This one-day retreat for mothers is an opportunity to leave behind the mental load, washing, deadlines, decisions, group chats, meal planning, permission slips, worrying and people-pleasing – all of it. It’s a day to focus on you. Your heart. Your healing. Your joy.

Your guides are two wonderful, wise and fabulously flawed women. Maggie Dent and Dr Vanessa Lapointe are well-known as parenting educators, with extensive experience in supporting families. However, they are also women who have done the work on themselves and who, as counsellors, have guided others in navigating some of life’s biggest transitions.

In traditional communities, mothers were part of a village, surrounded and supported by other women. While we live very differently these days, connection is still a fundamental need for every one of us. When women are in a safe, caring environment guided by safe older women, they can shed the many roles they play and explore their unhealthy narratives, unexpressed feelings, fears and concerns. And they can create a whole new way of seeing, believing and feeling. They can come home to their heart.

This is not a parenting seminar*. It’s an invitation to join Maggie and Vanessa in creating a collective effervescence, a transformative, healing path back to yourself.

REGISTER NOW

Although this day is focused on mothers, all women over 18 are welcome.

You will find this day especially beneficial if you are:

  • struggling with overwhelm
  • close to burnout
  • feeling lost or isolated within your role of partner, wife, mother, aunt, grandma, sister, daughter, friend, boss, etc.
  • feeling resentful and unacknowledged
  • experiencing compassion fatigue
  • seeking more joy and lightness
  • tired of putting your needs last
  • wanting to hear your true voice above the sound of your inner critic/saboteur
  • ­­seeking some time out to focus on you and to connect with other women.

A supportive sisterhood has enormous power. Our hope is that every woman will leave this event feeling recharged, with a deeper sense of self-compassion and with an expanded heart to bring back into her daily life.

WHAT TO EXPECT

This will be a highly practical, experiential and intuitive day. There will be laughter, music, dancing, tears, processing, possibly shouting and much, much joy.

You should wear comfortable clothes and bring a water bottle, a notebook and pens (coloured pencils if you wish to get creative), and an open mind. You should also bring a yoga mat/blanket and cushion – whatever you might need to be comfortable on the floor as we will do some floor work (optional of course!). There will be seating available throughout the day.

Following the event, participants will receive some free, follow-up resources to help integrate the experiences of the day into their day-to-day lives.

Maggie first met Dr Vanessa at an early years’ conference in Vanessa’s home country of Canada in 2012 and they have since become not just trusted colleagues but dear friends with a shared vision of a better world for our families.

Dr Vanessa Lapointe

Author, parenting educator, counsellor

About Dr Vanessa

Dr Vanessa Lapointe is a mum, parenting educator, bestselling author, international speaker, and a regularly invited media guest. She holds a doctoral degree in psychology, and practiced as a psychologist for nearly 20 years, before devoting her full-time energy to connecting with parents and other “big people” around the globe in 2023. Founder of The North Star Developmental Clinic, Dr Vanessa has long been supporting families and children in her developmental clinic alongside her team, and has previous experience in community mental health and the school system

Dr Vanessa is known for bringing a sense of nurturing understanding and humanity to all of her work. Her passion is in walking alongside parents, teachers, care providers, and other big people to really see the world through the child’s eyes. She believes that if we can do this, we are beautifully positioned to grow up our children in the best possible way. Vanessa is the mother of two sons, 19 and 21, and lives in British Columbia.

www.drvanessalapointe.com

Maggie Dent

Parenting author, educator, resilience specialist

About Maggie

Maggie Dent is one of Australia’s favourite parenting authors and educators, with a particular interest in the early years, adolescence and resilience – as well as being an undisputed ‘boy champion’.

Maggie’s experience includes teaching, counselling, and working in palliative care/funeral services and in suicide prevention, as well as running women’s retreats and seminars for dads.

Maggie is the author of 10 major books, including Help Me Help My Teen, Girlhood, Mothering Our Boys and From Boys to Men. She hosts The Good Enough Dad podcast and hosted six seasons of the award-winning ABC podcast, Parental As Anything. She is a mother of four adult sons and a very grateful nanny to a growing tribe of grandchildren.

www.maggiedent.com

Early bird (until 7th February): $250

Full price (from 8th February): $295

Group bookings (two or more tix booked in same transaction): $245 per ticket

Concession/student card holders: $230


Payment Plans: via PayPal ‘Pay in 4’ available at checkout

Gift Tickets: If you (or a group of family/friends) would like to gift a ticket for Christmas or an early Mother’s Day to a special mother in your life, please email teammaggie@maggiedent.com and Kate can help.


Venue:
Perth – The ANZAC Club, 28 St Georges Terrace, Perth.
Gold Coast – RACV Royal Pines Resort, Ross Street, Benowa, Qld, 4217

Time: Please arrive at 9am for a prompt 9.30am-5pm session.

Seating: General allocation… there are no fixed seat numbers.

Refreshments: Lunch, light snacks and drinks will be included.

Please note: Regretfully, while babies are normally welcome at all of Maggie’s events, unfortunately, due to the nature of this event it is not appropriate for babies or children to attend.

Please choose the event you would like to attend:

REGISTER
REGISTER

*DON’T WORRY THEY HAVEN’T GIVEN UP ON PARENT SEMINARS:

Maggie and Vanessa will also be hosting two Meltdowns to Precious Moments events for parents and ECEs, while Vanessa is in Australia. You can find out more about those here.

Event inquiries:
teammaggie@maggiedent.com

Image credits:
Main banner image: © by ViCHizh / Depositphotos.com
Hand image: © by Jacob Lund / AdobeStock.com