WOMEN OF COLOR FACULTY RETREAT

A professional development weekend devoted to your success, your wellness, your joy.

Next retreat: September 27-30, 2024

What you can expect...

Workshops

Explore pathways to healthy progress, advancement, and goal achievement.

Mindfulness

Engage in practices that reduce stress, increase focus, and promote healing.

Community

Share in authentic sisterhood where your whole self is recognized and welcomed.

Restoration

Replenish from individual, interpersonal, and systemic challenges faced daily.

What's Included...

beauty

  • Three magical nights at Elohee Retreat Center in the foothills of Georgia's breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains
  • Lovely accommodations designed to maximize calm and comfort, from the soothing wall colors to the plush, white duvets to the elegant, well-stocked bathrooms
  • Nourishing, delicious meals that are exclusively or mostly vegetarian

INSIGHT

  • 14+ hours of programming created with you in mind
  • Expert facilitation focused on the deep interconnectedness among work, wellness, and positionality
  • Warm, effective coaching that recognizes the unique challenges women of color face in the academy

CONNECTION

  • Firelight sister circles that invite connection with self, others, and the tranquil surroundings
  • Gentle movement and/or guided hike to restore mind, body, and spirit
  • Time to exhale, unplug, and just be

 "I know first hand the various ways the academy can be a dangerous place for WOC. The retreat offered me a chance to be my authentic self and feel the love and support I've missed. Thank you!

Kimberly Nichele Brown, Phd
Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University

Sample Schedule

3:00 - 4:00 PM     Check-In
6:00 - 7:00 PM     Dinner
7:15 - 8:45 PM      Welcome & Orientation

8:00 - 9:00 AM    Breakfast
9:15 - 11:10 AM      Success Workshop
12:00 - 1:00 PM    Lunch
2:00 - 3:00 PM     Optional Restorative Yoga
4:00 - 5:45 PM     Success Workshop
6:00 - 7:00 PM     Dinner
7:00 - 8:30 PM     Firelight Sister Circle/Mindfulness Session

8:00 - 9:00 AM     Breakfast
9:15 - 11:10 AM       Success Workshop
12:00 - 1:00 PM     Lunch
2:00 - 3:00 PM     Optional Guided Hike
4:45 - 5:45 PM      Mindfulness Session
6:00 - 7:00 PM     Dinner
7:00 - 8:30 PM     Success Workshop
8:45 - 10:15 PM     Firelight Sister Circle

8:00 - 9:00 AM     Breakfast
9:00 - 11:00 AM     Closing Session

Attendees report learning how to better...

Achieve goals

Manage high work demands

Cope with stress

Recover from setbacks

"I was so glad to be there on that mountain with you. I am so blessed to be invited to the intentional community that you built, and I left absolutely changed. That was a life-changing experience!"

Lanice Avery, Phd
Assistant Professor, University of Virginia

Attendee demographics...

Participants are women of color from across faculty ranks and institutions.

Brown University
George Washington University
Lehigh University
Miami University
Simmons University
Southern Illinois University
Spelman College
University of Cincinnati
University of Arizona
University of Connecticut, Storrs
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Minnesota
University of Missouri-Columbia
University of South Carolina
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Virginia Commonwealth University

And more!

Hi! I'm Roxanne.

WellAcademic Founder. Psychologist. Full Professor. Certified Yoga Teacher. 

I've been practicing in the areas of health and wellness for 20+ years.

As a Black feminist woman of multiracial descent (Black/Asian/White), I'm committed to developing programs, like this retreat, that help women of color find pathways to joy, wellness, connection, and achievement.  

And I know from experience that carving out these pathways is possible, even in terrain filled with systemic, institutional, and interpersonal obstacles.  

So if you're in need of deep transformation and sisterhood, meet me on the mountain.  

Your future self will thank you.

 "The was a life changing and life affirming experience. I have attended many retreats in my life and none compare to the power of sisterhood that was cultivated here.

Tamika Odum, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati

ALL INCLUSIVE RATES

Includes 14+ hours of programming, meals from arrival dinner to departure day breakfast, taxes, optional yoga and hike.

Standard, Single Occupancy

$2400

  • Twin bed
  • Shared hall bath*
  • $100 discount for joining waitlist 

* Bath is a few steps outside room and shared with only one other retreater

Premium, Single Occupancy

$2850

  • King or 2 twin beds
  • En suite, private bath
  • $100 discount for joining the waitlist

Frequently Asked Questions

Although retreaters are asked to attend group sessions with a sense of possibility, openness, and curiosity, I respect the varying comfort levels with disclosure folks might have. As such, any sharing of personal information is by invitation not edict.

Elohee's Bald Mountain accommodations consist of seven newly-built cottages tucked along the mountain ridge and built to reduce their impact on the natural environment. Attention is paid to every detail in an effort to maximize feelings of calm and connection, from the heavy doors with sound reducing seals to the minimalist decor to the soothing paint on the walls to the plush, white duvets that cover each bed and the decorative rugs that adorn the beautiful hardwood floors. Sheets, towels, and bath amenities (soap, shampoo, conditioner) are provided for all rooms.

There is excellent cellphone service for all the major carriers. No internet access is available; a benefit for a retreat where a goal is to exhale and unplug. If you have to connect to the internet, you will need to bring your own hotspot.

Yes, if permitted by your university.

Caveat: Unfortunately, WellAcademic does not accept payment from anyone employed by the state of Georgia, whether using university or personal funds. This restriction is to ensure compliance with conflict of interest, ethical, financial, and other policies that apply to WellAcademic owner and lead retreat facilitator Dr. Roxanne Donovan.

If we must cancel a retreat, you will be offered the choice of a full refund or alternative dates for another retreat. We are not responsible for expenses incurred in preparation for any cancelled retreat, such as airline tickets and/or other costs associated with preparing for your trip. Participants who are traveling to the retreat via plane are advised to have comprehensive travel insurance covering costs for any loss.

Absolutely not! The meals are exclusively (or mostly) vegetarian, but the Elohee chef is amazingly skilled at making them delicious and hearty. There is also no shortage of coffee, which is served at every meal. Coffee is even available one hour prior to breakfast for those who can't even imagine starting their day any other way. Tea is available 24 hours a day at the Tea House, a cozy building next to the cottages with lots of windows and comfy chairs.

The terrain is hilly and rugged in areas (e.g., gravel pathways), particularly between the cottages and the communal areas. There are also outdoor steps to some of the locations (e.g., reflecting pond and fire ring). This makes traversing the property effortful for those with reduced mobility.

The registration process starts once you submit the registration form, which is visible when enrollment is open. An invoice based on your registration information will be sent via email within two business days of your submission. Invoices are valid for one week. Registration is not confirmed until payment is received.

Although we hope you will attend the retreat, we understand that unexpected life events may prevent you from doing so. If you must cancel, the following refund criteria apply:

  • 90 or more days prior to the retreat start date, 100% of your payment is refunded minus a $100 cancellation fee;
  • 60 to 89 days prior to retreat start date, 50% of your payment is refunded;
  • 0 to 59 days, no refunds or credits are permitted.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any refunds, credits, or compensation for "no shows," late arrivals, or early departures, regardless of the reason.

 "This was an amazing and life-changing experience. It was the first retreat where I attended as a woman of color faculty where it was about who I am and not what I do.

Danielle Dickens, PhD
Assistant Professor, Spelman College