Explore & Learn

In addition to this event, you can enjoy all of the daily activities that Woodside, CA offers. Explore our sample schedule.

In addition to this event, you can enjoy all of the daily activities that Woodside offers. Explore our sample retreat schedule.

It is an understatement to declare that relationships are a big part of life. Our families, friendships, and partners hold the key to unlocking powerful teachings and growth. Sometimes it can feel like our familial relationships are the most challenging to navigate. However, they can also expand our capacity for love and joy.

Being in flow and harmony is better than dwelling in friction and conflict. Trust and respect are better than control and expectation. Connection and compassion are better than being begrudging or having to always be right. Gaining tools of social intelligence, or a better understanding of how we are in a relationship, can only improve and deepen our interpersonal connections.

If these are areas you'd like to improve upon, the month that celebrates mother-child relationship is a perfect time to lean in and take action. Learn to create a healthier and stronger family foundation—and by extension—stronger friendships and relationships with everyone in your world. Loving, mindful, and generous relationships can be the ultimate gift that keeps on giving.

Join us at Canyon Ranch Woodside this Mother's Day weekend for a three-night wellness retreat, surrounded by the peace and beauty of California's Redwood Forest, for an interactive experience with relationship expert Jill Avery.

Learn and explore how and why family is one of our most important, most precious, and most challenging relationships. Gain a clearer understanding of how our family can be our greatest strength and our greatest weakness. Clearly identify how and why family can bring out the best and the worst in us. These are universal truths we all share. When family friction becomes chronic, dysfunction often becomes normalized. When this happens, the family foundation becomes fractured, unstable, and even toxic. Conflict and disagreement are inevitable in any relationship—especially with family. Learning how to diffuse conflict, soften friction, and create flow in our family is a practice. Learning, growing, evolving, and improving is never too late. Our family’s foundation deeply impacts the quality of our lives, so learning how to create healthy, harmonious, and respectful relationships within our family are life skills worth mastering.

Jill Avery, MA, is an empowerment educator and a take-action igniter for teens, young adults, and families. Over the last 30 years, she’s created multiple businesses dedicated to empowering others. She is a certified Hypnotherapist, Reiki instructor, Ironman, and most of all, a champion for others.

Jill created an award-winning, “All by Myself” empowerment series for toddlers and a “Life Launch” program to empower teens and young adults. Her online program, “Life in Flow,” focuses on creating harmony in families and individuals. As a mother, daughter, and sister, Jill knows how family can be our greatest strength and greatest weakness. The cornerstone of Jill’s success is her ability to illuminate new paths, possibilities, and fresh perspectives in relationships.

Find out more about Jill by visiting her website.

Friday, May 12

8 pm: Getting Real, Real Quick!
Mother's Day can mixed bag of emotions—depending on your relationship with the mother figure in your life. Lean how to open your heart as Jill offers love-enhancing tools to help empower you and strengthen your family. It starts with you!

Saturday, May 13

8 pm: In Family We Trust
Trust is a must in healthy relationships. Learn new ways to soften friction while earning trust with your family. You'll leave feeling confident on how to create more respectful and loving relationships.

Sunday, May 14

11 am: Get Your Grab Bag Ready!
Life and love are messy! Come gain new tools and practices that can provide a foundation of stability, calm, and clarity. You'll leave with a grab bag of goodies to expand the hearts, minds, and souls of your family.