4: Retreating: Connect to your Inner Goddess with Chelsea Ross

Chelsea Ross (00:00):

Coming from a life coach background, I was thinking at the time when I was making the retreat, putting it together, I thought, should I do like a life coaching retreat? But I thought, spending a week looking internally is too heavy.

Chelsea Ross (00:14):

Whereas we can experience so many lessons and we can be self-reflective and have fun and still come away transformed by having a nice balance. There is time for introspection, there’s time for internal challenge. Even sometimes just traveling across the world is getting out of the comfort zone and being amongst other people that they don’t know.

Chelsea Ross (00:35):

There’s all so many different layers of new experiences and finding that edge outside your comfort zone and at the same time having fun.

Jessica Armstrong (00:50):

Welcome to the Good Enough Podcast, a podcast that takes you into a new realm by inviting you to reduce your daily hustle and celebrate yourself right here.

McKenzie Raymond (01:00):

Tune in as we dive deep into vulnerable topics and interview guests who deliver transformative moments to you, our community of individuals healing on a collective journey.

Jessica Armstrong (01:10):

We’ll open up to the art of embodied self-care, and even on the days that you feel like a self-sabotaging rebel …

McKenzie Raymond (01:17):

We’re here to remind you that in this realm, we are all good enough.

Jessica Armstrong (01:25):

Hi, McKenzie.

McKenzie Raymond (01:27):

Hey, Jessica.

Jessica Armstrong (01:28):

Hi everyone. Thank you for tuning in today. We are really excited because we got to interview just this amazing woman, Chelsea Ross. She’s the owner of Goddess Retreats in Bali. This is the 20th year it’s been open and has been doing amazing things for women all over the world when they come to visit Bali. I had the pleasure of checking that out myself in their location in Ubud, and it was absolutely amazing.

Jessica Armstrong (01:59):

But our conversation with Chelsea was absolutely incredible. What did you think McKenzie?

McKenzie Raymond (02:04):

Oh my gosh. I am seriously beaming after getting to talk to Chelsea, I just loved connecting with her. She is truly such a goddess herself. Getting to share about the power of retreats and really her intention of creating her vision and how it’s come to life from learning how to surf and finding a community of women to support her in that. And then really it turning into a dream of creating safe space for women to go inward and transform and really honor their own self-care.

McKenzie Raymond (02:39):

So, it was truly such an honor to interview Chelsea Ross, and we’re so excited to share this interview with you guys.

Jessica Armstrong (02:47):

Enjoy. It is so wonderful to have you here, Chelsea. Thank you so much for being here.

Chelsea Ross (02:56):

Thank you, Jessica and McKenzie, for inviting me. I’m really delighted to be here.

Jessica Armstrong (03:00):

Amazing. As you know, I loved being a guest at your retreats in Ubud. Absolutely amazing. And we can’t wait to dive into what makes them so magical. But first, getting to know you from just through this process. I know that you sent over a mantra that McKenzie has always loved, and I would love for you to share that connection, McKenzie.

McKenzie Raymond (03:27):

Yeah, absolutely. So, immediately when I was reading that email that came over from you, the mantra popped out and I was reading it first thing in the morning. So, then even later in the day, I’m like, “Did I dream that?”

McKenzie Raymond (03:42):

And the mantra is Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu. And essentially what it means is may all beings be happy and free and may my own thoughts, words, and actions contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom for all.

McKenzie Raymond (04:01):

And that is the essence of what I think all three of us women feel so deeply in our hearts and in what we are wanting to create and be a catalyst for. So, immediately when I read that, I was like, “Ugh, this is our soul sis coming on the pod.” And I just felt that heartfelt connection.

McKenzie Raymond (04:25):

So, I wanted to start that off there because it’s a mantra that is very near and dear to my heart and my journey, and I wanted to share it with our listeners. So, I’ll start us off there if you have anything to add in or if that leads you in anywhere specifically, I would love to see what you have to say.

Chelsea Ross (04:44):

Well, yeah, it is my favorite mantra that I really connect to and try to use as my reason for waking up every day is to contribute to the happiness, freedom, and betterment for everybody. And it was that core desire that has led me on a lot of choices in my life originally, way back in the day from life coaching and then coming even onto the retreats, to create the retreats was an extension of that desire of creating these places for specifically women to really be able to also experience that freedom and happiness for themselves as I was seeking for myself.

Chelsea Ross (05:30):

So, I just feel it’s a really pure intention and if I can stay close to that, I feel really good and I feel like I’m having a good purpose in this world.

Jessica Armstrong (05:41):

Oh, that’s so beautiful. And you can really feel that when you are retreating with Goddess Retreats. It definitely just exudes out of everybody who’s there and you just feel so deserving and free and just joyful.

Jessica Armstrong (05:59):

Another part that I absolutely love is how you came up with this idea of retreating in a sense of bringing women together. And it really connected with your love for surfing that just wasn’t as available in kind of a collective way for women at the time. And we really, really want to hear about that, your experience around what that was like for being a woman wanting to surf and get your girls together and how that led you to creating the retreats.

Chelsea Ross (06:34):

Yeah, great. I’d love to share that. Yeah, so I’m half Canadian, half Australian, so you’re going to hear a strange accent. But I would say I spent more time in Australia and growing up Australian women might relate to this. There was the famous movie called Puberty Blues and it was all about how women weren’t really welcome within the surf thing. It was very much a guys club back in the day.

Chelsea Ross (06:59):

So, it was around 1997 when I first moved to Bali and I was 27 and I’d always wanted to surf but surfing prior to that time was really an oral tradition that was passed down person to person, surfer to surfer. And so, really it was passed on usually male to male, friend to friend, father to son. And there was very few women involved in that. Not that there weren’t any, but there were few.

Chelsea Ross (07:28):

And so, when I first moved to Bali in 1997 as an adult, I was just really lucky that arrived on the island, was a woman who’s in her 40s and she had been surfing for 20 years. She was celebrating her 20th year of surfing and she was kind of like a semi-pro that wasn’t even really a pro circuit for women back then.

Chelsea Ross (07:46):

And we just were introduced as friends and someone said, “You should ask her to teach you to surf.” And I’m like, “Yeah, I will.” Her name was Kay, Kayla Wellen. And she was my surf mentor. So, I asked her to teach me to surf. And she taught me to surf at Legian Beach where we started Surf Goddess and Surf Goddess is still learning to surf today.

Chelsea Ross (08:08):

And a few other friends started to come and join us. So, there was about five or six of us. And I remember we started to paddle out altogether. I remember sitting in the surf and there was a guy sitting there and he just sort of looked around and was like, “What is going on with all these women here?”

Chelsea Ross (08:23):

And we had a great time learning to surf together, bumping around in the whitewater and just it was such a great time.

Chelsea Ross (08:31):

And how that led me on to Surf Goddess, so it was about, I would say, five or six years later, and one of the women that I learned to surf with was a yoga instructor from Byron Bay. And at that time too, few things. There was no surf schools and there was also very few yoga places. There was only one or two yoga retreats up in Ubud.

Chelsea Ross (08:58):

And she worked for yoga arts. And she would go up there and do teacher training. She was a teacher trainer, and she’d come down to the beach one weekend and we were sitting around in the cafe after surfing and she was like, “We should do a yoga retreat down here.” And there was no surf schools really. “You could teach them to surf.” And I’m like …

Jessica Armstrong (09:20):

I love that.

Chelsea Ross (09:21):

It’s hard to imagine. But the landscape was very different. There was really no retreats then, there’s literally just surf camps and G-Land where you’d go and hunt. There’d be grass huts, and literally no aircon, no hot water and a beer. And that’s about it. Same down in Uluwatu. And none of those things existed, literally huts.

Chelsea Ross (09:41):

And so, actually, I wasn’t so much a yoga — I was like, “Oh yeah, we could do a surf retreat and you could teach them how to do yoga.” I wanted to focus on the surf. And then I thought we should make it for women because there’s nothing for women. And I was just over 30 years old and I had finished with my backpacking years.

Chelsea Ross (10:04):

So, I was like, “Let’s make it luxurious.” And I was doing corporate coaching at the time, and I was like, “I thought I can combine all these things and make it an experiential retreat.” Because one of the things I really found was that surfing is very empowering. It can be quite physically challenging. and once you start to gain a skill, it really helps you feel this sense of well-being in your body and also your own power.

Jessica Armstrong (10:34):

It was interesting what you mentioned right there about the kind of building the skill for it and actually creating a practice around it, making it part of … McKenzie and I were kind of talking about that when it comes to surfing, is that it feels very collective. It feels very ancestral. It feels that it comes from an ancient time, and you can gather in that sense and learn from each other. So, I loved that you pointed that out because I’ve definitely felt that.

Chelsea Ross (11:12):

For me, surfing was a very profound growing experience. And I really wanted to share that because not only are you learning to surf, which is a beautiful sport, but you are literally immersing yourself in nature.

Chelsea Ross (11:26):

Also, I found that it was very much a moving meditation in that when I was in the surf, all you can think about is, where’s that wave coming? Where am I? What am I doing? You’re in the present moment, that be here now. It forces you to do that in a great way.

Chelsea Ross (11:43):

And you can’t think about tomorrow. You can’t think about yesterday you’re just thinking about, “Oh my God, I got to get my eyes up. I’m going to jump up. I’m riding the wave.” And then when you’re riding the wave, and Kay who taught me was very much a morning of the earth surfer.

Chelsea Ross (11:57):

She was like, “Chel, it’s like you are dancing with this wave and you’ve got all the energy, the ocean coming up through your feet and you really feel — and it’s true. Once you ride a great wave and you come off of it, you feel this connection with the ocean. It’s taught me so many things. Even just sitting at the back I have a little mantra of like, I have infinite patience as I’m waiting for my perfect wave to come because it’s always giving me lessons.

Jessica Armstrong (12:26):

I love that. Even out in the ocean, finding that practice of patience for the perfect way. I love that.

Chelsea Ross (12:37):

Yeah. And also, and then not taking things too seriously, of course, it’s this nice balance of finding your power, but then also when you ride along and you fall off the wave, it’s like, oh, have a laugh because it’s fun.

Chelsea Ross (12:50):

So, there’s so many layers to it. And yeah, I really just felt like I wanted to share this with all the women. And so, like I said, it was just when surf schools were coming on board. So, it was like just being able to open the door. And I think that has been the idea behind all the different Goddess experiences that we’ve created. My intention has been to be able to open the door for women to experience new experiences.

Chelsea Ross (13:23):

So, with the surfing, it’s the surfing and with the wellness one that you did, we opened the door to different modalities of wellness, the different cultural experiences, different spiritual experiences, and different physical experiences, whether it’s whitewater rafting or surfing. Like I said, we’ve even done pop-up ones for skiing.

Chelsea Ross (13:44):

So, it’s really just about making that available for women to go and explore these things. And I always say it’s an inner and an outer exploration. As we’re exploring the outer, we’re also exploring the inner.

Chelsea Ross (13:58):

But coming from a life coach background, I was thinking at the time when I was making it the retreat, putting it together. I thought, should I do a life coaching retreat? But I thought spending a week looking internally is too heavy.

Chelsea Ross (14:14):

Whereas we can experience so many lessons and we can be self-reflective and have fun and still come away transformed by having a nice balance. And that’s really what I aim to do with everything in the retreat, is having a balance where there is time for introspection, there’s time for internal challenge.

Chelsea Ross (14:33):

Even sometimes just traveling across the world is getting out of the comfort zone for women and being amongst other people that they don’t know. There’s all so many different layers of new experiences and finding that edge and that outside your comfort zone and at the same time having fun.

Chelsea Ross (14:51):

So, that’s one of the things I think why Goddess Retreats has been so popular and has lasted so long, is that we’re not too heavy and we’re not too light. There’s a deepness of meaning there, but it’s wrapped in a bunch of fun and of course great bonding between women, which is also, again, the core of it as well.

Chelsea Ross (15:14):

I felt like, again, when I created this, I was in my early 30s and my friends were just starting to get married, have children, or they’re in professional jobs. We were already starting that kind of scattering of everybody. And so, it was like being able to find women and friends and family to travel with and spend time with was really hard.

Chelsea Ross (15:37):

And like I said, I was over the backpacking thing. And again, at that time in the landscape, solo traveling was not really a thing. There was nothing catering for solo traveling. So, I really just created a holiday that I wanted for myself.

Chelsea Ross (15:54):

I was like, I wanted this, I want to have a spa. I’d like to have a bunch of really cool women around, friends. And then as it went along, because I also love spending time with the girls and women who I was surfing with, our age ranged from like late 20s to 40 or so.

Chelsea Ross (16:13):

So, there’s a good age range and we still have that on the retreats. We have a nice intergenerational mix, which is great because I found it was so good for us to sit around and talk about our lives and compare stories. And I could hear stories from women who were ahead of me, and I could ask them questions and then they could share their wisdom.

Chelsea Ross (16:36):

And then also I think some of the youthfulness sometimes now on the other end now that I’m in my early 50s, I look back at the younger ones and they remind me to just have that youthful energy. So, they keep me feeling like that sense of energy that’s there. So, there’s a great synergy of bringing all these women together.

Jessica Armstrong (16:56):

Yes. Yeah, I would say, McKenzie, she does really amazing retreats as well. And the thing that I really was telling her, and it’s something that I experienced with Goddess Retreats too, is that really when you come in and you have these hosts that are really welcoming and then yeah, you’re able to come together and share, you feel more comfortable to share and then you start realizing we’re all on different parts of our journey.

Jessica Armstrong (17:26):

And yeah, that is such a special part of retreating. It’s something I loved when I first retreated with McKenzie. We had a really special group there and definitely the group in Bali too. Just being able to share because you realize that it just is an ongoing process.

Chelsea Ross (17:46):

It is an ongoing process. And I think too, what I found is that the right people come on the right week. I’ve found some women have very specific life experiences that they’re going through, and they will arrive on the same week, like very specific.

Chelsea Ross (18:02):

And it’s a wonderful thing as you say, you realize that you’re on a life journey and that we can share some wisdom that will help to make that journey easier, make sense. And also, that we’re not alone, that women are experiencing that same thing that we’re experiencing. We’re not the only one feeling that way.

Chelsea Ross (18:24):

And that’s a hugely important validation because life has challenges and a lot of women, I found really look for retreats when they’re in a moment of transition. Whether that’s transitioning from university to work or changing workplaces or changing in and out of relationships or significant milestone birthdays.

Chelsea Ross (18:48):

We seek to sort of reevaluate where we’re at and again, take a moment, get some perspective. And I think that is one of the key benefits, if I had to say of retreats and either different than just normal holidays, is that when we go on retreat, we get the opportunity to stand back and have a look at our life from a wider view perspective or a three eagle eye view perspective.

Chelsea Ross (19:18):

It’s like, I often say when we’re in our lives, it’s like, holding up your palm to your face and going, “Ooh, tell me about the lines in your hands.” You can’t see it. But when you go on retreat, you go back and you can see, I can see this here, I can see this here.

Chelsea Ross (19:31):

And then you’ve also got all this great wisdom from other women. It’s just a really brilliant place to get perspective on life. And yeah, we consciously create an environment that is extremely supportive, nonjudgmental, and where you really can share that in a space where you’re going to get some beautiful information, whether it’s through the program itself, through the other women, through our leaders. Like that’s what it’s there for.

McKenzie Raymond (20:00):

Absolutely. I’m so glad that you touched on just kind of the difference between vacation and retreat because as Jessica mentioned, I have the privilege of hosting retreats with my mom. And so, we have the multi-generational, she’ll bring in the 50 somes, I bring in the 30 somes and it is just the best time.

McKenzie Raymond (20:23):

And I mean I think I have more 50-year-old friends at this point, and I love it. But the time just having to sit together around the dinner table or the fire ring and the organic conversations that happen. And I think there’s something really magical that happens when women are showing up with more intention other than just going on vacation and them feeling like you had to take a vacation from your vacation.

McKenzie Raymond (20:54):

And I think one of the gifts in getting to host retreats for others from my perspective, is getting to take care of those details for other people. Because I love to travel and work out those details. And so, I think it’s fun.

McKenzie Raymond (21:08):

And then to say, come along and you get to just be pampered and you don’t even have to know where you’re going. Just follow me and it is so, so special. I love, you said it’s like opening the door and that’s exactly how it feels. It’s like creating the safe space so that the magic and the women can come together, and it all works through one another. It’s so beautiful.

Chelsea Ross (21:35):

Yeah, I totally agree, McKenzie. That is the magic of it is like we create the framework, but the guests bring the magic, and a lot of our role is just to hold the space to allow that organic interaction between the guests and life and everything to happen and have it be in a place where they don’t have to worry about any of the details, which is great. Because then it just allows women to just really relax into the space and into the experience.

Chelsea Ross (22:06):

Definitely, I recognize that a lot of the women who come are coming from really … will have that rushing women’s syndrome and being super busy and looking after everybody else and it’s just amazing to just go like, you don’t have to think about anything. We’ll actually even tell you where to go. Just occasionally check your watch and show up on time.

Jessica Armstrong (22:31):

And it is so wonderful for women like me who really want — it’s being able to have that opportunity to have these awe moments. Like being in awe of things, you’ve been taken out of your normal reality where a lot of women spend most of their energy on others.

Jessica Armstrong (22:54):

And whether it’s thinking about them or actually doing things for them and being able to be pulled from that into their own space and having what your host told us a deserving treatment and experience, which was really incredible to feel that we deserved it and really felt that genuinely.

Jessica Armstrong (23:18):

And that was really being able to be there and just take it all in and be able to have these really vulnerable open conversations. And yeah, there’s just so much time to feel connected to that inner child, that higher self, just all of those things that make up really our feminine divine self.

Chelsea Ross (23:47):

Totally agree with you and particularly what you just brought up about the feminine divine self. In the yoga philosophy, the feminine is the sort of the yin, it’s that sort of more quiet energy and it’s like in general society is very, very yang.

Chelsea Ross (24:06):

So, to really allow for that kind of, I always feel like it’s like trying sinking into a warm bath. That’s the kind of feeling I’d like to create on the retreats where you can just sort of melt a bit. And part of that’s by just creating a space and taking care of all the details.

Chelsea Ross (24:24):

And then also what you said before McKenzie as well, is like being on a regular holiday, even if it’s you’ve made it very wellness, there’s something about having the intention and having the women around in that space that creates a different kind of conversation.

Chelsea Ross (24:43):

I’ve just come back from being away on a regular holiday and I really craved being able to dip down into that really intentional kind of conversation and stuff. Because that’s my manner and that’s why I love the retreats. And I think that they really fulfill something that’s quite different than just going …

Chelsea Ross (25:04):

Even if you plan a wellness thing, I just think it’s sometimes also that’s why we do it in a particular way where we have a start date and an end date and a group rather than a ongoing hotel resort, wellness resorts. Because that’s a new big thing now.

Chelsea Ross (25:20):

But I really feel like … so going back, I guess originally to why I called it a surf retreat rather than a surf camp, it’s because I was coming from a place where I had been on meditation retreats and all that.

Chelsea Ross (25:35):

So, it’s like having that intentional group, you actually go through the process, not only individually, but you go through it as a group, and it is a journey. So, it has a beginning, it has a middle, it has an end. And on a retreat, there’s actually, I’ll say, you’re going to feel fantastic and also stuff’s going to come up and you’re going to have moments of like, ah, that’s part of the retreat.

Chelsea Ross (26:00):

Sometimes I’ve heard people say like, “Oh you are just creating this perfect little world, and they can’t take it back to the real world.” And I’m like, the retreat is a journey and it’s a process and it has a beginning, and it has an end and it will be transformative whatever level you want to get to in it. However deep you want to go, however much you want to let those ah moments pierce into you, however vulnerable you want to make yourself to allow that, it’s all available.

McKenzie Raymond (26:32):

Absolutely. 

Jessica Armstrong  (26:35):

We must take a brief pause to let you in on a very special gift. We are partnering with Goddess Retreats to bring you an exclusive offer. Because well, you deserve it.

McKenzie Raymond  (26:47):

Yes, retreating is so powerful. I love gaining perspective as I take time away from the rhythm of my daily life to be present and intentional around my healing. I find that I always come home with a renewed commitment to my self-care.

Jessica Armstrong  (27:01):

Yes, my time in Bali with Goddess Retreats was powerfully transformative and it has provided me with a lifetime of goodness, I was able to reconnect to my own wisdom and self-love through guided temple walks, sound bathing and so much more. As well as a forever sisterhood. Its awe-inspiring sanctuary and the incredible hosts give you permission to receive the spiritual giving nature of Bali and its people

McKenzie Raymond  (27:30):

Goddess Retreats is not just about recognizing our strengths as women but also about healing, self-discovery, and growth. That’s why we wanted to collaborate with them in hopes of seeing you have your own transformative experience.

Jessica Armstrong  (27:44):

Visit goddessretreats.com to plan your trip. Mention “you are a good enough goddess” during booking and get $100 off the retreat package that aligns best with you. You will also be able to find this link in the show notes as well as at thegoodenoughpodcast.com 

McKenzie Raymond  (28:02):

Who knows maybe we’ll see you there.

McKenzie Raymond (28:05):

Well, you touched briefly actually on something that I wanted to ask a question on anyway. So, I was wondering, you kind of said, well you’re creating this perfect experience and these women can’t bring it back. And something that I have valued in especially the longer immersive teacher training type situations that I’ve been into is the reintegration aspect.

McKenzie Raymond (28:34):

And it’s something that my mom and I really want to bring into our retreats as well and talking about, so even whether it’s a week or four days, you have this incredible journey, this transformation, you’re vulnerable. And then it’s like how do you go back into the world and just I guess I’m curious if you have any specific tips for reintegration or maybe even something that you ask your retreat participants to keep in mind as they’re reemerging into their real lives.

Chelsea Ross (29:07):

Yeah, that is a really good question. So, what we do on the retreats, what we try to do is that during the retreat, the intention is to open up and introduce women to all particular types of wellness modalities. In particular our wellness one in Seminyak there’s all different types of sort of healing modalities, whether it’s traditional Chinese medicine Ayurvedic Shirodhara, magnesium floats.

Chelsea Ross (29:35):

On our other programs, we have ones like the sound healing. Even just being out in nature and throughout the whole retreat we are communicating the benefits of all these different things. We also have Balinese healers, and an introduction to meditation, yoga, different types of yoga, yin yoga in particular. Because I find that’s … So, that’s our intention as in an implicit way that we’re providing all these different, have a look at this, have a look at this, experience this, try this.

Chelsea Ross (30:12):

And then when people go home you have the opportunity to find those in your home place. Maybe some people have been like, “Oh, I’m going to take up yoga. I’m going to find a good yin yoga teacher. I’ve never done this. I’ve done … and that killed me, but this yin yoga I can do.” Or sound healing because again, I just create things of what helped me. So, when I’ve been in times of challenges and that yin yoga, sound healing, it’s all stuff that I do. So, that’s the intention that it is all accessible at home and hopefully you’ve tried out some new things. “Oh colonics, I’ve never had that before. I might-

Jessica Armstrong (30:58):

I did that. I did it in Bali. Yes.

Chelsea Ross (31:02):

You can decide whether it’s something that, I can do that, I can do that once a month or something. That would be a really good cleansing thing for me to do. And also, with our menus, the whole thing is meant to be experiential and to open the door and then for them to find it at home. And also, what we also do is from my life coaching, we have a manifest your dream life book. So, we use a bit of a journal hopefully you read-

Jessica Armstrong (31:28):

Yeah.

Chelsea Ross (31:28):

And then when-

Jessica Armstrong (31:28):

Loved it.

Chelsea Ross (31:33):

Yeah. Oh, that’s great. Yeah. It’s a great tool. And we provide, when we leave, just again another addition to that which is adding gratitude to the journal and then also our recipes. But yeah, that’s mainly how we do it, is that hopefully we’re providing that fertile ground already on the retreat and giving enough information so women can help themselves. It’s a kind of a teach yourself to fish kind of.

Jessica Armstrong (32:01):

Chelsea, you are magical. I didn’t even realize that that’s what you were doing while I was there. But now that you’ve said it, it’s so true because there were so many new things for me in the healing aspect that the sound healing that we did at the pyramids, that was such a cool experience that I had never had before.

Jessica Armstrong (32:23):

Especially in something like that. And it did, it made me really make kind of a list of what I wanted to look for when I got back and have taken off things Ayurvedic, I’ve been seeing a practitioner and my yoga’s gone back up and it’s wild. So, that was exactly what I got. Yeah, you do it well. You do it well. Yes.

Chelsea Ross (32:54):

Yeah, that’s our intention.

McKenzie Raymond (32:57):

I love that answer because I feel like you’re addressing just planting the seed and that it might come up again or that this is accessible to people in their normal life and you don’t have to be in Bali or whatever other magical place to experience it, but there might be a studio a couple miles away and to weave some of those things in-

Chelsea Ross (33:20):

Absolutely.

McKenzie Raymond (33:20):

It’s just such an important part, so thank you. Yeah. It’s been so fun too, just to see you Jessica, since coming back from the retreat. I swear, I mean her and I always have these synchronistic moments, but I was like, “I know someone, an Ayurvedic practitioner.” And it’s like all these things just lined up.

Jessica Armstrong (33:44):

Oh yeah, yeah.

McKenzie Raymond (33:44):

It’s so cool.

Jessica Armstrong (33:47):

Yeah, I definitely took a lot of this spiritual understanding and just energy with me from Bali. It just came with me and it’s something I just know will be there forever. It’s just such a good experience.

Chelsea Ross (33:59):

Well, that makes me feel so good to hear that you — that is our intention is that you find the things within that you go like, “Yeah, I really like that that works for me.” And that they are accessible in most places. Maybe you can’t go to the Balinese temple, get a blessing every week, but that’s a highlight. But you can find, most yoga will do sound healings. Say there’s great practitioners for all different types of healing around the world. Even like sneakily add in the permaculture garden that we-

Jessica Armstrong (34:32):

I love the garden.

Chelsea Ross (34:32):

Just to introduce people to that idea because I think that I’m really passionate about that kind of agriculture and growing food on a small or big level just to even lots people like, “Oh, I’ve never heard of this before.” And it’s like, just offering the opportunity to see and experience different things is great.

Chelsea Ross (34:53):

And I think also just even just traveling to a different culture and seeing, it opens our minds up to all these different possibilities. But ultimately in our personal growth journey, it is our personal growth journey. So, it’s like you’ve taken it on and you’re like, “Okay, well I’m moving myself forward.” And that’s a very important step to understand is that we have this empowerment to do this for ourselves and to further ourselves along because it’s our life journey.

Jessica Armstrong (35:28):

That’s so important. I love that you really lead this with authenticity and passion that you’ve had since it started, it sounds like.

Chelsea Ross (35:41):

Yeah. I mean-

Jessica Armstrong (35:41):

I love that.

Chelsea Ross (35:45):

I feel very honored. I feel like it was a gift, the idea that was given to me. And I really feel like it is a mission. It’s my life purpose. It’s my dharma, which is great because I think it’s really important for us to have that sense of purpose and why, and finding the thing that we love to do and making that be our expression in the world, whatever that is.

Chelsea Ross (36:08):

But in its simplest form is just making other people happy and ourselves happy and free. It goes back to that again too. I spent many years prior to this waitressing and that was a great thing to do because my job was to make people feel happy when they walked in the door and smile. And it’s like, I’m still doing the same thing, just I get the great privilege of, as you said, McKenzie, just creating these beautiful spaces and everything and really finding these juicy moments for people to have. That’s where my real like, ooh, I just love it.

Chelsea Ross (36:47):

Even down to the napkins and the table settings, like all those little details. Because I love creating beauty and I love it when women come in and they’re like, when we put the plates down, we decorate them. Those things I love doing. Because I love the reaction of like, “It’s so beautiful.” I take a great joy in that.

McKenzie Raymond (37:10):

Absolutely.

Jessica Armstrong (37:10):

Incredible.

McKenzie Raymond (37:11):

Getting to see other women appreciate and rejoice in that. And I’m so glad that you saw the need that it really needed to be women who are going to be coming together in these spaces. Because I have just gotten to experience that in participating and hosting retreats and the ripple effect when women come together and support one another in community. And it is truly life-changing.

McKenzie Raymond (37:39):

I have seen not only some of my own dreams transform because I feel like I now have these other women cheering me on too. It’s like I’m watching them and I’m cheering them on, and I have these women all over the world that feel like these true soul sisters that I could just go and grab a cup of tea with. And it’s just one of the greatest gifts to be able to travel and get to meet other incredible women. And I just so look up to you and thank you for paving the way and showing us what is possible because truly you are living part of my dream vision in the future, so-

Chelsea Ross (38:22):

Well, thank you so much.

Jessica Armstrong (38:22):

Absolutely.

Chelsea Ross (38:24):

One of the first things, when I first started the retreats, one of the questions that I often got was like, “When you get a bunch of women together, aren’t they just all so bitchy?” And I’m like, no, actually, especially when you get them in intention, women, I think talking back a bit about what you’re saying before about like surfing, being primal and communal. I think getting into generational women together is very, the way it’s been for centuries and getting back to that and having this beautiful space where we all come and connect together is very, very powerful and very nurturing for us. So, I’m so glad you can see it in your retreats as well. It just happens because when women come together, actually something very beautiful happens, especially in intentional spaces.

Jessica Armstrong (39:15):

And I think that’s another thing that we take away from retreating is to find more spaces that we can connect with women and find more groups and we can do that in our regular lives. I know for me that’s something when I come back from retreat, I just want to look for even more groups of women that I can spend time with.

Chelsea Ross (39:42):

Yeah, exactly. And continue on with that community. And I think people also said like, “Why just women, why not have guys there?” And I’ve often been asked, “Well I want to come, can’t you just make it co-ed?” And it’s not that I don’t like guys like lovely, but what I just perceived, I think when I first did it was that particularly at the time, there was very few spaces that were women-only spaces.

Chelsea Ross (40:09):

But also, I feel like if we added in the male element in there, there would just be a sort of a dilution or a distraction. There’s very few opportunities where we can really just come together and just focus on ourselves and women and lived experiences as women are pretty specific. So, it’s just that’s what creates that sort of focused intention and that it’s very potent is the best way that I can put it. So, I think it’s really important to have that focus. I feel like that’s part of the magic.

McKenzie Raymond (40:45):

Yeah. And the feminine energy, it’s all about the passive intuitive feeling being … so, it’s like you said, the kind of dilution of that a little bit where when it is us women, it’s like where we can be so safe to be in that space with one another. So, we wanted to kind of wrap up our time together with just a couple of questions that we have for you Chelsea. So, the first question that I am curious about is what is a book that you are currently into or that you would recommend to us or our listeners?

Chelsea Ross (41:26):

Currently, I am reading Fast Like a Girl. I am very interested in all types of wellness and particularly nutrition. I came out of myself in my early years really struggling with food and having eating disorder. And this book in particular, I’ve been reading it and it’s definitely about intermittent fasting, which is something that I’m particularly interested in. And she talks about it in terms of in relation to women’s hormone and hormonal cycles. And she has a lot of wisdom and I’m diving into that at the moment, and I find that she’s just got a lot of wisdom there and a lot of great information.

Chelsea Ross (42:15):

So, that’s what I’m enjoying at the moment. And I’m actually putting into practice. I’m currently on my intermittent fast and I found I’ve really been doing that very well. And there’s something about doing that and also honoring the women’s cycles and how our bodies and also different types of exercise that are appropriate for women. Again, it’s never a one-size-fits-all. So anyway, it’s a very intriguing book and I can definitely, yeah-

Jessica Armstrong (42:43):

Those are good points. So, I’ll have to look that up.

Chelsea Ross (42:50):

She’s got a great YouTube channel too as well and Instagram. Yeah, she’s quite widely known, so fantastic book. I’m finding it helpful.

Jessica Armstrong (42:59):

Amazing.

Chelsea Ross (43:00):

She also does a whole body reset where with different types of fasting you can really, autophagy, clears out a lot of inflammation and all the old junk from … I’m into detoxing, so getting rid of all the old junk from the body so that the body’s functioning well. She talks about the lymph system, which is really important for women. A lot of great information.

Jessica Armstrong (43:25):

Nice.

McKenzie Raymond (43:25):

Well, you actually just beautifully let us into another question that we had, which was, what is a current wellness or self-care practice that you’re doing? So, you answered that already with the intermittent fasting. Anything else you want to just elaborate on with that?

Chelsea Ross (43:44):

Yeah, so again, talking about detoxing and the lymph nodes in particular for women. So, one of the recommendations is to loofa particularly around in our lymph nodes, under our arms, neck, everywhere, to really move all that, the lymph around the body as a great way of detoxing. And our skin is also one of the largest organs in our body. And so being really aware of what we’re putting on the skin. So, I’ve fully transitioned away from all non-natural products pretty much. I really try and use more naturally based products, things that are oils rather than even moving to more essential oils from a aroma therapist who works on the retreat.

Chelsea Ross (44:35):

I use her rollers all the time because it’s like whatever we put on our skin, we absorb it and becoming very, very conscious of that. So, that’s one of my big things that I’m doing at the moment. And I think I’ve transitioned basically away from all real commercial-commercial.

Jessica Armstrong (44:53):

Good for you. That is a hard transition.

Chelsea Ross (44:55):

It’s not perfect, but it’s really like finding product lines out there that have minimal preservatives in it and really are based on that. And there’s a lot out there too, it’s a matter of just reading labels. And also too, I’m a very big proponent on the whole food eating only. I really don’t eat anything that’s packaged. And one of the things on the retreat with the menu is that we really try to just use whole foods, minimal preparation. And again, the whole thing for me, I would say my philosophy that I’ve learned over the years and being this, is that our body is our friend.

Chelsea Ross (45:38):

I came into my teenagehood, my younger woman years and my body was my enemy. My body was working against me. And what I’ve realized is that actually our bodies a designed to work for us. They want to be in homeostasis, they want to be in health. And all I need to do is work with it to naturally allow that to occur. And the easiest way to do that is again, like what you brought up in the beginning, Jessica, just go back to the ways that it was before. It’s like, keep it simple. Eat real food, drink water, don’t drink chemical sodas. Keep it all as natural, as close to nature as possible. Have some sunshine, get out in the ocean, get out of nature. Walk. It’s simpler than I thought it was going to be.

Jessica Armstrong (46:28):

Right. I think the difficult part’s kind of shedding that stuff that’s accumulated over the years and some of us have more than others, but in Ayurvedic, that’s really been my biggest lesson is that our bodies are primed to be healthy and recover itself. But we have to do our part in making sure that we’re providing it the proper nutrients and keeping it aligned and the-

Chelsea Ross (47:01):

Absolutely. I realized when I was struggling with my eating when I was younger, it’s because I ate a lot of really processed foods. I love junk food, but my body was seeking nutrients, so it would just keep on going and going and going. And it’s like, now I can feed the nutrients first. I might still have a cookie or chocolate, but the nutrients are in there and it’s certainly not as much. It’s not about complete …

Chelsea Ross (47:24):

And again, it’s again with the retreats too, it’s not about complete deprivation. It’s not about 10 days of not talking and not eating but it’s just getting back into that beautiful harmony with nature ourselves and just things will come to a beautiful place if we are in harmony with nature and ourselves. And it’s just about rediscovering that connection. That’s why I say awake and embrace and celebrate because part of it’s about reconnecting what’s already there. That’s the great secret. It’s already all there. Our goddess food is already inside us. It’s really about just taking away all the extra stuff to discover what’s already here.

Jessica Armstrong (48:07):

Beautiful. Yes.

McKenzie Raymond (48:11):

So beautiful. It’s like we just forget, and we think we need the junk food or whatever else is in front of us. But I love that, simplifying it, bringing it back to nature. I do know so many people who are around my age who are really like on this path of wanting to live a more holistic life in the choices that they’re making, whether it be food or consumption of other things. And I think just being more aware, I’m so glad you reminded us of the importance of our skin and that we are absorbing everything that we are coming into contact in that way as well. So, thank you so much.

Chelsea Ross (48:51):

My pleasure.

Jessica Armstrong (48:54):

This has been such an incredible conversation. I hope we can have you back again. I hope we can be guests on your podcast when you get that go. You will be an amazing host with all of these incredible takeaways that you can provide from your experience. And we would just love for you to let our listeners know where they can find more about you and Goddess Retreats, just any socials or websites, we’ll also put those in the show notes as well.

Chelsea Ross (49:24):

Thank you. Well, thank you. It’s been an honor and it’s been a pleasure to talk to both of you. And I would love to come back and talk anytime. It’s really nice to share, like I said, like you’ve said too, it’s like I feel like I’m with my soul sisters. It’s great and I think it’s just important to share all this far and wide.

Chelsea Ross (49:43):

You can find Goddess Retreats at goddessretreats.com and Goddess Retreats on Instagram. I’m not on anything yet, I keep pretty low profile. You’ll probably cut that bit off.

Jessica Armstrong (49:58):

That’s some good information for us women anyways. Is that you have found a wonderful way to have that part separate for yourself. And for one, your Goddess Retreats, the Instagram, and your email newsletters that I get are just so amazing. It’s all so good. It’s always full of just incredible new information. So, thank you for putting all of that out into the world for us.

Chelsea Ross (50:27):

Thank you. Well, that’s my pleasure. I love doing all that and I am behind that all. So yeah, so you can find us at goddessretreats.com and also Instagram Goddess. And yeah, for me as a personal thing, I don’t really go too much on social media, so I keep that … yeah, just trying.

Jessica Armstrong (50:48):

I think it might be a little bit of a goal for a lot of us too, to know that we can eventually have some more space between us and social media.

Chelsea Ross (50:58):

Yeah, it’s nice. I use it like I say, to do the newsletters. I do the retreat social media and I get to express all those ideas that way that I share. Yeah.

Jessica Armstrong (51:12):

And you feel all of you through this stuff. So, you’re definitely sharing you with us in this way. That’s great.

Chelsea Ross (51:21):

Thank you.

Jessica Armstrong (51:21):

Thank you.

McKenzie Raymond (51:27):

We know this time is precious to you. And because we are insanely joyful that you are spending it with us, we always want to deliver authentic, vulnerability, and dive deep into what we are feeling as a collective.

Jessica Armstrong (51:39):

Our intention is to bring you stories and guests that provide you the opportunity to discover aha moments, so you leave our conversations feeling lighter and knowing what you do today will be good enough.

McKenzie Raymond (51:52):

We love to connect, follow us on social media by following our handles linked in the show notes. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend, rate, review and follow the Good Enough Podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, or your favorite podcast listening app, so you never miss an episode.