Women of Sovereignty Retreat
A small-group rite of passage for women ready to set some of it down, receive real support, and reconnect with what has stayed in the background for too long.
For women carrying more than others can see.
Many women arrive with plenty of insight and a great deal of capacity. What they may have had less of is a space where nothing has to be managed.
Women of Sovereignty is designed around patterns many women recognize: vigilance, over-functioning, self-editing, emotional labor, perfectionism, and difficulty receiving support.
The retreat is intentionally small, women-centered, and built around preparation, ceremony, integration, and ongoing sisterhood.
Who this retreat is for.
Women carrying invisible emotional labor, who have become very good at hiding the cost of it.
It is not for women looking for a soft weekend to feel temporarily lighter, or for those who are not interested in the preparation and integration parts of the experience.
The retreat is four days. The arc is seven weeks. The sisterhood is lifelong.
Seven weeks per retreat: preparation, four days on-site, then integration.
3 weeks before
Three Zoom sessions, one per week. Intentions, what to expect, and time to begin building trust. By the time you arrive, you have already met the other women and gotten to know the facilitators. You are not walking in cold.
Arrival + foundation
Settle in, share a meal, and begin with gentle facilitator-supported Gratitude and Training Ceremonies. Orientation, not intensity. The first evening is designed to help the group settle in and build trust before the deeper work begins.
The Deep Dive
The central experience of the retreat: a guided sacred ceremony supported by multiple facilitators, with space for each woman to encounter the work directly rather than only talk about it.
Integration
A day without ceremony. Morning movement. Group sharing. Relational workshops. Art in service of what emerged. Structured support to begin translating experience into language and lived commitments.
Heart-Opening Closure
A heart-opening Community Ceremony. Witnessing, gratitude, relational truth, and closure. Leaving with clarity about what you are bringing home.
3–4 weeks after + ongoing
Group Zoom calls and one-on-one integration sessions continue after the retreat. The retreat is not the end of the work. The continuity matters just as much.
A peak experience fades without people to hold it.
A weekend opens something up, and then a person goes home to a life with nothing built to hold the change. Six weeks later, the old patterns are back, and the experience becomes a story they tell instead of a life they live.
UAF is built the other way around. The 7-week arc — preparation, retreat, integration — is the rite of passage that brings someone in. After that, they join a community of people who share the same foundation: not a doctrine they agreed to, but an experience they've actually had.
That shared ground matters. It means you're not explaining yourself from scratch. Everyone there has been through their own version of the same doorway, and has met the Cosmic Mind firsthand rather than been told about it — a shared ground each person understands in their own way.
The retreat is the door.
The community is the home.
The relationships do not end when the retreat does. Completing the arc makes you a member of UAF, and members stay connected through the wider fellowship, with regular opportunities for conversation, growth, gathering, and support in ordinary life.
💬Community Chat
Every dayDaily connection, local meetups, growth practices, and Reach Out when a member needs support.
Reach Out posts receive a response within 24 hours, usually sooner.
🌱Growth Groups
Twice a monthTwice-monthly facilitated groups that help keep the work active in everyday life.
🏕️Member retreats
Seasonal gatheringsGatherings that bring members back together for continued practice, connection, and shared experience.
And beyond the formal structure, members organize their own hikes, dinners, local meetups, and time together. That part matters too: the community continues because people genuinely want to stay connected.
A proven structure, refined across every retreat.
This is a spiritual rite of passage, not clinical treatment, and participation does not require adopting a doctrine. The retreat is built around screening, preparation, informed consent, careful facilitation, and structured integration.
A spiritual practice held with preparation and consent.
Some retreat ceremonies include sacramental practice as part of UAF’s spiritual tradition. Participation is never assumed. Before acceptance, applicants go through screening and preparation that includes discussion of medications, health history, psychological history, prior experience, and individual fit.
Ceremony is held within the larger seven-week arc, not as a standalone experience. Participants receive preparation beforehand and structured integration afterward.
Screening and individual fit
Every retreat application is reviewed for individual fit. Screening includes relevant medical and psychological history, current medications, and other factors that may affect whether participation is appropriate. Acceptance is not automatic, and UAF may ask for additional information or consultation before confirming a place.
UAF retreats are spiritual offerings and are not a substitute for medical care, psychotherapy, psychiatric care, or addiction treatment. If an applicant’s needs fall outside the scope of the retreat, UAF may recommend that they seek appropriate professional care instead of, or before, participating.
Questions about safety or screening? Contact UAF.The team holding this retreat
Lauren Trecosta
Lead Facilitator with UAF, Lauren Trecosta is a therapist specializing in complex trauma and PTSD, with experience supporting special operations veterans. She brings a grounded, relational approach to Women of Sovereignty.
Kerry Derrick
Lead Facilitator with UAF, Kerry Derrick is a psychotherapist, clinical herbalist, and nutritional psychotherapist. She brings a whole-person perspective to Women of Sovereignty, integrating mind, body, and spirit.
Dr. Katie Simons
Lead Facilitator with UAF, Dr. Katie Simons is a clinical hypnotherapist, breathwork practitioner, and coach with a Doctor of Pharmacy background. She brings a science-informed, embodied approach to Women of Sovereignty.
Michael Tierno
Co-Director of UAF and co-founder of Men of Integrity, Michael brings more than a decade of expanded-state experience, a background in social psychology, and a deep focus on integration to his work guiding retreats and helping participants bring what they experience into everyday life.
Yoni Havana
Co-Director of UAF and co-founder of Men of Integrity, Yoni guides retreats and works closely with members to bring spiritual experience into relationships, purpose, and everyday life.
Chris Tomasi
Lead Facilitator with UAF, Chris Tomasi brings training in interpersonal process work, Gestalt, Psychodrama, Hakomi, and integration work to his work with Men of Integrity and Women of Sovereignty. His approach centers on authenticity, compassion, honest relationship, and meaningful change.
Practical details
Women of Sovereignty Retreat · Next dates to be announcedReady to begin?
Start with a short application. When you submit it, you can book a free 45-minute conversation with a facilitator to ask questions, talk through fit, and understand the retreat before deciding what comes next.
The contribution and reduced-rate options are discussed during that conversation.
Universal Awareness Fellowship, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. A retreat contribution is not a donation in full: only the portion above the value of what you receive may qualify as a charitable donation, and the remainder reflects value received. Tax treatment can depend on individual circumstances — please consult your tax advisor.
Complete the arc and become a member of UAF.