How To Run Profitable Retreats

Hosted by Leni Cavazos

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116

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Oct 2026

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About the show

How To Run Profitable Retreats is a heart-centered podcast hosted by Leni Cavazos, designed to empower you to create retreats that are not only profitable but deeply meaningful. In each episode, Leni shares insights and strategies to help you craft retreat experiences that are transformational for your clients and rewarding for yourself. With a focus on authenticity, community, and intention, this podcast is a must-listen for anyone looking to create impactful retreats that leave a lasting impact. Each episode features interviews with successful retreat leaders, as well as solo episodes.

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October 22, 202618 min

Connection Economy

We are more connected than ever, yet people are lonelier than ever. And that gap is creating one of the biggest opportunities for retreat leaders, coaches, speakers, and experience-based businesses. In this solo episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, Leni Cavazos explores what she calls the connection economy and why the increasing automation of our lives is making real, in-person experiences more valuable. AI has made content faster and easier to create. Social media has given us almost unlimited reach. But attention is cheap, and trust is becoming harder to earn. People still want to sit across from another person. They want to feel seen, heard, understood, and connected. And that is exactly what retreats and live experiences can provide. In this episode, Leni discusses: Why the rise of AI is actually increasing the value of human connection Why attention is becoming cheaper while trust is becoming more valuable The growing demand for in-person experiences and retreats Why people pay for how an experience makes them feel, not simply what is included Why retreat leaders who create genuine connection may have a major advantage heading into 2027 Your funnel can be copied. Your captions can be copied. Your offers can be copied. But the feeling someone has when they are in a room with you cannot. The question is: Are you building your retreat business for the connection economy? If you are planning a retreat or already hosting retreats and want to figure out what is keeping yours from selling or becoming consistently profitable, book a strategy call with Leni: Book your strategy call 🎧 If you enjoyed this episode, share it with another retreat leader and leave a rating for How to Run Profitable Retreats. Plan a Profitable Retreat Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need: Book a free consult → https://theretreatplanner.com/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner

October 15, 202630 min

Why Your Retreat Sounds Like Everyone Else's (And How To Fix It) | Manu Molina

If your retreat sounds like every other retreat on the market, your potential guests are left comparing you on price, dates, and destination. In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, Leni Cavazos sits down with Manu Molina, founder of Yoga Biz Mentor, to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing yoga teachers and wellness retreat leaders today: creating a retreat offer that actually stands out in an increasingly crowded market. Manu shares his "Root Chakra of Messaging" framework, a four-part approach for building a clear identity around your retreat: ▪️ Your audience: Who is this retreat really for, and what are they looking for right now? ▪️ Your story: Why are you the right person to lead this experience? ▪️ Your authority: What lived experience, knowledge, and expertise do you already have that you may be overlooking? ▪️ Your values: Why does this retreat exist, and what does it stand for beyond the itinerary? Leni and Manu also discuss why relying on retreat listing platforms is not a complete marketing strategy, why another certification probably won't make your retreat sell, and how stronger messaging can help a cold audience understand why your retreat is the right one for them. If you're a yoga teacher, wellness practitioner, or retreat leader struggling to differentiate your offer, this conversation will help you look beyond the modalities you teach and build an identity people can actually connect with. 🎧 Listen to Why Your Retreat Sounds Like Everyone Else's (And How To Fix It) with Manu Molina. Connect with Manu: http://yogabizmentor.com Instagram: @yoga.biz.mentor Free Resource: Offer Identity Reset http://yogabizmentor.com/the-offer-identity-reset/ If you enjoyed this episode, share it with another retreat leader and leave How to Run Profitable Retreats a rating. Plan a Profitable Retreat Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need: Book a free consult → https://theretreatplanner.com/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner

October 8, 20265 min

The One Transformation Rule for Profitable Retreats

What makes a retreat valuable? It's not how many activities you include. It's not how many modalities you know. And it's definitely not how packed you can make the itinerary. It's the transformation. In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I'm breaking down one of the biggest mistakes I see experienced retreat leaders make: trying to put everything they know into one retreat. Reiki. Breathwork. Coaching. Sound healing. Somatic work. Workshops. Ceremonies. More sessions. More activities. More "value." But your ideal client isn't buying your techniques. They're buying what changes because of them. I'll introduce you to what I call the One Transformation Rule and explain why choosing one clear result can make your retreat easier to design, easier to communicate, easier to price, and ultimately easier to sell. I'll also share the story of a couples' retreat where one participant admitted he was there because "it was cheaper than divorce." That moment perfectly illustrates why the true value of a retreat isn't found in the itinerary. It's found in what's at stake for the person buying it. ▪️ Why more activities don't necessarily create more value ▪️ The difference between selling techniques and selling outcomes ▪️ Why you shouldn't compete with vacations ▪️ How one transformation becomes the spine of your messaging, pricing, and itinerary ▪️ The question every retreat leader should be able to answer in one sentence If your retreat could only be known for one result, what result would make the entire experience absolutely worth it for the right person? That's where profitable retreats begin. 🎧 If you like this episode, share it and give us a rating. Want my help building a retreat that actually sells? Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass: Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass Launch Your First Retreat Masterclass: Join the Launch Your First Retreat Masterclass Plan a Profitable Retreat Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need: Book a free consult → https://theretreatplanner.com/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner

October 1, 202630 min

The Only Joymaking Retreat by The Party Scientist | Jacques Martiquet

What if your retreat didn't need another deep exercise, but more joy? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I sit down with Jacques Martiquet, The Party Scientist, creator of Joymaker Camp, to explore how joy, play, movement, and human connection can transform the way we design and facilitate retreats. We talk about why people don't come together in person just to consume information. They come to experience something. Jacques shares how interactive experiences can help participants connect more deeply, learn more effectively, and stay engaged. We also explore the balance between depth and joy, why safety is the foundation of transformation, and why being clear about who your retreat is NOT for can create a stronger experience for everyone who attends. ▪️ Using joy as a facilitation tool ▪️ Creating connection through play and movement ▪️ Designing interactive experiences instead of lectures ▪️ Balancing deep transformation with lightness ▪️ Creating safety and belonging in your retreat 🎧 Listen to The Only Joymaking Retreat by The Party Scientist with Jacques Martiquet. Connect with Jacques: https://joymaking.org/ https://www.instagram.com/partyscientistjoy/ https://joymaker.camp If you enjoyed this episode, share it and leave a rating for How to Run Profitable Retreats. Plan a Profitable Retreat Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need: Book a free consult → https://theretreatplanner.com/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner

September 24, 202641 min

Locational Astrology for Retreat Leaders: Timing your Optimum WHERE and WHEN | VerDarLuz CelestiOwl

What if the location of your retreat could influence not only how the experience feels, but also your visibility, opportunities, relationships, and the transformation you're there to create? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I'm joined by VerDarLuz CelestiOwl, an astrologer and Human Design coach with 20 years of experience and more than 12,000 students and consultations. We explore astrocartography and locational astrology as tools retreat leaders can use when deciding WHERE and WHEN to host their retreats. VerDarLuz explains how different planetary influences can support different retreat intentions, why simply choosing a "good" planetary line isn't enough, and how timing, your individual birth chart, and Human Design can all play a role. And we make it practical. VerDarLuz uses my own chart as a live example, looking at places where I've lived and traveled, including Dubai, the UK, Mexico, and the Riviera Maya, and what those locations could mean for business, visibility, speaking, retreats, and personal growth. In this episode, we discuss: ▪️ How location can support or challenge the intention of a retreat ▪️ Why the theme of your retreat matters when choosing a destination ▪️ How timing can change the energy of the same location ▪️ Why your complete birth chart matters when interpreting planetary lines ▪️ How retreat leaders can use these tools to narrow down potential destinations If you've ever asked yourself, "Where should I host my next retreat?" this conversation will give you an entirely different way to think about the answer. 🎧 Listen to Locational Astrology for Retreat Leaders: Timing Your Optimum WHERE and WHEN with VerDarLuz CelestiOwl. Connect with VerDarLuz: Destination by Design Consultancy: https://destinationbydesignconsultancy.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verdarluz_divinetimingcoaching/?hl=en If you enjoyed this episode, share it with another retreat leader and leave How to Run Profitable Retreats a rating. Plan a Profitable Retreat Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need: Book a free consult → https://theretreatplanner.com/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner

September 17, 20266 min

Stop Choosing an Audience. Choose a Buyer.

Before you can understand your ideal client, you have to stop trying to help everyone. In the last episode, we talked about choosing ONE clear transformation for your retreat. Now it's time for the next CEO decision: Who wants that transformation badly enough to pay for it, and has the financial power to buy it? Because an ideal client without purchasing power does not create a profitable retreat business. In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I'm walking you through an Ideal Buyer Exercise to help you stop defining your audience with vague demographics and start identifying the person who is actually ready, willing, and able to invest. We'll look at: ▪️ The financial signals that show someone is willing to invest ▪️ The specific moment that triggers them to start looking for a solution ▪️ The words they actually use to describe their problem ▪️ The buying patterns that prove they invest in experiences like yours ▪️ Why choosing the right buyer makes your messaging, pricing, location, and sales decisions easier The goal is not to find more people who could benefit from your retreat. It's to identify the person who wants the transformation, has a reason to make it happen now, and has already demonstrated that they are willing to invest. Your CEO decision for this episode: "I am not choosing an audience. I am choosing a buyer." 🎧 Listen now and complete the exercise as you go. If you like this episode, share it with another retreat leader and give How to Run Profitable Retreats a rating. ◼️ Ready to build and sell a more profitable retreat business? Join us at the Sell Out Retreats Summit, where retreat leaders and experts come together to learn how to sell more consistently, grow their businesses, and build the right connections. https://womensretreatsworldwide.com/pre-event-page?am_id=lenicavazos3368 Plan a Profitable Retreat Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need: Book a free consult → https://theretreatplanner.com/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner

September 10, 20266 min

Why Clear Retreat Messaging Creates Safety

What if clearer messaging could make your retreat feel safer before your guests ever arrive? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, Leni Cavazos explains why trying to make your retreat messaging appeal to everyone can actually create more uncertainty for potential buyers. When someone considers investing in a retreat, they're not only asking what's included. They're wondering: Will I belong here? Will I feel comfortable? Will the other people in the room understand me? Is this really designed for someone like me? Clear messaging helps answer those questions. 🎧 In this episode, you'll learn: ▪️ Why specificity creates trust and a stronger sense of belonging ▪️ How unclear messaging can affect sales and group dynamics ▪️ Why the right buyers need to recognize themselves in your offer ▪️ How to use self-selection language without judgment or exclusion ▪️ Three simple exercises to strengthen your retreat messaging Leni also shares an important CEO mindset shift: your job isn't to convince everyone to come. It's to create enough clarity that the right people recognize themselves and everyone else feels free to choose something different. Because clarity before the retreat helps create the conditions for transformation during it. ◼️ Ready to grow a retreat business that consistently attracts the right people? Join us at the Sell Out Retreats Summit, September 25–27 in Tepoztlán, Mexico: https://womensretreatsworldwide.com/pre-event-page?am_id=lenicavazos3368 🎧 If you enjoyed this episode, share it with another retreat leader and leave How to Run Profitable Retreats a rating. Plan a Profitable Retreat Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need: Book a free consult → https://theretreatplanner.com/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner

September 3, 202619 min

How to use quantum leaping to 10X your business | Malvina Messler

What if growing your business didn't require working harder—but thinking and operating differently? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I sit down with Malvina Messler to talk about how to use quantum leaping to 10X your business. We talk about moving beyond the hustle, stepping into your next-level identity, making decisions as your future self, and choosing aligned action instead of simply doing more. As Malvina says: It's not about grinding harder. It's about aligning smarter. 🎧 Listen to the full episode: How to Use Quantum Leaping to 10X Your Business ▪️ Connect with Malvina: @malvinamessler ▪️ Get her FREE Neuroscience of Change Mini Course: https://malvinamessler.co/mini-course-opt-in-974764 ▪️ Join us at the Sell Out Retreats Summit in Mexico: https://womensretreatsworldwide.com/pre-event-page?am_id=lenicavazos3368 If you enjoyed this episode, share it and leave 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/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner

August 6, 202621 min

Nature as your co-leader with Anne Gordon

What if one of the most powerful facilitators at your retreat wasn't another coach, speaker, or workbook, but nature itself? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I sit down with Anne Gordon, founder of Whale Wisdom Retreats, who has been leading transformational whale and dolphin retreats since 2007. Anne shares how creating space for nature, stillness, and meaningful experiences can lead to deeper transformation than simply adding more content to your agenda. Together, we explore why the most memorable retreats aren't built around packed schedules, they're designed around intentional experiences that allow participants to reflect, integrate, and truly change. In this episode, we discuss: ▪️ Why transformation happens in the quiet moments, not during back-to-back sessions ▪️ How nature can become a powerful co-leader in your retreat experience ▪️ Why your retreat theme should guide every decision, from the destination to the activities you include ▪️ The biggest mistakes new retreat leaders make when planning their retreats ▪️ Why giving participants time to integrate their breakthroughs is just as important as the teaching itself ▪️ Why successful retreat leaders begin promoting their retreats months before the event Anne also shares one of the simplest yet most powerful mindset shifts for retreat leaders: Sell people what they want, and give them what they truly need. Whether you're planning your very first retreat or looking to create a more meaningful experience for your guests, this conversation will inspire you to think differently about how transformation really happens. 💭 Connect with Anne Gordon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anne.gordon.121/ Instagram: @WhaleWisdomRetreats 🖤 Free Gift Download Anne's Ultimate Retreat Leader Planner: https://6htwnkid.pages.infusionsoft.net 🎧 If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with another retreat leader and leave a rating or review. It helps more retreat professionals discover the show and build retreats that are both transformational and profitable. Plan a Profitable Retreat Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need: Book a free consult → https://theretreatplanner.com/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner

July 30, 202630 min

Stress Less, Earn More: The Value of a Retreat Planner with Marta Pizzarani

What does it really take to host a seamless, profitable international retreat? In this episode of How to Run Profitable Retreats, I sit down with Marta Pizzirani, founder of Grapefruit Luxury Retreats, to discuss why having a local retreat planner can save you time, reduce stress, and elevate your guests' experience—especially when hosting retreats abroad. Drawing from her experience planning luxury retreats across Italy, Marta shares the behind-the-scenes realities that most retreat leaders never consider until something goes wrong. From avoiding tourist traps and language barriers to finding trusted local vendors and choosing the right season and location, this conversation is packed with practical advice for anyone dreaming of hosting an international retreat. Together, we also discuss why your role as a retreat leader should be focused on creating transformation—not managing logistics—and how delegating the planning allows you to deliver a higher-quality experience while protecting your own energy. In this episode, we cover: ▫️ Why hiring a local retreat planner can save you time, money, and unnecessary stress ▫️ The hidden risks of planning an international retreat on your own ▫️ How local knowledge creates more authentic guest experiences ▫️ Why language and cultural differences matter more than you think ▫️ How to choose the right destination, season, and timing for your retreat ▫️ The difference between running a retreat and producing one If you've ever considered hosting a retreat in another country—or you're ready to stop doing everything yourself—this episode will help you understand the value of having the right local partner by your side. 💭 Connect with Marta Pizzirani Website: http://www.grapefruitluxuryretreats.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grapefruitretreats/ 🪽 Enjoyed this episode? Please share it with another retreat leader, subscribe to How to Run Profitable Retreats, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps us reach more retreat hosts who are building profitable, transformational retreat businesses. Plan a Profitable Retreat Start here to get the tools, support, and strategy you need: Book a free consult → https://theretreatplanner.com/call Download the Profit E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/profitebook Download the Loyalty Marketing E-book → https://theretreatplanner.com/loyaltyebook Join the Sold Out & Profitable Masterclass → https://theretreatplanner.com/challenge Follow on Instagram → https://instagram.com/theretreatplanner