Piloting Your Life: A Retreat for Midlife Women
Disengage Autopilot and Take the Controls
March 8-15, 2026
Hacienda Iguana, Nicaragua
Limited to 8 Women
$4,000 All-Inclusive (excluding airfare)
*Registration closes 12/6 or when all 8 spots are filled
You've built an impressive career. Raised incredible humans. Supported everyone around you. Shown up. Delivered. Done everything "right."
So how did you end up in a life that doesn't fit anymore?
You made choices. Good choices, even. You built something solid. You've changed but your life hasn't caught up yet.
Maybe you're lying awake at 3am wondering:
Is this really all there is?
Who am I when I'm not performing a role?
When did I stop dreaming about what I actually want?
How did I become so good at everything except living my own damn life?
What do I even want now that everything has changed?
You're not broken. You're not ungrateful. And you're definitely not alone.
The current narrative says midlife is a crisis—a time of chaos, unraveling, and decline for women. That we should be grateful for what we have and stop wanting more.
Fuck that.
Every transition—career pivot, empty nest, loss, relationship evolution, identity shift—isn't an ending. It's a doorway. The question isn't whether you'll walk through it. The question is whether you'll walk through it intentionally or get dragged through it kicking and screaming.
It's time to take the controls.
You've spent decades being the co-pilot in your own life—managing everyone else's flight plans, making sure everyone else gets where they need to go.
What if you became the pilot instead?
You Did Everything Right.
So Why Does Something Feel Wrong?
A Week That Changes Everything
Join Terri Hanson Mead—award-winning author, Stanford Continuing Studies instructor, and midlife troublemaker—in Nicaragua for seven days of the deep work you've been avoiding.
This retreat is for the woman who's done with "fine." Who's tired of shrinking herself to fit into boxes that never fit in the first place. Who's ready to stop apologizing for wanting more and start designing what comes next.
Just you and 7 other women who get it. No performative vulnerability. No toxic positivity. No pretending we have it all figured out.
This isn't therapy (though it might be therapeutic). This isn't a spa weekend (though the villa is gorgeous and there's sparkling wine).
This isn't a vacation. This is evolution and elevation.
This is seven days of intentional, facilitated work to help you stop muddling through midlife and start piloting it.
Small group. Real conversations. Zero judgment. Zero bullshit. And a flight plan for the next phase of your life.
WHAT YOU'LL EXPERIENCE
What We'll Actually Do
This is structured, facilitated work based on the Piloting Your Life framework—the same content that's transformed the lives of women in my Stanford Continuing Studies course. But it's also connection, play, and the kind of conversations that only happen at 11pm in your pajamas.
Through daily workshops and evening activities, we'll move through six evolutionary modules:
🚁 AWAKENING: You Are Here | Get brutally honest about where you are and begin to define your real values, not inherited ones.
🚁 RELEASING: Eliminating Drag |Release what no longer serves you and give yourself permission to rewrite the rules.
🚁 REIMAGINING: Setting Your Destination | Dream without limits and rediscover what actually lights you up.
🚁 CONNECTING: Crew and Safety Check | Navigate relationships, menopause, and wellness without the bullshit.
🚁 LAUNCHING: Your Flight Path Forward | Get your financial house in order and plan for end of life with intention.
🚁 CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF: Creating Your Flight Plan | Leave with concrete next steps, not just good intentions.
Days: Two 90-minute workshops balancing deep work with spaciousness.
Evenings: Book swap. Pajama party real talk. Tarot readings. Sparkly tiara night. Vision boards. Dance party. Think summer camp for grown women who've earned the right to be exactly who they are.
With only 8 women, you'll be heard, seen, and supported. This is elevation and evolution through intentional work in community. And also dance parties.
YOUR EXPERIENCE (What’s included)
YOUR WEEK IN PARADISE
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
ACCOMMODATION & MEALS
7 nights in villa-style ensuite rooms (double occupancy)
Beach access and beachfront pool
Three chef-prepared meals daily featuring local ingredients
Snacks, wine, bubbly, and sunset refreshments
You will be well-fed. This is non-negotiable.
WELLNESS & ACTIVITIES
Daily all-levels yoga on the beach (optional—no judgment if you skip)
One 60-minute massage (because your body deserves this)
Catamaran sunset sail (because we all look good when our hair is blowing in the wind)
Optional beach horseback riding
Two 30-minute private one-on-one sessions with Terri
WORKSHOPS & MATERIALS
Daily workshops based on Piloting Your Life and Navigating Midlife for Women (Stanford Continuing Studies)
Welcome journal for retreat reflections
All workshop materials
Signed copy of Piloting Your Life (sent after deposit)
Nightly activities: book swap, pajama party, tarot readings, tiara night, vision boards, dance party
And more surprises!
LOGISTICS (Because You Shouldn't Have to Think About This)
Private airport transfers from Managua (MGA) to retreat location
All in-country transportation during the retreat
Welcome gathering and celebration dinner
Someone else handles the details so you can focus on yourself
NOT INCLUDED:
Flights to/from Managua, Nicaragua (MGA)
Travel insurance (required)
Spa services beyond your included massage
The emotional baggage you're leaving behind
(Yes, the Work is Deep. Yes, the Setting is Gorgeous. You Deserve Both.)
You'll stay at Casa Pasatiempo, a luxurious beachfront villa on Nicaragua's stunning Emerald Coast within the gated Hacienda Iguana.
Beach access, ocean views, and the kind of sunsets that make you believe in magic again.
This is intentional:
You can't do transformational work when you're uncomfortable, underfed, or sleeping on a lumpy mattress.
You've earned luxury while you do the hard stuff.
IS THIS RETREAT RIGHT FOR YOU?
This retreat is FOR women who are:
✓ In their 40s or 50s navigating the transitions of midlife
✓ Feeling stuck, restless, or lying awake wondering "is this all there is?"
✓ Successful on paper but unfulfilled in reality
✓ Ready to prioritize themselves after decades of putting everyone else first
✓ Comfortable with solo travel and open to adventure (you don't need to bring a friend, but you can bring one!)
✓ Craving authentic connection with women who get it, not surface-level networking
✓ Willing to be vulnerable and do deep, transformational work (not just talk about it)
✓ Ready to invest in themselves and their future—financially and emotionally
You don't need to have everything figured out. You just need to be ready to show up, do the work, and stop waiting for permission.
This retreat is NOT for women who:
✗ Want a luxury vacation without the personal growth work
✗ Are looking for someone to fix them or give them all the answers
✗ Aren't ready to be honest with themselves
✗ Need everything to be comfortable and familiar
✗ Think vision boards and tarot readings are "too woo" (we're doing both)
You're welcome here if you're:
Single, married, divorced, widowed, or partnered
In any life transition: career change, relationship evolution, loss, identity shift, or simply feeling called to something more
An empty nester or have grown/nearly grown children
Childfree by choice or circumstance and navigating midlife without the "empty nest" narrative
With only 8 spots, this intimate group creates space for deep connection, real conversation, and the kind of friendships that last long after you leave Nicaragua.
$4,000 All-Inclusive (Excluding Airfare)
Let's talk about money, because pretending it doesn't matter is bullshit.
This is $4,000 for seven days that could change the trajectory of your next 20+ years. That includes everything except your flights to Nicaragua: luxury accommodation, all meals, daily workshops, yoga, massage, activities, materials, airport transfers, in-country transportation during the retreat, a journal, and other surprises.
Is it expensive? Yes.
Is it worth it? Also yes.
This is less than many people spend on therapy in a year—but instead of talking about change for 50 minutes a week, you're actually creating it. With support. In community. On a beach.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE:
$1,000 non-refundable deposit due December 6, 2025 (holds your spot)
$1,500 due January 6, 2026
$1,500 due February 6, 2026
The Real Question:
How much is it costing you to stay stuck? To keep running on autopilot? To wake up five years from now wishing you'd done something different?
With only 8 spots available, this retreat will fill. The question isn't whether you can afford it. The question is whether you can afford not to.
Cancellation policy and full terms will be provided upon registration.
INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF
THIS RETREAT ISN'T FOR EVERYONE (AND THAT'S OKAY)
⏰ Maybe the timing isn't right.
💰 Maybe the investment feels too big right now.
✈️ Maybe you're not ready to travel or take a week away.
That doesn't mean you can't start the work.
My book, Piloting Your Life, is where hundreds of women have started their journey. The frameworks. The questions. The permission to design a life of your own creation. You can begin today, right where you are.
P.S. When you're ready for a retreat, I'll be here. 💜