Reclaim your spark: join us at the Pleasure & Joy Retreat
Nov 6-9th 2025 in the Hunter Valley
EARLYBIRD $1400 before the 31st July 2025
You work hard. You might even play hard. But when was the last time you *truly* had fun?
Life is full. Your calendar is packed. Your responsibilities are endless.
In the rush to 'do the things', whether they are studying, building your career, your business, having kids, or attempting to be a well rounded person who actually has a social life, not just an over-packed calendar, somehow you lost touch with joy.
Joy became an afterthought. Fun started to feel too frivolous to indulge in. And pleasure? What is that, exactly? (Other than a luxury you don't prioritise.) It’s time to change all that.
Welcome to Joy + Pleasure, a retreat designed to reignite your sense of play, deepen your connection to meaning, and surround you with real conversation with people who actually get it — because they, too, are seeking something more.
Life is full. Your calendar is packed. Your responsibilities are endless.
In the rush to 'do the things', whether they are studying, building your career, your business, having kids, or attempting to be a well rounded person who actually has a social life, not just an over-packed calendar, somehow you lost touch with joy.
Joy became an afterthought. Fun started to feel too frivolous to indulge in. And pleasure? What is that, exactly? (Other than a luxury you don't prioritise.) It’s time to change all that.
Welcome to Joy + Pleasure, a retreat designed to reignite your sense of play, deepen your connection to meaning, and surround you with real conversation with people who actually get it — because they, too, are seeking something more.
Meet your Hosts
Think of this joy retreat as a playground for your soul. A time to reconnect with yourself – and perhaps a friend who you haven’t seen for too long.
Take yourself to three nights away to reconnect with yourself – who may also be a long-lost friend you haven’t spoken to for a while! We’re here for a good time, not for a long time, and doing something you want to do "just because" is enough of a good reason – so let’s go.
Take yourself to three nights away to reconnect with yourself – who may also be a long-lost friend you haven’t spoken to for a while! We’re here for a good time, not for a long time, and doing something you want to do "just because" is enough of a good reason – so let’s go.
Vicky Chapman
Vicky is a yoga teacher with an uncanny ability to make challenging yoga poses accessible through her keen knowledge of anatomy, physiology and breath. Her playful style guides you back into your body, tricking you into realising that you’re stronger and more capable than you realise. As the owner of busy Sydney yoga studio, Yoga Loft, Vicky is adept at juggling a million things, while looking calm and oh-so-cool, with an irreverent style that keeps you coming back for more. |
Brook McCarthy
Brook is a business coach, speaker, podcast host and facilitator who’s obsessed with the meanings we bring to work, and derive from work. With a Bachelors of Religious Studies, and 25+ years as a yoga and meditation teacher, Brook loves to encourage joy, play, experimentation, and self-expression as our birth rite. Brook loves enabling others to reconnect with joy, and weave this into everyday life. |
About your venue, Nu Leaf Retreat
We can’t reclaim our spark, revel in pleasure and provoke our joy without a retreat worthy of this, yes?
Nu Leaf Retreat, cocooned in trees in the lush Hunter Valley just north of Sydney, is set on a 15-acre property, with everything you need to properly unwind, rejuvenate, and taste the elixr of possibilities for your new life, once you return home.
Enjoy the indoor heated mineral pool, outdoor pool with sun deck, jet spa, and steam room. Book ahead a treatment at the on-site day spa (this is extra), or bring your favourite book to curb up somewhere comfy, and remember who you are.
All the rooms are luxurious and spacious, with twin or king beds and ensuites, and each room has a private patio overlooking the vineyards in full bloom.
What about food? You ask. But of course – this is no thin lentil soup that leaves you feeling saintly, and hungry.
We're bringing along the jolliest cook you ever had the pleasure of meeting and eating with. Her food is generous, delicious (of course) and imbued with the kind of humour you wish you could bottle and take home.
We can’t reclaim our spark, revel in pleasure and provoke our joy without a retreat worthy of this, yes?
Nu Leaf Retreat, cocooned in trees in the lush Hunter Valley just north of Sydney, is set on a 15-acre property, with everything you need to properly unwind, rejuvenate, and taste the elixr of possibilities for your new life, once you return home.
Enjoy the indoor heated mineral pool, outdoor pool with sun deck, jet spa, and steam room. Book ahead a treatment at the on-site day spa (this is extra), or bring your favourite book to curb up somewhere comfy, and remember who you are.
All the rooms are luxurious and spacious, with twin or king beds and ensuites, and each room has a private patio overlooking the vineyards in full bloom.
What about food? You ask. But of course – this is no thin lentil soup that leaves you feeling saintly, and hungry.
We're bringing along the jolliest cook you ever had the pleasure of meeting and eating with. Her food is generous, delicious (of course) and imbued with the kind of humour you wish you could bottle and take home.
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Itinerary
Here’s a taste of what’s included (please note, this is subject to change): 🤸🏽♂️ 8 Yoga & wellness classes – Customised to your unique needs. Don't be intimidated! You are in good hands, with plenty of alternatives and thoughtful adjustments to ensure this is relevant to your body, your history, and what you need, right now. 🤲 Meditation & visualisation – Tap into the power of your subconscious mind and experience ecstatic joy, and relaxation like you’ve never felt before. We go deep and broad, to challenge unhelpful thinking, explore self-limiting beliefs, and redefine what it means to be you. 🃏 Bingo, but make it bold – Not your grandma’s bingo. Expect surprises, silliness, and spontaneity. ✨ Party tricks – An unfortunate side effect of yoga is that we begin to take ourselves way too seriously. Together, we're going to undo all that, with party trick yoga poses that make you the life of the party (or at least get people talking!). 🃏 Cards Against Humanity night – Because the best way to bond is over a little wicked humor. 🌺 Perfume making & body scrubs – Create your own signature scent and handmade body treats to shine and buff. 🧘 Fascia release & self-massage – This sometimes painful, always relieving experience will unlock all the tight spots and have you moving and gliding – just call it at home physio. |
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Who is this for exactly?
✔️ You want more color, adventure, and play, with a bunch of like-minded, pleasure-seeking people who aren’t afraid to ask for more out of life.
✔️ You crave connection — real, deep, belly-laughing, heart-opening connection, not surface interaction, but you also don’t like forced intimacy or weird group-bonding which feels disingenuous.
✔️ You’re busy and life is full, but you’re secretly feeling flat and, if you’re honest, a little bit like you’re going through the motions, a passenger in your own life, rather than an active participant.
✔️ You want to step outside your usual routine and rediscover the part of you that loves life (rather than just managing it).
✔️ You’re ready to stop postponing joy.
✔️ You have done yoga before. Whether you’re a newbie, or highly experienced, you’re a yoga fan.
Who is this NOT for?
⛌ You’re looking for a guru to emulate, or a mother figure to follow (we’re not your gal).
⛌ You’re unwilling to be vulnerable and yes, you need to feel comfortable first, but you’re wearing a mask and you’re unwilling to let it slip.
⛌ You’re unwilling to examine any of your problematic thinking, beliefs, and behaviours that are strangling your joy.
⛌ You just want to do yoga; you don't understand why joy and pleasure are important.
What you’ll leave with:
💫 A heart full of connection and belonging.
💡 Your personal joy list of accessible ways to keep joy alive in your daily life.
🎭 A new skill (or party trick) to break out at your next gathering.
🧘 A body that feels more relaxed and easeful, more nourished and loved.
🔥 A reignited sense of play, passion, and pleasure.
Joy and pleasure aren’t indulgent. They’re not luxurious. They’re your birth rite. The best moments are extraordinarily ordinary, when you feel more fully alive.
Join us. Your joy is waiting.
📍 How to Get There:
Located in the heart of the beautiful Hunter Valley only 2.5 hours’ drive from Sydney, Nu Leaf Retreat is located at 647 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2320 - directly off the new Hunter Expressway, and M1 from Sydney. (Transportation to and from the retreat is not included in the fee.)
BY BUS: For a public coach, Rover Coaches can pick up from Morisset Train Station & they match their transfers with the train timetable.
BY TRAIN: There are two ways to travel to the Hunter Valley by train:
Cityrail service to Maitland or Morisset with connecting buses from each of these stations to Cessnock. From Cessnock, it is 20 min (approx) taxi ride to your desired location in Wine Country.
Countrylink express service (7 stops) from Sydney Central to Singleton Station. From Singleton, it is 20 min (approx) taxi ride to your desired location in Wine Country.
BY PLANE:
Cessnock Airport is the closest airport, based in the heart of Hunter Valley Wine Country. It's accessible by private charter and helicopters only. For domestic flights, Newcastle Airport is approximately 45 minutes’ drive from Hunter Valley Wine Country. Flights depart from Sydney daily direct to Newcastle.
✔️ You want more color, adventure, and play, with a bunch of like-minded, pleasure-seeking people who aren’t afraid to ask for more out of life.
✔️ You crave connection — real, deep, belly-laughing, heart-opening connection, not surface interaction, but you also don’t like forced intimacy or weird group-bonding which feels disingenuous.
✔️ You’re busy and life is full, but you’re secretly feeling flat and, if you’re honest, a little bit like you’re going through the motions, a passenger in your own life, rather than an active participant.
✔️ You want to step outside your usual routine and rediscover the part of you that loves life (rather than just managing it).
✔️ You’re ready to stop postponing joy.
✔️ You have done yoga before. Whether you’re a newbie, or highly experienced, you’re a yoga fan.
Who is this NOT for?
⛌ You’re looking for a guru to emulate, or a mother figure to follow (we’re not your gal).
⛌ You’re unwilling to be vulnerable and yes, you need to feel comfortable first, but you’re wearing a mask and you’re unwilling to let it slip.
⛌ You’re unwilling to examine any of your problematic thinking, beliefs, and behaviours that are strangling your joy.
⛌ You just want to do yoga; you don't understand why joy and pleasure are important.
What you’ll leave with:
💫 A heart full of connection and belonging.
💡 Your personal joy list of accessible ways to keep joy alive in your daily life.
🎭 A new skill (or party trick) to break out at your next gathering.
🧘 A body that feels more relaxed and easeful, more nourished and loved.
🔥 A reignited sense of play, passion, and pleasure.
Joy and pleasure aren’t indulgent. They’re not luxurious. They’re your birth rite. The best moments are extraordinarily ordinary, when you feel more fully alive.
Join us. Your joy is waiting.
📍 How to Get There:
Located in the heart of the beautiful Hunter Valley only 2.5 hours’ drive from Sydney, Nu Leaf Retreat is located at 647 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2320 - directly off the new Hunter Expressway, and M1 from Sydney. (Transportation to and from the retreat is not included in the fee.)
BY BUS: For a public coach, Rover Coaches can pick up from Morisset Train Station & they match their transfers with the train timetable.
BY TRAIN: There are two ways to travel to the Hunter Valley by train:
Cityrail service to Maitland or Morisset with connecting buses from each of these stations to Cessnock. From Cessnock, it is 20 min (approx) taxi ride to your desired location in Wine Country.
Countrylink express service (7 stops) from Sydney Central to Singleton Station. From Singleton, it is 20 min (approx) taxi ride to your desired location in Wine Country.
BY PLANE:
Cessnock Airport is the closest airport, based in the heart of Hunter Valley Wine Country. It's accessible by private charter and helicopters only. For domestic flights, Newcastle Airport is approximately 45 minutes’ drive from Hunter Valley Wine Country. Flights depart from Sydney daily direct to Newcastle.
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EARLYBIRD PRICING Book & Pay in full before 31st July 2025
$1400 AUD per person (Twin Share with Ensuite). $1700 AUD full price from 1st August 2025 Payment in full must be received by the 31st July 2025 for the early bird pricing. Payments are in AUD and are inclusive of GST and should be made to: Name: Forever Evolving Yoga ABN: 4602 408 3388 BSB: 012 266 Account number: 189937314 Please put Retreat (your name) as reference *deposits are non refundable TERMS AND CONDITIONS Full payment is required 30 days prior to retreat start date Prices are inclusive of GST and are shown in AUD Australian Dollars REFUND/WITHDRAWAL POLICY: Cancellations prior to 90 days – your deposit is non-refundable. Cancellations between 90-30 days – 50% of the total fee paid is non refundable. Cancellations within 30days onwards – 100% of the total fee paid is non refundable. |
