We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lianna Willoughby a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lianna, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Our mission at Retreat East Co, a 105 acre property and Mid-Century Lodge in Ellenville, NY is to empower guests to begin (or continue) on their path of self discovery in nature by feeling its powerful positive health benefits.
To facilitate a deeper reconnection, we offer bespoke on-site wellness services with the best local practitioners, like movement (yoga, pilates, spiritual guides, hiking experts, forest bathing), bodywork (energy healing, massage, mayan abdominal work), and farm to table food (locally sourced breakfast, picnic provisions, or on-site chef) as add ons to their stay.
Nature has always been around me, I just never knew how much of a positive benefit it had on my well-being (and my family’s). It was during the pandemic, that I shared a country home rental in PA with my cousin and her family (we each have a partner+ two kids), that I saw the profound impact that access to nature had on our collective well-beings. It was during Covid time that I paused, took in all of the ways we were thriving and attributed most of it to access to the outdoors, air, trees, dirt, and sun. My youngest son at the time was only 2 and he is so connected to the earth, I loved that he has an outlet for that even though we live in Brooklyn, NY. We began our home search to continue the access in a more permanent setting and found our diamond in the rough.
It was after this moment that I saw all the beauty and realized my calling to become a land steward for future generations and to host friends and families at Retreat East Co, providing a safe space for people to explore new healing modalities, the land around them and learn more about how to feel good. I love that this area is a bit of a secret, less well known among Brooklynites so parks like Minnewaska State Park main entrance and Sams Point are a stunning surprise for families and friends when they visit.
I believe that if we can help people feel better, happier and more comfortable in their bodies, the world will be a better place.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Lianna Willoughby, I live in Brooklyn, NY with my husband, Jack and 2 sons, Aiden (8) and George (3).
I went to Syracuse University and graduated with a dual major in film and Spanish. Immediately after graduating I began working for several independent filmmakers in NYC. I soon realized I needed full time work if I wanted to continue to live in NYC and be able to fully support myself. I started a career in advertising, working on campaign strategies at Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners and after a few years of ad-life, I had a life-changing event in 2010. My cousin, Marissa Willoughby, and I were planning on accompanying our 95-year-old Quaker grandfather, George Willoughby, on a visit to India to be honored for the work in international peace and non-violence that he and my grandmother had done throughout their lives. As Lillian had passed away the year before, she being honored posthumous. Unfortunately, a month before we were planning to embark on our trip, our Grandfather passed away. Marissa and I still took the trip, and we were the guests of honor, in our grandparents’ absence, and this trip changed my life forever.
When I returned, I realized my inner being, the essence of who I am, was not in alignment with my current job, so I quit to begin my quest to make the world a better place. After a bit of research and job searching, I realized that to work in the “do good” sector, I’d have to go back to school to get a masters degree and then the jobs I’d be qualified for would pay me half of what I needed to support myself in NYC. So, that prospect faded, although the desire to help people never did. I reconnected with one of my mentors and bosses from advertising and I’ve worked at her consumer insights research consultancy, Open Mind Strategy since. I learned how to run a business and do just about anything it takes, work with clients and make executive decisions. The aspects of that work that are most fulfilling for me are to be able to constantly learn on the job about people, consumers and also it fulfills my passion for being proud of what we create and deliver to clients. We also did a lot of generational research studies so I was constantly refreshing and expanding my knowledge about how people think and feel and move through life.
Fast forward 8 years. I took my first energy healing class and began a lifelong learning in Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient Japanese healing art. I have been so inspired by what these energy studies and practice has helped me unlock about myself and my body. Jin Shin Jyutsu has helped me move through this life feeling empowered to feel good and be my own advocate and healer, as well as for my family and friends. In 2022, I launched my Brooklyn NY practice and I see clients to help them work through blockages on the physical and emotional level and feel overall body balance. I am inspired to continue practicing and sharing Jin Shin Jyutsu because I can see and feel how much opportunity there is to help our bodies heal and our minds to return to ease so they can heal themselves. I feel we’ve lost our way and given up some of our power by looking for answers outside ourselves. My goal is to empower my friends, family and clients to trust yourself and your body first!
Just the simple notion, that by placing your two hands or fingertips on your own body, you have the power to move energy in it! Obviously having some basic groundwork in how Jin Shin Jyutsu works and some specific flows will empower you even more to take this healing art and incorporate it into your life wellness toolkit.
In 2019, some of the research we had been conducting at Open Mind Strategy, about Gen Zs and Millennials, highlighted the increase in anxiety and depression among these younger cohorts. This really resonated with me, as a mom of young kids and as someone who has struggled with anxiety in my life, on and off for 20 years. I knew that making wellness accessible and simpler was part of the solution, and so I began to build an idea and product framework for an app that connects people to local wellness practitioners in their area and matches them based on how “who” they were and where they needed the most support. With younger generations, and Millennials as well, the openness to all forms of healing and modalities is also the highest it has ever been, so I thought all I need to do is connect these people to the healers and methods to support that. I conducted my own focus group among some friends and family, and I learned quickly that while open and curious, there was still a lack of understanding as to why they may need this in their lives and when they could make time for it? I knew that education was a key component to connecting the dots so I went back to the drawing board. Right around that time, I gave birth to my second son and quickly after, I decided that any new startup venture for me would have to connect to a direct and real stream of income. I started researching real estate investing and taking classes to uncover where I may fit in that and then Covid hit in 2021.
After renting a couple airbnbs and hanging both in BK and at my parent’s house in NJ, we decided to secure a long term lease in the country within 2 hours of NYC. I found a home in Milford, PA and signed the lease, then pitched the fully completed idea to my other cousin, Ariella and her family and we started our share in the country where we banded our families together every weekend during covid and dove right into nature and the outdoors.
We hiked, explored, dug holes, ate s’mores, cooked locally sourced meals, made noise to get the bears to go away, and learned so much–we got out of our heads into our bodies and it felt great. I knew after about a year of this that we weren’t alone in our need for this kind of access and while I loved our rental, I knew it was time to seek my first property in bespoke wellness and hospitality. We found the Retreat East Co property in Fall of 2021 and finalized ownership in January 2022. We made improvements to the expansive four bedroom lodge, and got it up and running in April 2022. By May 2022, we designed and created a platform tent site to expand the accommodations and appeal to people who prefer simplicity of nature immersion in our beautiful forest of oaks and maples.
The home and 105 acres spanning meadows, forest, slight slopes and steep mountainsides, we are still exploring new areas of the property. It is located in Ellenville, NY which I had only visited once, about 12 years ago, my husband and I rented an Airbnb in Accord to celebrate our dog’s first birthday and locals recommended that we go to Aroma Thyme bistro in Ellenville for a special meal. We hadn’t been back since then, but everyone we’ve met and shared our vision with, we know that we are in the exact place we were meant to be.
It is a beautiful town, with lots of resurgence energy, creatives, musicians, healers—everyone is there. I was told the town is located on a rock quarry of crystals and that can make people who are from there weird and quirky, in a good way and I love that! I feel like we’ve found our home away from home and I am excited to bring people to the area and explore all of the amazing things we’ve discovered!
Minnewaska State park is twenty minute drive from the property and is one of NY state’s best kept secrets with beautiful scenic access to glacier lakes, look out points, and waterfalls, all in a most family friendly environment you could imagine. It is beyond special. I feel like I’m in another country when I’m up there, it is a surreal feeling.
I’ve started with a house and 105 acres, added a platform tent forest glamping site and I am planning to expand the offering with additional sustainably built tiny homes, and additional wellness amenities on site like an outdoor sauna, and wood fired hot tubs. Beyond our current property, my goal is to create a wellness portfolio of short-term rental properties across the world, and offer local experiences and wellness activities. I am so grateful and fulfilled to curate bespoke wellness experiences for guests, to deepen their connection to nature and to themselves. Even if a quiet retreat is not possible, we offer activities for more playful family experiences, getting families out of their day to day patterns and into their bodies, together on a collective journey and connecting at a higher level, for example guided tree mediations with a spiritual guide in the forest, gem stone scavenger hunts and mindfulness activities in the expansive natural setting.
Getting people to explore outside of their usual wellness routines, and stretch in a safe place, crating new group dynamics. We specialize in friendship groups and family gatherings.
With our virtual wellness and activities concierge included with all bookings, it is not your average Airbnb experience. Guests can take the guesswork out of their next week(end) planning and tap right into the local land, towns and best places to go depending on what they want and the season. I’ve spent the past year meeting everyone in the nearby wellness communities and connecting and experiencing all of their offerings so I can connect the best practitioners with my guests needs. My approach is a very human and small scale way to connect people with local practitioners.
The lodge is a sanctuary from our crazy everyday lives of city living. According to “shinrin-yoku”, the practice of Japanese Forest Bathing, a simple walk in nature has powerful health benefits. Wellness is the goal at the Retreat East Co where we make it easy to explore in nature and relax our minds and bodies. Recent sustainable home upgrades include: solar, new hi efficiency split units for heating and cooling, as well as large electric water heat pump. The goal is to move away from fossil fuels of the past (propane and oil), and create our own renewable energy with what has been provided for us from the earth’s sun. Our approach to cultivating the land and home is eco conscious so we can steward the land through to the next generation.
Everything in the home is curated with wellness and hospitality in mind. All guests receive:
o Welcome book with a curated list of the best local experiences and key info
o Herbal Infusions: custom teas for calm/relaxation
o Fresh Roast: freshly roasted coffee
o Yoga Gear: access to yoga studio props and mats
o Seasonal touches: local wildflowers
o Ultimate comfort: Hi-quality bedding and new, comfortable mattresses
o Ground: Himalayan salt lamps in bedrooms
o Air : House plants designed for optimal air quality
o (Add) Wood Warmth—large wood burning fireplace insert inside and firepit outside
In addition to home rental, retreats, forest tent site, and events, we recently launched our Retreat East Collective, a modern time-share concept for city dwellers who want regular access to the country or are still looking for their country home, without the stress of home ownership. The model includes a range of packages, including the weekender, the summer vacationer, the quarter-timer, and a work from country model that appeals to those who may feel more inspired in the natural setting to get more done so they have time to do things to help balance their minds and bodies. The cost is significantly lower than booking through Airbnb, but guests still have access to all site amenities and the virtual wellness concierge.
More info: Website:
www.retreateast.co
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
There is often a tension between actualizing the big vision and how time is spent in the day-to day functions of any new venture. When we first purchased the property in Jan, 2022, we quickly moved into renovations to update a few elements of the home and make it an optimal space for groups to gather. With a goal to launch the home for renters April 1, it was a tight timeline because of the time of year, weather in the area and what needed to be done by a certain time. I often spent my day-to day on-site doing whatever was needed to get the project to completion. Running to home depot for contractors, scrubbing the old bathrooms and cleaning toilets because our budget at the time was 100% going to the repairs, which of course the expense plus closing was much more than estimated so there were significant financial tensions at every turn.
Support was key. I have a supportive life partner and a monthly entrepreneur’s community forum–both were key factors that helped me get through some of the tougher moments. It isn’t that I hadn’t anticipated rolling up my sleeves to get the job done, it was the overwhelming feeling that I was spending my time doing such “small” things when my goal was to make the world a better place by helping individuals on their healing journey. Ultimately, the experience was humbling and also very stressful. I learned a lot about how to connect the “small” day to day with getting closer to my goals and accepting this as my goal.
When I was able to share this with others, I realized that I was not alone in the journey and the support groups and my partner really lifted me up to help me celebrate all of the wins, from small day-to-day to big—making our deadline and meeting our goals!
It was in these conversations that I was able to connect my experience to the greater vision regularly and get the support I needed to forge forward.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
The most important thing with managing a team for any small business is establishing a clear and open line of communication that goes both ways.
Most recently, managing a home and 105 acre property my focus is having a skilled and trustworthy “on the ground” team. We have a groundskeeper who manages the land, a handyman who can fix any issue in the home when guests are there and in between, and a housecleaner. Each person is so invaluable to the experience that we are creating.
I love and respect each and every one of our partners and I often let them know how much I appreciate them, how essential and important their efforts are and how great of a job they are doing. I try at every stage to create an open line of communication that goes both ways and establish clear expectations and guidelines when possible to make sure we are always aligned on the job.
Of course if there are any issues, I communicate that quickly and without ever escalating my tone. I believe a healthy environment for work is essential to the quality of work. I also think that partners who can feel like they are a part of something bigger, like our vision and not just a cog in the wheel of task completion helps them do their best work.
I’ve taken our housecleaner to breakfast to discuss anything that I can do to make her job easier. I always think a professional working relationship is good, but knowing each person personally is also helpful in understanding what their needs are and how to best support them so they can show up and be their best.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.retreateast.co
- Instagram: retreateast_co
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lianna-willoughby-b5356a9/
- Other: https://airbnb.com/h/retreateastco
Image Credits
house interior pics and headshot: eduardo amorim photography