The Flourish Women’s Retreat at Body Holiday Menopause, brain health & the science of thriving - four days at a historic Virginia estate, built around hormones, sleep, connection, and movement. April 15 - 19 2027 wellness retreats at best resorts

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 resort’s 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 Body Holiday Retreat pairs Dr. Amy Paul’s physician-led approach to brain longevity with four unhurried days at Body Holiday,  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)

FOUR 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 Body Holiday’s grounds.

BodyHoliday

Saint Lucia
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Is this Retreat for you?

This retreat is for you if you're…

Not just cope with it; actually understand the hormone-cognition connection.

No explaining yourself, no minimizing what you're feeling.

Four days away from the mental load of managing everyone else.

Real medical education from a fellowship-trained geriatrician, not a wellness influencer.

Sessions built for midlife bodies, not punishing workouts.

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.

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Your Experience

What's included, day to day.

Daily guided movement sessions, built for midlife bodies

Physician-led workshops with Dr. Amy on hormones, sleep, memory, and brain health

Small-group connection circles each evening

Restorative practices for deeper, more consistent sleep

Optional treatments at the Inn's three-story spa

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.

  • 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.

Are You Ready to Take the Next Step?

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

BodyHoliday, Saint Lucia

BodyHoliday is an award-winning, all-inclusive wellness resort set on a secluded crescent beach on Saint Lucia’s northwest coast, bordered by 18 acres of lush tropical gardens and the calm turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. At the heart of the resort sits its world-renowned Wellness Centre, home to the only Ayurvedic temple in the Caribbean, along with a Skin Clinic, a thalassotherapy pool, and a dedicated yoga pavilion where every guest enjoys a complimentary spa treatment each full day, chosen from an all-inclusive menu of eight options. Days unfold with yoga, Pilates, and fitness classes alongside guided movement and mindfulness sessions, while three swimming pools and a full water sports centre offer easy ways to unwind between activities. Multiple restaurants serve fresh, health-forward Caribbean and international cuisine, rounding out a holistic, whole-body approach built around four pillars; exercise, diet, restorative beauty, and relaxation designed to help you leave renewed and centered.

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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
  • $ 3,790
    --
    • 50-minute treatment per full day stay
    • Investment shared upon inquiry
    • The complete experience with a private room at Body Holiday
    • Four nights’ accommodation at Body Holiday
    • 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 Body Holiday spa facilities (treatments booked separately)
  • Double Occupancy
  • $ 2,750
    --
    • 50-minute treatment per full day stay
    • Investment shared upon inquiry
    • The complete experience with a private room at Body Holiday
    • Four nights’ accommodation at Body Holiday
    • 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 Body Holiday 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.

Your Evolve Perks

Making your wellness retreat simple, convenient, and stress-free from start to finish.
Payment Plans

Flexible payment plans available — contact Tammy Petersen to arrange yours (312-961-3280).

Travel Assistance

Need help getting here? Contact Barbara Khan at Pro Travel, Inc.

Hotel Incidentals

A credit card at check-in covers extra charges like spa treatments, excursions, or drinks.

Deposit Policy

Reserve your spot with a $750 non-refundable deposit; balance due 30 days before the retreat starts.

Flight Details

Please book flight arrivals into Hewanorra (UVF) in St. Lucia; Transfers will be arranged by Evolve and BodyHoliday at an additional cost

Roommate Requests

Request a roommate at signup; single-occupancy adjustments made if needed.

Questions?

Have a question before you book? We're here to help every step of the way.