New Season + How to Lead a Life-Changing Retreat

Heart of the Story

171 Nadine kicks off a new season by announcing the big projects she's been working on behind the scenes. She also shares an in-depth recap of her recent women's writing retreat in CA. In this conversation with retreat participant and podcast producer, Michelle Redo, Nadine shares top tips for hosting intentional gatherings that foster deep connection with yourself and others. If you've ever wanted to bring women together for a profoundly moving experience, this is your go-to guide.

Covered in this episode:

-Her must-have retreat-planning checklists

-The kick-off conversation that will set the tone for your gathering

-How to welcome participants to make them feel held and supported

-The itinerary structure that will cultivate time for creativity and self care

-The little touches that make a big impact

-The key activities that lead to self-discovery and group bonding

-How to collaborate with others in order to sustain your energy as a host

-Michelle's experience as a participant and the moments that had the biggest impact

About Michelle:

Michelle Redo is a podcaster, independent audio producer and writer. She is the creator and host of the Daring to Tell podcast - a place where writers read and talk about memoir and personal essay. And she works with authors to who wish to narrate their own audiobooks. Michelle is also the audio producer for Heart of the Story.

Michelle has been published in Brevity Blog, The Sun Readers Write, and won the Finalist Award in the 2021 Readers Write Personal Essay Competition for her essay called The Wonder, which she read on Daring to Tell. Her appearance on the And So, She Left podcast received numerous awards and was noted by the 2023 International Women's Podcast Award Nomination for the Moment of Touching Honesty Category.

Before becoming a freelancer in 2020, she spent more than thirty years as an award-winning audio producer for WGBH Radio in Boston, has been requested to speak to aspiring voiceover students, and has taught audio production at the Banff Centre, Banff, Canada.

About Nadine:

Learn more about Nadine's online women's writing community here.

Nadine Kenney Johnstone is a holistic writing coach who helps women develop and publish their stories. She has helped the writers in her community develop and publish countless books and hundreds of essays in places like The New York Times, Vogue, The Sun, The Boston Globe, Longreads, and more. Her infertility memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, was named book of the year by the Chicago Writer's Association. Her latest book, Come Home to Your Heart, is an essay collection and guided journal that helps readers tap into their inner wisdom and fall back in love with themselves. Her articles and interviews have appeared in Cosmo, Authority, Good Grit, OnSite Journal, MindBodyGreen, HERE, Urban Wellness, Natural Awakenings, Chicago Magazine, and more. Nadine is the podcast host of Heart of the Story, where she shares stories from the heart as well as interviews with today’s top women writers. Pulling from her vast experience as a writing, meditation, and yoga nidra instructor, Nadine leads women’s writing and wellness workshops and retreats online and around the U.S.

Find out more at nadinekenneyjohnstone.com

Follow Nadine on Instagram @nadinekenneyjohnstone