It’s hard to believe we’ve just passed a milestone of a whole decade free of drugs and working with plant medicine. What a DREAM! Seriously, there are so many moments when Matthew and I look at each other in disbelief and ask, ‘Is this real? How did this happen?’ It’s still hard to believe that we escaped from a life of addiction that once felt like an endless trap and built something we never could have imagined when we first met.
Sometimes it feels like maybe we died in our former lives and this is heaven. Maybe it is! I’m not complaining either way. While it’s not always easy to maintain a constant sense of gratitude, it is not lost on us how special it is that we have found our purpose in this life and that we get to earn a living while fulfilling it. There are few true gifts in this world but this opportunity to have our lives revolve around ayahuasca in such a profound and meaningful way is certainly one that we cherish.
How Long is a Decade?
A decade is a LONG time. When we arrived in Costa Rica in 2014, there weren’t any ayahuasca retreats that existed here. I know, it’s hard to imagine a Costa Rica that isn’t a bustling hub of wellness retreats and new-age spirituality, especially now given that there are probably about 30 different ayahuasca retreats to choose from and countless yoga/spiritual/wellness retreats. But when we started this work, ayahuasca was not the industry it has become, and our intention in working with the medicine was to heal ourselves. Helping others wasn’t even a consideration on our radar.
Yet, here we are. We just kept following the path as each new step was revealed to us and what a journey it has been! These last 10 years have given us a a very unique opportunity to reflect on what has worked for us and for our guests, and what hasn’t. We’ve seen the evolution of ayahuasca retreats as psychedelics have boomed as a cultural phenomenon, especially within Costa Rica. We’ve seen centers open and close. We’ve seen the bastardization of the medicine and the gross commercialization of retreats. Over time, we’ve had to adjust our prices to more than 3 times what they were initially, primarily due to the exponentially rising cost of living in Costa Rica. Through it all, we’ve learned what it really takes to continue doing this work while keeping our guests safe and ourselves sane (spoiler – It’s the dietas).
But most importantly, we’ve built a beautiful community of New Lifers! We’ve met thousands of people over the last decade at various stages of life, health, and healing. It has been an honor to be a part of the journey of each and every soul that has passed through our retreat. We’ve had the privilege to follow our guest’s journeys; from starting marriages (even having a few engagements and honeymoons at the retreat), starting families, changing careers, making major relocations, starting businesses, dissolving businesses, enduring heartache, loss and grief. We have seen people heal, discover joy, be inspired, embrace their value, discover purpose, quit smoking, quit drinking, adopt new lifestyles, and experience true peace. So many of our guests have become our best friends, and gratitude isn’t a strong enough word for the appreciation we have for the connections we’ve made.
We Couldn't Exist Without You!
Today, with the help of our community, we’ve reached a point where we typically have at least one repeat guest and one referral in every retreat. We’ve earned the reviews of over 350 participants and it fills our hearts when guests come back again and again, allowing us to bear witness to the incredible work they do and the transformations in their lives.
One of the many things this work has taught me is that humans have the amazing capacity to change. I am in constant awe of the courage it takes to look deeply within oneself, at all the hurt and flaws and pain, and say "Alright, I’m here. Let’s do this." Honestly, the people at the retreats are the most inspiring people in my life and it makes me see this world through eyes filled with hope and an open, trusting heart.
It's our guests that are responsible for giving us the gift of being able to do this work. Especially now, at a time when there are endless retreat options and we have to struggle to stay ranked up against corporate-style retreats backed with marketing budgets of tens of thousands of dollars per month. It’s the repeat business, the word of mouth, and the reviews that help us shine through.
We do this work as our passion and purpose. We are grateful that we get to support ourselves and our little team, but even if we were off living ‘normal’ lives and working 9 to 5 somewhere, we would still be drinking ayahuasca and doing dietas because they are the single thing that has nourished our soul in a way that has made life feel fulfilling and meaningful. It was a dark existence before ayahuasca entered our lives and opened our eyes to what the true potential of this life can be. I’m not sure if I will ever find the words to properly articulate how much this means to us, how much all of you who have come to the retreat mean to us, but I'll never stop trying! Aho!
With love & gratitude,
Jeanae and Matt
