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Retreat success: proven tactics to increase bookings

How To Run Profitable Retreats

Release Date: 03/20/2025

The ROI of Comfort: How guest-centered design drives referrals and word-of-mouth with Julie Comfort show art The ROI of Comfort: How guest-centered design drives referrals and word-of-mouth with Julie Comfort

How To Run Profitable Retreats

When was the last time someone told you your retreat felt like magic? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, Leni Cavazos sits down with experience designer and educator Julie Comfort to explore how comfort, emotional journey, and intentional design directly impact your referrals, rebookings, and reputation. Julie shares the overlooked secrets of transformational retreat design, from crafting welcome rituals and quiet moments of reflection to building anticipation and delivering micro-moments of awe. You'll learn: Why “over-scheduling” kills the magic (and what to do instead)...

info_outline Six-Figure Retreat Business: Pillar 2 — Pricing for Profit show art Six-Figure Retreat Business: Pillar 2 — Pricing for Profit

How To Run Profitable Retreats

Welcome back to How to Run Profitable Retreats, the podcast for coaches, entrepreneurs, and transformational leaders ready to turn soulful experiences into sustainable, six-figure businesses. I’m your host, Leni Cavazos. If you’ve ever poured your heart (and savings) into a retreat only to wonder where the profits went, this episode is for you. In this second installment of our Six-Figure Retreat Business series, we dive deep into Pillar 2: Pricing for Profit. Most retreat leaders forget the most important person in the budget: themselves. We’ll unravel why pricing is not just about...

info_outline Six‑Figure Retreat Business: Pillar 1 – Design for Profit show art Six‑Figure Retreat Business: Pillar 1 – Design for Profit

How To Run Profitable Retreats

🖤 How to Run Profitable Retreats with Leni Cavazos In this solo episode, retreat strategist Leni Cavazos breaks down the first and most foundational pillar of building a six-figure retreat business: Design for Profit. If you’ve ever walked away from a retreat burnt out, underpaid, or even in the red, this episode is your wake-up call (and your roadmap). You’ll learn: ▪️ Why passion isn’t enough (and how to treat your retreat like a real business) ▪️ The difference between planning a single retreat and designing a scalable business ▪️ How to align your retreats with your...

info_outline Money mindset for retreat leaders with Shannon Ryan show art Money mindset for retreat leaders with Shannon Ryan

How To Run Profitable Retreats

If you’ve ever struggled to price your retreat, worried no one would pay, or felt guilty charging for transformation… this episode is for you. I sat down with Shannon Ryan, money mindset mentor and former financial planner, to talk about the emotional, energetic, and practical blocks that hold retreat leaders back from real profit. Inside this episode: 💸 Why most retreat leaders undercharge—and how to stop 🔁 How your money story is creating your business ceiling 👁️ Pricing beyond spreadsheets (this is about self-worth) 👛 The invisible ways you’re sabotaging retreat...

info_outline Six‑Figure Retreat Business show art Six‑Figure Retreat Business

How To Run Profitable Retreats

Over 80% of retreat leaders walk away from their events exhausted… and broke. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, host Leni Cavazos shares the unfiltered truth about what it actually takes to build a six-figure retreat business, without sacrificing your integrity, values, or impact. You’ll learn: Why running retreats from only passion is the fastest way to burnout The mindset shift that separates thriving retreat leaders from struggling ones The 3+1 pillar model of profitable retreats Real industry stats on transformation,...

info_outline Retreat Venue Red Flags: What to Watch for Before You Book with Shannon Jamail show art Retreat Venue Red Flags: What to Watch for Before You Book with Shannon Jamail

How To Run Profitable Retreats

Your retreat venue can make or break your entire event—so how do you choose the right one, avoid costly mistakes, and ensure a five-star experience for your guests? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I’m joined by Shannon Jamail, founder of , therapist, retreat mentor, and host of The Retreat Leader’s Podcast. Shannon owns a 46-acre retreat property in Texas and has hosted transformational retreats for over a decade. She shares her insider knowledge—both as a venue owner and as a retreat leader—on exactly what to consider before signing that venue contract. This is a...

info_outline From Ordinary to Extraordinary: The Power of Retreats with Dr. Lori McDowell show art From Ordinary to Extraordinary: The Power of Retreats with Dr. Lori McDowell

How To Run Profitable Retreats

 What if the key to building lifelong clients—and a thriving retreat business—wasn’t just the offer... but the energy and intention behind it? In this transformational episode, I sit down with TEDx speaker, bestselling author, and reinvention expert Dr. Lori McDowell, founder of ReimagineU Strategies, to unpack the real power of retreats—not just as events, but as sacred containers for deep personal and business transformation. Lori shares how she went from corporate engineering to curating transformational experiences, and how she now helps visionary leaders design done-for-you,...

info_outline How to Plan & Price a Profitable Retreat: Avoid the 80% Who Lose Money show art How to Plan & Price a Profitable Retreat: Avoid the 80% Who Lose Money

How To Run Profitable Retreats

Ready to turn your retreat dream into a six-figure revenue stream—without a huge audience? In this masterclass from the Wild Woman with Impact Summit, retreat strategist Leni Cavazos (The Retreat Planner) reveals the exact system she’s used to help coaches, healers, and entrepreneurs sell out retreats, build waitlists, and keep 30–50%+ profit margins. 👉 Join the next Sold Out & Profitable Retreats Challenge (live, 4 hours): Build your profitable retreat plan in one session: pricing for profit, magnetic messaging, and a rinse-and-repeat sales strategy. What you’ll learn Why...

info_outline Retreats That Sell: Intuition, pricing & loyalty that fill the room with Retreat pannel show art Retreats That Sell: Intuition, pricing & loyalty that fill the room with Retreat pannel

How To Run Profitable Retreats

 What really makes a retreat sell out? Is it your intuition? Your brand? Your pricing? Or your ability to hold the vision even when sales feel slow? In this special panel episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I sat down with an extraordinary circle of retreat leaders and industry experts—including Abby Gooch, Liesel Albrecht, Kellie Sabas, Victoria Shaw, Sil Eiler, and Malvina Messler—for an unfiltered conversation on what it takes to run a retreat that not only transforms lives… but also generates real profit.   🖤 We go beyond the fluff and dive into the strategic AND...

info_outline From Fear to Fulfillment: Launching Your First Retreat with Brent McCan show art From Fear to Fulfillment: Launching Your First Retreat with Brent McCan

How To Run Profitable Retreats

In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I’m joined by Brent McCann—a mindset coach and men’s retreat facilitator—who shares the honest, behind-the-scenes story of running his first retreat from idea to execution. Brent opens up about: ▪️ The moment in meditation that sparked his retreat vision ▪️ Facing fears, self-doubt, and the unexpected magic of breakthrough moments (like zip-lining transformations!) ▪️ The realities of pricing, profit margins, and learning from “what worked” vs. “what didn’t” ▪️ Why authentic marketing and alignment matter more...

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More Episodes

📢 Did you know that 70% of retreats don’t make a profit? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I dive deep into what it really takes to fill retreats, create loyal customers, and build a profitable retreat business in 2025.

 

💡 Key insights from this episode:

  • 🔹 The Marketing Shift: It now takes 36-52 touchpoints across multiple channels for someone to buy—compared to just 7 in the past! Learn how to build trust and stay top-of-mind.
  • 🔹 Retreat Profitability Stats: 68% of retreat hosts earn only $5,000-$10,000 per retreat—let’s change that by pricing and marketing smarter.
  • 🔹 Loyalty = More Revenue: Loyal customers spend 67% more than new ones. Discover how to keep participants engaged before, during, and after the retreat.
  • 🔹 From Hobby to Business: The first retreat takes an average of 200 hours to plan—but with the right systems and strategies, that can be cut to just 50 hours!

 

🚀 Whether you're just starting out or have hosted 10+ retreats, this episode will give you the tools to grow, scale, and truly profit from your retreat business.

✨ Thank you to Viazara! Find out more: viazara

🎧 Listen now & don’t forget to share and give us a rating! ⭐️✨

 

Plan a Profitable Retreat

Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need:

Book a free consult. → https://theretreatplanner.com/go

Profit E-book â†’ https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook

Join the Sold Out & Profitable Intensive â†’ https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge

Attend the Live Workshop â†’ https://theretreatplanner.com/live

Follow Us On Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner