Want to join our next Nurture Retreat? Coming this November 15-17th! 

JOIN WAITLIST

RETREAT FACILITATORS

WE LOVE THE WAY YOU CREATE

At Nurture, we intentionally partner with people whose unique expression of creative talent influences, inspires and informs their life: as a business owner and in their own personal and professional development. We’re inspired by YOU, your creativity, and the way you see the world and would love to consider you for our team!

HOW WE RETREAT.

Nurture is magic. The community that is built through the friendships forged over this soulful weekend of creativity, sensuality, good food and warm togetherness is potent. Nurture inspires a delicious ripple effect beyond any networking opportunity we’ve found out there. It’s also literally delicious, as shared decadent harvest table meals provide the foundation for our connection.

One of our past facilitators, Kathryn Bondy, put it this way: “I think what stands out about being a facilitator is the bonds you form – for sure with the attendees, but so strongly with the other team members: you get a deep sense of shared fate. It feels fated that you meet and connect and grow together personally and professionally once the retreat is over.“

Each cohort of facilitators is specially curated to encourage connection and cross-pollination of your unique blend of talents and personalities. We think you’d flourish here!

HOW WE WORKSHOP.

At Nurture, we seek to explore creativity as alchemy. We believe deeply in the nourishment provided by working with our hands and our hearts to make something beautiful. Through a collaborative workshop design process with Nurture founder Sonja Seiler, workshop facilitators build a two-hour hands-on workshop to share the metaphors and life lessons they’ve learned through their tangible craft. Nurture workshops are less about the materials or skills we’re working with, and more about YOU and how you create and see the world through your tangible craft. Together, we explore your unique creative process and observe how it can reflect our inner selves back to us and help us see things in a new way. Through the act of creating something with our hands using your preferred medium, we hold space for our light and our darkness, our struggles and our triumphs. We delve into how we can intentionally work with and through the reality of the full spectrum of emotions and experiences life offers. We also have a ton of light-hearted, playful fun!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TANGIBLE CRAFT?

We’ve gotten recent feedback that Nurture attendees resonated most with our hands-on workshops where the tangible craft element is also the core creative practice of the person facilitating the workshop.

What we mean: A person who is a professional in their craft, ie: ceramicist working with clay, florist working with flowers, fibre artist working with fabric, etc.

What we don’t mean: A person who wants to explore their area of professional expertise with a craft they are not a professional in, ie: a therapist who wants to talk about how collage helps with self expression, or someone for whom their craft is solely a hobby.

In response to this feedback, tangible mediums will be our focus for Nurture workshops going forward. We will be moving away from featuring more intangible topics (even if those teachings feature a creative component). Much as we love exploring these topics in our lives and enjoyed featuring them in past retreats, we have found they are not the best fit for the workshops at Nurture.

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WHAT YOU PROVIDE

  • Attendance at our (mandatory) Team Meeting held virtually via Zoom, exactly one month prior to the retreat date.
  • A two-hour workshop that captures the spirit of how you approach your creative process, where participants work on a tangible takeaway item in your core creative medium.
  • Help setting up the retreat space to make it cozy and resetting the space before we leave.
  • One assigned kitchen assistant shift at one meal (mostly to help with dishes)
  • Support for other workshop leaders as needed. It’s fun, it’s creative, collaborative, and abundant with good vibes.

WHAT WE PROVIDE

  • A cozy meet & greet virtual Nurture Team Meeting exactly one month before the retreat.
  • Special Nurture Team Dinner and private team slumber party the first night of the retreat: candlelight, wine, connection and all the info you need for the weekend ahead, before the guests arrive. We get grounded, relax, and set up the venue in an intentional, leisurely way.
  • We cover your full ticket to Nurture plus a $500 honorarium comprised of a $360 professional fee for your workshop and a $140 stipend to help offset your expendable materials costs.
  • Features and promotion across all of our social media channels and website to share about you and what you do and what makes you and your creative process resonant.
  • A Nurture gift bag full of curated items by local makers and artisans.
  • Sumptuous meals prepared intentionally with your special dietary needs in mind.
  • Full access to all workshops & retreat activities. This is YOUR retreat!
  • Fruitful, meaningful connection with incredible creative kindreds and membership in the Nurture community at large: collaboration, cross-pollination, and all manner of creative partnerships, opportunities and friendships post-retreat.

YOU BECOME PART OF THE NURTURE COMMUNITY - WE ARE HERE TO UPLIFT YOU, SUPPORT YOU, AND TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOU!

APPLY TO JOIN THE NURTURE TEAM HERE

A FEW OF OUR PAST FACILITATORS

Stephanie Philip (Urban Gardener)

Melissa Condotta (Sunday’s Company)

Amber Ellis (Creating Light Studio)

Catherine Cachia (Calligraphy)

Danielle Suppa (SOUVENIR)

Rebecca Jacobs (Style Whisperer)

Natalie Ranae (Macramé)

Jo Lee (La Jolee)

Julia Nethersole (Glass Full)

Tania Love (Textiles)

Talia Silva Ceramics

Laure Stromboni (Lorette Lingerie) 

“Difficult to describe as words can’t quite capture the magic."

There is something powerful about bringing a group of thoughtful, open, and curious people together and seeing things bloom. Everything was magical, from the energy of the people, the grounds, the nourishing and scrumptious food, the intentional time we made for ourselves and those with us on the retreat. The workshops were varied and provided time to get introspective, share and play with creativity and just be in the moment. As a facilitator, I felt taken care of and supported the whole way through. From the trust, freedom, and compassion throughout the planning stages to the retreat itself and upon return and acclimatization “back to reality” after such an amazing weekend. You have created a very potent potion. I felt hugged the whole way through

– Talia Silva, Talia Silva Ceramics

"Nurture is a true labour of love. Sonja carefully crafts a weekend that nourishes your creative spirit and your tummy!"

“I was so honoured to lead a calligraphy workshop where I was able to share my passion for this art form and spark an interest in others. Everything about this weekend has a tremendous amount of care and thought behind it: from the colourful, beautiful meals to the personalized, welcome care packages. So often in our busy lives we forget to take time out to simply play and learn new things. This weekend reminded me of the importance of play, especially in community with other women. Perhaps the most surprising thing was that I came away from the weekend with a bunch of new friends who I still keep in touch with. Sometimes we just need a little nudge to remember our creativity, and the sense of joy and healing that comes from exploring it. Nurture is that nudge.”

Catherine Cachia, Calligraphy & Hand Lettering