2025 Matriarch Makeover Retreat

Where: Central Coast California (in-person)

When: September 18-21, 2025

Cost: (coming soon)

A note from Maija West about this special retreat ~

“The matriarch makeover retreat is not exactly a retreat. It's more of a working sanctuary, where we come together and share knowledge shoulder-to-shoulder, providing a connection between us and also an expression of reciprocity. When you arrive, your contribution is how you show up reciprocally with everyone else in the group. So it's not a passive experience of one person (me) delivering knowledge to you and the others. It's more of a facilitated exchange where we honor each person's wisdom, truth, and knowledge.

The land will be my co-facilitator, maybe among others, and we will use the land to create learning opportunities as we go. All of our offerings will have information about accessibility. I ask that you commit to the full time. When we open, we open and when we close, we close (unless there are emergencies). The reason it's a working sanctuary, and the reason there are protocol you'll receive in advance, is because many people who go to retreats can have conflicting feelings about them. Personally I have been reluctant to join retreats because of my fear of letting go of control. And that combined with the challenge of being around odd spiritual practices that were common in the early to late 70s in California where I was raised.

For me, to say yes to a retreat it takes a good understanding of protocol. It also requires that I respect the person offering the course and I understand their approach. For me, the book is that. The prerequisite of the retreat or working sanctuary is the book (I'm happy to send you one if the cost is a barrier), because it gives you a full informed consent of what to expect and what you might feel when you come. In addition to some of the activities in the book, we will be utilizing other practices designed in such a way to engage you in a way that feels similar to the book. So that is what you can expect.

In addition, a lot of the content of a common retreat, especially in the United States, is taken or twisted from other people's knowledge. What you can expect from a Matriarch Makeover retreat is full acknowledgement, consent and approval to all materials offered as possible in a culturally-attuned way. Culturally-attuned means that we are seeking knowledge and sharing perspectives either based on our own lineages as we discover them or in a way that honors with respect the knowledge of others through formal acknowledgements and permissions.

Beyond that, your experience at our first Matriarch Makevover retreat that has been open to the public will be the best way for others to best understand this work. For that reason, this year's retreat has been discounted as an invitation to join me so that you can both be a participant and also an observer to provide me and also the other co-facilitators with the necessary feedback to ensure this offering continues to be as welcoming, inclusive, and meaningful as possible.”

With gratitude,

Maija

Limited spots available. Please click the link below to join the waiting list and we will announce when registration opens.

Meet Participants Online

Once you’ve signed up for the Retreat, make sure to join the online community group to begin building relationships pre-retreat with other participants online. We will also be posting announcements and updates in this group.

Read the Book

We ask that you complete the Matriarch Makeover book before the Retreat, so that we can have certain conversations and make best use of our time together.


Before we lead with the courage to speak our truth, we need to establish a foundation of support, and the ability to resource. We also need to be able to navigate the challenges of a structural system that was designed to keep a diversity of perspectives out of positions of power, and to maintain and reinforce a dominant culture meant to keep producing in a way that is unsustainable for humans, other living things, and the Earth’s natural resources. We have an inkling of what needs to be done. But without listening to our own truth and having the resources needed to speak it, the systems continue to cause harm while we stand by, feeling helpless.  

The good news is that you can be part of the change. It starts with remembering who you really are and by designing a leadership map that is sustainable to your well-being and circumstance.

Testimonials

Meet The Author

Maija Danilova West is a business consultant, advisor, and peacemaker, drawing on 15 years of practice as a former attorney and strategist. As the founder and managing partner of Maija West Consulting, she combines leadership training with a fierce commitment to elevate and support women’s voices during this time of great change.  

Maija’s leadership vision is guided by the cultural practices of her Latvian heritage—she was raised to honor and support relationships, traditions, and life’s many transitions. Professionally, she has been advising nonprofits, foundations, businesses, Tribes, and government agencies for over 25 years. Maija uses reconciliation, peacemaking, and other forms of conflict resolution to support advanced communication and leadership in diverse communities. She is also the co-founder of the Healing and Reconciliation Institute.

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