WAY is thrilled to announce the second annual Tapestry of Life (ToL) Retreat at MEA’s stunning campus in Baja, Mexico, October 5-9, 2026.
Navigating the rich, yet often complex, transitions of life is something that has rarely been modelled well for us. Many of us were taught to avoid failure, grief, aging, and falling rather than to trust them as sacred guides and teachers. It is often in our fears, stumbles, disappointments, and unravelings that something deeper is awakening from within.
These seasons of change can stir profound questions about our soul’s pursuit. Questions about purpose, identity and what is trying to emerge next. When left unexplored, such questions can appear as overwhelm, crisis, disorientation, burnout or a quiet feeling of being lost or unfamiliar to yourself. And yet, ironically these very moments of discomfort can become sacred ground. They are precious seasons for shedding what no longer serves us and threading anew.
The Tapestry of Life Retreat is a guided, immersive experience to support you in this transition season, when something is ending, shifting or calling you forward. Through intentional practices, reflective inquiry, group dialogue and time for rest and reflection, we create space to listen more deeply to what your life is asking of you now. Together, we slow down, connect with our inner wisdom, and weave meaning, clarity and direction from the threads of your lived experience.
If this resonates with you, we invite you to join us in the serene and medicinal surroundings of Baja, Mexico, right on the beach in El Pescadero.
WAY was born from a simple yet guiding truth: what we think is in the way is the way. WAY has become a devotion to deeper self-awareness and an invitation into the wisdom of the soul, the mystery of life, and the courage to walk the path that reveals itself when we are willing to notice, even when that path leads through uncertainty or vulnerability.
ToL was born from the understanding that nothing in us exists in isolation. We are woven from the threads of our ancestry, longing and belonging, grief, resilience, wonder, and the knots we keep trying to ignore.
Kindred ones,
Michelle Buelow
TBA
Meet The Facilitators
Geo Rafferty
The Sheppard.
Steve Fernandez
The Grounder.
ToL is an expression of WAY’s ideology because this work cannot be birthed through knowledge or learning alone. It requires us to be shaped by experience, by both beauty and breakdown. It needs texture, story, ritual, metaphor, nature, and community.
It needs a place where the soul’s wisdom and life’s mystery can be held, witnessed, then woven into a lived path we can recognize and follow.
Here is where we remember that the thread we are seeking is always with us, even when we feel off-course, and that finding it is not a performance, but a gentle returning to self.
This retreat is a soulful pause to rediscover what is alive in you in this season of life. It is an invitation to deepen your relationship with yourself and others, to befriend your own wounds as wise guides, and to explore, with intention, your success scripts and the legacy you are creating.
Investment:
Single occupancy: $7,000 USD
Double occupancy (shared room): $5,000 USD
Prices include lodging, all meals and drinks, and the full retreat experience. The hospitality on campus is extraordinary, and Chip Conley’s genius in hospitality is beautifully felt throughout the experience.
We are offering an early sign up (add link for signing up) pricing for 30 days to sign up with a $500 discount. If you have any questions you can schedule time to connect with me here.
In addition, if there is someone you feel called to invite, please let us know and share a little about who they are and why you would like to extend the invitation.
With much love,
Dawna
Dawna MacLean
The Weaver.
Set against the stunning and spiritual landscapes of Santa Fe, you’ll experience not only personal growth but also the unique soulful companionship of a like-minded community.
My retreat embraces the beauty of diversity. I am intentionally curating a cohort that reflect a rich tapestry of experiences, including individuals of varied genders, ages, and ethnicities. This intentional diversity creates a vibrant, dynamic space where we can all learn from one another, broaden our perspectives, and deepen our connections.
November 20-24
MEA Cottonwood Ranch, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Meet The Teachers
Much of the Tapestry of Life Retreat is inspired by the profound work of my teachers woven into my
own journey as a Life Coach, weaver and mid-lifer.
Messages From Past Atendees
“The Tapestry of Life retreat was a unique opportunity to step away and think about how to be more present in your relationship to yourself, to others, and to the world, by reconnecting with nature and through facilitated discussion by Dawna and her team of experts. The time spent with people who intentionally dedicated themselves to the process with openness and authenticity was truly transformative. Said differently - we all wish we could take a minute to breath, and to remind ourselves of our connection to ourselves and to the divine. That is what TOL did for me. Transformed my perspective and has kept me present in that space ever since.”
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“Tapestry of Life offered something rare: the space to pause, reflect, and intentionally bridge where I’ve been with where I’m going. Through meditative practices, sound work, and the unforgettable Wonder Walks, I gained clarity around my past and a renewed sense of how I want to move into the future.
Dawna and Steve are a remarkable and powerful pair. The contrast and complement of their teachings brought everything to life in a way that felt deeply human and deeply meaningful. They created a safe space to share and to be curious. This retreat didn’t just offer insight—it shifted how I want to approach the next phase of my life.
Tapestry of Life met me exactly where I was and gently invited me forward. Over five days in Baja, I felt both grounded and expanded. I didn’t leave feeling “better” or “fixed.” I left different—more focused, more aware, and more intentional about who I am becoming in this next chapter of my life.”
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Heralded by the New York Times as the “world’s first midlife wisdom school,” MEA focuses on empowering individuals in midlife and beyond to live a life as deep as it is long. MEA’s purpose-filed journey encompasses lifelong learning,
revolutionary practices, evidence-based tools, and connection with a like-hearted community. At their beautiful campus at Rising Circle Ranch in Lamy, New Mexico (outside Santa Fe), guests embark on transformative journeys that provide relaxation and enjoyment and also facilitate personal development and enrichment in new ways. MEA’s beautiful, newly opened Rising Circle Ranch in Lamy, New Mexico just outside Santa Fe, has already been named a TIME Magazine Top 100 World’s Greatest Places to Visit in 2024 and a CNN Top Self Discovery location of 2024. The wide open space of our new 2600-acre Ranch provides the ideal setting for a transformative journey.
Venue, Lodging. F&B, Daily Ranch Experience:
Three gourmet meals, artisan snacks, and drinks throughout the day are included. All meals made with fresh, local ingredients are often sourced from our organic suppliers. All dietary restrictions will be accommodated.
• Beer/Wine/Cocktails - These are available at during welcome reception and daily at dinner
• Equine Encounters / Stable Life - Participate in activities associated with caring for horses and donkeys, including grooming. If you have never cared for or ridden a horse
before, or it has been a long time, this is a great way to connect with and learn more about horses. No riding involved.• Sound Baths - A meditative experience that promotes deep relaxation shifting brainwaves from active beta states to calming alpha and theta frequencies. Supporting stress
reduction, emotional regulation, and nervous system balance, enhancing overall well-being.• Guided Nature Hike - Experience a rejuvenating guided hike through the breathtaking landscapes of MEA’s private trails, where nature’s beauty unfolds at every step.
• Movement and Mindfulness/Mind-Body - Start your day with a guided meditation session that connects your awareness to your breath and body. Ease into a gentle movement
and stretching practice while setting your intention for the day. Our Mind-Body sessions are the perfect solution for those with the minds that wander the most!The Ranch’s stunning high desert campus offers the perfect combination of growth, wellness and regeneration. Included are a range of amenities so that you can truly reset and replenish while your group also learns and connects.
• Ample outdoor spaces
• Lots of comfortable seating nooks for relaxing, reflecting, chatting and silent contemplation
• Mind / Body space
• Steam Room (tbd on availability - currently under construction)
• Fitness Center
• Firepits
• E-bikes
• Wi-FI
• Transportation between buildings
I guide others to recognize their unique place in the greater story of life—where the practical meets the profound, and where personal and collective growth become one. This private and immersive retreat is designed for those ready to do deep, soulful work—those prepared to pause, reflect, and reconnect with their authentic selves.
• • •
Through facilitated sessions, meaningful conversations, and experiential activities, you’ll:
• Rediscover your soul’s pursuits and align them with your current stage of life •
• Deepen your relationships with yourself and others •
• Explore and be intentional with your life’s success scripts and the legacy you are creating •
Cost: Single occupancy - $6500. Double occupancy (sharing a room with another participant) - $4500. Prices include lodging, food, drinks and all experiences except massages (more details below). The hospitality at the ranch is surreal, Chip Conley’s genius in hospitality is remarkably present.
Speaking of Chip Conley (Co-founder of MEA), he will be joining us! He will be facilitating a session on his book Learning to Love Midlife. And he will be inviting us to his home, which is on the ranch, to enjoy his pool and take in more of the land. I have also invited other remarkable co-facilitators that will enrich our experience, more to come on that.
If there is someone you would like to invite please let me know and share a little about who they are and why you would like to invite them.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Much love,