Nicaragua | Creating Meaningful Experiences Through Writing & Travel

Piloting Your Life: A Retreat for Midlife Women

A co-hosted Retreat with best-selling author on women navigating midlife, Terri Hanson Mead:

A tiara-wearing, champagne-drinking, midlife troublemaker on a mission to help women over 40 blow up the boxes we were told to live in.

You Did Everything Right

So Why Does Something Feel Wrong?

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 3 am, 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.

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?

A WEEK THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING

8 Days, 7 Nights I Starting at $4000

March 8 – 15, 2026

Join me with 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 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 Terri’s Stanford Continuing Studies course.

But it’s also connection, play, and the kind of conversations that only happen at 11 pm 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.

INCLUSIONS

ACCOMMODATION

Casa Pasatiempo is a luxurious beachfront house within the gated Hacienda Iguana Golf & Beach Club, tucked along the Emerald Coast in southern Nicaragua. Your shared accommodation offers four shared “villa-style” roomy en-suite rooms, each with private beach access. Enjoy 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.

TRANSPORTATION

All of your travel in-country that is part of our itinerary is included in your trip, including airport transportation, private van hire for the excursion on the catamaran, and, of course, the catamaran. Flights to Nicaragua are not included. Excursions on your own time are not included.

MEALS

All your chef-prepared meals will be provided daily, featuring local ingredients. This includes 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!

INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF

$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.

Book. Click the “Book Now” button below to be redirected to Terri’s Piloting Your Life Retreat page.

Flights. The airport to fly into is (MGA) Augusto C. Sandino International Airport. We will pick you up at the airport upon arrival. Please get in touch with me, and I’ll help you arrange the best possible travel logistics

Prepare. We will connect with you soon to provide more information regarding in-country travel logistics, your itinerary, packing tips, and to answer any questions you may have that help you prepare.

Meet Your Retreat Hosts

Terri Hanson Mead
Author | Inspirational Speaker | Travel Journalist | Helicopter Pilot | Educator
View Website

Hi, I’m Terri.

Before I tell you who I am, let me tell you what I’m not:

I’m not a life coach who “found herself” after a devastating divorce. I’m not a yoga instructor who “discovered enlightenment” in Bali. And I’m definitely not going to tell you that midlife is about “finding yourself” (you’re not lost) or that I have all the answers (I’m still figuring out my own shit).

We all have our own personal journeys and have to do our own personal work to figure out who we are, who we want to be, and what we want out of our lives.

What I am: A tiara-wearing, champagne-drinking, midlife troublemaker on a mission to help women over 40 blow up the boxes we were told to live in.

After nearly 25 years in IT consulting for life sciences companies, I realized I’d been living by someone else’s rules. So I changed the game, ditched the script, and rewrote my story. Now I help other women do the same.

I’m the award-winning author of Piloting Your Life, a book written specifically for women over 40 because we needed our own damn book—not another one written by men about men and sprinkled with pink fonts for us. I teach “Navigating Midlife for Women” at Stanford Continuing Studies because someone needs to challenge the tired story about biological clocks and diminishing relevance.

I’m also a commercially rated helicopter pilot (yes, seriously!) and a former angel investor focused on women-led startups that expand the power and influence of women.

My husband Zeke and I have been married nearly 30 years. After nearly divorcing at year 25, we accidentally rebooted our marriage through travel (and sex, but that’s another story) and launched Zeke and Terri Adventures to inspire people over 50 to get out, get uncomfortable, and go adventure. We have two young adults (ages 21 and 24) and spend a fair amount of time figuring out how to support them in ways our parents didn’t.

My work is built on research and interviews focused exclusively on women’s experiences—because midlife for women isn’t just male midlife with hot flashes. I speak truth about the messy middle: career pivots, empty nests, changing bodies, loss, and evolving relationships. I help women reclaim their power on their own damn terms.

I was born in San Francisco and have lived in the Bay Area my entire life, though you’ll find me in Europe for 7 weeks at a stretch, always attempting to learn French. I believe midlife is when the real adventure begins.

Midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s an opportunity. And for women? It’s a rebellion.

Christy’s professional education expertise has afforded her the opportunity to work all over the world. Since achieving a Masters Degree and Teaching Credentials in Sussex, England, she has delivered educational and leadership initiatives internationally to individuals in the UK, Europe, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, South Africa, Canada, the USA, and Australia. After successfully creating and developing EDventure International, an organization combining leadership development, education, and conservation projects overseas, she launched Venture Within. Her passion is creating transformational experiences for personal and professional growth through overseas immersion, executive life coaching, and adventurous experiences abroad. She enables and inspires others to live a full and meaningful life.

Expert in leadership development amongst professionals
20 years an Educator, CEO of Venture Within, and EDventure International
ICF Accredited Certified Professional Coach
Curated strategic leadership workshops catered for traveling professionals, with a focus on personal development and growth.
Utilizes cultural immersive experiences as transformative opportunities.
Specializes in transformative experiences that enhance leadership abilities on personal and professional levels.

IS THIS RETREAT 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.

Still have questions? Get in touch and we’ll give you a call to be sure this retreat is the perfect fit for your plans.