WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP RETREATS
An ALCHEMY of inspiration, imagination, inquiry and insight to help define your path to PURPOSE.
Maybe you’re already on the right path. Maybe you’re looking for inspiration or a sense of community. Maybe you have an inkling of what could be in your life, and need the grace and space to explore.
In our Leadership Retreats (that we love to call “Destination Immersions!”), we bring women together to explore what’s next.
Through guided exploration, powerful questions and leveraging our Insights and Inquiry framework, we’ll help you get clear on what matters most. Right now. And clarity on the steps to make it real.
Should YOU join us?
Our 5-day immersive experience will tap into your values, and leverage your innate wisdom to help you get clarity on your goals and ambitions.
With a small group of six to eight other accomplished women, you’ll define what’s most important to you, and explore what’s next on your journey.
This retreat is for you if:
-
AT WORK...
You carry tremendous responsibility
You look left and right and you’re often one of the few (if not only) women at the executive table or in the boardroom
You’re a role model for other women - whether or not you choose to be
You know there’s a community of like-minded women out there, and you don’t know how to find a safe space for exploration
-
AT HOME...
You’re THE resource for the important people in your life: mentally, emotionally - possibly even financially
And…likely the primary point person for all things family-related. We know that attending to people we love and want to care for can be demanding: you name it, you’re on it!
You love your life deeply….AND you fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day
-
INSIDE YOUR SOUL...
You're looking for the integration of purpose, vision and values
You know that you’re called to more - but you don’t know where to start
You’re tired of being pulled in so many directions and feel like it all rests on your shoulders
You know that you have more to offer
October 2025 Leadership Retreat
Umbria, Italy | October 13-17
“…LIFE CHANGING…”
Join us for a 5-day women’s leadership immersion in beautiful Italy. Nova retreats are uniquely structured and gracefully facilitated to inspire - to provide insight into your personal and professional journey. If you’re ready to redefine your path forward, we’d love to have you join us in Umbria.
If not now, when?
What to Expect…
The Schedule + Itinerary
-
2:00 - 4:00PM
Grounds and villa open for your arrival. Come in, get settled, rest from your travels. Light refreshments will be available.
4:00 - 8:00 PM
We begin to build our community Monday afternoon and evening, introducing ourselves to one another and to our beautiful surroundings. We’ll frame the week, and give you insight into the journey ahead. In deference to our international travelers, this will be an early evening to prepare for the week. Following a chef-prepared dinner, we’ll wrap by about 9PM to give everyone a good night’s sleep.
-
All times are approximate!
7:30 – 9:00AM
This is your time: you can work out, journal, sleep – whatever suits you and has you ready for the day
9:00 – 9:30 AM
Each day, we’ll have a healthy and light breakfast, including plenty of robust Italian coffee, and other morning beverages
9:30 – 12:30PM
Our morning session each day begins with a mind-body connection aligned to our focus for the day. Each day will bring new insights, and will build on prior content. We’ll spend our mornings challenging your thinking, providing new frameworks and opening possibilities. Group and individual work fosters clarity and insight into what’s most important and relevant for you.
Tuesday’s work is around getting you settled for the week: a look back to look forward, and insight into what’s true for you – right now.
Wednesday, we’ll look at dreams and possibilities: an exploration of what could be: becoming the architect of your path to purpose.
On Thursday, we go deeper into our journey, and look at the allies and dragons you may encounter along the way.
Friday morning is all about equipping you to take your learning back: what’s changed, and how to move forward with ease and grace.
12:30 – 6:00PM
Each of our full days together has three components: learning with a connection to our surroundings, a hands-on experience to expand our thinking, creativity and boundaries, and, of course, fabulous Italian meals. Our Tuesday – Thursday excursions may include any of the following:
A guided walking tour of the hilltop towns of Italy
A museum visit with a local art guide
A hands-on cooking class with a resident chef
A visit to centuries-old olive groves and vineyards including wine and olive oil tasting
Please note that we do a LOT of walking throughout the week. And often on cobblestone streets or up and down picturesque (and uneven!) steps. Your physical fitness and comfort are important to us, so please plan accordingly.
6:00 – 8:00PM
Free time. Our time together will be rich, and we want to ensure that you have time to review / reflect / renew. Of course, you can always use this time to connect with your villa-mates, or to send postcards home. Or take a walk. Or maybe a nap? It’s your time. You decide.
8:00 – 10:00PM
We’ll dine like the Italians: later in the evening, in community, and with carafes of wine and sparkling water at the ready. Italians are known for amazing food, and the tradition of breaking bread together is an important component of our Nova retreats. We believe in fostering community and unstructured conversation over dinner. We’ll review the day, make connections to our personal and professional insights, and have a sneak peek of what’s still to come in our collective journey.
A note about Friday: On Friday, our morning schedule will look roughly the same as the rest of the week, and we’ll spend time making sure you’re equipped to move forward. Leveraging the insight, knowledge, and the power of the community you’ve created throughout the week, you’ll define a plan to move from Insight to Action. With ample time to salute your journey, we’ll wrap the day by 3PM.
Optional: A Friday Night Sleepover!
Because many international flights depart in the early morning or mid-day, please savor your time in the villa one more night, if you’d like. If you choose to depart Saturday morning, an unstructured Friday afternoon and evening could be a relaxing end to your visit.
While our formal programming wraps Friday at 3PM, you’re more than welcome to stay Friday night at no additional cost. Depending on the number of people staying, we can also coordinate plans for dinner Friday evening.
Alternatively, if you’re off to enjoy more of what this beautiful country has to offer, please plan your Friday travel so that you’re able to stay with us through our 3PM close.
We can facilitate your return trip to the airport or to the train station on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, and these transfer fees are included in your registration fees.
Please note that Saturday departures should be complete by 10AM local time.
What is Included
-
Well - pretty much everything from the time you arrive in Italy…including:
Transfers to and from the airport or train station
Your own private room in an AMAZING villa
Meals and snacks on site from our local chef and restaurant dining per our itinerary
Excursions that allow us to enjoy the beauty and wonder of Umbria or Tuscany - including all tips and transfers
Community and our work together which begins with a daily yoga / breathing / meditation practice
-
Airfare
Spending money for shopping and incidentals
That’s it!
About the Location
-
We searched the world for the most beautiful backdrop to hold our destination immersions and we believe we found it! What better place to renew and inspire than in the heart of Italy, a country whose history is richly woven with creativity, artistry, beauty and innovation.
-
Our retreat is in Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance, and the perfect space to launch your personal renewal.
You'll spend your retreat surrounded by breathtaking landscapes and sun-drenched hills. And that’s just the beginning - your private room will have you so comfortable you may never want to leave.
View photos of the castle in Umbria HERE!
Here’s what we know:
Since our first destination immersion retreat in 2017, we’ve discovered that each retreat is unique. Because of the location. Because of the women who attend. Because of who and how you are, and the context of your life. We’ll start on Monday afternoon, and wrap mid-day Friday. Throughout the week, we’ll have small group work, facilitated discussions and solo reflection time to outline your path to purpose.
Our goal is to create a safe container for you for a week. We ask you to come ready for Insight and Inquiry. Come for our daily yoga or meditation practice. No experience required! Come for meals prepared by our private chef. Come for daily adventures to enjoy the local color and culture.
This is all included in your immersion retreat – all you have to do is get to Italy in October.
We keep it as “all-inclusive” as possible: all of your meals, your accommodations, cultural excursions and thought-provoking work with your new community of women is covered. Let someone take care of you for a change.
From the time you register, we’ve got you!
What they’re saying…
-
![]()
“SINCE COMING BACK, I’M OPERATING FROM A PLACE OF CALM, SECURITY AND EMPOWERMENT – THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS RETREAT!”
-
![]()
“I THOUGHT THE RETREAT WAS EXCELLENT - THE CARE AND THOUGHT NOVA PUT INTO IT SHOWED AND I FOUND THE TIME SPENT WELL WORTH IT. THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, I FELT SAFE, CARED FOR, AND OPEN TO DISCUSS THINGS FREELY.”
-
![]()
“JUST BEING ABLE TO LEARN NEW CONCEPTS IN A SMALL GROUP SETTING WAS AMAZING. BUT TO BE ABLE TO DIRECTLY TAP INTO LISA AND KATHLEEN’S KNOWLEDGE AND THEIR EXPERIENCE WAS EXTRAORDINARY. THEY’RE ABLE TO TRANSLATE CONCEPTS INTO AN UNDERSTANDING I’D HAVE NEVER GOTTEN ANY OTHER WAY.”
-
![]()
“WHILE THERE’S AN AGENDA FOR THE RETREAT, I LOVED THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF SHARING AMONGST THE PARTICIPANTS. THE BALANCE OF PUSH AND PULL OF INFORMATION IS GREAT. THESE EVENTS AREN’T EFFECTIVE UNLESS THERE’S REAL LIFE CONTEXT.”
-
![]()
“MY KEY TAKEAWAY: SELF-CARE, RECHARGE, AND GIVING MY MIND SOME REST IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME FOR CLARITY AND TO PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE.”
-
![]()
“IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO MEET A GROUP OF WISE AND STRONG LEADERS I CAN LEAN ON - THROUGH THEM I CAN SEE THE POTENTIAL IN ME.”
We’re Kathleen and Lisa: creators, founders, facilitators, and the architects behind Nova Women’s Leadership Retreats.
We spent decades on the senior executive teams of Fortune 100 companies. We know firsthand what it’s like to feel great joy in your work - to be highly accomplished, and, at the time, to feel overwhelmed. We’ve spent our careers working with accomplished women who still somehow feel that slight tinge of uncertainty: people who know they’re doing everything well, and, at the same time, aren’t 100% sure that the “right” way is the right way for them.
You’ll often hear us say: “We know you…because we ARE you.”
We were successful, hard working, respected, and loved our teams and our companies - and we were thoroughly depleted. We were so busy working and giving to others that we’d lost sight of ourselves. We were each seeking clarity on our path to purpose.
So many times we’ve commented that our Immersions are just the experience that we wish we’d had available as we were making our way through the corporate world. We know the journey can be lonely, and we want women to have allies along the way.
That’s the foundation for our Immersion Retreats: we want to give women the space to reflect, to explore, to dig deep, and to ensure that the life they’re living is a life they’re loving.
By creating Nova Leadership and our Nova Destination Immersions, we found our path back to joy, to fun, and to freedom, grace and ease. We discovered how to help other women bring their souls back to life…both in and outside of work.
Are you ready for your own renaissance?
FAQ’s
-
We recommend that you fly into Rome. Plan to arrive no later than noon on Monday, and our driver will pick you up for the ~2.5 hour ride through the Italian countryside to the villa.
Transportation to and from the Rome airport/train station or your hotel will be provided along with transportation for all activities during the retreat.
Further details will be provided upon registration.
You will not need a car.
-
First and foremost, an open mind and a sense of adventure. Most of the week is casual, and we do a LOT of walking, so please come prepared. Once registered, we’ll send you a more detailed list of suggested items to pack.
-
In order to get the most from your Immersion, we request that you plan to attend the retreat from Monday at 2PM to Friday at 3PM. Late arrivals or early departures impact the group, and each day builds on the prior days’ experience.
-
We know that life happens, and if you’re unable to attend your Nova Immersion, your payment can be redirected to another Immersion assuming that:
(A) We have space in a later date, and
(B) We’re able to fill the spot that you’ve canceled.
Know that your payment includes a $1,000 USD non-refundable deposit.
-
We’re thrilled that you’ll be joining us in Italy! Please note the following:
Nova Leadership strongly recommends that you purchase travel protection and trip cancellation insurance if not already covered via your organization or purchasing credit card.
The $1000 deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable.
The schedule is a general guide for the Nova Leadership’s Women’s Leadership Retreats.
-
Research shows that “if you plan ahead, create social connections on the trip, go far from your work, and feel safe, 94% of vacations have a good ROI in terms of your energy and outlook upon returning to work.”
Nova’s Destination Immersions are designed to be intentional to develop a new, innovative and authentic approach to life, leadership and purpose. This retreat will help you add value to the company by providing you the opportunity to reconnect with your passion.
Past participants have shared that they’ve experienced clarity of purpose and a renewed focus and passion for the work they're doing. Because the company invested in their development, they also reported that it greatly increased their commitment to the company.
For example, take a look at a past participant’s story.
Feel free to email us at kathleenandlisa@novaleadership.com and we’ll give you just the right words to share with your leader.
Or if you prefer, share this one page pdf that outlines why your attendance makes good business sense.
-
We can’t wait to have you join us! Fill out the form here and a member of our team will reach out to address any further questions you have regarding the retreat.
Would you like to talk to us directly before you register? Great! Call or text Kathleen at +1 (512) 468-2024 or Lisa at +1 (512) 626-5709.
