Retreat Summary
Physician-led education. Real rest. A community that gets it.
This isn’t a lecture series, and it isn’t a spa weekend it’s both, built around Dr. Amy’s four pillars. Mornings ground you in the science: what’s actually happening to your hormones and your brain, and what to do about it. Afternoons are yours, to rest, move, or take a treatment at the Inn’s historic spa.
Evenings bring the group back together in small circles built for honest conversation – the 2am wake-ups, the word that won’t come to you mid-sentence, the feeling of being unheard by a doctor who moved on too fast. None of this is meant to be carried alone. You’ll leave with more than notes: a personal plan, and women who understand exactly what this season feels like.
YOU ARE NOT IMAGINING IT
“Just stress” was never the whole answer.
If you’ve brought up brain fog and been told it’s just stress. If you’ve lain awake at 3am wondering why sleep won’t come the way it used to. If you’ve quietly asked yourself whether the sharp, steady version of you is still in there somewhere – that question is exactly why this retreat exists.
Menopause changes more than your cycle. Falling estrogen touches the same brain regions that govern memory, focus, and mood, while hot flashes, night sweats, and stress fragment the sleep your brain relies on to repair itself. The Flourish Women’s Retreat pairs Dr. Amy Paul’s physician-led approach to brain longevity with four unhurried days at The Blackburn Inn, so you leave not just informed, but with an actual plan, and a group of women who understand exactly what this season feels like.
40% of dementia risk is linked to lifestyle-related factors that intensify during midlife — and your brain responds most to how you live, move, sleep, and connect between the ages of 35 and 65. (Source: 2024 Lancet Commission)
THREE DAYS, FOUR PILLARS
Everything at this retreat is built around one weekend, four themes.
Nothing here is filler. Each pillar targets a factor the evidence directly connects to how women experience – and protect – their brains through midlife.
01 · Hormones + Brain Health
With Dr. Amy: what falling estrogen actually does to memory, focus, and mood — what’s a normal transition, what deserves medical attention, and how to build a personal plan around it.
02 · Sleep
Sleep is when the brain clears waste and consolidates memory — and it’s often the first thing menopause disrupts. Sessions target deeper, more restorative rest, not just less wakefulness.
03 · Connection
Social connection is one of the most protective – and most overlooked – factors against cognitive decline. Small-group circles built for honest conversation, not small talk.
04 · Movement
The single most consistent protective factor in the research. Guided sessions built for midlife bodies – strength, mobility, and the outdoors around the Blackburn Inn’s grounds.
Is this Retreat for you?
This retreat is for you if you're…
Ready to understand your changing brain
Not just cope with it; actually understand the hormone-cognition connection.
Craving a community that gets it
No explaining yourself, no minimizing what you're feeling.
Needing uninterrupted time for you
Four days away from the mental load of managing everyone else.
Looking for guidance, not guesswork
Real medical education from a fellowship-trained geriatrician, not a wellness influencer.
Ready for restorative movement, not punishment
Sessions built for midlife bodies, not punishing workouts.
Wanting a personal plan, not generic advice
Next steps specific to you, not a one-size-fits-all handout.
Meet Dr. Amy S.M. Paul, MD
Fellowship-Trained Geriatrician · Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician · Blue Zones Certified Physician · Founder, Flourish Cognitive Health
“You don’t have to wait for symptoms to protect your brain.”
Dr. Paul has spent her career at the bedside of families navigating dementia, caring for them as they loved fiercely and tirelessly, and often quietly fell apart with no brain-care plan of their own. What struck her, again and again, was how much of it could have been prevented if someone had intervened years earlier. She founded Flourish Cognitive Health in Glen Allen, Virginia, to give women moving through midlife a clear, physician-led starting point for protecting their brain long before any diagnosis defines them. This retreat is that same philosophy, carried out of the clinic and into four days built for it to take hold.
Your Experience
What's included, day to day.
Daily Guided Movement
Daily guided movement sessions, built for midlife bodies
Physician-Led Workshops
Physician-led workshops with Dr. Amy on hormones, sleep, memory, and brain health
Evening Connection Circles
Small-group connection circles each evening
Deeper Restful Sleep
Restorative practices for deeper, more consistent sleep
Historic Estate Stay
Historic estate accommodations at The Blackburn Inn
Optional Spa Treatments
Optional treatments at the Inn's three-story spa
Your Personal Roadmap
Personal one on one sessions with Dr. Amy – get your road map!
What You Will Walk Away With
Three days that change how the next decade feels.
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A Personal Brain Health Plan
Specific next steps for your hormones, sleep, and daily life — not generic advice. -
A Community That Understands
Women you can call when the “old you” question comes up again at home. -
Confidence, Not Just Coping
Clarity in place of the fog, and a plan in place of the worry.
Itinerary
DAY 1 – Arrival & Connection
| 4:00 PM | Check-in |
| 5:30 PM | Welcome reception & opening circle |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner |
| 8:00 PM | Optional evening stretch & unwind |
DAY 2 – Hormones + Brain Health
| 7:00 AM | Optional sunrise walk - Coffee on your own |
| 8:00 AM | Movement session |
| 10:00 AM | Brunch |
| 10:30–11:30 AM | Workshop I - Brain Health Assessment |
| 11:45 AM–1:00 PM | Workshop II - Hormones & the Menopause Brain |
| 1:30–4:00 PM | Free time / spa / rest |
| 4:30 PM | Creativity Lab™ |
| 6:00 PM | Group dinner |
| Evening | Guided Reflection |
DAY 3 – Sleep + Movement
| 7:00 AM | Optional sunrise walk – Coffee on your own |
| 8:00 AM | Movement session |
| 10:00 AM | Brunch |
| 10:30–11:30 AM | Workshop I - Memory Lab™ |
| 11:45 AM–1:00 PM | Workshop II - Sleep & the Menopausal Brain |
| 1:30–4:00 PM | Free time / spa / rest |
| 4:30 PM | Connection circle |
| 6:00 PM | Group dinner |
| Evening | Optional evening walk |
DAY 4 – Integration & Departure
| 7:30 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00–10:30 AM | Closing Workshop - Brain Blueprint™ |
| 10:30 AM | Farewell circle |
| 11:00 AM | Check-out & departure |
Your Venue Destination
The Blackburn Inn, Staunton, Virginia
A nineteenth-century estate reimagined as a boutique retreat, set on 80+ acres in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, just steps from downtown Staunton. Grand staircases, quiet courtyards, and a three-story historic spa make this a setting built for slowing down – not another conference room with a view.
301 Greenville Avenue, Staunton, Virginia 24401
(540) 712-0601
- 49 individually designed rooms, each with a fireplace
- A dedicated three-story spa for rest and recovery
- Farm-to-table dining at Second Draft Bar & Bistro
- The Great Hall, courtyards, and gardens for group sessions
- Walking distance to downtown Staunton’s shops and galleries
Retreat Inclusions & Booking Details
Reserve your place with a $750 non-refundable deposit. Remaining balance due 30 days before the retreat. Payment Plans are available. Space is limited to keep this personal. Airfare and transfers are not included.
This group is limited to 15 guests.
Coffee Bar Set up + Morning Connection
- Single Occupancy
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$
2,850
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- Investment shared upon inquiry
- The complete experience with a private room at The Blackburn Inn
- Three nights’ accommodation at The Blackburn Inn
- All meals, Thursday dinner through Sunday breakfast
- All workshops and sessions with Dr. Amy Paul
- Daily guided movement sessions
- Retreat welcome gift & workbook
- Access to Blackburn Inn spa facilities (treatments booked separately)
- Double Occupancy
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$
2,250
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-
- Investment shared upon inquiry
- All four pillars, meals, and sessions, paired with a fellow retreat guest
- Three nights’ accommodation at The Blackburn Inn
- All meals, Thursday dinner through Sunday breakfast
- All workshops and sessions with Dr. Amy Paul
- Daily guided movement sessions
- Retreat welcome gift & workbook
- Access to Blackburn Inn spa facilities (treatments booked separately)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who is this retreat for?
Women in perimenopause or menopause who want a clear, physician-led understanding of what’s happening to their brain and body and a personal plan for protecting both.
Do I need a diagnosis or existing symptoms to attend?
No. Many guests attend proactively, before any symptoms appear brain health is easiest to protect before there’s anything to treat.