Perhaps you’ve led this retreat before and people loved it. The testimonials were fabulous. Maybe it even sold out several years in a row.

So you share that same retreat again. Same beautiful venue. Same thoughtful program.

Same heart and soul poured into every detail.

And this time? The registrations are coming in slowly. People who seemed excited aren’t making a decision. Even some of your regulars are saying, “Maybe next year.”

Naturally, you start wondering what’s wrong.

Is it the pricing? Do you need more emails? Has everyone suddenly stopped opening anything you send?

Before you rewrite your entire trip page or create discounted pricing that you’ll regret later, there’s another question worth asking:

Are you designing a retreat for the world your participants are actually living in, or the world they were living in when you first created it?🤔

Your People May Need Something Different These Days.

A retreat doesn’t suddenly become bad because it’s harder to fill.

But the circumstances surrounding someone’s decision to attend can change quite a bit.

Someone who once signed up without much hesitation a few years ago might be watching their spending more carefully this year. They may be caring for an aging parent, juggling more responsibilities, or feeling so emotionally tired that even planning something lovely feels like another task.

And while we can’t assume everyone is having the same experience, we do need to be curious about what’s happening with the folks in our communities.

What feels difficult for them these days? What are they longing for? What would make leaving home for five days feel worth the moolah, the arrangements, and the time away?

Those answers deserve first place in your retreat design process.

Is Your Retreat Still Addressing Something They Deeply Care About?

We can become very attached to the retreats we love teaching.

We know the exercises. We love the location. We’ve seen what happens when people do the work.

That experience is valuable. But it can also make it easy to assume we already know what people need.

Perhaps your retreat has always focused on creating a big vision for the future. Yet the people you serve are currently struggling to move through the week without feeling completely depleted.

They may still want that vision. They just might need a little breathing room before they can imagine it.

Could your retreat help them slow down, hear themselves think, and then explore what comes next?

You don’t necessarily need a totally different topic. You just might need to reconsider where the experience begins, how it unfolds, and adjust accordingly.

Sometimes the Most Valuable Thing You Can Share Is a Hammock

Let’s talk about your schedule.

I know how tempting it is to add one more workshop, one more exercise, one more evening activity. You want people to have their m0ney’s worth!

But imagine arriving exhausted and discovering that your “restorative retreat” requires a 6:00 a.m. wake-up time, three workshops, a group excursion, and an evening sharing circle.😢

At some point, someone is going to need a retreat from your retreat!

That’s why sometimes the most valuable thing you can share isn’t another workshop, it’s a hammock. I’m serious here!

An afternoon with nothing scheduled. A quiet walk. Time to sit with something meaningful that came up that morning instead of moving directly into the next activity.

Space gives participants time to absorb the experience. It also lets them notice what they need, whether that’s a nap, a conversation, or an hour watching the ocean without anyone asking them to journal about it.

Take a look at your itinerary. Is every activity serving the outcome you promised? Or have a few things stayed on the schedule simply because you’ve always included them?

More Connection Needs Time to Happen

Sadly, these days people can spend an entire day communicating and still feel lonely.

They’re answering messages, attending meetings, commenting on posts -and missing the kind of conversation where they feel deeply heard.

But meaningful connection needs the space for it to unfold.

If participants are constantly listening to you teach, when do they have the time to make those deep connections?

Sometimes the conversation over a leisurely lunch becomes the moment someone remembers for years. Sometimes a walk with another participant helps them put words to something they haven’t been able to explain.

You can support those moments with thoughtful introductions, shared meals, smaller conversations, and enough unhurried time for relationships to develop.

You don’t have to facilitate every minute for something valuable to happen. In fact, in my experience, it’s during the unplanned times that some of the most powerful magic happens.

Has Your Messaging Kept Up?

Perhaps it’s time to look at how you’re describing your retreat.

Does your retreat trip page reflect what your people are actually experiencing? Or are you still using language that worked beautifully several years ago?

For example, “Be everything you can be in this lifetime” may sound exciting to you. However, your prospective participant may be thinking, “Honestly, I can hardly work through the day, never mind thinking about upleveling myself.”

There’s useful information in that gap.

Talk about your experience in a way that’s truly meaningful to people in these stressful times. For example: having time to think, reconnecting with what matters, enjoying meaningful company, or returning home with a clearer sense of what needs to change.

And be specific about how your retreat supports that.

If you’re saying your retreat promises rest, show them the spacious schedule. If you’re promising connection, explain how the group will spend time together. If simplicity is part of the appeal, make the booking process and travel information easy to understand.

The words and the experience need to agree.

Your Last Sold Out Retreat Doesn’t Mean You’ll Sell Out This One

Past success tells you that you created something people valued.

And of course, celebrate that.🎈

But it doesn’t mean the same retreat will automatically fill forever. Before assuming you need to promote harder, have a few conversations. Speak with past participants, people who inquired but didn’t book, and members of your community.

Ask what appeals to them these days. Ask what makes attending difficult. Ask what they would most want to come home feeling or able to do.

You may hear that the dates are difficult, the travel feels complicated, the schedule looks too busy, or the outcome isn’t clear enough. Those are different problems, and they require different decisions.

And keep in mind, discounting your retreat will not fix any of these issues. That’s why we ask questions rather than making assumptions and taking actions that cannot possibly solve the REAL problems.

You Can Evolve Without Starting Over

You may still have the right venue, the right work, and a beautiful experience to share.

But perhaps this year your retreat needs a gentler first day. Fewer teaching sessions. More time outdoors. A clearer purpose. Or language that helps someone say, “Yes. That’s exactly what I’ve been needing.”

Our job as retreat leaders includes paying attention to the people we hope to serve, even when what we hear asks us to change something we love.

So before you add more bonuses or squeeze one more activity into the itinerary, pause and ask: What would help my people most?

And if the answer is a hammock, do leave them enough time to enjoy it.💯

Take a moment to share your feelings below – I’d love to know!

xo Sheri

Sheri Rosenthal is the founder and chief retreat strategist at Wanderlust Entrepreneur®, where she's trained and empowered over 25,000 retreat leaders to design, price, promote, and monetize transformational retreats that leave a lasting impact, while traveling the world and earning a profit to be proud of through her signature course, The Retreat Blueprint Program,

She's also the CEO of Journeys of the Spirit®, a boutique agency that has planned and managed over 1000 retreats worldwide since 2003.

With over two decades of experience in the retreat industry, She's had the honor of working with top names, including don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements, and guiding coaches and healers to run retreats that change lives.