My best friend told me a few weeks before the retreat that I needed help to sort out some stuff in my life. Although she thought what I was doing was admirable I couldn’t keep trying to do it on my own. I was booked to go for a boozy weekend in Ibiza but BA’s strike messed that up so I took it as an opportunity to go away by myself. I started googling but didn’t know what I was looking for. I found lots of juice and detox retreats but they weren’t my thing. I found Puja through searching for life coaching retreats and as soon as I read her website I was like “that’s me!” The combination of exercise and coaching was exactly what I needed. I didn’t tell anyone that I’d booked on until I arrived at Gatwick because I didn’t want anyone to influence my decision to do this. It was the first time in a very long time that I was doing something just for me.

I had never been on a retreat or experienced coaching ever before so I didn’t have any pre-conceptions. I was immediately struck by how friendly everyone was and you could just tell that everyone wanted to be there, get the most out of it and also support me to get the most out of it too. The group seemed very diverse in terms of age & background and at first I wondered how or if I would be able to share my innermost thoughts with these strangers.

The group coaching was the thing I was most worried about as I’m not very good at talking about my feelings with the people closest to me let alone people I’d just met. Puja had a way of putting me at ease – I felt safe, un-judged and supported. The coaching sessions were challenging (some more than others) but actually being in a group was so much more rewarding than being on my own as I realised everyone else had their own s*** going on and it was easier to be open when everyone else was to.

I am so glad that events out of my control took me from a weekend of booze in Ibiza to a week of discovery, relaxation, friendship, self-discovery and laughter with Puja and the rest of the amazing group. Thank you for being there at a time when I needed you more than I realised. Your wisdom, challenge, love and encouragement to be a better person will stay with me always. Keep doing what you are doing because you are fab at it!