5-DAY IMMERSIVE • CHICO, CALIFORNIA
The Rekindle Retreat
Find your spark again. Reflect, release, realign, and rekindle — light the fire of your own passion and purpose. Thursday, January 7 through Monday, January 11, 2027 at The Haven.
START HERE
The way you've been told to "do" New Year is all wrong.
Time to get out the old legal pad and write down your new year's resolutions, right? Um . . . no.
New Year's resolutions feel empty and leave you with a strong aftertaste of imposter syndrome and failure-to-complete complex. How many have you carried through to the end of the year? How many did you forget after a few months? How many felt out of reach, or ridiculous, or like a total fantasy?
And yet the end of the year calls to you. It's a threshold . . . a space in between . . . and it's an opportunity. A natural time to look back and look forward, to consider releasing what you think you're supposed to do in favor of what you want-with-all-your-heart-and-soul to do.
IF THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR…
You are at the bottom of your own to-do list.
You had dreams — now a distant memory. You have desires to make changes in your life — but that sounds like hard work. You have visions for the life you'd like to live — if only you had time to focus on them.
All year those thoughts have called to you: make some time for me. And all year you've put off tending your own fire. Life and all your responsibilities don't leave you much time — or energy — for meaningful reflection. You've got Obligations with a capital O. Work. Finances. The kids and the parents. Your partner.
Just thinking about making time for yourSELF leaves you feeling like you're being selfish, like you're forgetting something important, like you'll only get further behind. With that thinking, how do you ever put "me time" on the calendar?
But the longing to go deep keeps simmering on. Your heart and spirit still ask you for attention, time, and tending.
THE FOUR KEYS
Reflect, release, realign, rekindle.
This is not about resolutions. It's about coming back to center — a practice I’ve developed over many years to say goodbye to the year that's ending and hello to the one just peeking over the horizon.
Reflect
On the year just past — what worked, what didn’t, what you want to celebrate, and what you are ready to be done with.
Release
Anything you’re still hanging onto, so you move forward with a lighter spirit and a lighter load.
Realign
With your values, intentions, desires and needs — so whatever you call in next is in true alignment with who you are.
Rekindle
The dreams you haven’t given any attention to in far too long, because of all the things that called you away.
WHAT MAKES IT WORK
Three things this retreat is built on.
Connection, and reconnection
No person is an island. We're living through an epidemic of isolation, the scars of the pandemic years still on our emotional skin. We thrive with connection, and our dreams shine brighter when we can envision them in company. That's why the intimate circle of fellow travellers is key — and why the retreat is built with constant opportunities to connect, bond, and spark friendships, ideas, and creativity.
Breathing new life into your creative spirit
Words are fine. You've spent countless hours with your therapist or your friends talking about your life, and even so, your dreams haven't come to fruition. That's because words will only get you so far. What you need is deep, immersive time in creativity to explore your life, your heart, and your soul.
The Haven, in Chico
Susie and her wife Mary built The Haven in their backyard — abundant in size, space, light, air, and art supplies. (And kleenex, because kleenex is just as important as paint here.) It's a place to breathe deeply, play, make a mess, and get to a very deep place in your soul — designed to hold you tenderly enough that you can open even the darkest parts of your story, release them, and feel the relief.
All art supplies
Every supply you could imagine or need, already waiting for you. Plus your own copy of the Come Back to Center New Year’s Workbook.
Treats and brunch
Treats and beverages throughout, a catered dinner opening night, and a catered brunch in the studio on the closing morning. GF, DF and vegan options available.
1:1 time with Susie
Alongside the group work, private coaching sessions with Susie throughout the program. Time for meaningful reflection and intimate witnessing.
A local guide
Information sheets for lodging, dining, entertainment, nature, and getting to and around Chico from the nearest airports.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Everything but the bed and the plane ticket.
THE SCHEDULE
Five days, start to finish.
The studio opens at 9am and stays open through the lunch breaks Friday through Monday, so you can squeeze in as much extra time as your heart desires.
Please plan to be present for the whole retreat — arriving in time for the opening day and staying through the closing circle. A safe and sacred container depends on everyone being there start to finish.
Thursday, January 7 · 2pm–8pm
- OpeningWe gather, settle in, and begin. Includes a delicious meal in the studio, homemade by Susie.
Friday, January 8 – Sunday, January 6 · 10am–5pm
- StudioDaily guided sessions and open studio time, with a 1.5 hour lunch break. The studio opens at 9am and stays open through lunch. The program begins at 10am.
- MakingArt journaling, dreamboards and dreamboxes, inspiration cards, and reflective writing.
- One on onePrivate 1:1 coaching sessions with Susie, woven through the program.
Monday, January 11 · 10am–1pm
- ClosingA catered brunch in the studio and our closing circle.
FROM PAST RETREATS
What it's like when you get there.
CHECK IN WITH DEEPEST YOURSELF
The Rekindle Retreat is for you if you’re longing to…
Set down everything you've been carrying and pick your creative spirit back up
Savor a whole week of sweet time with yourself while your beloveds manage without you
Get reacquainted with your soul and realigned with what matters most to you
Leave feeling lighter, awake, energized, and fully present in your own life
Gently check in on the parts of you that have been waiting for attention (a little trepidation is welcome here, and it makes complete sense)
Rekindle the passions and dreams you've tucked away
Play with art supplies like a kid again, fingerpaint and all
Make new friends, linger over delicious meals, and wander historic downtown Chico and the wild beauty around it
It may not be for you if you…
You're looking for a skills-based art workshop or a specific supply list
You'd rather follow a recipe than follow your curiosity
You only make room for things that turn out "beautiful"
Your heart's longings aren't something you want to explore right now
You're not ready to make yourself a priority for a week
YOUR GUIDE
I'm Susie Stonefield, midwife to your creative spirit.
I've been holding circles for deep and powerful life transformation long enough to know that fingerpainting is highly underrated. I deeply believe in the power of creativity to heal — I have seen it profoundly change lives.
Traversing the terrain of change is anything but neat and tidy. Just like the caterpillar who turns to goo in the chrysalis before becoming a butterfly, the journey takes us to exactly that place. I am ALL about the goo in the chrysalis, because that's where the action happens. That's the transformation.
Working with me is like having a heart-centred guide hold the light on the dark path while you explore your stories and shadows — what holds you back and what pulls at your soul. The space I make is safe and sacred, and it's a path I know well.
Every year I do the work of this retreat for myself. Just as an archer must draw the bowstring back to send the arrow forward with accuracy and momentum, you must reflect on your past chapters to move into your next one.
I'd love to walk alongside you as you create a life that feels more alive, more courageous, and more fully your own.
INVESTMENT
Two ways in.
Registration starts with a free discovery call — and yes, even if we've spoken before, we still start there.
Early bird
$1,349book your call by DECEMBER 1
The full five days at the early rate. Book your discovery call before December 1 to lock it in.
Book a free discovery callFull price
$1,599after DECEMBER 1
The same five days, the same everything. Payment plans are available — just ask.
Book a free discovery callBring a friend
Come with someone you love and you each get an extra $100 off.
Payment plans
Payment plans are available for both rates. Ask about it on your discovery call.
What’s not included
Lodging, transportation, and meals other than the closing brunch. You’ll get an information sheet with lodging and dining suggestions.
DETAILS
Frequently Asked Questions
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Saturday, January 3 through Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
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At The Haven studio in Chico, California — 90 miles and about 90 minutes from Sacramento International Airport, and roughly three hours from the San Francisco Bay Area and its airports.
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All art supplies, your own copy of the Come Back to Center New Year's Workbook, treats and beverages throughout, and a catered brunch in the studio on the closing morning. GF, DF and vegan options are available.
Also included: 1:1 coaching sessions with Susie throughout the program, time off for exploring, resting or free play in the studio, and information sheets covering lodging, dining, entertainment, nature, and getting to and around Chico.
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Lodging, meals other than the closing brunch, and transportation.
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Unfold Art programs are not for "artists." The focus is personal exploration of the wordless heart through the creative process. That includes playing with art supplies — it does not include making "works of art."
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Yes. It really matters, in setting a safe and sacred creative container, that everyone is committed from beginning to end. Please plan your travel so you arrive with plenty of time for the opening day and don't have to leave until the final day has come to a close.
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Book a free discovery call with Susie. And yes — even if you've talked with Susie before, you still need to do that.
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Early bird is $1,349 if you book your call by November 15; full price is $1,599. Bring a friend and you each get an extra $100 off. Payment plans are available, just ask.
Not sure where to go next? Take the Brave Life Inventory.
A free, self-guided assessment that will help you see exactly where fear is holding you back, where your courage already lives, and what your next brave step might be.
What Has Fear Been Deciding for Me?
- 01Meet the version of yourself you left behind.
- 02Picture what's possible for you this year.
- 03See your next brave step.