A Women’s Leadership Retreat Built Around Transformation, Not Performance

By Jenny Garrett OBE  |  Leadership Coach, Speaker & Author  |  Founder of Jenny Garrett Global

I came home from India wearing a woolly hat.

One week I was delivering a keynote to 25,000 people under the Tamil Nadu sun. The next I was pulling on thermals and heading straight into one of my most treasured annual rituals – the Happenista Retreat. No recovery time. No gentle re-entry. Just the full, beautiful contrast of life lived at full stretch.

And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What Is the Happenista Retreat?

The Happenista Retreat is an annual two-day personal development and leadership retreat for women – specifically designed for senior leaders, business owners and coaches who are ready to invest in themselves, not just their organisations.

Created and hosted by Jenny Garrett OBE, the retreat is deliberately intimate, capped at 15 women, and held at a beautiful UK country house venue. It combines expert-facilitated sessions, embodied practices, deep reflection and genuine community – in an environment where high-achieving women can finally exhale.

This year’s theme was The Butterfly Effect.

The premise is deceptively simple: a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world can set off a chain of events that leads to a storm on the other side of it. For senior leaders and entrepreneurs, this translates into something profound – the small, consistent, authentic actions we take, the ones that feel almost too modest to matter, can create ripples far beyond what we can see or predict.

After twenty years of building my business, I’ve learned that the most significant moments of change rarely announce themselves. They begin quietly. With a conversation. A decision. A tiny wingbeat.

Who Is the Happenista Retreat For?

The Happenista Retreat is designed for:

• Women in senior leadership roles who give so much to their organisations that they rarely invest that same energy in themselves
• Female business owners and entrepreneurs who are building something meaningful but need space to reconnect with their own vision and values
• Coaches and facilitators who support others through transformation but rarely experience it themselves in a community setting
• Women at a crossroads – ready for the next chapter but not yet clear what it looks like

If you are a high-achieving woman who has spent years being strong, capable and relentlessly forward-focused, this retreat is built for you.

Day One: Arriving, Laughing, and Getting Real

There’s always a particular energy when the women first arrive. A mix of anticipation and relief – relief that they’ve actually given themselves permission to be here, away from the demands of work, family and responsibilities. Some arrive a little guarded. Others arrive already open. All of them arrive ready for something, even if they can’t quite name what.

We began the evening with laughter yoga – a science-backed practice that triggers the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter, regardless of whether something is actually funny. For leaders who spend so much time being measured, considered and professional, there is something genuinely liberating about a room full of women laughing without reason.

What struck me was how quickly the armour came off. Laughter is a great leveller. And once that guard drops, something much more real and connected can begin.

We rounded out the evening with connection exercises and some gentle exploration of the theme – what does the butterfly effect mean in your own professional and personal life? Where have you seen small actions create unexpected ripples?

“I’m so proud of 2025 me who booked this nourishing retreat. She must have known that this is the space and circle of women I needed.”

— Sohini Petrie, Retreater 2026

Day Two: Going Deeper (and Having Even More Fun)

If Day One was about arriving and opening up, Day Two was about going deeper – and discovering that depth and delight are not mutually exclusive.

The morning began with a Shoop™ session delivered by Leyla Okhai – a movement-based practice that reconnects women with the parts of themselves often buried under busyness: their joyful self, their playful self, the version of them that existed before they learned to be so relentlessly productive.

For senior leaders and coaches, this is particularly powerful. Joy isn’t a luxury. It’s fuel. When we’re disconnected from our playfulness, we lose access to our creativity, our resilience, and our capacity to take the kinds of risks that real growth requires.

The afternoon shifted into something more intentional – goal-setting with a butterfly twist. Not the overwhelming, pressure-filled variety, but something grounded and spacious. We asked: what are the wingbeats you need to make? What small, consistent actions – taken with intention – could create the ripples you actually want in your world?

This conversation is particularly resonant for business owners and coaches who are prone to either over-planning or waiting for the perfect moment. The butterfly effect reframes both – every action counts, and the time is always now.

“A nourishing and uplifting weekend. So nice to spend the time with like-minded souls supporting and uplifting each other.”

— Debbie Anderson, Retreater 2026

4 Leadership Lessons from the Butterfly Effect Retreat

Whether or not you were in that room, these are the lessons I keep returning to – and they apply directly to women leading teams, businesses and coaching practices.

1. Small actions matter more than you think.

Senior leaders are often waiting for the conditions to be perfect before making a move. But the butterfly effect reminds us that every wingbeat counts. The email you send. The boundary you set. The conversation you initiate. Start now, with what you have.

2. Joy is not the opposite of seriousness – it’s the gateway to it.

Some of the most honest, searching conversations at this retreat happened immediately after we’d been laughing until we couldn’t breathe. For leaders, coaches and business owners who pride themselves on rigour and professionalism, this is worth sitting with. Play opens us up. It is not a distraction from good work – it enables it.

3. Community is a leadership strategy, not a nice-to-have.

There is something that happens when women gather with genuine intention – not to compete or perform, but to support and be supported. The connections formed at this retreat continue to ripple outward long after the weekend ends. For women in senior roles who can feel isolated at the top, this kind of peer community is transformational.

“Thank you for creating this space where we can show up and be ourselves in the company of other incredible women, to nurture and support each other. Every year the retreat offers more.”

— Andrea Watts, Facilitator & Retreater 2026

“I’m feeling very grateful and blessed to have been in the company of such amazing, courageous and beautiful women. So much to take away and reflect on.”

— Sasi Panchal, Retreater 2026

4. Transformation is a process, not a moment.

The butterfly doesn’t look back at its time as a caterpillar in shame. It simply flies. For women leaders who are hard on themselves about the time it’s taking to reach their next level – this is permission to trust the process. Your past, including the struggles, the false starts and the seasons of being still, was part of your becoming.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Happenista Retreat

Who facilitates the Happenista Retreat?

The retreat is hosted by Jenny Garrett OBE and facilitated by a curated team of expert coaches and practitioners, including Jackee Holder, Leyla Okhai and Andrea Watts. Each brings deep expertise in leadership, embodied practice and personal development.

How many women attend the Happenista Retreat?

Places are strictly limited to 15 women to preserve the intimate, high-trust environment that makes the retreat so transformative.

Where is the Happenista Retreat held?

The retreat is held at a beautiful UK country house hotel, combining comfort, space and access to nature – the ideal environment for reflection and renewal.

Is the Happenista Retreat suitable for coaches?

Yes. Coaches and facilitators are warmly welcomed and often find the experience particularly powerful – being on the receiving end of expert facilitation in a peer community setting is rare and valuable.

How do I register interest for the next Happenista Retreat?

The retreat runs annually, usually in February. To be the first to hear when places open, sign up here.

Could This Be Your Year?

The Happenista Retreat happens once a year, and it stays deliberately small. If something in this post has resonated with you – if you recognise that particular mix of longing and readiness – then perhaps it’s worth paying attention to that feeling.

Your wingbeat is waiting.

To register your interest for the 2027 Happenista Retreat, click here.

About Jenny Garrett OBE

Jenny Garrett OBE is a leadership coach, keynote speaker, and author with over 20 years’ experience developing inclusive, entrepreneurial and AI-ready leaders. She is the founder of Jenny Garrett Global, co-founder of the Diverse Executive Coach Directory, and co-host of the AI for Equity podcast. She was awarded an OBE for services to Entrepreneurship and Women in Business by Queen Elizabeth II in 2021.