It is my pleasure to announce this upcoming retreat which I will be co-leading with my coaching colleague and friend, LA Bourgeois. I discovered Chincoteague and Assateague Islands many years ago and fell in love with this Virginia Eastern Shore treasure. Each year, I spend two weeks here and deepen my connection to the wild Atlantic shore, the quiet marshes, the multitudes of seabirds, the saltwater ponies - and my own creative self. And now I want to share this unique place with those of you who resonate with the images here, the activities we have planned, and the immersion into a deeply creative, restorative experience.
If you’ve been yearning to get away from it all for a while, come join us!
A Four-Day Creative Retreat on Chincoteague Island
October 8-11, 2026
Come to a place where time loosens its grip.
Where the salty breeze blows away the static.
Where creativity floats back into our spirits.
This four-day retreat on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, invites you to cross the water into the embrace of nature and creative expression. Join Annette Naber, author of Seasons of a Wild Life, and LA Bourgeois, Kaizen-Muse Certified Creativity Coach, for a long weekend gathering to rest, breathe and remember who we are. We will leave this space reinvigorated, uplifted, and inspired.
How does creativity blossom in you when it is given space, rest, and reverence?
Let’s find out.
Our gathering on Chincoteague Island is an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and remember the joy of creation. Uncover what restores and inspires you and return to your life uplifted and flowing with creativity.
We begin by arriving fully. Through a simple intention-setting ritual, we mark the crossing from the everyday world into retreat time.
Our days will unfold gently, guided by the rhythms of nature and creativity
Each day, you choose what you need the most:
Nature & Creativity Walks through the unique landscapes of Chincoteague and Assateague
Observe the natural world, on land and along the water
Opportunities for creative expression such as
Mandala making with found objects
Sand sculpting to encourage play and release
Spacious afternoons for rest, reading, and wandering that might include:
Boat trip to encounter the wild ponies
Kayaking and bicycling
Visit the Chincoteague Museum and local Farmer’s Market
Massage or bodywork (Annette loves Salty Sisters massage!)
Indoors, we allow intuition and instinct to guide our creativity with sessions including:
Writing and reflection
Collage and fiber arts
Tarot and symbolic exploration
Open studio time for what wants to emerge
Each offering is an open invitation, always optional, never required.
Flowing Out
In a closing ceremony, we gather and share what has been revealed, created, and released. This allows your experiences to settle into the body and spirit, so you may return to your everyday life feeling…
Refreshed and softened by salt air, ocean breezes and stillness of the marshes
Uplifted by beauty, connection, and care
Reconnected to your creativity
Free to carry what matters—and release what does not
This is more than a workshop.
It is more than a vacation.
It is a threshold, a pause, a remembering.
Join Annette and LA between the tides, for renewal, creativity and inspiration.
Annette Naber, Ph.D. was born and raised in Germany. She came to the US as a student, obtained her doctorate, and pursued a successful psychology career in Washington, DC.
After her husband’s retirement, they moved to the Virginia Highlands, where she established organic gardens, an edible landscape, and a native plant sanctuary on their mountain property. Here she immerses herself more deeply in nature therapies, conducts forest bathing tours, and teaches wild food foraging classes.
Naber is also a nature photographer who has exhibited at libraries, galleries, and businesses in the Shenandoah Valley and the Virginia Highlands.
She has published mental health articles in local newspapers, nature reconnection techniques in Psychology Today, and photo essays on her Substack Blog. Her books include Seasons of a Wild Life and Growing Native Plants in the Virginia Highlands.
LA Bourgeois is an author, Kaizen-Muse Certified Creativity Coach, and INELDA-trained End-of-Life Doula. Is this because she gets bored way too easily or to fulfill her mission of delighting and empowering people to create their own beauty joyfully? Not even she knows for sure! But her clients feel the gentle power and purpose as they work together:
“Working with LA has been an eyeopening, rewarding and productive experience. When we first met I was lost. LA truly listened to me and my story and gently guided me to find my way. She helped me to re-ignite my creativity and allowed me the time and space to dig in and discover my purpose.” - Katherine Simonetti, Katherine Alexander Fine Jewelry
Her books include Diary of a Lesbian Housewyfe, The Lesbian Housewyfe: Bigger, Broader and Delightfuller, and the booklet, Unlocking Your Creativity.
During our time together, we’ll be staying at the Channel Bass Inn & Restaurant, an award-winning bed & breakfast conveniently located for both strolling through town and a quick drive (or bike ride) to the beach or the marshes.
The owners of this lovely bed & breakfast use fresh local ingredients for our daily breakfasts, a special dinner on Friday, and their famous High Tea on Saturday.
Save $100 by signing up by July 1, 2026!
Shared Room - $750 until July 1, 2026 ($850 thereafter)
Single - $1,000 until July 1, 2026 ($1,100 thereafter)
These prices are per person and include your room for 3 nights, breakfast (Fri-Sun), our Saturday afternoon high tea, and our special Friday dinner. Payment plans are available.
Email la@housewyfe.com to sign up or get more information.
Not included:
Dinner on Thursday and Saturday
Lunch on Friday
Entrance fees to Assateague State Park (we can carpool, fees are per vehicle)
Boat excursion or Chincoteague Museum visit
Massage or bodywork
Travel to and from the retreat
How does creativity blossom in you when it is given space, rest, and reverence?
Let’s find out.
For more information or to sign up, contact LA at la@housewyfe.com or Annette at emeraldmountainsanctuary@gmail.com
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