Dr. Kristen Rice arrived at her first retreat in a state of severe burnout compounded by a recent breakup. She found the experience transformative and healing.
Muir Woods, the Green Gulch garden, yoga, sound healing, and walking meditation directly informed the mindfulness practices she later integrated into her daily life, which include mindful eating, walking meditation, yoga, and single-tasking awareness.
No one needs to be fully burned out to benefit from a retreat — proactive self-care is valuable at any stage. This retreat is recommended for healers at any career stage and any level of well-being. The structure is designed to support rest, reflection, and integration rather than productivity.
What if you did not have to reach a breaking point before giving yourself space to rest, reconnect, and get clear?
In this episode, Dr. Kristen Rice—hematologist, medical oncologist, and longtime friend—shares what brought her to her first Connect in Nature retreat: burnout, exhaustion, a fresh heartbreak, and the feeling that she was not doing a good job anywhere in her life.
She also shares what stayed with her afterward: silent walks beneath the redwoods, mindfulness in a garden, eating lunch without staring at a screen, and the small but meaningful practice of doing one thing at a time.
This is a conversation about healing. Sometimes it begins with five minutes to eat your salad. Sometimes it is a walking meditation between the parking garage and the hospital. Sometimes it is simply noticing that your brain is spinning—and giving yourself a moment to come back.
Rest does not have to be earned through depletion. Joy does not have to become another thing to work at. You do not have to wait until things are "that bad" to ask for support. Lunch away from your computer can change your nervous system.
Join Dr. Kristen Rice at Connect in Nature in December. She will be attending for the third time. https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreat-connect-in-nature
