We were lucky to catch up with Lindsey Bean recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lindsey, thanks for joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?
Creating wellness retreats provides space for individuals to explore, connect, release, open, and express themselves in ways that they may not have experienced before. It requires vulnerability which promotes growth. In addition to daily movement, excursions and group activities, we include mindset coaching which really helps us connect as a group. In my position, I have heard so many stories about life-changing moments on retreats. Sometimes it’s “I am worth taking time for myself” or “I am enough” and so so often it is “I feel like I’ve found myself again”. One woman was very emotional during a mindset coaching session and expressed that she didn’t feel like she was a good mom. She yelled too much, had short patience, and didn’t feel like she was enjoying her children. After tweaking her mindset through several exercises, she visibly brightened with hope for the future. Her children weren’t going to be different, the challenges would still remain, but she finally recognized ways that she could break the cycle and improve in areas that would benefit her family in addition to herself. It is so inspiring to hear the power, confidence, and self awareness from those who truly take advantage of these amazing opportunities.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Lindsey Bean and I have been a Manager with Awaken Studios in Utah for nearly 8 years. During this time, I’ve had the opportunity to work in various areas of the studio but within the last 3 years, my focus has been on creating International Wellness Retreats. I was offered this position after years of demonstrating abilities that would really uplevel the retreat program, considering my background in Marketing and Project Management and personal love of travel.
I hold 4-5 retreats each year around the world and we rarely re-visit the same country twice so it has been an incredible opportunity to explore new locations! The first thing I do is set a basic annual schedule of anticipated retreats and then RESEARCH to find the perfect locations. This is often the most difficult task, as our retreats have very specific requirements including space for 25-45 people, a large shala or space for group movement, a space for dining as a group, within 2 hours of an international airport, opportunities for activities nearby, and obviously in a safe and secure area. Once I find some options, I read reviews, reach out to others who have hosted at that location, check for the most ideal weather seasons, look up historical flight prices, and plan a basic budget to ensure that we can proceed. Once a location is determined, I negotiate terms and rates and start gathering as much information as I can to ensure I’m prepared to answer ALL the questions that come my way.
We typically announce a retreat location LIVE on our Instagram to drum up excitement, give them basic details, answer questions, and then direct them to our website where I’ve built a custom page for each location which breaks down all of the retreat specifics. We typically sell out of a retreat within a month of launching – but sometimes, we don’t last an hour before all spots are filled! Filling a retreat has been a challenge in the past and sometimes can be unexpectedly slower to fill but we always allow ourselves enough room to make adjustments if needed. Announcing and launching retreats well in advance (up to a year) has given us more flexibility to ensure we fully sell out to ensure maximum profitability. Awaken Studios has an incredible customer base and we offer priority registration to members of our regular community, followed by launching publicly after a few days if the retreat isn’t sold out. We often have recurring members attend multiple retreats a year, which is a testament to the success that they have become.
Each retreat is 5 nights, 6 days and the schedules are strategically planned to incorporate daily meditation, movement, mindset coaching, group activities, cultural opportunities, and excursions. Something that is unique to Awaken Retreats is that we always include a service project in each country, so that we can give back to the communities that are offering so much to us during our stays. These vary based on need for each area but we have planted trees on the beaches in Costa Rica to help with reforestation, repaired a fence and gardened at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, brought offerings to Monks in Thailand, cleaned over 50 bags of trash off the beaches in Belize, supplied classroom materials and cleaning for a school in Honduras, donated food and helped organize the community run food pantry in Portugal…and more. These retreats truly encompass so much in such a short amount of time. Everything I have mentioned falls under my responsibility and it is such a fun part of my job to select group excursions, an activity to learn about the local culture, and to give service. I also arrange all meals, local transportation, and arrange any additional offerings like massage therapists to meet all of our clients needs. Managing the budget is all part of it as well. One thing I don’t do is personal flight and travel booking outside of our staff who are attending the retreat – booking flights is my least favorite thing to do!
I also work with brand sponsors to provide items in our swag bags, included in each retreat. This is a great way to introduce our clients to local services and products and to partner in our community with likeminded service providers in the wellness, beauty and fitness industries. This can be a challenge to secure continuing partnerships with so many retreats a year, but we have several business that donate for every retreat because they love to be included.
One of the most fulfilling parts of my job is to see the change that happens in the group over the span of a week. They open, connect, grow and really form a tight bond with others there and leave stronger and more resilient than they entered. Retreats can be whatever you want out of them…an escape, relaxing getaway, a way to strengthen your body and form through movement, to shift your mindset, to connect with others…but whatever the goal, you’ll get whatever you want from it and more and it is my privilege to facilitate these amazing experiences around the world.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Awaken Studios has been running retreats for longer than they’ve had a physical studio in Utah and even without a planner in the beginning, people LOVED the ability to book a flight, show up to a retreat and have everything taken care of. Some of our strengths with building are reputation are the staff who go above and beyond to share their knowledge and experience with retreat attendees so they feel supported through movement or mindset coaching. My job is to communicate everything that is planned so they have full confidence that everything is taken care of. When they don’t need to worry or stress, they can be open to fully letting go and experiencing everything that has been meticulously planned for their benefit. We have a very high return rate of those who go on retreats with us multiple times a year and their testimonials and word of mouth has been a great way for us to continue building. We share those testimonials on our website and instagram and encourage them to post about their experiences so that our reach can continue to grow. In order to encourage repeat retreaters, we created a “5 Retreat Club” and a “10 Retreat Club” with members who have attended 5 or 10 retreats, and we gift them with items to show our appreciation for their loyalty. Without our loyal client base, we wouldn’t have the reputation that we do.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
My educational background includes Communications, Advertising and believe it or not…Interior Design. I actually worked in each of those fields for years before my current position as an International Retreat Manager and I think the path I traveled was exactly where I needed to be. I was able to travel personally for years, build my skills in project management and organization, get comfortable in various Managerial roles and find tools and systems for effective communication and budgeting. It all led me to where I needed to be and I’m very grateful to do something that I love with an incredible company, which fosters my creativity and love of travel. This position is a perfect balance of my left and right brain skills and I have loved the ability to continue to learn and grow through each retreat and each location we visit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.awakenstudios.com/retreats
- Instagram: @awakenstudios
