How to Plan a Solo SheEO Retreat to Pamper Yourself and Level Up Your Business -

A solo SheEO retreat is the solution to give you a little rest and relaxation, clarity and time to work on things that matter in your business. And you can totally DIY one with the tips Marcia Sheehan of Her Hideaways shared in my chat with her!

Shannon Baker

I want to thank everyone for joining us today! So today’s guest is Marcia Sheehan. And Marcia and I met through a local connection who I met through another connection. So if you don’t believe there’s a power in networking, in being engaged, this relationship is a perfect example of why you need to invest the time in that.

So today, Marcia is going to talk to us about self-care planning retreats. It’s one thing that we tend to overlook as busy SheEOs. We don’t take care of ourselves personally. We focus on either our personal life or growing our business, and we forget to blend the two together. But the information that Marcia is going to share with us today is going to help us to see how we can blend the two and take better care of ourselves while also growing our business. So Marcia, before we jump into this juicy topic, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

Marcia Sheehan

Thank you so much for the warm welcome, Shannon! I’m so excited to be here! And what you said about connecting with other people in networking like that’s like, I believe networking and connections. Like I think it’s so important because you just never know like when you show up for yourself. You never know what type of doors that’s going to open, and what type of doors you can open for other people as well. Because you know, when you go into networking, it’s a collaborative experience, you know. So my history is I started in 2013, I started writing an online blog. I was a stay at home mom, and it was helping me to navigate becoming sober. And so I wrote as a way to heal myself and process everything that was going on. From there. I started networking with business owners and bloggers in the DC Maryland area, the DMV, that’s what we got.

Yes! So I started networking in the DMV as a blogger. And I just fell in love with women entrepreneurs, I just, I mean, those were my people like just the the creativity, the curiosity, like women just being so driven by what it is they were providing either like a product based business, a service business, you know, other bloggers, like everybody was mission and purpose driven. And so I just, I was like, I have to start a business. So I started a product based business. And that business was so wrong for me. But it led me to what was right for me. And so while I was networking for that product based business, I started to notice a trend with all of the other women that I was networking with. And it’s like you see in others what is happening within you, you know, I believe that others like reflect to you what’s happening within yourself.

And I started to notice that like, women were putting everyone and everything before their own needs. So even if they were working on their business, or networking or whatever it was strictly regarding their business, it wasn’t like they weren’t filling their cup in a way that was like getting to the Shannon or to the Marcia like it was like Marcia, the business owner, Marcia, Marcia, the wife, Marcia, the sister, you know, there was nothing for Marcia.

So I started a womens in Richmond society. And I owned that from 2015 to 2019. We did dissolve it based on just evolution. But during that we started the Connector Conference which was a day’s worth of connection to yourself and to other women in a conference setting. So that’s what the society was, it was me providing opportunities for women to link up in person to it was part spirituality part workshop type. So like we would get together and have our meetings and go through the practices. And just basically see and hear each other as people not as business owners, not as you know, community leaders or moms or anything, it was just getting to know the person.

And so that’s what the Connector Conference, that’s where that came from. I wanted to be able to provide that on a bigger scale than actually having people have to join the membership. Because it was like a you know, in an inclusive, secret society, like you had to sign a nondisclosure just to protect the privacy of the woman who were in the group. So anyway, that’s where that started, and then the Connector Conference led into Her Hideaways. Which, so I still have Connector Conference and I have Her Hideaways. And they are both focused on, like I said, like getting women to connect with themselves.

“When you are fully connected to yourself as a person and yourself as a business owner, it really feeds into everything that you touch, you know, you become a better wife a better a better mother a better community member, because you’re being fulfilled, like so.” ~ Marcia Sheehan

That’s me in a nutshell!

Shannon Baker

Okay. And I really loved I had learned about Her Hideaways first and then over time I learned about the Connector Conference, but I was just so enamored with the idea behind Her Hideaways that I like followed immediately. And that was because of the testimonial of someone else that we know that I was like, Oh, I really need to check this out because she always talks about these CEO retreats and how great they are. And I just thought that was so phenomenal because your packages is not just the room, so to speak. But it’s really a full on experience, the way you take care of the women while that I’ve seen that come to you and do, you’ve arranged for the CEO retreat for them. So that’s definitely a great way for us to get away have time to just focus on growing our business. But at the same time, while we’re planning and strategizing, we feed into ourselves with the self care and just the downtime because of the atmosphere that you create. So tell us a little bit more about Her Hideaways and how you’ve seen it, bloom or blossom from the time you started it till now.

Marcia Sheehan

Sure, yeah. So our tagline is we nurture the nurturers. And so it is it’s, it’s based for any woman who basically just needs to get away and have like a fresh start, or have that focus time and energy to spend on her business. So you buy a package, you go to the website, you buy a package, and then from the moment that you buy that package, your beautifully curated, like experience starts to happen. So we send you a questionnaire that like really digs in, like, why is it that you’re doing this? Like what do you want to get out of this trip, we do just have the weekend dates available on the website. But we also do weekday retreats because we have found that like business owners prefer to do it during the week.

But based on the response that we get in the questionnaire, we’re able to create a personalized experience for you for your trip. So also in the questionnaire, we ask if you want to speak to, we have a life coach and a business coach who is available to do a complimentary 30 minute call. And that is actually to set you up for your hideaway. So we provide you with resources and you know, tools and strategies like different things that my co-founder and I have found very beneficial to help us with our businesses. So we do provide those resources prior to your arrival visa via email. But we also have that where you can have that 30 minute live call with someone just to you know, map out like what exactly it is that you want to get out of this weekend. So that’s all the business stuff.

But then the personal stuff is like we have a welcome box that has spa type products available for you. There’s locally sourced gifts like you know a notepad from gift and gather which is one of our preferred partners you get, like a postcard from Occuquan because we want to encourage you to like you know, send out some snail mail love while you’re there on your retreat and feeling good. We have some brain food like chocolates that are from the actual chocolate shop in Occuquan. So we have that and then we also have like a vision board station for you to create your own vision board while you’re there. There’s pre-clipped magazine, you know images and there’s glue. And if you’ve never made a vision board, we actually have instructions on how you can do it. On the website there’s a secret link for you so that you can go and watch a video and why you want to make a vision board. And so we’re trying to feed both your you know the the personal side of you and then the professional side of you too. So because we know when you’re feeding both of them, then it just makes the work that you’re doing come out so much better! It’s a glitter and sparkles that you know, it’s just like it just glows a little brighter.

Shannon Baker

That’s great! And especially that you provide instructions, because I can imagine just checking in. And just as women, we have so many things going on in our heads, like, I’m gonna do this when I’m there. And I’m gonna do that and the list goes on and on and on. And then we sit down to do something and all the thoughts just fly out of our head, and we have no idea where to start. So having those designated kind of jumpstart things like a vision board is definitely a great way to start. And that you give instructions, that is, that’s just like awesome!

And I think what really caught my attention with your packages was that welcome box, and all the local things that were in or especially the brain food. That just that personal touch, to me was just, it meant a lot that I was just like, okay, this is going on my wish list that as soon as I can do this! I am booking myself a CEO retreat through Her Hideaways, I can’t wait to experience that myself! Now, some of my listeners may be thinking, okay, well, you know, this all sounds great. But I don’t live in the DMV. And right now, at the time that we’re recording this, most of us are still not traveling because of COVID. So any suggestions you can give for someone to maybe host their own kind of retreat at home, since they can’t get the total experience by traveling to you?

Marcia Sheehan

Of course. And because it is possible to do and I highly recommend it because as women, it’s very important that we ask for what we need, and we make sure that it happens. First I say to start a folder. You can either start a folder on Trello, I know you’re a big Trello fan, Shannon, that says you know, my refocus retreat. That’s what we call the the the entrepreneur retreat. Start a folder that says refocus retreat. Or you can have a physical folder, but that that’s just sending a message to the universe and yourself like this is going to happen.

From there, you want to pick the date that you’re going to do it. So I would recommend having like, you know, if you are a mompreneur, I assume because it’s in the title of your podcast. So if you have little ones who are in school, just check the school calendar, make sure that they’re going to be in school the whole day, even if it’s virtual, you know, there’s still like, I’m going to try to help you make workarounds here so that you can have uninterrupted time to work on your business. So, you know, check the schedule, and then figure out the date.

And then you need to let people know, you know, let your spouse know, let your childcare provider know, like your team, your contractors, your, you know, your assistant, let all of them know that this date, I am unavailable, like DND. You need anything, let me know the day before by noon. Because this is going to be your genius time to have that uninterrupted dedicated time to focus on big picture stuff for your business. All of the prior proper planning is going to help you prevent any issues from coming up last minute. So you’re letting people know that you’re doing this, you’re going to be unavailable.

And then the night before I want you to actually set up your work area and I want you to do it in a space that you’re not used to working in. So like if you have your home office, you know, that’s great. You know, of course magic happens there. That’s where you’re spending the majority of your time doing Your work but for your retreat, I want you in a new environment. So if you’re not able to go rent an Airbnb or get a hotel room or, you know, go to a coffee shop or something like that, do it in your home. But like just, you know, put caution tape around your dining room, or you know, you are like just put like, put a Do Not Disturb sign on your bedroom door and just have a designated space. I want you to have water there. I want you to make a like have a thermos ready to go, you’re gonna pour your whole pot of coffee in that thermos. There’s gonna be no excuse to leave this area besides like taking like a walk during the day to clear your mind.

But you’re gonna have like, you know, your bag of nuts, like your avocado. Like you’re gonna have your stuff that’s gonna help you throughout the day, just to stay focused, and, you know, a candle you like. But the important thing is just to get rid of the distractions. Also when you have your folder, on your Trello, or your, your actual physical folder, you need to be adding stuff to it to prepare you for the day of your retreat you know, so that you actually know what it is you’re doing. Because you’re not going to go on a business retreat without like any idea, like, Am I mapping out the next quarter? Do I want to focus on creating, you know, three months worth of social media content? Um, you know, am I gonna just work on like, how to attract new audience members or sign clients? Or what like, have your reason for your retreat? And then, as the time passes between now and when you do it, be adding to it.

Shannon Baker

Definitely appreciate those tips. And as you mentioned, clarity in what’s the purpose of the retreat. Well definitely that’s, that’s a must to decide that before you get started, or everything else is just going to kind of be moot, and you’re just in a new space. And you’ll come out and still will not have made any progress. So that kind of defeats the purpose of the CEO retreat. Right?

Marcia Sheehan

Exactly, yeah! And something else that we do, too, like, you know, we talked about the welcome box, which is locally sourced and the whole town of Occoquan, it’s 74% woman owned. So like, I just love that fact that like, it’s an independent town that is just so beautiful. And like, you know, you’re supporting women when you’re staying there. But we also provide stuff like we have adult coloring books, and nice, you know, colored pencils, and fine tip markers and things like that. Because, you know, and I would recommend doing that if you do your own retreat at home, like having stuff that can just kind of give your brain a break. You know, so like, either a Sudoku puzzle or like, you know, a little affirmations book stuff that is like, going to feed that personal side of your brain and your subconscious to because then when you are doing like the deep level work, you’re still going to give your brain breaks. Your brain needs breaks!

Shannon Baker

Yeah! And, and why I think I really love this idea is because as we’ve kind of talked about earlier, in the episode, we were kind of conditioned to believe that self-care has to be something that’s like really grand. Like, we’ve got to, you know, book a weekend, you know, this huge extravagant weekend at a spa or be pampered that way. Or you know, it’s got to just be something that we just obviously feel we can’t achieve. Or the other side of that is that while it may be in the budget, that we don’t deserve that time away.

So really, it starts with our mindset or our perspective on self-care. Because as you mentioned, we put so much time and energy into everyone else, we make ourselves less so one of my goals with this podcast and with bringing you on is to reframe our mindset because when we put ourselves first, invest in ourselves, take better care of ourselves, then that really fills us up so that we’re available to do better at taking care of everyone else. Because if we burn out, you know, who does that leave or who’s left to take care of us? Really probably no one! So there are special things like this that we can do that not only will fill our cups as a busy woman, you know, running a business taking care of a family, but even adds to what we can do for the business because you’re really focused on getting that quiet space or that quiet time to really get strategic about what you’re going to do next in your business and get it all planned out in that quiet time. But also kind of rejuvenate, relax at the same time, so that’s like win-win right there just for you know that small period of time.

So that’s definitely why I love this option that you offer! And now even the DIY versions, even great. Like I’m in the DMV, so I can book a retreat through Her Hideaways and drive. It’s probably only about an hour or so away from me. For anyone that’s not here, because I know I do have some listeners that may even be on the west coast, you can do this at home! But make sure you follow her online and you can get some ideas that you can probably copy when you’re planning your own retreat. So Marcia, thank you so much for sharing those with us! Like I’ve been excited about this, because I love doing this kind of stuff, too. So now I just have to pick out my DIY one myself, but I’m also still going to book one because I just like to be pampered like that.

Marcia Sheehan

No, I love it. And that I mean, you know, it’s sometimes we have to outsource our self-care. And that’s what right always is, you know, you will outsource your books, you’ll outsource your, you know, your social media and your podcast editing and all of that. But sometimes you need to just say like, you know, I need time away! I need to focus on what matters most. And you have me your big sister, Marcia, aunt Marcia, whatever you want to refer to me. I’m the one that’s behind the scenes, like taking care of everything for you. You know, so yeah, but it’s so important. Because, you know, we do as women, we it’s, it’s inherent within us to take care of everyone and everything. And but you have to be on that list. You’re you as a person and your business. I know I love my business, I love all of my businesses, all my business babies. But if I’m, if I’m not taking care of myself, and I’m not okay, it goes into the business, and it goes into the family and the relationships. So yeah, it’s it’s important. Self-care is very important.

Shannon Baker

Definitely! Now with these moving pieces of your business, these two facets of your business, and you’re a mom. So that means you’ve got some systems and things going on behind the scenes. So bonus question that I asked all my guests! What is one system or routine in either your life or in your business that you can’t live without?

Marcia Sheehan

Shannon Baker, it is and it’s a new one too! It is waking up super early. Like I wake up three hours before I call my kids, my friends, but I wake up three hours before them just because I’m able to get that stuff done in the early morning. So I wake up in the winter, I wake up at 5:30. But spring and summer, it’s 4:30. And so you know I do I don’t want to mess too much with the circadian rhythm. But being up that early, and then during the day, I feel less pressure to be focused completely on my businesses, because I’ve done that deep work in the early mornings when everything else is asleep, everything when everyone else is heard of my family’s things, but whatever. So doing that, but I also instated this year because and this is why I love that, you know, we’re furthering our relationship, Shannon is because my word for 2021 is systematize. And so, I know that’s your jam.

But so I’ve actually added on to the early morning wakeups. I’ve added each day has a different theme. So Mondays, you know, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, in those very early morning, work sessions, like I have different things. Like one day’s for content. One thing is for systems and operations and you know, so it’s each day is theme, so it just it’s a no brainer. So anytime, if it’s a Friday, and that’s about networking and podcast interviews, then and I get an idea for content, I just open up my little content folder for Monday and drop in whatever it is and then Monday I’m ready to go with it. So that’s been like a big help!

Shannon Baker

That is awesome! First, I’m gonna say you’re my shero, cuz becuase 4:30/5:30, if I had to get up that early, I would die. But it’s all in knowing yourself. Lke I have tried it and I’ve been able to do it maybe like one day and then I crash and burn by like the afternoon. So I had to get real with myself and just figure out a place where I could start which is 7 am and then I go. And like you, I plan my, you know what I’m going to be working on. But my day starts heavily with my morning routine. And then I time block my schedule to make sure that I get all the things that I need to. But I have the flexibility that in the afternoon, if I want to sit down and have lunch with my family, or just, you know, go to the Walmart or to Target and walk around with my daughter, just so we can get out of the house, then we do that, and I don’t feel behind. So definitely, that’s an awesome system you have.

Marcia Sheehan

Yeah, but I’m saying like, it’s all about different strokes for different folks. Like I honestly until I started doing the 4:30, I had tried 5:30, I tried six and seven, and something about 4:30 was magical for me. So I was able to create that as a routine. So like, we’re entrepreneurs, so we’re constantly tweaking and testing and AB testing and like, you know. So just do that with yourself until you find something that works. And then when you find something that works, do it till it doesn’t, you know. But like it does depend on where you’re at in your path. Like if your kids are toddlers, I would never tell a mom of a toddler to wake up at 4:30. That would be negligent. But you know, like, if you’re someone like me, where my kids are kind of self sufficient. They’re 12 and 10. It works like with you having a 17 year old, like you’re not having to get her logged into the computer and all of that. So it works for you. So it’s like you, there is no wrong way to do it. You just have to keep tweaking until you find what works for you.

Shannon Baker

Yeah, and that’s great advice, because I find like I was actually in a room on Clubhouse this week. And someone was talking about the book, the morning routine. And that’s one of the things he talks about getting up in the morning. The consensus in the room was, that doesn’t quite work for everyone. So in the end, we all came to agreement that each of us has to come up with a schedule and a start time that works for us based on our lifestyle, because as you mentioned, the moderator has an 11 month old. 4:30, 5, sometimes even 6:00 is not something that’s plausible for her.

So everyone has to find that space that works for them. And the same rules apply to self care. I’m a big proponent of even if you only get five minutes, do some deep breathing, look out of a window, get some water, walk around, put on a song and dance to it. Just do something that loosens you up gives you a moment of space for yourself. And if you have more time go with it. And if you’re in the DMV area, definitely look up Her Hideaways and book your own retreat just once so that you can just experience that and I guarantee you you are going to be hooked. So Marcia, where can everyone find you online? I know you’ve mentioned it before but repetition for emphasis.

Marcia Sheehan

Yeah, I would. So my personal is @marcissheehancom that’s on Instagram but I have @HerHideaways and @ConnectorConference. So if you’re looking more you know for like networking opportunities that come connect or conference would work but then Her Hideaways is all about the the self care solo retreats. So thank you, Shannon for this opportunity! I’m so grateful.

Shannon Baker

No, thank you for coming on! I’m looking forward to continuing to support each other not only through the podcast but on Clubhouse and other ventures and collaborations as well.

To hear all of my chat with Marcia, listen to episode 71 of the podcast. Click below and tune in on your favorite platform.

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