that has always lived within you, guided by a licensed Somatic Practitioner.
-
Rest deeply in sound — enter a cocoon of resonance where reverb and stillness weave together, soothing your nervous system and softening your mind.
-
Feel supported — every detail is tended with care, so you can exhale, lean back, and remember what it is to simply be.
All of this is offered in ways that are beautifully aligned, simple, and accessible — designed to nourish your nervous system and welcome you home to peace.
Rooted in Respect:
This retreat is curated and guided by a longtime resident of Hawai‘i Island who cares deeply for this land and community. Our gatherings are rooted in respect for the forest, for local culture, and for each woman who joins us.
We honor Hawai‘i not as a backdrop, but as a living, sacred place. Guests are gently encouraged to practice mindfulness: caring for the land we walk on and honoring the slower pace of island life.
Your presence here supports local farmers, chefs, and small business, and helps sustain the unique beauty of this place. Together, we walk gently, with gratitude.
Participation in this retreat is voluntary and for personal wellness purposes only. Wild Women Hawai‘i LLC and its facilitators are not medical providers and do not diagnose, treat, or offer therapy. Participants assume full responsibility for their own wellbeing during all activities.
Michelle Gallagher Escobar, MA
Somatic Practitioner & Certified Forest Therapy Guide
Holding the Rhythm
Michelle is a longtime resident of the Big Island of Hawai‘i, a licensed Somatic Practitioner, and certified Forest Therapy Guide. Her work is rooted in body wisdom, nature connection, and a lifelong devotion to movement. With more than 40 years of dance and teaching experience, she brings a deeply embodied approach to her offerings.
She creates spaces that are gentle, grounded, and down-to-earth — without pressure to perform or perfect. Committed to strengthening women’s community, Michelle believes that restoration happens not only within ourselves but also in the company of others.
Her retreats are gently rooted in the body, softly shaped by the land, and lovingly responsive to the women who gather. They are thoughtfully designed and guided by somatic wisdom, creative instinct, and deep respect for the feminine and our connection with the Earth and each other.
As a guide, Michelle honors Hawai‘i as home with deep respect. Her practices are matriarchal and nature-based — heart-led spaces that do not borrow from other traditions, but instead invite women into what is genuine, alive, and their own.
Chef Bethany Reid
All meals are crafted by Chef Bethany Reid, one of Hawai‘i Island’s most beloved private chefs. Each dinner is a multisensory experience — colorful, nourishing, and created with intention. From years of private chef work to her intuitive culinary style, Beth brings warmth, creativity, and a quiet sense of luxury that makes every meal feel like a celebration.
Beth is also the creative force behind CommunityEats — a project rooted in “food for you to gather around,” blending recipes, inspiration, and stories from around the world. With a background in both fine dining and soulful gatherings, she brings an artful, embodied touch to every dish. Her cooking is sensory, grounding, and deeply human.
Meals will be proudly vegetarian and lovingly prepared on-site. This is not a “health retreat menu.” It is deeply satisfying, memory-making food — designed to nourish your body and spirit.
The Cloud Forest
The retreat unfolds within one of Earth’s most extraordinary ecosystems — the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary. Nestled on the slopes of Hualālai, this private, high-elevation forest is home to towering trees, rare mosses, and a soft mist that drifts like breath through the canopy. Here, time slows, the body unwinds, and something ancient begins to stir within.
This is a place of protection and respect — nature-rooted, quiet, alive, and deeply restorative.
You don’t need to be an experienced hiker to feel at home here. Whether the forest is familiar to you or brand new, you’ll be guided and cared for. During our group time, we move gently and together — and when you have free time, there’s never pressure to wander unless you feel called. One of the treasures of Hawai‘i Island is that our forests are free from predators, making the land here a safe and peaceful place to simply be.
Book Your Space at Soften
Our retreat home rests within a rare, private cloud forest — quiet, cozy, and intentionally designed for women to gather. Each unique room holds simple beauty and comfort, with space to rest deeply and feel held by the forest itself.
See the Rooms
Explore images, details, and pricing for each room here. You’ll find both private and shared options, each created with care and warmth in mind.
Flexible Booking Options
Booking should feel easeful. At checkout, you can choose to:
-
Pay in full, or
-
Reserve your spot with a 50% deposit (balance due 60 days before the retreat).
You may also have the option to use Afterpay or Klarna to split your retreat payment into monthly installments — making it easier to say yes to yourself.
Ready to Join Us?
Booking is open. Click below to reserve your place — a new tab will open to complete your booking securely through Eventbrite, our reliable and secure booking system. Eventbrite only handles payments. Once you register, Wild Women Hawai'i will personally follow up with all retreat details and communication.
Book with confidence. Our cancellation terms
What Women Say
The space was safe, gentle, and non-judgmental. I could finally just breath and be myself.
I left feeling grounded and so peaceful, more than I had in years.
It felt like coming home. I felt connected to nature and to my new sisterhood.
Wild Women Hawai'i is a locally owned, women-led offering based in Hilo on the Big Island.
Thank you for supporting small and local.