Permission to Pause: Why Women Leaders Say a Retreat Experience Matters

When was the last time you actually gave yourself permission to truly pause? To breathe? To just BE? And no, we aren’t talking about pausing long enough to respond to an email -  or taking an afternoon off from work and then immediately diving right back into your never-ending to-do list that evening. We mean stepping away from routines, roles, and noise long enough to hear yourself think again.  Can you even remember what that feels like? For many of the women we work with, getting that kind of space is very rare.

That’s one of the many reasons our upcoming women’s leadership retreat in Italy will be so powerful. In our interpretation, a retreat isn’t another word for vacation. At Nova Leadership, our retreats are intentionally designed to create space for new ideas and perspectives to emerge - while also enjoying ourselves in an amazing setting. 

Since we launched our Women's Retreats in 2017, we’ve watched our guests arrive with questions, ideas, challenges, and significant decisions swirling around in their heads. And while every experience and every participant is different, three things consistently make the time away matter: community, perspective, and space.

1. Community: Wisdom Outside Your Usual Circle

There’s something energizing about bringing together a community of wise, thoughtful women who might never have crossed paths otherwise. Too often, we spend our days surrounded by the same teams, industries, organizations, and professional circles. Those relationships matter, of course. But stepping outside that familiar network can introduce ideas, perspectives, and connections you didn’t know you were missing.

At one of our more recent retreats, two women discovered they lived in the same city; and to figure that out across the globe is so fun. As they talked, they realized that they shared a long list of interests, and even had connections between their teenage daughters. They’ve stayed in touch ever since! They arrived in Italy as strangers, but left with a relationship neither had expected to find. Sometimes the person who helps you see something differently isn’t someone who has known you for 20 years - it may be the person sitting across from you at dinner who asks exactly the right question.

2. Perspective: Moving From Doing to Being

Leadership can sometimes feel like you’re doing it all, all the time. Solving the problems, making big decisions, attending the strategic meetings, supporting your team well, etc. And then doing it all again tomorrow. We can become so focused on DOING that we lose touch with BEING. Add our always-connected, technology-enabled world to the mix, and it becomes way too easy to stay inside our own routines and ways of thinking.

Finding the space to think - to really clear your mind - is rare. Clarity often comes when you have the opportunity to remove the mental clutter and preconceived notions of what “should” be. We’ve had women arrive at a retreat convinced they know exactly what they need to “work on.” But - in the immersion retreat experience, and in speaking with other insightful women, we’ve seen a very different question emerge - and it’s one that has led to a very different outcome.

After one past participant returned home, a mutual friend asked us something along the lines of, “What did you DO with her in Italy? She has emerged!” We loved that. Because - here’s the truth - the retreat didn’t change her into someone new. It created the space, perspective, and conditions for something already within her to emerge.  She created enough healthy distance from everyday life to see herself, her choices, and her possibilities differently. And that is a prime example of the power of perspective. We encourage you to read more of our guest experience stories here. 

3. Space: Creating Room for What’s Next

We may have saved the best for last with number three. So many executives we work with (men and women) won’t allow themselves free space to think, dream, or experience. This is the one where we see the most transformation! 

Many of the women we know spend enormous amounts of their lives in service to others: their teams, organizations, families, clients, communities. I bet if you’re reading this, you can relate, right? When they finally have the opportunity to turn their attention inward, an important question surfaces: What’s right for me? Right now? We’ve watched that question lead women in surprising directions. After attending a Nova Leadership retreat, we’ve seen women who’ve finally started writing the book they had been dreaming about - or get crystal clarity when choosing between career opportunities that initially appeared equally compelling - or recognize that they are on just the right path for right now, and lean into that more fully upon returning home. And that’s what the work we do is all about!

We often say, “Miracles happen in the white space.” We create the container that allows excellence to emerge. The beauty within. That innate wisdom and truth that’s just waiting to be tapped into and released. When you suspend all the busy-ness and give yourself time…great things can happen.

Your Brain Likes Something New, Too

You know how we roll - we have to bring some science into this to back us up. The Center for BrainHealth tells us that “Trying new things activates dopamine, a brain chemical that makes us feel good. When we learn new things, our brain forms new connections. Breaking out of your normal routine can renew your energy by giving you a fresh perspective and expanding possibilities.”

Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute also suggests that exposure to new things can support adaptability and our ability to explore new approaches to problems. Maybe there’s a leadership lesson hiding in there…

●  We don’t always need another productivity strategy.

●  Sometimes we need to go somewhere different.

●  It’s important to surround yourself with new people.

●  Walk down a street we’ve never walked before and see new sights.

●  Leave enough room in the day to be surprised.

And in case you want one stat to keep in your back pocket, we’ll throw this one in to seal the deal on why you should go on a retreat: 89% of people feel significant drops in stress levels after 1-2 days of traveling. That alone may be all you need to know!

The Unexpected Moments Matter, Too

Some of our favorite memories from Italy weren’t planned. While touring about, we’ve had amazing and unexpected moments: we rounded a corner to find a man singing opera on the street, or stumbled across a violinist playing with the Tuscan hills unfolding behind him, and even witnessed a tightrope walker making his way from one building to another. Just incredible in-the-moment moments. Moments to remind us to stay open to possibilities - open to wonder. 

Give Yourself Permission to Pause

An Nova, executive retreat for women is an opportunity to step outside of your normal routine long enough to decide how you want to step back in:

●  With new relationships.

●  With a wider perspective.

●  With space to breathe.

●  With an answer to a question you hadn’t even realized you needed to ask.

Our next Nova Leadership Immersion Retreat will take place October 12–16, 2026, at a private villa in Tuscany, Italy. As of publication, there are just two spots remaining. If you’ve been waiting for permission to pause, consider this your sign. Come to Italy and see what emerges—Register today.