Feeling stuck in business? Discover how business retreats fuel growth and breakthroughs in this powerful interview with Jody Halsted.
IE 463: From Burnout to Breakthrough: How Business Retreats Fuel Growth with Jody Halsted
Jody – My name is Jodi Halsted. I have been in the online space since 2003, at the very beginning of blogging. I am the owner of Ireland Family Vacations, the host of the Traveling in Ireland podcast. I specialize in helping people plan amazing Ireland vacations that don’t follow the basic cookie cutter routes.
It’s something that I have been blessed to be able to do, with over 23 years of Ireland travel experience and of making friends and contacts through the country.
It’s been so much fun and I absolutely love what I do, even if there are times of the year that I’m just like “I’m done. This is just so not worth it.” It’s always worth it. There are just times that are more frustrating or where you feel like you’re swimming upstream. But it’s the best job ever because it’s mine.
Jenny – Yes! It’s that rollercoaster feeling. There are always those times. I feel like I keep having that conversation with people.
You never burn anything down during the months June, July and August because you just don’t. That is a season of chaos, in most people’s lives, because of the summer. Also because many of our people are not as engaged and we feel like we’re just shouting into the void.
How is a retreat different from a conference or online training?
Jody – I think that the power of a retreat comes from being around other people who are in a similar situation. What we do is so isolated. I don’t know anybody else who does exactly what I do. I’m not going to be able to go find a conference. There are plenty of travel blogging conferences, but they don’t fit my needs.
They’re too general. While I love the camaraderie of it, it doesn’t hit me right. I’ve been in this space for 22 years. Unless it’s super niche content, there’s very little that I don’t know, haven’t experienced, or can’t just figure out myself.
The power of a retreat comes from not necessarily being with people who are doing exactly what you’re doing, but it comes from being with people who are in the same circumstances. They are working to grow their business. They are working to get the knowledge they need to help them no matter what state they are in.
Having the energy around you is like adrenaline, like a buzz that you get. Being around smart women, who are looking to do things that are similar to you, who you can bounce ideas off and help with, it revives you.
I think that it does something being in person. We’re so isolated in our little offices, our little cubes. Even if we’re talking to people and we’re making connections that way. there’s just nothing like the face-to-face contact and the power that comes from that.
As women especially, we have a tendency to put family first and really kind of put ourselves on the back burner.
I think that if you’re a business woman and really serious about growing a business, then you’ve got to put that up there at the top, not before your kids maybe, or your marriage. Otherwise, you’re not giving it everything you can.
That may be just the way I think about it, but I know that the minute I was able to take my business and put it ahead of other things…ahead of a clean house or ahead of making meals from scratch every single night, I I homeschooled at first too so I always had kids at home. The minute I was able to position my business in a place where it was more important than just a hobby, was when I noticed a change in what I was doing.
Jenny – I feel like the retreat gives you that ability to have a personalized plan for yourself by getting the opinions of others that are not necessarily in your niche. I think that’s always one of my favorite things about the programs that I run with Mastermind.
It’s not always people from the same niche, so you bring different thoughts, ideas, perspectives and your experience as well. Not necessarily just business experience but also life experience. You can also speak to that aspect of what would pull you in and take you along on that customer journey. I always think that that piece is just so important as well.
Jody – Especially if you’re around people who aren’t doing exactly what you’re doing, it’s a great way to see what’s working for them and to think, well, how could that work for me? Is that something that even a little piece would fit into my business and enhance it in this way?
It opens your eyes up. We’re very narrowly focused. We kind of have blinders on like a horse. To be around people who are just as committed to their growth and their business and seeing what they’re doing can really widen your view, which I think is really important.
What was your first experience with a business retreat, and how did it shift your perspective?
Jody – I’ve been to conferences like Allie Worthington’s BlisDom. The first retreat I did was actually yours last year. It was more concentrated.
If you’ve ever been to a blogging conference or you’ve ever heard somebody talk about the golden age of blogging, the thing you always heard was that the best conversations happen in the hallways. A retreat is the hallway all the time.
It’s really in depth. You’re not getting this 20,000 foot overview from somebody who’s done something that may or may not work for you. You’re digging in and you’re getting in depth with the ideas, the nuts and bolts, and the passion behind something.
At last year’s retreat, there was nobody else in travel. The main reason I went was the personal connection. But number two, I wanted just to be able to sit, be kind of relaxed, and talk business and bounce ideas off of other people. But, also to have the extra downtime.
We’ve all come here for this purpose, but we’re people and there’s a personal connection as well. I think that, as women, a lot of the time, we’re missing that personal connection. The more things are online or the more we’re busy with A, B and C, we let those personal connections go.It just it revives you.
You feel like you’re in this little sisterhood and it’s a powerful sisterhood. It’s strong, smart women with a forward facing goal, It’s just a really incredible environment to be in.
Jenny – My next question for you is about burnout and I think that why are you thinking that retreats are so powerful. You just kind of answered it. It gives you that energy back. It gives you that sense of “I am not isolated in just this little tiny business.”
We pull in personal aspects.We pull in our experiences. I recently shared in a mastermind, I am going through different phases with my daughters. We’re getting ready to drive and we’re in high school. We’re making different types of decisions and I’m thinking about college.
It’s always important to be able to have those perspectives, not only from your personal friends during your real life, but business owners as well. The way that business owners approach those different stages are different than the way someone in your real life that works a nine to five is going to be able to approach it.
Jody – You definitely have a different perspective. I’m very lucky to be in close proximity with all of my family and my sister and my sister-in-law both work for large companies in the insurance business. They both work nine to fives and when we have family get togethers, they’re speaking to things from a less flexible standpoint.
When you’re working, sitting down, and having these conversations with people who are, they’re building, it gives you a different perspective on so many things, just how they plan their days or that work-life balance thing that always seems to be in the ether.
There isn’t a work-life balance. You have seasons, but if you’re in a nine to five, those seasons are very different than if you’re self-employed. I can plan my season to take six weeks and be gone. As long as I plan it in advance, things will tick over and then I’m just checking emails: an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.
That’s completely unheard of for somebody in a nine to five. They’re not taking six weeks to go anywhere. They’re not able to drop or shift or move things quickly. I think that that the ability to think on your feet, to make quick decisions that you don’t have to check with anybody else, is a very unique thing. Not everybody has the ability to do it because it’s not part of their daily life.
Jenny – Yes, and if you don’t have these conversations amongst business owners, you’re not necessarily going to understand how someone batches or schedules their days, or is able to take six weeks off or the summer off because they have all of their content. For some people that blows their mind,
There are those that are doing that and they’re showing at these retreats how it works for them within their schedules because of the systems they’ve created, which is also a piece of what we always talk about. I just think that that does like really bring it in when you’re at a retreat, because those are the conversations that end up happening.
How are you able to be at every game or to like you take time to go to travel to Ireland to take tours? It’s just part of understanding how you’re able to do that by having those conversations.
What are some of the biggest breakthroughs you’ve witnessed (or experienced) at a retreat?
Jody – You hear about the light bulb moments, but actually seeing it happen is almost like you’ve witnessed an eclipse. You can see it happening. It’s reached its pinnacle and you’re like that’s super cool. These light bulbs turn on, but they’re so powerful.
You can see the adrenaline and thoughts. It just like a stone rolling down a hill. It starts off slow and then all of a sudden it picks up speed and bam, it’s right there.
Those are probably the most incredible moments to be a part of and to witness because you have the excitement of it. You have people getting excited about their business again, especially if they came in with a block.
Last year there were a couple of people in the retreat that came in unsure. What am I doing with this? Where am I going with this? Seeing that blockage move and their excitement and passion for what they were doing was probably one of the most powerful things that I saw last year at the retreat. It just was so inspiring.
Jenny – For me, it was Cynthia when she was talking about her business and walking us through it. She’s been doing this for a very long time and trying to see where she was trying to go.
I remember getting goosebumps when she started talking about the traditions of her family and like that was the part she wanted to be able to recreate in her recipes and in her cooking classes as well. It was that epiphany that she had and you could see the pure joy on her face about where she was looking to go and how she would be able to do this. It was inspiring.
There were other ones that happened as well. I was awestruck.
Jody – I was thinking of Cindy, her big sheet of paper, writing things down, and moving them around, and seeing how this is all going to fit together. Seeing that puzzle completed for her and just hearing the excitement, it’s a rush.
Jenny – It’s that connection and knowing where you’re going to go, because you now have a plan and you can see all of it at once.
What role does community and collaboration play in fueling growth at a retreat?
Jody – Tell me what you mean by that.
Jenny – One of the key things for me, and one of the things that you had always said to me, was that the way that masterminds are done, we collaborate. It’s not just me going off the mouth and training for hours and hours on end. It’s everyone having a discussion with me, getting some questions in, as well as part of the group. How that impact the overall feel of the retreat?
Jody – When you’re in mastermind you have 30 minutes every four weeks or so. Between that, you’re kind of keeping up with the different thing you are doing. Hopefully you’re staying on task to hit the goal that you want to hit.
You’ve got so much time and you’re getting your questions answered, but at the retreat we were able to say we have got the day.
Here’s your chunk of the day and just to go through and figure out where I’m at, where I want to be, and what are the steps I need to get there.
You have a more thorough experience where you’re going through it step by step by step, and it’s all at once, People can see where you’re starting and give feedback on your steps.
Having people who would possibly be clients on my website to bounce ideas off of. They don’t have any preconceived notions about what I do or how my business runs.
Walking them through it and talking about where I’m at, where I want to go and asking if these steps make sense for the average person. Because I think that, especially when we’re in a group of people who are very similar to us, it’s very easy to fall into somebody else’s path.
“Oh well, it worked for them, it’ll work for me.” Or, “It has to be done this way because this is the way everybody is doing it.”
To be able to have people who have no idea and have them work through things and see the flow and they’re so much more able to pick out something that wouldn’t work for them or to say “I’m missing something here.”
Having that, it can change your perspective and give you so much more insight.
It’s not that masterminds aren’t incredibly helpful, because they are. But having a larger chunk of time to focus on you, all for that time, and getting through that and having a more thorough view of how other people see what you’re doing, it’s invaluable. It really is.
You’re going to be able to see and you(Jenny) did this to me often “Why are you doing that? That doesn’t make sense. Why are you going that way? Is it really worth your time?” By the end of it, we had all kind of determined that a step is neat, but it’s not leading you forward.
It’s actually just keeping you at the place you’re at. If you have nothing else to do and you’ve achieved everything, definitely keep that on the back burner.
Let’s take these steps first that are going to take you forward into what your ultimate goals are. You don’t get that much of a call out in a mastermind.
Jenny – You had so much one-on-one time with each other, because those mastermind kind of sessions were built in the retreat. Yes, we did training. Yes, we did individual work and then we came together and worked through it and challenged each other.
I think that that was a big piece of it. We started with this big idea of a 90 day plan; taking your customer journey through it and where are they going to land? What are the projects and tasks that are going to go into that?
Then, step by step, how do you get them there? Is it in line with where you’re trying to go for those 90 days for 2026? Because that’s what we’re looking to plan for for this retreat.
What advice would you give to someone on the fence — afraid to step away from their business to attend a retreat?
Jody – For women. I don’t think it’s being afraid to step away from their business. It’s very easy for us to step away from our business. I think that might be part of the problem.
We’re not afraid to step away from our business. We’re afraid to step away from everything else because we are the plate spinner If we’re not there spinning the plates, they’re going to fall.
I can remember when my girls were very little, the first conferences I went to. I can remember spending weeks cooking meals and writing out schedules so my husband could handle it. He’s their dad. He can handle it.
I feel like it’s not so much about leaving your business, because it is a business retreat. You’re going to have the ability to check your emails, to get back to people. Jenny’s retreat comes in November. By November you should have all your Q4 done.
This should be the time when everything is coasting through because you’re set. If your Q4 isn’t done. I would say this is probably the most important place you could be,
Even though you’re looking at your first 90 days in Q1 of 2026, you need to be thinking forward. My Q1, I don’t plan anything. That’s when my business really starts to pick up. Q4, just absolutely crap for me, just because of my business.
I think a big part of this is even determining when is the time you need to focus on these growth plans and these things that need done on your site.
When is the time that you need to get things planned ahead and be ready for the sprint of your busiest time. Just figuring those out I think is super important.
Sometimes, it’s really hard to see when you’re on the ground looking at it. You’ve got to get a 10,000 foot view on that before you’re going to actually be able to see the ebbs and the flows.
You’re looking at the past two years with your stats. If you don’t have stats set up, or you’re not sure what stats to look at, then having people around you who know, who have done it and who are in, that is going to give you a great view, is going to really give you a great view.
Nobody’s afraid to step away from their business. They’re afraid to step away from everything else. I’m going to tell you, it’s entirely possible. It’s just like anything else. It takes a little bit of planning.
The last time I went away from my family and, granted, my girls are older now, my youngest is in college now. She just started college this year. But, when I was gone for six weeks in 2023, she was a junior.
I just ordered one of the food boxes that they deliver groceries. My husband didn’t have to go shopping. I was like “Here’s your meals. They’re easy to make. Here’s your breakfast. They’re easy to make.”
I was gone for six weeks in another country and nothing fell apart. Yes, there were a couple of things I missed that had not been on the schedule.
I am super blessed because her birthday fell in there. I wasn’t planning on being gone and then I had an opportunity, I could not turn down. It was just way too much money and it kept me there another month,
That’s why I was there six weeks. I’m blessed enough that I was able to say “okay, come over to see me for your birthday.” I had my daughter for her 17th birthday in Ireland with me. It was an off week for me and we had some absolutely amazing experiences.
You can work things out. This is only four days. You’re not going to be gone an excessive amount of time. Maybe you’ll miss a football game or maybe you’ll miss somebody else’s birthday party, not your own child. You can plan for things to run while you’re gone.
I think that if you are serious about business growth and you can make the dates work, it’s going to be an experience that is going to set you up for the year to come and even after that.
I would say it’s not necessarily something you need to do every year, Although, I was there last year. I’m going to be there again this year because I get great energy and inspiration from being around in person with people. I’m an introvert.
I don’t necessarily like to be around people for extended periods of time. I hate being in big crowds, but being in a small, concentrated group of of women who are focused forward and looking at how they can make changes to their business, that energizes me.
I think it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself and for your business.
What else are you doing in November, at the beginning of the month?
Jenny – Perfect, Jody. I appreciate you coming on and talking about your experience with Insiders Retreat. I am so excited to get to hug you in person again.
For those that are unaware, Insiders Retreat is in November. We are going to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. We are right across the street from the ocean, in a beach house, a gated community. It is going to be an amazing event, intimate, and these strides that we’re going to be taking for 2026 are going to be life-changing for your business. So if you haven’t filled out an application, definitely get on it. We have a few spaces left and I would love to have you there. Jodi. Thank you so much again for your time.
Learn more about the Insider’s Retreat here.
