Into the Woods: Powering Down to Power Up

There’s something truly magical about spending 48 hours tucked away at a converted New York convent nestled in the woods. This week, my friend Nancy Berger and I co-hosted the very first #powerdown2powerup retreat at THE RANCH Hudson Valley (we were the first group to stay there!). We curated an intimate gathering of successful, accomplished women CEOs, influencers and founders across business, finance, beauty, fashion and retail.

So often, a real sense of community and connection is missing from the endless parade of conferences, summits, and events that dominate our crowded calendars. Our vision was to host a moment in time where women could let our hair down and let ourselves take a much-needed pause from our hectic executive schedules.

Our breathwork class reminded us that meditation brings mental clarity, giving us a moment to find the power in being still and free from the torrent of thoughts that clutter up our minds every second of every day.

We heard powerhouse journalist Joanne Lipman share insights from her new book, “Next!: The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work,” and why women pursue mission-driven opportunities for their next act.

Actor melora hardin — aka Jan from “The Office” and a lead in "Transparent" and "The Bold Type" — is using her Hollywood influence to spread of a message of empowerment with "Hunter's Thunder," her forthcoming docuseries about childhood trauma and sexual violence, and the way forward.

We cultivated our strong bond during yoga, fitness class, and group hikes into the woods. We shared beautiful meals including dinner at Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club with tables draped in diamond jewelry from Simon G. Jewelry . We kicked back at a pajama party with skinworldwide founder Susan Beischel , and grooved the night away to disco classics.

But most of all, we gave to each other — gave advice, shared tips, offered little nuggets of wisdom, and opened ourselves to learning from this budding brain trust. It was incredible to see ideas emerging organically, women growing their networks and taking home new insights and fresh energy.

At a time when women executives always feel pressured to be "on" and project a perfect, polished image, we seized the opportunity to stop "doing" and leaned into the process of discovering new advocates and allies.

Thank you to Melissa Gonzalez , Stacey Widlitz , Adrienne Lazarus , Atoya Burleson , Tai Beauchamp , mina fader , Sandra Campos , Stephanie Kaplan Lewis , Kerry O'Brien , Julee Wilson , Jill Granoff , Jaryn Bloom , Aliya Karmally Sahai , Dafna Mizrahi , Stephanie Horton , Cristina Nuñez , Mindy Grossman , Amy Shecter , Elana Drell-Szyfer , Daniela Pierre-Bravo , Carol Brodie , Deirdre Quinn , Sarah McNamara and everyone who made this retreat so special!