A reflection from Chelsea Ross, Founder of Goddess Retreats
The Quiet Truth So Many Mothers Are Carrying
“I love my kids more than anything, but I had nothing left to give them.”
She said it gently, almost as a confession, as she stepped off the transfer van into the sunlight. Her eyes were tired, her body holding more weight than just her suitcase. She wasn’t broken, but she was deeply worn.
I hear versions of that sentence over and over again from women arriving at Goddess Retreats. It’s not dramatic. It’s not indulgent. It’s just honest.
These women are not abandoning their families or trying to run away. They are responding to something that has been building inside them for a long time. A quiet, persistent voice saying,I need something too.
The Many Faces of Motherhood Burnout
More and more mothers are coming on retreat. They’re not all in the same season of motherhood, but they are all carrying something heavy — usually silently.
Some are new mothers, navigating the early years of parenting. They’ve gone through pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, sleepless nights, and toddler meltdowns, often without a real break. When they arrive, they are craving rest. Not just a good night’s sleep, but deep, nervous system restoration. They want to be somewhere where no one is asking for anything from them, even for a few days. They soak up the massages, the nourishing meals, the stillness. It’s their first exhale in years.
Others are mothers of school-aged children or teens, and although their kids might be more independent, the mental load hasn’t decreased. These women are often looking for reconnection. They’re asking themselves questions like, Who am I now? What do I enjoy? What lights me up?
Then there are mothers whose children are almost grown or have already left the home. These women are entering a different phase. They come not just to rest, but to reflect. Many are preparing for a new chapter and want to reconnect with a version of themselves they haven’t heard from in decades.
We Were Never Meant to Do This Alone
One of the reasons mothers are so burnt out is because of how much has changed around the role of parenting. In the past, families were raised in community. There were aunties, cousins, grandparents, and neighbors nearby to help carry the weight of raising a child.
Today, many women are doing the work of an entire village, often without consistent help or emotional support. Add careers, personal health, relationship responsibilities, and societal expectations to the mix, and it’s no wonder mothers are quietly running on empty.
There’s also a lingering belief that asking for help is weakness. That taking time for yourself is selfish. That being tired or overwhelmed means you’re not doing a good job. But the truth is, burnout is not a personal failure. It is the natural result of too much giving without enough space to receive.
Why Some Mothers Are Choosing to Step Away
At Goddess Retreats, I’ve noticed something special. More and more women are making the decision to come on their own. Not with their partners, not with their friends, and not as part of a group. Just themselves.
For many, it’s the first time in years — or decades — they’ve had this kind of space.
Here, they aren’t making decisions for others. They aren’t coordinating nap times or meal plans. They’re not worrying about anyone’s needs but their own. And for some, that simplicity feels radical.
They wake up slowly. They move gently. They decide moment by moment what feels good. And in that stillness, they begin to hear themselves again.
A Place Where Women Come Together
One of the most sacred elements of our retreats is the circle of women. It forms naturally, across age and experience. Women in their twenties sit beside women in their sixties. Mothers share stories with those who are just beginning to think about having children. Empty nesters share wisdom with first-time mums. There is laughter. There are tears. And there is always recognition.
It’s in those moments that women realize they are not alone. So many of our struggles, joys, doubts, and questions are shared. And when spoken aloud in a safe space, they soften. They release. They heal.
This is what we have lost in modern life — and what we rebuild here, quietly and powerfully.
You Cannot Give from an Empty Well
Mothers are givers. That’s part of the beauty of motherhood — the deep well of care, patience, and love. But even a deep well runs dry if it is never replenished.
When we keep pushing through without rest, without reflection, we begin to feel irritable, foggy, and disconnected. Our emotions become harder to regulate. Our bodies ache. And everything starts to feel heavier than it should.
The answer is not to push harder. The answer is to pause, to rest, and to be held for a change.
Because when you return to your family after tending to your own needs, you don’t come back empty. You come back clearer, softer, and more grounded. You return as the version of yourself that your children, your partner, and your community benefit most from — the one who feels whole.
This Is a Place to Remember Yourself
At Goddess Retreats, everything is designed to nurture. The meals are vibrant and nourishing. The spa treatments are restorative. The environment is calm and natural. The women’s circles are warm and welcoming. The schedule is gentle and flexible.
But the most powerful part of the retreat is what happens inside each woman. As the days unfold, she begins to remember herself. Not just as a mother, but as a person. A creative, intuitive, passionate human being with her own story, needs, and desires.
And from that remembering, something beautiful happens. She starts to reconnect. With joy. With softness. With strength. With her own inner knowing.
She does not return home as someone new. She returns home as herself — rested, restored, and ready to keep growing.
