Relate, relax and release

CANDISE De FREITAS intends to feed the souls of women throughout TT. She and co-founder of TT Soul Retreat, Ingrid Felice, hope during its inaugural retreat, to uplift women straddled with issues of domestic abuse, low self-esteem and other problems.

The two-day retreat, to be held on July 1 and 2, will focus on uplifting and empowering women.

De Freitas says the retreat came about after losing both her father, Anton and then two years later her brother, Kern; going through a divorce and battling with Myasthenia Gravis –a neuromuscular disorder that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles.

She said in an interview with Newsday: “I lost my father when I was 18 and two years after, my brother. I was married and my marriage did not work and I got divorced and the fact that I became ill, [and was] diagnosed with a rare disease. The diagnosis took two years, in all of those things it took a toll on my marriage, it took a toll on me, mentally. Dealing with all of that, as much as my mother was there, she was going through a lot and I think holistically, I did not have anyone to guide me…” After her divorce she got her first job and there she met a network of women, who despite having their own personal troubles were also able to help her. “At the job I had I met a lot of women and they had their issues. But I was lucky to meet women who each had something positive to give to me and I realised that was the kind of thing we needed as women. Women who would really push each other into that…the sister network was very important.” It is from there her passion arose.

But what also fuelled her drive to start TT Soul Retreat, the umbrella company under which Sister Soul Retreat is being held, was seeing and hearing of the difficulties and issues faced by women daily, whether it was through the news or personal encounters.

“The retreat was thought up by myself and based on simple everyday experiences from myself, friends, things I read in the papers. I felt there was a need for a kind of women empowerment and upliftment. I had been working personally on myself with the life coach [Ingrid Felice] based on my outcomes and how much I had learnt.” “I decided to ask her for us to do the retreat and to incorporate not just the life-coaching part of it but a sort of getaway. A relate, relax and release.” De Freitas, 36, does not intend to only stop at Soul Sister Retreat but to also do a couples’ retreat next year and, in the near future, a male retreat.

She hopes that the retreat will create a base for women from which to address the issues they face, daily. The retreat, she said, would provide a guide for women on, “the journey towards creating their best self. That would be the main outcome and to create a network of women, they would have met and share with for advice.” Women participating in the retreat can look forward to getting legal advice, advice on health matters, a self-defence class, a professional photo shoot and make-up session, yoga sessions as well as sessions with life coach, Felice.

These events will take place within the calming ambience of the D’Lime Inn and Conference Centre, Benjamin Street, Diego Martin.

De Freitas said holistically the retreat is a getaway for women and a, “place to bring forward whatever issues you might have deep down inside.” She called it Sister Soul Retreat because, “I believe one woman can reach a 100. You may have a friend or a sister who may not be able to afford the retreat or may not be able to afford counselling or life coaching, or is afraid to reach out…you might be able to find something within the retreat to pass on to them.” While in TT, she said, many saw counselling as taboo, counselling and mediation were needed since it resulted in things being better handled. “If we use these avenues, the life coaching, the mediation and stuff, things would be handled a lot better…,” she said.

The 36-year-old hopes to soon get other life coaches on board as well as take it to a corporate level, to further uplift individual and family life in the country.

While she said the response has been excellent signing up has been slow. The full retreat costs $2,000 for the weekend and she hopes to get 25 stay-over participants.

The company also intends to take ten additional women who would attend only the day sessions at $1,000.