What kind of rest?

Not the kind where you collapse from exhaustion.

The kind where you actually come back to yourself — and discover what your body has been asking for all along.

The radical kind.

The Live Weekend Experience

What the weekend together looks like.

The retreat is solstice weekend, June 19-21, 2026. The shape of it is intentional. Not packed. Not empty. Held.

Friday at noon Eastern Daylight Time, the weekend opens. (9am PDT, 9:30pm IST) We gather on Zoom for our first live call together. This is where we meet each other, set the intention for the weekend, and begin to land in the container we'll share for the next three days. The call is recorded for anyone who can't be there live.

Throughout the weekend, you're supported without interruption. We use Voxer (a free voice-and-text app, like a walkie-talkie that also holds written messages) to stay in touch. You can reach out when you need support, check in if something surfaces, or rest entirely in your own quiet. The Voxer space is held by Rebecca and Meredith. You're never on your own, and you're never required to engage.

Saturday is unstructured. This is the day you rest without interruptions. You decide what that looks like. You might use the content library. You might nap. You might walk. You might cry. You might do nothing at all. There's no schedule to follow and nothing you're supposed to accomplish. The whole day is yours.

Sunday at noon Eastern, the weekend closes. We gather again on Zoom for our final live call. This is where we integrate what surfaced, share what we're taking with us, and complete the experience together. Like Friday, the call is recorded.

After Sunday, the library stays with you. What you learned and what you set up doesn't disappear at the end of the weekend. You keep access to all the course materials for as long as the course exists. Many people use the materials to do their own self-directed retreats in their own time later. The guidance is still there for you.

What's in the course library?

Your registration includes access to a content library that supports your weekend and stays with you after it ends.

Preparation video with Rebecca and Meredith. A conversation about what real rest is, what gets in the way for most of us, and how to approach the weekend.

Preparing Your Space with Kristy Iris. A practical guide to setting up the physical environment where your rest will happen. Includes a video, a written transcript for those who'd rather read, and a downloadable PDF guide.

How to Choose Your Rest. Two frameworks for figuring out what kind of rest you actually need. Ways to Rest is a practical list of activities sorted by energy level, co-created with the first retreat group. Kinds of Rest uses Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith's framework of seven types of rest, plus two more we've added.

Art Therapy Practices with Susan Stroemel. Doodle-based exercises that help you drop out of your spinning head and back into your body. No artistic skill required. These work whether you do them once or come back to them again and again.

Writing Down Your Soul with Janet Conner. A writing practice from the author of the book by the same name. One of the most powerful tools for hearing what your body and your deeper knowing have been trying to tell you.

Some of this is meant for before the weekend. Some is for during. Some you'll return to long after. It's yours to use however and whenever you need it.

Is this for you?

This is for you if...

You've tried sleep, vacation, and self-care, and the tired hasn't lifted
You've started to suspect rest isn't the problem; something underneath the tiredness is
You're curious about what your nervous system has been trying to tell you
You want real tools, not just a weekend off
You're ready to be witnessed by people who won't try to fix you

This is NOT for you if...

You're looking for a clinical or therapeutic intervention. This is a retreat, not therapy.
You want a structured curriculum with specific outcomes. This is an experience, not a course.
You're hoping someone will tell you exactly what to do. We believe you already know.

Your Guides

You won't be doing this alone.

Meredith Alvarado

Resident Rester

I've been practicing rest as a real thing, not a reward, for years. I am of Mayan ancestry, and I'm a holistic healer. I work with whole people who are ready to stop performing and start listening to themselves. I'll be walking alongside you all weekend.

Rebecca Thompson Hitt

Rest Detective

After thirty years sitting with families in the moments where life unraveled and rebuilt, I've learned that most of us aren't bad at resting. Instead, we're afraid of what surfaces when we stop. I'll be helping you notice what your nervous system is asking for, and tracking what comes up when you slow down.

Susan Stroemel

Feelings Cartographer

In the spirit of Mister Rogers, I'll meet you wherever you are, with whatever pen and paper you have on hand. Through short doodle-based exercises, I'll offer simple, accessible tools that help you drop out of a spinning head and back into your body, so rest has somewhere to land.

Kristy Iris

Space Whisperer

I help creative, soulful humans align their homes with who they're becoming. Through Fizome™, the process I've been developing for twenty-six years, I'll help you discover what your space needs to support the rest you're learning to receive, and how to keep that resonance after the retreat ends.

Questions you may have...

What if I can't make the live calls?

The live calls are an important part of the group retreat, so if you can't be there for them, we'd recommend Radical Rest: Whenever You're Ready (the self-paced version) instead. You'll move through similar content on your own timing and can join us live when a future group retreat works for your schedule.

What time zone are the live calls in?

Noon Eastern Daylight Time on Friday and Sunday. 9am PDT, 9:30pm IST (India). We try to schedule the calls so they're accessible for both US and most international participants.

Do I need any special supplies?

No. Susan's art exercises use whatever pen and paper you already have. You'll want a journal or notebook, a comfortable space to be in, and that's it. It's designed to meet you where you are. If you have other available materials and you want to use them, great!

Is this therapy?

No. This is an educational and experiential retreat. If something surfaces during the weekend that you want to work with in therapy, that's a wonderful next step, but we're not your therapists, and the retreat isn't a substitute for clinical care.

What if hard feelings come up?

That's part of the work, and we're here for it. Rebecca specifically holds space for what surfaces when people slow down. You won't be left alone with anything that comes up, and the Voxer group means support is just a voice message away all weekend.

Will the retreat be offered again?

Likely yes, though we don't have set future dates. If you can't make June 19-21, Radical Rest: Whenever You're Ready (the self-paced version) is also available, so you can move through the content on your own timing and join us live when the next group retreat comes around.

Can I bring a friend or partner?

Each registration is for one person. If your friend or partner registers separately, you can absolutely go through the retreat together.

I have a different question.

Email rebecca@thrivinghumans.org and Rebecca or her team will get back to you within 1-2 business days.

What's your refund policy?

You can request a full refund within 48 hours of purchase. That gives you time to watch the welcome video and make sure this feels like the right fit for you. After 48 hours, the retreat is non-refundable, which helps us plan for everyone who's committed to being there

"Nobody ever taught me how to rest. When I was growing up, I almost had to sneak resting. If my dad came in the room, I would pretend like I was doing something else. So this weekend has been a real conscious process of protecting my time. I took a two-hour nap yesterday — deep — and still slept eight hours last night. It felt huge." — S.S.

"The questions aren't unique to this weekend. But they are louder this weekend, because I slowed down and started to think." — E.K.

"Being in this kind of rest mode makes it easier for me to be aware of how I'm feeling. When I'm not in rest mode, I'm just next thing, next thing, next thing. In rest mode, I'm more present, more connected to what I need. I came in this weekend overwhelmed. My mother phoned me and wanted me to do something for my sister. In my heart, in my body, I didn't feel good about it. In my old life, I would have said okay, okay, I'll go. But I was able to give her my boundaries. I said, Mom, that's not important for me right now. And she was able to hear me. I'm grateful for being here and practicing."
— G.F., Canada

Course Pricing

Radical Rest Retreat June 19-21, 2026

$150 USD

One price, full access. Your registration includes the live weekend retreat (June 19-21, 2026) plus continued access to the course

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Radical Rest Retreat

Together, Wherever You Are