For centuries, women have been expected to work like they don’t have children, and mother like they don’t have work. The result? A generation of women carrying the invisible burden of the “mental load,” the unseen planning, remembering, and anticipating that keeps households and workplaces running, often at great personal cost.
Research consistently shows how disproportionate this load is. A 2023 study from the Pew Research Center found that 71% of mothers say they manage their family’s schedules and needs, compared with just 45% of fathers. Beyond the home, women also take on more unpaid labour globally than men, from caregiving to emotional support to domestic organisation. This is not just an abstract problem; it shows up physically. Health researchers have linked the stress of chronic multitasking to increased muscle tension, higher cortisol levels, fatigue, and even higher risks of cardiovascular issues.
It’s little wonder, then, that many women find themselves depleted, not just tired, but unable to recharge in the ways that traditional “holidays” promise. Even a family trip can leave women exhausted, as they continue to shoulder the mental load of childcare, meal planning, and logistics while supposedly “resting.”
This is where women-only, women-led retreats become not a luxury, but a necessity.
What Makes a Somatic Retreat Different
Unlike spa weekends or wellness getaways that focus on pampering and temporary relaxation, somatic retreats go deeper. Somatic practice is grounded in the idea that our bodies hold unprocessed stress, memories, and patterns. It’s about working with the body, through movement, breathwork, and guided awareness, to release long-held tension and restore a sense of presence.
At a retreat, this might look like Katonah yoga sessions that help the body find new patterns of stability, breathwork designed to calm the nervous system, or guided movement that reveals how stress responses live in the body. Unlike a facial or a massage, the results don’t vanish with the next workday. Instead, somatic practices build a deeper capacity to recognise and shift the unconscious patterns that often keep women locked in cycles of overwork and depletion.
The Lou Calen Approach: Provence as a Backdrop for Renewal
This November, the eco-luxury estate Lou Calen in Cotignac, Provence, will host Centering in Desire, a six-day women’s retreat designed specifically for this purpose. Led by international coaches Elisa Haggarty and Kim Buisson, the retreat combines somatic practices with conscious leadership coaching, creative exploration, and daily time in nature.
It’s not just about rest. It’s about learning tools that allow women to track their stress, reframe their leadership presence, and reconnect with the desires and rhythms that often get buried under endless responsibilities.
And the setting matters. Cotignac, with its limestone cliffs and cobbled village square, offers something modern life rarely does: disconnection from distraction. At Lou Calen, meals are crafted by Michelin Green Star chef Benoît Witz with ingredients sourced from the surrounding countryside, nourishing both body and spirit. Participants stay in restored heritage suites, some opening onto gardens, others looking out across the Provençal rooftops, spaces intentionally designed to feel grounding and restorative.
Why It Matters Now
In an era when burnout is rising and women are more likely than men to report stress-related illnesses, retreats like this are more than indulgence. They are a remedy. They provide a container where women can step outside of their daily roles, experience community with other women navigating similar pressures, and return with tools that extend far beyond the retreat itself.
As one of the facilitators, Kim Buisson, puts it: “We’re not meant to move this fast, hold this much, or navigate it all alone.”
That’s the power of retreats like Centering in Desire: they acknowledge the hidden toll, and offer women not just a break, but a path back to themselves.
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