We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Maxwell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

This is a toss up between quitting my full-time retail career to become a yoga teacher, and launching my first international yoga retreat with zero experience or yoga following. Both were huge financial risks, but launching my first retreat required me to learn a multitude of new skills, have 100% trust in myself, and surrender to divine timing.

The story began when one of MY yoga mentors asked me to co-lead a retreat with her in Costa Rica. Of course I replied, YES!” I mean, who wouldn’t want to teach yoga in paradise?

We planned for weeks, contacting the five star yoga resort we chose to host our retreat, and getting our contract for the dates and rooms we requested. My excitement was growing, for both leading a retreat group AND learning the ins and outs of planning a successful yoga retreat.

Days before our first deposit was due, and while I was on vacation with my family in Colorado, my mentor texted me that our dreamy Costa Rican adventure was not going to happen, for her, at least.

Needless to say, I was initially disappointed. I then spent the rest of our ski vacation pondering the idea of leading an international retreat ALL ON MY OWN. I had zero experience leading retreats, I had never been to Costa Rica or on any other yoga retreat, the $3,000 deposit was due in 2 days, and I hadn’t taught in a yoga studio in over 8 years! I had to be crazy.

I paid the deposit (thank you, business credit card), and got to work.

Luckily, I have many friends who led retreats, so I asked them for advice- what to put on my website, how to budget and price the rooms, and how to schedule retreat events and activities. I am so immensely grateful for all the knowledge they shared with me.

I wish I could tell you that it was easy peasy from there, that I sent out one marketing email and sold out every spot. Nope, not even close.

I got four sign ups right away from a close friend group. Awesome! I thought, “this is so easy, let me trade in my single rooms for more double rooms to accommodate more people!” I traded in two single rooms for two more double rooms, marketed the retreat again, and crickets. Zero sign ups for months.

In fact, right around Christmas and New Year’s of that year (and 4 months before my retreat), three of the friends dropped out. I was gutted. It felt like I was started all over, again.

But instead of getting depressed, I got crafty. I posted my retreat on numerous Facebook pages to get exposure. I filled two spots with yoga instructors who wanted a discounted rate and experience leading an international retreat. My mother and sister signed up, without me coaxing them. A client and his wife decided to make this retreat a relaxing getaway. My friend who’s entire group bailed on her, convinced her sister-in-law to share a room!

I had filled all but two spots, and my retreat was only 3 weeks away. I really felt the time crunch because I, myself, was traveling to Greece for a womb healing retreat just 2 weeks before leading my own retreat. Another crazy decision I do not regret.

Two and a half weeks before we were supposed to leave for Costa Rica, I received a Facebook message from someone who saw my post in one of the retreat Facebook groups. She had a change of vacation plans, canceled the trip she was supposed to go on, and decided to sign up for my retreat on the spot!

A few days later, I got another message from someone from a different retreat Facebook group. We scheduled a phone call to get all of her questions answered. She had a few job-related things to figure out, so she couldn’t commit to my retreat just yet.

After another week of back and forth messages (and a whole lot of stress), I filled my last spot. I SOLD OUT my first-ever yoga retreat!

That year was truly a lesson of surrender, trust, and consistent, intentional action.

The retreat was everything I hoped it would be and more. I felt fully in my element. The resort was beautiful and the food was delicious. I felt well-supported by the two instructors who lead transformational classes and ceremonies. And I was surrounded by love having my mother and sister there with me.

The experience was so magical that I planned my next retreat before we headed back home.

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.

Melissa Maxwell is a certified IIN Health Coach, Ayurveda Health Counselor, yoga teacher, Reiki Master, and published author with over 15 years of experience in women’s health- including holistic nutrition, hormone balance, prenatal and postpartum wellness, and trauma-informed yoga. She offers private coaching, group programs, workshops, womb circles, and retreats for modern women who desire a more nature-led and sustainable approach to wellness.

Through decades of studying nutrition, yoga, fitness, and human physiology, Melissa has gained priceless experience from integrating a variety of wellness methods and teaching into her own lifestyle, uncovering her own bio individuality, while helping hundreds of clients do the same. She has the profound ability to transform ancient teachings and complex science into simple and effective tools that empower women on their path to self love and life-long wellness.

Melissa’s approach is holistic – beyond diet and exercise – and rooted in creating a foundation that supports bio-harmony. She helps women rebuild their trust and confidence in their self healing journey by becoming more deeply connected with the rhythms of nature, using food as medicine, and designing routines and rituals that promote healing.

You can connect with Melissa on Instagram @melissatmaxwell where she shares nature-led tools and practices to inspire others to take the first step towards foundational health and harmony.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

After running my coaching business for over 15 years, and completing thousands of hours of certifications, I have realized that the most important skill any business owner must acquire is knowing how to effectively market to your target market. Marketing goes beyond occasionally posting on social media or sending out an email newsletter with event updates. It’s the ability to speak directly to your client, like you already know the struggles they are facing, and to illustrate the solution that exists when working with you. This is a skill I continue to grow for my own business, both as the social media algorithm changes and my brand shifts with what’s alive for me in this season of life.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have started 15 businesses since I graduated from college. Nine of them were started with companies in the direct selling world. One was a decorative cake business, right out of college (ironic since I majored in nutrition). Before I had kids, I sold used clothing online. And right after I had my daughter, I built a brand dedicated to normalizing and educating about breast-feeding. I designed mugs, tees, and baby-onesies with my unique catch phrases, “Milky Madre” and “Mas Leche, Please.” Between all the various businesses, I always came back to wellness. I’ve created a meal-prep delivery service from my kitchen, a personal training business that has grown over the last 18 years, and a holistic health coaching business through which I help women heal themselves through yoga, food and nature.

My entire journey is rooted in resilience. Though most of the businesses I started no longer exists, and sometimes I had to be a bar tender or retail manager to pay the bills, I continued to reimagine and restart my entrepreneurial endeavors. I took on new opportunities and started new beginnings to help me learn new skills, meet new people, and redefine my values. My business changed as I changed, but I never gave up. And because of that, I can truly say that I never failed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissatmaxwell/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissabrooksmaxwell
• Other: My Costa Rica Retreat Page: https://rewildretreat2025.my.canva.site/

Image Credits

Birch Thomas