How to Plan & Price a Profitable Retreat: Avoid the 80% Who Lose Money
How To Run Profitable Retreats
Release Date: 09/05/2025
The Publishing Industry Reality: Why book sales alone aren’t enough for financial freedom with Timothy Flemming Jr
How To Run Profitable Retreats
In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, host Leni Cavazos sits down with publishing expert and Kingdom Launchpad founder Timothy Flemming Jr. for a powerful conversation that every author, coach, and retreat leader needs to hear. Timothy has spent over a decade helping hundreds of authors publish their books — but what he discovered is the truth most writers never hear: The book is not the business. It’s the doorway into the business. In this eye‑opening episode, Timothy and Leni break down: ▪️ Why most authors don’t struggle with writing — they struggle with what...
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The Reset Formula: How to Refuel Before You Burn Out with Marisa Wong
How To Run Profitable Retreats
Ready for a reset? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I sit down with the powerhouse behind over 250 global transformational retreats and experiences — Marisa Wong, CEO & Founder of MW Experiences. Marisa has designed experiences for Fortune 100 brands, elite executives, global leaders, and high‑performing teams… but what makes her work extraordinary is her philosophy: people don’t need to retreat from their lives — they need experiences that help them return to life more aligned, energized, and alive. In this conversation, we dive into: ▪️ Why...
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Six-Figure Retreat Business: Pillar 4 - Scale for profit
How To Run Profitable Retreats
In this bonus expert episode, host Leni Cavazos breaks down Pillar 4 of the Six-Figure Retreat Business—Scale for Profit. You’ll learn: ▪️ The difference between a retreat leader, business, and company ▪️ How to build loyalty that fuels repeat bookings ▪️ Behind-the-scenes lessons from launching Marriott Bonvoy in the Middle East ▪️ What it really means to scale your retreat business without burnout This is for those ready to move beyond one-off retreats and build something sustainable, sellable, and soul-aligned. 🖤 Book a call → 🖤 Get the book → 👉 If you...
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Truly Transformational Travel with Christopher Hill
How To Run Profitable Retreats
In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, host Leni Cavazos welcomes Christopher Hill, founder of the luxury philanthropic travel brands Hands Up Holidays and Impact Destinations. Together, they explore what it means to combine meaningful service with high-end travel—and how retreat leaders can take notes from this innovative model. We talk about: ◽️ How luxury travel can integrate real, hands-on volunteering ⬛️ The difference between giving your time, skills, or wealth ⚪️ Tailored impact trips for families, solo travelers, and small groups ▪️ How intentional...
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Six-Figure Retreat Business: Pillar 3 - Sell for Profit
How To Run Profitable Retreats
In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, host Leni Cavazos takes you into Pillar 3 of building a Six‑Figure Retreat Business: Sell for Profit. If you’ve ever wondered why your retreats aren’t bringing in the income, stability, or sustainability you expected — this episode is your wake‑up call. Selling for profit isn’t about being pushy or salesy. It’s about treating your retreat like a real business… not a passion project, not a hobby, and definitely not a “hope the universe provides” operation. Leni breaks down: ◾️ Why transformative retreats STILL need...
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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)...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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_outlineReady 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): https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge
Build your profitable retreat plan in one session: pricing for profit, magnetic messaging, and a rinse-and-repeat sales strategy.
What you’ll learn
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Why 80% of retreat leaders lose money (and how to avoid it)
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Pricing for profit before you ever book a venue
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Crafting results-oriented, magnetic messaging (no more “Relax & Reset in Bali”)
- How to pre-sell and build a waitlist so retreats stop being risky
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Real examples: 76-person waitlist, 21 guests to Spain, quarterly sell-outs
Who this is for
Coaches, experts, consultants, speakers, and creators who want profitable, repeatable retreats that elevate their brand and feed their offers, all with clear systems and loyalty marketing baked in.
Join the challenge: https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge
(Spots limited. Designed to get your pricing, plan, and sales map done.)
About Leni
Leni has 18+ years in hospitality and global events (The Ritz-Carlton, Marriott Bonvoy) and builds loyalty-driven retreat businesses for clients worldwide.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro & poll: Dreamers, hosts, and goals for today
02:15 The opportunity: retreats as a six-figure revenue stream
05:02 Why most leaders lose money (the 80% problem)
08:20 Leni’s background (Ritz-Carlton, Marriott Bonvoy, global events)
12:55 The mindset shift: retreats are a business model, not a hobby
16:18 Mistake #1: Booking venues before you can sell
18:40 Mistake #2: Pricing by gut vs. pricing for profit
22:05 Mistake #3: Selling a vacation, not a transformation
25:10 The system overview: pricing → messaging → 22-way sales plan → waitlist
28:45 You don’t need a huge audience (you need clarity & systems)
32:04 BHAG moment & creating flexibility inside a proven framework
38:44 Case Study #1 (Christi): covering profit before the event
41:25 Q&A: upsells, waitlists, and loyalty marketing
45:21 Advanced: building waitlists & pre-sale momentum
49:00 Case Study #2 (Matthew): 21 to Spain + 76-person waitlist
52:20 Case Study #3 (Tiffany): quarterly sell-outs + one luxury retreat
55:10 Your next step: the Sold Out & Profitable Retreats Challenge
59:30 Logistics & live Q&A wrap
If this sparked your retreat dream, make it real. Join the Sold Out & Profitable Retreats Challenge (live, 4 hours) and leave with your pricing, messaging, and sales plan done: theretreatplanner.com/challenge
Questions about pricing, venues, or waitlists? Drop them below and I’ll reply.