Sri Lanka Retreat Reflections with Amanda Ewin

109 - (EDITED) Amanda Ewin

Mon, Dec 02, 2024 9:50AM • 46:03

00:00

Emma, do you want to live a life of freedom and adventure? Are you wanting more than the daily grind? Me too. Welcome to the Emma Lovell, show a place where we talk about living a life you love. Now I'm your host, Emma Lovell, and my number one value is freedom. I've spent the last 14 years running a business and traveling the world, and now I take my husband and toddler along for the adventure too. It's possible, and I know you can create a life doing what you truly love as well. This podcast will inspire, motivate and encourage you to go after your dreams, to create a life you love and to live it now, not wait for a time and or someday in the future, I'll be sharing episodes weekly about how I harmonize business travel and self care. I'll also bring on incredible guests to share their journeys, the wins, the challenges, and how they're creating a life they love. Let's jump in and get dreaming. This is a space for you to manifest a life you love.

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I would like to acknowledge and recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of this place, now known as Australia. I am grateful for the continuing care of the land, waterways and skies where I work, live, listen, learn and play from here on you, Emma country and from wherever you are listening, I pay my respects to the elders past and present.

01:25

Welcome to today's episode. It's a bit of a different one, where I am handing over the hosting reins to a gorgeous colleague and friend, Amanda Ewen. I like to do this from time to time, especially when it's a topic where I feel like I might ramble and, you know, I just want to get a different perspective. So I'm sharing today the reflections of my retreat in Sri Lanka, which was recently hosted November 2024

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and I wanted to give you some insights into what we experienced and shared there, but I thought if I just ramble on, it might not be quite as impactful. So Amanda has interviewed me today a little bit more about our fabulous guest host. Amanda is a lifestyle coach. She helps ambitious, highly sensitive women feel excited about life again by creating the time, energy and headspace to have more fun, which is exactly what I love doing on the retreats this she's an ocean swimming part mermaid, and has a knack for turning chaos into clarity, whether it's organizing a cluttered schedule or turning a wild idea into reality, Amanda thrives in helping people create calm from a storm, and I can totally attest to this. I have worked with Amanda on learning EFT, Emotional Freedom, technique tapping, and also just having her in my back pocket as a wonderful confidant and mentor and friend and colleague to reach out to when I need so very fortunate for that. Anyway, let's dive into this episode. Amanda had wonderful, curious questions for me, and I hope that you enjoy this special, different kind of episode. Tune in now.

03:03

Welcome to the podcast today. It's a special one where I am surrendering my hosting duties to a fabulous friend, colleague, brilliant person, Amanda Ewen, who has generously offered or offered I asked, agreed to host this one for me because I thought it would probably be come out better than me just rambling. And I'm so open and curious to what happens. But Amanda, can you please, in your words, introduce who are you?

03:35

Thanks, Emma. I'm so excited, and I can't wait to get my curious brain switched on because I have so many wonderings and Ponderings. I am Amanda Ewen, a lifestyle coach, podcaster and ocean swimmer all year round. Ocean swimmer,

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slightly crazy woman who

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loves to help high achieving, ambitious humans to slow down and be less crazy busy and more calm busy, so that they feel more excited about life and not so overwhelmed and exhausted. And it's an absolute joy and a pleasure to just help people find more play and fun in their life.

04:21

And I am so impressed, and just can't get over your swimming. We do, like, did, like, four kilometers in one go, Yeah, six was my six. La, six one Saturday, last week, 24 all up. That's the longest I've ever swim in a week, by the way. Yeah, but it's a lot like, four kilometers. Like, I'm like, here's me being like, I did 20 laps, and I was like, in my 10 meter pool, so potentially, like, 200 meters, and I'm like, rocket it. I didn't even know if I would set a timer at the moment and see how long I could swim for, but I don't know, wouldn't be that long. And then the ocean's a whole different game in terms of your breathing and style and everything. So I'm very.

05:00

Pressed, and I just set my word today for next year, which is calm. So that is very good, because I've been in quite a bit of chaos. So I think I have had calm as a word in the past, because I think people tend to use the word balance, and I think balance, balance is a fallacy. So calm, having a calm approach. So I have had that word in the past, but I feel like it's coming back. And Amanda does help with that, because she helped to teach me EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, tapping.

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I had learned a little bit, but I found the scripts very hard, so I would do it, but I didn't know what I was doing was actually getting anywhere. So Amanda made some customized scripts to help me when I was feeling overwhelmed and certainly not calm. So highly recommend that.

05:53

Excellent. That was so fun, so fun to do that with people and to really tap into what's going on for you. Specifically, yeah, yeah. Tap, so I'm going to surrender the mic, and what we're going to talk about today is the Sri Lanka retreat, and Amanda take it away.

06:12

Okay, so I'm going to assume Emma that this is a 101. Is for me. So you run retreats, and there's going to be, if you're listening, you may have listened to all of them as podcast episodes, and you may have listened to a couple, and you're like, I know there's something to do with retreats, and she calls it retreat days, and I'm just not sure. And I think when we're in our own businesses, we forget what people don't know. So I'm going to start with the 101 and

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tell me

06:50

about so you run you just quickly to give an overview before we talk about Sri Lanka, you run retreats yourself, rest and receive revive, restore, receive, rest and receive. Yeah, you can tell that I've highly researched my questions rest and rest and restore. And you also have retreat days where you teach people how to run profitable retreats, and you talk about that in your awesome book, which will sure will come up called The Art of pleasure, which I just found in a bookshop, which was exciting.

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Tell me about the retreats that you run. You teach people how to do that. That's a whole another topic. Tell me about the retreats that you run. Just an overview of the people that might go on them. Yes. So I've been running retreats for three years now. So my first one, I was a personal brand focusing on personal brand and personal branding coaching. And it was actually client said it'd be really cool that they worked with me individually, if we could, like, come together on some sort of retreat or something. And I would, because, like, that's a great idea that, like, I'm kind of focused on this at the moment.

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Yeah, that could happen, but one day, and then yeah, I was like, That seed was planted. And so then in 2022 I hosted my first one, and rest and receive came to me because I was overwhelmed and exhausted and jumped on a coaching call. And the coach actually said to me, I think all you need to do is go to bed. I was like, What do I do next? What do I do? And she said, Relax and receive. But I made it, rest and receive. And so I went to bed early that night. Woke up in the morning, there were three opportunities in my inbox. So I was like, wow, there's something to this. And so although the focus of the retreat was personal brand for that first one, it was about when we take time out, time and space for ourselves, then we can receive opportunities like you're not even clear on what you want or where you're going, and so you have to take time away from the day to day and go somewhere to really focus on that. And I think retreats are such a beautiful way. So it was sort of off the back of that ran it. Loved it. And then,

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like ran more. So I've run now, three in Australia, my fourth one coming up in February 2025, and two internationals. So one in India, one in Sri Lanka. And they all follow this premise of retreats. Should have enough time and space for you to reconnect to who you are, to have the time to think about what you want, and then the specificity of what the content is will come out. That That's my philosophy on retreats. And so each one is kind of evolved and merged, but what you're really going to get is some time and clarity like to get the clarity for what you need to do next, and then you can be able to receive opportunities because you're more focused and you're going after it clearly.

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Okay, cool. So do the people that come on retreat all have their own businesses, generally, or do.

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Does it not matter? Predominantly, it like because retreats tend to have a higher price on them. People tend to

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come, and I had originally targeted them at business people, because that's who I was working with. Was I was working with entrepreneurs and business owners, but I have had people come who either looking to start a something, maybe they're at a crossroads at life. Generally, they're wanting a change, like you don't you want something to change. You're looking at something needing to shift. That's when people are like, Okay, I'm being called to do this thing. People have the different reasons. Some of them it is just that break. Some of them do want to learn. Some people want to come for the group. Like, they don't really do things with other people, and they want to be in the room with other people. But yeah, it was a realization that, like, I had a couple of friends who were looking my retreats, but didn't think it would work for them because they weren't a business owner. And so then I started making sure that in my messaging, I was saying, you know, it is for anyone, because it's retreats are personal development as well as professional development, and whether you're running a business or not, we all can have goals. We can all have plans. We can all have a direction for our life. And so often like what the core of the retreat is is that we've forgotten what it is that we want, and it's all about, how can I serve others? And this person wants me to do this, and my role dictates that. And I'm because I'm a mom, because I'm a wife, because I'm a

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business owner, because I have a job I need to do, x, y, z, and it's like, Yeah, but what do you want to do? And the thing that might come out of it is, like, one lady was like, I want to go and do three months in a cottage in England. I don't know. I just want to. And I'm like, you can. And she and then, through my pleasure, like, seeing how I continue to run my business or continue to work, no matter where I am, she's like, oh, yeah, I could, like, do my work. But, you know, cottage in England, I'm like, Yeah, you can. Like, that might be the dream. The Dream might be leaving your laptop alone, like behind, like one of my clients has been running a business for 10 years and had never gone away without a laptop.

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Wow, that's fantastic, but she didn't open it for five days. That's so cool. And that's just such a beginning, like she had the safety of her being there, but then decided not to open it. So that's really cool. And I also love the blend in my work and my groups. I love the blend of and can see the beauty in being a business owner and surrounding yourself with people that have corporate as well, because you just get such a mix of the highs and the lows of both. And you know, I think it's just you can offer so much to each other, and that's the beauty I imagine when you come together in a treat. I mean, I see it and in one hour call twice a week. And so when you're actually in a retreat for five days. So five Sri Lanka, we're talking specifically about now Sri Lanka was five days, five nights. Yes, five nights, yeah. So quite a few people came over earlier, so we sort of ended up being together for a bit longer, and some people stayed on and extended afterwards. Because people kind of go, Oh, it's a long way to go for five nights. And I'm like, Yeah, but if somebody's coming from India, going to Sri Lanka is not far, or from England, it's not as far or Singapore, it's not as far like I, you know, I would love a global audience from Australia. Everything's far.

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But, you know, for some people, if you can only get five nights away, then you still can have a wonderful time. But if you've got two weeks, sure extend and stay on, yeah, before or after, yeah. What do you feel works better the stay on before or stay on, after, after, yeah. So

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most people came two nights before, including myself, because at the time of the flight too, it was really like by the time we got into the hotel, it's one o'clock in the morning, so then to have to get up in the morning and travel. So I knew I really wanted that day to be in the country, and in case the flight was delayed, which peoples were as well. You just want to have that buffer. So only two people came in the night before, and they kind of wished they were there before, a bit of FOMO, because we were hanging out. But it was like, that's not the intention. Everyone just wanted to be here. It was just like, get to the country so that you can be there ready before. But I really recommend doing the travel after because then you can really soak it in and integrate also, if it's your first time in the country, the value of the retreat overseas is that you will feel more comfortable, like you kind of come into this lovely bubble. I've been to South Asia, the number of countries so Australian credit already been twice, India, 15 times. Like, I'm very comfortable in that region, so I will help kind of bridge that, I guess, cultural challenge or culture shock. So then afterwards, you're already comfortable in the place and, you know, just the way they operate. You know, like talking to drivers, dealing with your guides, that sort of thing. It.

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Sort of a different way than other places, and so once they've seen how I work and how we work together, then they kind of can have a better experience, because they're able to navigate that better,

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yes, and that's one of the reasons I haven't traveled to Asia much. My ex husband never was keen to so that was one reason. And then since then, I'm like, oh, haven't done much traveling by myself, and Asia would be really just anywhere. So going with somebody who has that experience and works with the guides, and so it's not you just running stuff and taking people places. You have activities organized and someone leads them. Yeah, so, you know, I don't do the yoga. We had a yoga instructor come. We had a tuk tuk tour. I do not drive Tuk Tuks. So we had someone come. We went to an elephant Foundation. We, once we got there, we were we had someone host that I did have a guide travel with us. I don't always do that, and their role is meant to be to kind of communicate with Hotel. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Didn't work as great as it could have, but they tend to be my like, they can go and, you know, talk to them about lunch or make so it's just things run a bit smoother. And then we have drivers as well. So there's cars available that if people want to go out or need to do something, we've got transport at all times as well. Oh, wow, that's pretty exciting. It sounds it's a bit fancy, like my driver. And the drivers are so cute. They were so beautiful. They would like, we always have snacks and waters and stuff, but they would give us like a flower before we got on the bus and we went to one shop, and it was raining, and they made like with the guards at the shop, because it was a jewelry store. Oh, there's always like, there's so many jobs, there's so many people in South Asia that everybody has a job. So they were doormen. And so they these two doormen and our driver made a like, line with umbrellas so that we could run under the line of umbrellas to get into the shop without getting wet. Oh, that's so cool. So they're taken care of, you know, like, there's just people, and it's those little things, like, as soon as you're on the bus, they hand you a water or, you know, it started raining while we're at lunch, so it's like they drove the car right down to where we were, so we didn't have to go

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far in the rain, you know. So it's just we're very, very taken care of and a lot of attention to detail, which I love, and that's one of my strengths. When I'm running things and it drives me nuts when it doesn't get focused on and I'm like, Where's the water? Like, I'm I bring my own. But you know, why didn't people think about this? So that sounds like my kind of, my kind of thing, where all of that attention to detail is covered. So coming back to, I'm visualizing these little snippets Now, coming back to I get on the plane

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from Australia, and I land in Sri Lanka. What happens? Then? Do I make my own way to you? Do you give instructions? You meet me there? Or we? What? What happened? No, we fly in and like, there's a lot of support before that too, that from the moment you within the first few months, because these we have a long lead time. So I will be announcing my next retreat in about a couple of weeks a month, because people need time to prepare, and the year fills up. And, you know, we got to block it out, so

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you're kind of committed for a year, so you're preparing. And I always say a wonderful saying that I learned was the transformation happens at the transaction. So you're already going through a shift and a change from saying yes. But we have then a support group. I give it a few months to let people join, and then I have a WhatsApp group so that where people can ask questions, so you're sort of getting to know each other or following each other. We provide FAQs on the country. These are like, how to do, when to visa, when to get your vaccinations, flights, talk to us about that, so the timings are right, and all that sort of thing. So that's where I bring in all my travel knowledge, as well as our partners on the ground. We can ask them anything.

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And so you kind of already know you're taken care of in that respect, and not as much of a shock. I try not to give too much detail about the program and the itinerary, because I like to, it's like, just allow the experience to happen. And we don't want to go on that like real Western timing. But in terms of what to take, you know, we give a packing list, what to prepare for, that sort of thing, and then when you arrive again. This is all communicated before there'll be our, one of our representatives at the gate. So it has a sign, and they had request and receive retreat, and then they gave us all like a floral, like welcoming thing, and took a photo of us, and then took us to the hotel. So you it very nurtured. Um.

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And that's a nice yeah, coming, and you're like, how will they know who I am? And, like, they always know, they'll they'll see you. They'll see you before you see them, and they'll come and get you. We do, I think I don't. Sometimes we send the passport, but otherwise they kind of just, they know it's you.

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Yeah, they can tell I when I was in Times Square, once in the tourists, I was trying so hard not to look like an Australian tourist. And one of them, it was winter, you're all rugged up, and I thought, surely, I just look like a local American New Yorker. And they'd come up with a,

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you want to go on a bus tour? I'm like, How do you know I'm a tourist? We can tell. They said,

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Yeah, probably making eye contact, is what? How they knew,

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trying not to, I think a neighborhood would even be in Times Square, so I think that's probably a

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giveaway, too. Yeah, and they're, they're working in a service industry, the people that are meeting your guests at the airport, so they're going to have done a lot of people watching and a lot of knowing, because that's their job, and they need to do it well to make a living out of it. Absolutely. Yeah. And so when you say partner, it's not like you just are researching what hotels to stay in, and then you rock up as if you've got your family with you, which are your guests. It's like you actually have team on the ground, yeah. So I've partnered with an Indian travel company Indus, bound for seven years now. So I have helped people to plan their holidays or trips. We've had it like a group of a family of like 30. We're not a big sort of like group, but tend to be bespoke luxury tours. So groups of four to eight wanting to go and experience couples, wanting to go and experience India, but we also work with Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. So it's Indus bound. Is the Indus region, so I say South Asia. And so then they have partners and in all different areas. So they partner with a local travel company. But we've given them all of the,

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I guess, the prerequisites and how it operates. And so, because I've worked with my partner for so long, because I know, I guess, I've been to those countries, so I know what's possible, I can go and then say, This is what I want to do and how I want it to run. They come back with a package for me. Then I put in my own program,

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beautiful. And that would be your beautiful, intuitive guidance and focusing on your amazing strengths as well, and your incredible travel experience. Like, how many countries have you been to now? 7676

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I got I've been to 26 countries, and think that it's incredible. And then, yeah, 76 is just like, it's like, me swimming four kilometers in the ocean. You're like, how do you do that? How do you do 76

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Well, yeah, I think it's understanding as well. Like, and I don't fully, like, I'm always learning, but, like, just understanding, yeah, how different cultures operate as well. And certainly that region I know, like, I sort of know what to expect and how to

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Yeah, I guess how, how it works, and it can be a little frustrating to people when you go and so I really advocate for people going through a company because, you know, and I think people are like, just think of it as, like, intrepid and stuff like that. I'm like, No, these are luxury bespoke companies. And the first time that I went on a trip within a Spanish how started working with them, I was like, I don't need that help. And it was just, they just know the market. They know the locations, they have, the relationships like they can just get so much more for you in a better, better set up than you could yourself. And, oh my goodness, just getting given that beautiful itinerary, and then just getting to go and be taken care of. And I think as well, people think, oh no,

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like, that's going to cost a lot. And I don't think it's necessarily cheap, but talking about having a private driver, talking about having, you know, the top quality of hotels we stay at, and, like, the care throughout and the inclusions, trying to do all that yourself, like, I just think you just wouldn't be able to do, like, piece it together. And so, yeah, I just really value their expertise and knowing that we're taken care of, and it's just something's not working. It's just a phone call or a text away. Yes, and it's not if you're doing all of that yourself, it's not restful, and you're also connecting with the other women on tour as well. So what is a win, or what first comes to mind when you think about something amazing that happened for one of your guests on your recent yes question you asked me, and it's why I wanted you to host this. Um, yeah, we went to a elephant sanctuary, so where there were beautiful elephants that have been rescued, and then it there. It's an educational facility about elephants.

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The wild, and one of the women didn't want to touch the elephant, and I thought it was from an ethical point of view, like, so I don't pat animals. And I was like, that's cool. Like, totally understand that. Or didn't, you know, I didn't really think of it as a potential fear thing. I just thought it was like, I just don't touch animals. And I was like, that's fine. I know people, you don't pet dogs or cats or whatever, because diseases and whatever you're in, reasons, she was happy to be there. Just was like, I'm just not going to touch. And then at the end, we were saying goodbye to the elephant, and I had we sort of all got more comfortable at first as a pat, and then we fed him, and then I was hugging the trunk

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at the end. And

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then she just walked over and was having a photo, and I'm like, oh, and she was hugging the elephant, hugging the trunk. And I was like, Oh, cool. Good for her. Like, Oh, okay. And then later on, she expressed how scared she'd been and how

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intimidating and like, it was, actually, yeah, it was a fear thing of touching this animal. And I get it, he's huge. But she was like, well, if all these animals are all these other people are, like, hugging this elephant, well, when is El Simon had this opportunity, and she just did it. And so it ended up becoming this little like mantra on our retreat, of like, if you're feeling scared or you need some courage, hug the elephant. And then I had an idea of, like, how cool to have. I've given them a few gifts throughout the time, but to give them a little takeaway of a little elephant. And I told my photographer and content creator Jade that I had this idea. And I was like, just remind me, and keep an eye out, in case we see these little elephants that we can give them at the end. And then she went off shopping one day and came back, and they had gone to this women's, like

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handicraft store that supported women in who'd been through, like, I guess, difficult circumstances, and she'd found elephants. And so Jaden secretly bought the elephants, and they were like the perfect size, and they're all colorful. And just like you manifested this, you said you wanted to find elephants, and I found the elephants, and here they are. And so then on the last day, we gave them all to them, and said, you know, if you're ever having times where you need a bit of courage, just hug the elephant. It was just beautiful. And elephants are such a beautiful part of Sri Lanka. Like, it's just something you gotta do when you're there, is go and see these wonderful elephants, amazing and, you know those experiences you can't plan for, not just, I didn't know she was gonna feel like that, and I wouldn't have hugged the elephant. But it wasn't something that we were saying or anything like that. Wasn't like, you have to, or it's just, like, we just did it, you know? So, yeah, no, not at all. And I didn't know the symbolism was just like, Sri Lanka's awesome elephant apart a huge part of Sri Lanka, you're going to see them symbolized everywhere, um, we've got to go see an elephant that was all like, you know? It became such a thing. And now that I'm always going to be like, hug the elephant, yeah. Elephant, Oh, amazing. I'm not sure how much more time we've got for questions. I have to talk about food, though, because that is something that is close to my heart, particularly doing all the exercise I do nutrition and food. And I love cooking, creating, eating, experiencing, and I think food is an incredible way to bring people together, and particularly the way so many other cultures do food so well, and we're introducing that a little bit more into Australia, so engaging all the senses. What happens with food? Well, it's all inclusive. And that was something that I probably am not. I'm not a super, like foodie. Of course the food's going to be, I mean, not, course the food Sri Lanka has got its own cuisine.

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If you like Indian food, I'd say it's like that, but it's more from the south part. So it's, they use

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very different vegetables and things like that. It's very spicy. It's probably

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the spiciest of that region for me.

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But a lot of flavor and a lot of diversity. And I probably don't like take as much content of it really again, because I've been before, but I think we do have some photos that I should pull out to show bit more of that, because people are always interested. Super good, because

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it's such a vegetarian, like, it doesn't matter if you're Veg or non, like, if you want to eat meat or not meat. There's a lot of variety in the in the vegetable. So it's kind of an easy dietary place to go, in a way, because there's just so many options. Also because of the nature of the hotels. We stayed in five star hotels. So there was buffet, buffet breakfast, buffet dinner. Lunch was the only challenge I had where one day was ended up being a la carte, and they didn't really kind of get the memo. So that was a bit frustrating for me, and I would have liked to have more of a like.

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A banquet style, I guess, just like, bring out some dishes and we'll share it and have lunch like that. But sort of everyone ordering just takes up a lot of time, like, from the program, like, lovely to sit and talk. But you know, people, I didn't want people to feel like they had to sit there for two hours in lunch. Breakfast come as you go and dinner, we come together, but the buffets just were exceptional and exquisite. And you had the Sri Lankan cuisine, you also had cuisine from all over the world at a very high standard. So I think there's a lot of indulgence the dessert area, especially. But one of the things we loved was this thing called a hopper, and we discovered it the first morning at our first hotel. And that is rice flour made into, if you would think, like a pancake, but a very thin like a crepe, but they line it into like a wok, sort of style, and they cook the this rice flour, like pancake thing in that and then they crack an egg in the middle, so you don't have to have with the egg, but it would called an egg hopper. And then they'd fry an egg in the middle, and then you get this kind of like bowl of crepey goodness with an egg in the middle, and then you would eat that with your curry. And so everyone was a fan of the hopper. Ah, beautiful. That sounds amazing. And and like you say, there's always going to be challenges on any retreat, on anything you host and run, whether it's a coaching program or a retreat, or whatever an ocean swim, there will always be challenges you didn't expect. And with your experience, I'm hearing you say that you know you just you would have liked that lunch to be different.

31:41

Yeah, I think was frustrating, because I did try and address it, and then they'll kind of like, we're having discussion, or having discussion with the office. And it was just a little bit of a frustration, because I was like, usually you give the feedback and then we adjust. But they were kind of like, just not doing it. They're like, No, we can just do the lunch and Okay, well, then can we have it ready at that time, can we pre order so it's there? And I learned that from my tour managing experience, because we'd be trekking for hours, and then you can't, then lose 90 minutes waiting for your lunch. So we would use to phone ahead pre order for the group, like a mix of stuff, so that then they just get there, they eat, they have a little rest, and then we keep going. So I sort of wanted to base it off, that also that they're already eating so much, I didn't want people to feel like they had to eat a whole meal. But like, the menu just kept coming as, like, a four course menu, and I'm like, oh, like, like, can we do, like, snacks kind of thing? Like, we do a variety. And so that just wasn't translating. So and I was trying to send photo examples and stuff, so each day to the client getting a delicious lunch, they're happy. But for me, it was just like, oh, I don't want lunch to be such a I really like more fluid lunch time, because then people have the opportunity to have the rest in their day, or if they don't feel hungry, they don't feel pressured to come to lunch, and then if they might need that time for themselves. That's that's just something that, yeah, wouldn't. And a few times there was a conversation with the hotel, like, in front of the guest, I'm kind of like, I don't want to do this here. I'm trying to, it's trying to be seamless. Then they're fine, but it's not. It's trying to, you know, I want it to just run smoothly. And I know what's possible. So that's my frustration,

33:25

my challenge as well. On this one, was I, I miss my son and my husband dearly, and I had originally planned for them to be with me at least before or after, but potentially with me the whole time. So I had a much earlier in the year plan that we were going to be hosting another client's retreat in India. Then I'd be going to Sri Lanka. Matt Finn would be joining me, and we'd be kicking on in the region then. But I changed that. And I think for me, and one of the things I share in my book, The Art of pleasure, is about how to find the harmony for you and your work and your life, and it didn't feel good for me to go away, do my job and come home, even though my job and it sounds so ungrateful. I'm being really honest here, like this is my feeling about it, that

34:15

going away and then not getting to share that, it made me want to hurry home, and I don't want to feel like that. So future retreats, I will, at the very least have them come after.

34:29

But I think it's totally possible for me to and even at this hotel, one of the hotels I picked, they actually had a kids area like so it is possible my son is poor, that Matt and Finn could be there. And we had a lady bring a partner, her partner. And last year I had two people come with partners and children, adult children. But I really want to make that possible. And if, knowing, once people book on if, if that's something that they want, I have a partner package I can arrange. We can create a package so that the family can join.

35:00

In, because there's still so much space in those five days. And the way that I can even organize the vehicles, like I could organize the family vehicle and the solo travelers, because ultimately the retreat bits will be just the attendees, and then it's in the down times that they can go with their family, or their family can go off and do stuff, but I understand that somebody committing to this big thing. What I've heard from a few clients is that I can't keep going away myself and doing these things for myself, and not including my family or not including my partner. And so that actually mirrored in my experience this time. And so I'm like, I want to make it possible that people can do what I say I'm doing, which is living a pleasure life. And for me as well, it needs to be I need that piece of my heart, and I need

35:50

that bit is like fun, and is a big part of how I run my business. And I need that for me, so that I can have the energy as well to be fully there. So yeah, that's a very personal I obviously that my feeling on that doesn't impact the experience of the group, but it did experience how I came home and how I felt about it,

36:16

and I loved how you shared

36:19

that it doesn't impact only in a positive way, it would then impact the group. Because for me, example, living on my own, I'm not going to come when I come on a retreat where people have got their kids and their partners there, but in the downtime, that's fine. They can go and do their own thing, and then they're going to feel and be able to show up with the more energy like you are. You're going to be able to serve better and have more harmony, and then harmony in your home life as well, if that's what works. So I think that's that's beautiful, because, like you say, it's not accessible to everyone, and I don't want to go on retreat with everybody that lives on their own, because there is, you know, the beauty, and I have so many stories to share and experiences of my own, having had kids and had a husband in the past, and partners too. So,

37:05

yeah, it's just all of those bringing, bringing people together that are just aligned. So just Yeah, and potentially alignment. Do the after, like they like, maybe they come after and that, you know, I'll see how things go, and the dynamic of who's coming and that sort of thing.

37:23

But you know, you and I are both in a program with Denise Thomas, and she talks about like doing business that works for you. And it's like, in order to keep running retreats to serve people, which I know they do, I have to do it in a way that works for me too. And so it'll become it's this or nothing. So if people don't want to go to a retreat where partners are allowed and children might be there

37:51

for the for the travel component, and for the like being in the same property, then don't come on this. But like for the people who are wanting that pleasure life that I'm also promoting. This might be the way that otherwise they might like, I can't go on retreats until my kids are 15. And I'm like, that sucks, like, or I can't do, I only can do travel with my partner. And so then it's like, and I say, No partners. Well then and one of the partners came this time, and I just loved him, like I just I loved the I thought the group last year, they added a lot, because then the dynamic changes too, like we're doing our work and we're doing our group, and we're having our connection and our intimacy, and then we get to change the energy when we go and have dinner with them and we talk about what they did in their day, and the conversation is different. And then we go back into our bubble. And so it really, it worked. It was really cool to see. And I loved, I loved the different dynamic that they brought in and the different what they added to the retreat. I thought it was actually a real value add and bonus. Wow, fantastic. So there's so many different opportunities, no matter where you're at in life, and don't wait, is the yeah for me, like come and talk. I just had a podcast recording with one of my lovely retreat clients who can't do three nights at the moment, and certainly couldn't do an international retreat. And so yeah, retreats weren't on the table for her. And then, because it was only two hours drive away. I offered her a one night only, so two days, one night,

39:27

because she couldn't leave her daughter for that long. And so she was able to participate in the retreat and get such wonderful experience in just two days and one night. And it didn't impact the group dynamic. It didn't impact make her have FOMO like it just added a really lovely flavor to it.

39:44

And I thought, Wow, what a really lovely thing for both of us, like that I could offer her that and that she could receive that.

39:53

So that's, you know, it's like, yeah, I need to, I want to adapt and make it work for my clients as well. And you.

40:00

I do it with the right heart and intention. I think it can work for everyone. Yes, and then you attract they don't like it. I'm sorry.

40:10

Oh, yeah, it's attracting like minded people that have all got the same

40:14

well, they're just aligned and are meant to be, meant to come together in that space. And I love that you are the leader of that, and that you've created these things, because otherwise there wouldn't be the transformations. And there's retreats everywhere, like I'm looking at swim retreats and or I've run retreats myself in the past, and that, you know, there's 100,000

40:34

to choose from, and it's just finding one that you feel really called to. And it's that inner knowing of, yeah, this is for me, and then just making it happen. Because, if not now, when

40:47

absolutely, oh, you've answered heaps of my questions. Now, I think that's that's super cool. I've got such a much better understanding of how they run. And hopefully what you're listening you

41:03

understand more as well, and I'm sure you're open to anyone reaching out to you and asking you more questions around that and following, keep keep following you subscribing to your podcast and getting on your mailing list and understanding what's on offer and where and when and just making it happen. Yeah? And I think what I'd love, you know, I'm going to share an email this week about, like, I just just like, yeah, do say hey, I'm interested, or I'm curious or looking, but it's not for me. Like, I just think sometimes we don't know where you're at and then, like, a go on the retreat, and then I get all these messages or people commenting, going, Oh, I wish I was there, or I've been looking at that, and I'm like, I didn't even know. And I just would love to know, because maybe there's something that's stopping you that is something that I could take on, you know, and go, Okay, well, the reason something that aren't coming is because of the partner and the children thing. Okay, maybe there's something for that in the future. It's not every retreat. It's too long, it's too much, it's, I don't know the wrong season, but I don't know, like, feedback and questions and like, I really am curious and want to keep evolving and experimenting and playing with this and having fun play. So yeah, share with me where you're at and what, what you know, because it can help me and it can help you, and it can help other people too. So I love that. Ask questions, please, and say hi. I love talking, you know, yes, and do that. If you are sitting here going, I'm really keen to go to Sri Lanka or wherever it might be. Just do send Emma a message right now, because I did that. I did that with a retreat I was interested in, and I said, I'm really interested. And they said, Great, oh, offered me a discount to if I got a certain amount of people to come to, and never heard again. I didn't, I didn't follow it up. I couldn't find anyone else to come. And then kind of my, all my fears kicked in, and the retreat leader didn't follow it up with me. And so then I saw it that they would they'd gone. I was six months prior that I reached out. Never got a follow up to opportunity to pay a deposit or anything. So the commitment just disappeared, and I know that you will be following people up and making sure that it happens for them. So yeah, because you know, there are people who have been waiting two years, and I know it's just not the right time. It's not that they don't want to it's just not been possible. And I love that retreats are an aspirational thing. But yeah, it's as much my job as it is yours to commit and to make it possible. And so, but I can't, I can't, you know, help you if I don't know that you're even interested. So just say, like, here's where I'm at. And, yeah, we'll come, we'll come to the party and and just to to make it a win win for both, not a pushy salesy, we don't do we don't do that. No, no,

44:05

I don't know. It's just, yeah, it's just a conversation. It's really a conversation, and it's conversation I love having. So I'm really interested now, Amanda, you've been wonderful today, and I got to come on your podcast and have a chat. Can you tell us a little bit about how we can find you?

44:22

You can listen and subscribe to the bounce out of bed podcast, which is the late the latest episode is about intuition. Episode 138 so intuition and following that and tapping into that. So if you've listened to this and you've got time to listen to another podcast episode, the one about intuition, will really help you know when to say yes to a retreat, whether that's Emma's or another one. And I am at Amanda Yuen, E, W, I N on all socials, and you can find me there. Thank you so much for today.

45:00

I'm so happy we had this conversation this way. And yes, for all things retreats and all that sort of thing. You've probably heard it in the show notes, so I'm in the outro many a time. But anyway, come and check it out. Emma lovell.au forward slash retreats. And yeah, we'll keep remaining curious and open to what comes next. Thank you. Amanda, amazing,

45:22

thank you for listening. Lovell one. I hope this has inspired you to dream big and start creating a life you love today. If you love what you're hearing, don't forget to follow and rate on Spotify and rate review and subscribe on iTunes. It helps other awesome people to find this podcast and get motivated and inspired as well. Want to stay connected. Come and join the live a life you love. Group on Facebook or connect with me on Instagram. Emma lovell.au the same as my website, but all the details are in the show notes. Lovely. I'll see you next episode for more inspiration, motivation and freedom, seeking now, go out there and live a life you love. You.