From Survival to Sanctuary

My Journey to Creating Transformational Retreats

The Big Love Retreats was born from a lifetime of experiences – of travel, of challenges, of self-discovery and of healing. But more than anything, it was born from my disillusionment with how we live in this world: of systems that prioritise profit over justice, of Mother Earth pushed to her breaking point while we distract ourselves with consumption and of my unshakable belief that the world needs radical love – the kind that repairs, restores and refuses to look away.

We need to heal. We need to regenerate. We need to embrace new ways of living; the old ways – extractive, unequal and short-sighted – are quite literally burning themselves out.

The Big Love isn’t just a retreat, it isn’t just about wellness and it isn’t just about travel. It’s a movement. It’s resistance. It’s a rebellion fuelled by love – for ourselves, for each other and for our glorious planet.

So let’s rewind. This is our story.

The Big Love Retreats Began With My Own Unravelling

I’ve always travelled like my life depended on it.

First, for adventure – exploring the vibrant cultures of East and West Africa, falling in love with Europe’s cobblestone rhythms and landing my first teaching job in Northern Thailand’s misty mountains. Then later, for survival – raising my two children across Saudi Arabia’s fascinating culture and relentless heat, a sleepy Malaysian town and Hong Kong’s dizzying skyline.

I’ve been a solo parent since they were tiny, juggling single parenthood with the messy aftermath of a painful divorce. There were many years where I felt like I was surviving by the skin of my teeth – drained by the exhaustion of running from my pain, feeling guilt, overwhelm and the constant, quiet ache of isolation and loneliness. But somewhere in that darkness, in the sleepy town of Ipoh, Malaysia, I found some beautiful souls who introduced me to yoga, reiki, sound healing and meditation. At first, it was just a way to breathe through the chaos, make friends and numb the loneliness. But slowly, it became my lifeline. On the mat, I reconnected with myself. In silence, I began to heal. And in that space, I remembered what I’d always known: love is our most powerful medicine.

Yoga and meditation taught me self-love. The diverse cultures I’ve lived among taught me about love as action – about humility, dignity and community. When I finally stopped running from myself, my sorrows and my destiny, I realised that healing isn’t solitary. It’s relational. And that’s where The Big Love Retreats began.

The Awkward Truth: Wellness Travel’s Double-Edged Sword

As a traveller, I’ve been privileged to witness many of the world’s splendours – and its painful contradictions. The children begging outside resorts where a cocktail costs more than their family’s weekly food. Coral reefs bleached by sunscreen run-off while ‘eco-resorts’ tout their bamboo straws. The ‘authentic experiences’ manufactured for Instagram photos rather than mutual respect. The women my age working 16-hour shifts cleaning villas, their hands cracked from labour while guests upstairs book ‘rejuvenating’ spa treatments. The locals displaced from their own neighbourhoods as yoga studios and vegan cafés bloom like symbols of a wellness revolution that wasn’t meant for them.

Let me be clear: luxury isn’t the problem – it’s luxury purchased with other people’s suffering and our planet’s not-so-slow demise that is the problem. After years of travelling to retreats, the truth became unavoidable: there’s literally no such thing as neutral wellness tourism. Every spa treatment, every yoga class, every ‘eco-luxe’ villa and every single wellness retreat either exploits or elevates.

It either extracts or empowers.

And the choice is ours.

The Truth I Couldn’t Unsee

I started researching alternatives – ways to travel that didn’t leave communities worse off. I read books, listened to podcasts, consulted experts and had countless conversations with taxi drivers, market vendors and homestay owners – the people who see tourism’s impact first-hand. That’s when I discovered regenerative tourism: a model where visitors don’t just ‘take’ from a place, but actively help it thrive. It’s about hiring local guides at fair wages, sourcing food from nearby farms and designing retreats that fund education or conservation projects. It’s travel that heals, not just escapes.This became the heartbeat of The Big Love Retreats.

For us, ethical tourism isn’t an add-on – it’s the very foundation of every decision we make:

We seek out overlooked destinations where our presence actively uplifts communities rather than displaces them.
We partner with local healers and teachers as equals, while also welcoming international experts who come to collaborate – not colonise.
We maintain radical transparency – from wages to venues to sourcing – so guests see exactly how their retreat fees create fair opportunities.
Most importantly, we measure success differently: not by profit margins, but by the wellbeing of the land, the locals and the guests who trust us with their healing.

The Birth of Something New

I won’t pretend we have all the answers. Systemic inequality and the damage to our planet are not solved by a wellness retreat – that’s for sure. But I believe in small, stubborn acts of love: showing up in ways that honour people’s dignity and the stewardship of Mother Earth.

If you’ve ever felt that same unease while travelling or wondered how to align your wellness journey with your values – you’re not alone. This is why we do what we do. The Big Love Retreats is an invitation to travel and heal differently – with eyes wide open and hearts ready to serve.

This is more than a retreat. It’s a practice ground for the world we need:

Where tourism lifts rather than extracts,
Where wellness includes justice,
Where love is a verb – messy, bold and unafraid to redistribute privilege.

We don’t just ‘do’ retreats. We practise resurrection: of land, of community, of the very idea of what it means to be well.
Your healing shouldn’t cost others theirs. Join us where ethics meet expanse.

Healing Retreats With Purpose: How The Big Love Retreats Combine Wellness & Ethical Travel