A Two-Day Virtual Retreat to Work on a Long-Term Project with Structure, Community, and Care
Retreat registration is currently closed.
The Compassionate Accountability Retreat is a virtual space for first-gen graduate students and professionals who want to make meaningful progress on a high-priority project without added pressure, guilt, or isolation.
Across two days, you’ll move through a gentle and structured process designed to help you slow down, get grounded, clarify your next steps, and actually work. You’ll have dedicated time to focus on your dissertation, thesis, article, portfolio, creative project, or any other long-term goal that needs sustained attention.
The retreat follows a rhythm of reflection, timed focus sprints, check-ins, and community support. The approach is steady and compassionate and you’ll leave with concrete progress and a clearer plan for continuing after the retreat ends.
You’ll get to break large projects into phases, milestones, and micro-tasks, making it easier to move forward without feeling overwhelmed. The timed focus sprints will gradually increase in length, helping you build momentum and sustain your attention in a way that is both manageable and effective.
This retreat is for first-gen graduate students and professionals who:
… are feeling overwhelmed by a large project and need help with breaking it down
… are navigating perfectionism or uncertainty around what “good enough” looks like
… experience fluctuating energy levels and want a supportive and flexible structure
… have been putting off or restarting a project and want support building momentum
… are balancing multiple roles and need protected time to focus
… value accountability that is compassionate and grounded in community
Across two days, you’ll experience a structured rhythm of planning, focused work, and reflection designed to support steady progress. The retreat begins with clarifying your project and breaking it into manageable pieces, followed by timed focus sessions that build momentum and sustain attention. Reflection and breaks are woven throughout to support adjustments, respond to changing energy levels, and stay connected to your goals. This structure supports progress across different energy levels, including on low-energy days, with the right support and pacing.
Day 1: Refocus and Recommit
You’ll leave Day 1 with a clearer project map, renewed direction, and several tasks completed.
Day 2: Revise and Sustain
You’ll leave Day 2 with emotional clarity, a plan for completion, and momentum to carry forward.
Day 1: Friday from 1-5pm PT
Day 2: Saturday from 1-5pm PT
Hosted virtually and live via Zoom. Will not be recorded to preserve participant privacy and presence.
Alongside the live retreat, you’ll receive a digital workbook designed to help you track your progress in the retreat and maintain momentum long after the event ends.
A guided workbook that supports you through every step of the retreat, including:
By the end of the retreat, you’ll have:
Meaningful progress on your long-term project
Clear milestones and micro-tasks for the next phase of your work
A project completion plan you can follow after the retreat
The ability to recognize and build on meaningful forms of progress
A stronger sense of clarity and confidence in your work
Connection to a supportive community of peers for future retreats
Previous participants have reported meaningful changes:
30% decrease in overwhelm
60% increase in confidence to focus and make progress
83% of participants reported reduced overwhelm
100% of participants reported increased confidence
Participants have shared reflections on both what they gained and what made this retreat meaningful. These testimonials are shared with permission to reflect their experience.
"It gave me concrete action steps to take on projects tha remained unfinished, causing me so much stress. I feel a lot more confident and clear on how to handle some of my persistent blockers when it comes to making progress on my writing and academic goals."
"Such a helpful space to not only come together in community with others working on various research and writing projects but also actually get something DONE! I started the retreat feeling crummy and came away with concrete wins, tools, and increased motivation to keep going."
"The session offers a supportive space. You build practical tools. You strengthen focus and consistency. You improve time management. You streamline your writing process. You leave with clear strategies you use right away."
"This was a supportive structured space to co-work in community with other scholars. It has given me wings to continue working on a project I have been avoiding for months. This was a great way for me to practice my work time boundaries and to reconnect with my scholarly self."
“The retreat was a helpful space to learn how to move through our writing and revisions by unlearning negative socio-emotional attachment to writing. The actionable categorization of feedback and acknowledgment of our emotions attached to them helped me with detaching my emotions from my revision feedback.”
“This retreat is a space to feel community and support for working through the academic ups and downs. What is most valuable is the combination of community, and tasks and coping skills. The planning is excellent too since you gave us a prep email and your agenda is very well structured and facilitated.”
"By having a collective space with timers, it oddly felt like I had the right to put my electronics on DND. Often, I'll allow others to take my time for their needs. However, this felt like a nice excuse in a way to say I'm on a retreat, my phone will be on silent."
“This retreat gave me the structure to make progress on my goals. The community aspect felt most valuable because now I know I am not the only one who struggles with staying focused, lack of energy and focus, and overall confidence.”
Institutions, departments, and organizations may invite me to facilitate custom accountability retreats, graduate school application retreats, or writing retreats for their students, faculty, or staff.
Participants make measurable progress within a short, structured time frame, including completing outlines, drafting key sections of writing projects, and advancing applications and research plans. These retreats are designed to provide a focused and supportive environment where participants can make progress on high-priority work while building sustainable practices they can continue using beyond the session.
Drawing from the same framework used in my public retreats, each experience combines structured planning, executive functioning strategies, guided focus sessions, and community-centered accountability. Participants are supported in breaking down complex projects into manageable steps, working through common challenges such as perfectionism and overwhelm, and maintaining momentum even when energy levels fluctuate.
Each retreat is tailored to your audience, goals, and timeline.
Retreats can be customized for:
Format and Delivery:
Institutional retreats can be offered:
All Retreats Include:
Departments and institutions typically sponsor retreats using professional development, student success, research, or retention funds. I provide invoices and supporting documentation as needed and am happy to collaborate with your team to align the retreat with institutional priorities. Interested in hosting a retreat for your program or department? I invite you to reach out to discuss your goals, audience, and timeline so we can determine the best format and scope.
You're welcome to work on any long-term project that requires your sustained attention. This can include a dissertation, thesis, article or manuscript, job or grad school application materials, or any major project.
Yes. While the retreat is designed with first-generation students and professionals in mind, anyone who identifies as an ally or comrade is welcome to join us.
You're encouraged to attend both days to get the full experience but it's not required. Please note that registration covers the full retreat and the fee cannot be prorated for single-day attendance.
You're welcome to join in the ways that work best for you. If possible, let me know ahead of time so I can hold space accordingly and keep track of who will be present.
Each day includes about 2 hours of structured focus time for a total of 4 hours across the retreat. The remaining time supports your process through intention-setting, mini-workshops, breaks, planning, and community reflection.
Bring whatever you need to work on your project, including documents, notes, readings, or tools. Arriving with a clear intention or priority for the retreat will help you make the most of your time.
The retreat will be capped at twelve participants to maintain an intimate, supportive environment. You'll have opportunities for check-ins, guided reflection, and community connection.
Yes. You'll receive immediate access to the workbook via an editable Google Doc. You'll also get notes and retreat slides 24 hours after the event ends.
Because participants receive instant access to the workbook and the retreat is a live experience, all sales are final and no refunds can be provided.
Yes. At checkout, you'll have the option to use Afterpay or Klarna if you prefer to pay in installments.
Yes. Participants are encouraged to exchange contact info and more quarterly retreats will be offered throughout 2026.
Many graduate programs and employers offer professional development or research funding that can be used to cover registration for retreats like this one.
To make the process simple, all participants receive an invoice upon registration that can be submitted for reimbursement.
Space is limited to maintain an intimate and supportive group dynamic. An early bird rate will be available for future retreats.
$199
$299
Join the Compassionate Accountability Retreat and make meaningful progress on your long-term project. Reserve your spot now and end the quarter with clarity and renewed momentum.
