To learn how to organize a great writing retreat, I decided to ask an expert. Tami Palmer is an author of three fiction and one non-fiction books and an enterpreneur in building women’s retreats.

 

Please tell me about your experience organizing retreats

I’ve been leading women’s retreats since 2018. I started leading writing retreats and now lead soul discovery retreats.

 

What makes a retreat successful for you?

When participants walk away with new ideas either about their life or new writing. When they feel they have been inspired by the experience and have had an opportunity to rest and open their creativity.

 

Should attendees have goals for what they want to accomplish on the retreat or go with the flow?

It all depends on the retreat experience you are looking to provide. Usually retreats are a time for creative ideation and to bring forth new writing, so while a structured day can be helpful, putting pressure and deadlines on retreat goers may not make for an enjoyable experience.

 

Are there pitfalls to planning a writing retreat?

If you’re planning it thinking that you will use the time to write, there’s a good chance you won’t. it’s hard to be a fully immersed attendee when leading retreats. When you’re in charge, you’re holding space for the group.

 

 

What advice do you have for someone who wants to go on a retreat but doesn’t know the other people attending?

Go! It’s like attending summer camp as a kid. You’re only strangers with the other attendees for about an hour, then the experience quickly makes you feel like old friends. By the end, you wont want to leave the group.

 

What advice do you have for someone who wants to organize a writing retreat? 

Profitability is always something to be mindful of and if you have more than one person looking to share profits, it can be tough. Truly understanding how much time and effort goes into prep work and leading a retreat, and making sure you’ve priced them to account appropriately for your time so you feel that it’s been a good experience, can be difficult. It takes thoughtful planning.

 

 

What retreats are you planning?

I have an intuition SoulWork retreat in October in Michigan City, Indiana and a Business Planning Retreat in Treasure Island, Florida in Feb. 2026 and a SoulWork retreat in Colorado in fall of 2027.

 

 

Following a personal passion for empowering women, Tami Palmer leads women’s retreats and women’s circles focused on connecting women with their intuition and inspiring them to lead a purpose driven, intentional life. Tami’s creative outlet has always been fiction and she’s proud to be a published author of two novels and a short story collection. Her career book, The Greyzone: Insights on Leading Your Career with Intention won a 2025 Nautilus Book Award. In 2025, Tami co-founded the Professional Moms Community Network, an umbrella organization that oversees local PMCN chapters across metro Chicago and nationwide. As a career coach, Tami helps her clients navigate “the greyzone, ” bringing a results driven approach to her coaching that blends teaching, consulting and cheerleading.

https://greyzonementoring.com/soulwork/retreats/

https://tamarapalmerauthor.com/