If you're a retreat leader, you're probably the worst self-care offender you know.

You build entire wellness experiences around other people...the breathwork, the nature walks, the farm-to-table dinners and then you go home feeling like a wrung-out towel. In this episode, Nick breaks down the 8 Jars of Self-Care, a simple framework he built when his own well ran dry.

In this quick listen, you'll learn how to check eight key areas of your life in five minutes a day, why being surrounded by clients isn't the same as being filled by your tribe, and how to bring this tool to your retreats so your guests can see their own transformation in their own hand.

The depleted leader teaching wellness is the oldest joke in the industry. Don't be the punchline. Fill your jars first, then pour!

RESOURCES:

Take the Retreat CEO Quiz at retreatmachine.com — get a personalized blueprint showing what's working, what's missing, and what to build next so your business creates revenue between retreats, not just during them.

What if one of the most profitable offers in your retreat business didn't require you to create all the content yourself?

In this episode of The Retreat Machine podcast, Colet, Nick, and Mel come together to unpack the business behind a digital newsletter/magazine funnel that has generated Nick $100,000 a year for six years!

But this isn't really an episode about how to make a magazine.

It's about what can happen when you stop believing you have to personally create everything your audience consumes and instead build something your community can actively participate in.

Nick shares how what began as a passion project eventually became a profitable revenue stream, a powerful audience-building tool, and an ecosystem that feeds directly into his retreats and other offers.

The team explores the shift from content creator to curator, why a smaller engaged audience can be more valuable than a massive passive following, and how inviting your community to contribute can create deeper belonging and stronger brand loyalty.

They also get into the systems behind the model, including email list growth, content distribution, audience segmentation, AI, automation, and why sometimes the smartest way to grow your business is to stop centering yourself in everything you create.

If you've ever wondered how to create content that builds community, generates revenue, and doesn't require you to be on the content hamster wheel forever, this episode is for you.

• How Nick built a digital magazine generating roughly $100K a year

• Why the shift from creator to curator changed the business

• How community-generated content creates deeper participation and belonging

• Why you don't need a massive audience to start building a valuable newsletter

• How newsletters can grow your email list and lead people into paid offers

• Why knowing where subscribers come from matters for smarter marketing

• How AI and automation can reduce the workload behind consistent publishing

• Why your values help determine who belongs in your community

• How content, community, and retreats can work together inside one business ecosystem

The real opportunity isn't simply creating another piece of content to sell.

It's creating something people want to belong to.

Nick's magazine works because his audience isn't simply consuming what he creates. They contribute to it, see themselves represented in it, share it, connect through it, and ultimately help shape the community around it.

The publication may generate the revenue, but the community is the product.

And that's the bigger lesson for retreat leaders: when you create meaningful ways for people to participate in your brand between retreats, your business becomes much bigger than the experience itself.

Explore the world behind the podcast:
https://retreatmachine.com

Discover your Retreat CEO blueprint:
https://takethisretreatquiz.com

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to The Retreat Machine so you never miss a conversation. New episodes explore the systems, strategies, and stories behind retreats, brands, and businesses that are built to last.

Follow us on Instagram @retreatmachine

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow retreat leader or entrepreneur and leave a review. It helps more people discover the show and become part of our growing community.

Retreat Machine releases a fresh new episode every other Wednesday. See you then!

What if the retreat you're building could become more than a successful event...and actually become the foundation of a scalable business?

In this episode of The Retreat Machine podcast, Colet and Nick introduce the Retreat Machine 5-Stage Success Path, a framework designed to help retreat leaders understand where they are in their business, what needs to happen next, and how to move from simply hosting retreats to operating as a true Retreat CEO.

They break down the five stages every retreat business moves through, because building a sustainable retreat business isn't just about selling out the next experience. It's about creating repeatable systems, cultivating a community that wants to stay connected, becoming known for a distinct point of view, developing additional revenue streams, and eventually building a company that can operate without requiring you to personally touch every part of it.

Colet and Nick also share where they currently see themselves within the framework, lessons they've learned while growing their own retreat businesses, and the metrics that matter at each stage.

If you've ever found yourself asking, "I know how to host a great retreat...but how do I turn this into an actual business?" this episode gives you the roadmap.

• The 5 stages of the Retreat Machine Success Path
• How to move beyond the Operator stage with clearer offers and repeatable systems
• Why knowing your ideal retreat guest is essential to building a strong community
• How community creates loyalty, referrals, repeat guests, and brand ambassadors
• The shift from retreat host to Authority Builder, with a recognizable point of view and methodology
• How to create revenue streams that complement your retreats
• What it means to become an Ecosystem Architect with a connected customer journey

The goal isn't simply to host more retreats.

It's to build a business where your retreats sit at the center of a larger ecosystem, supported by community, authority, repeatable systems, multiple revenue streams, and offers that allow people to continue working, traveling, and growing with you long after the retreat ends.

And ultimately, becoming a Retreat CEO means creating a business that doesn't require you to be the planner, marketer, customer service representative, bookkeeper, travel coordinator, and everything else at the same time.

You stop simply operating the business and start leading it.

Not sure which stage you're currently in?

Take the quick Retreat CEO Blueprint Quiz to discover where you are, what you should focus on next, and the steps that can help you move toward the next stage:

https://takethisretreatquiz.com

Explore the world behind the podcast:
https://retreatmachine.com

Discover your Retreat CEO blueprint:
https://takethisretreatquiz.com

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to The Retreat Machine so you never miss a conversation. New episodes explore the systems, strategies, and stories behind retreats, brands, and businesses that are built to last.

Follow us on Instagram @retreatmachine

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow retreat leader or entrepreneur and leave a review. It helps more people discover the show and become part of our growing community.

Retreat Machine releases a fresh new episode every other Wednesday. See you then!