Our 2025 Highly Sensitive Person Retreat at Selgars Mill
A few magical days in Devon, where sensitivity was celebrated
For as long as I can remember, I’ve envisioned bringing people together in a healing and transformative community gathering. This year, that vision found its home at Selgars Mill in Devon.
It was our third HSP retreat and our first time hosting it at this enchanting place.
Selgars Mill is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. Owned by Anton Chernikov, an architect, consultant and entrepreneur and his wife Morgaine, it’s the living embodiment of a vision Anton shared with me a few years ago at our friend Tony’s Langford’s beautiful Pitchcott farm, where my family and I have shared many happy times (Resonant Parenting Project #27) (and as I write this newsletter, Matthew is currently holding The Resonant Man summer weekend with Jacob at Pitchcott).
Anton spoke then of his vision of regenerative ways of living that are rooted in nature and community. To now walk through that dream made real in forest trails, hand-built sanctuaries, and sacred corners was inspiring.
When I arrived the evening before the retreat with Jules, Alan, Suelen, Simone and Bogdan, I felt immediately transported. The place felt like something out of a hobbit world: whimsical, earthy, and alive with intention.
Morgaine led us on a tour through the gardens. The love they’ve poured into the land radiated from every corner. Anton’s art installations including a bamboo water temple and a DIY door hidden deep in the forest—like a secret portal from Alice in Wonderland, inviting you to step through the looking glass."
Holding Space for Deep Connection
We returned this year with an evolved sense of trust in what we’re creating, as each retreat teaches us more about what people need. Although we provide a varied programme of structured activities, everything is optional. Participants have plenty of opportunities to sit and rest; go for a walk in nature; read a book; and generally tend to their own needs and self-care. Nobody has to explain to us why they’re opting out — it’s understood that each person goes with the flow of what feels right to them. It was perhaps a sign of how exhausted many of us feel right now that a fair few took time out to catch up on sleep.
One of the core elements of our retreat are the Sensitivity Sharing Circles, which Jules and I co-facilitated each day. We opened by sharing insights about the trait of high sensitivity, offering some background and context to help participants understand themselves more deeply—not as "too much" or "too emotional," but wired to deeply process their thoughts, feelings and the world around them with empathy and attention to subtle detail.
Participants then had the chance to move into smaller circles, where they could speak openly about their experiences of being Highly Sensitive whether that meant feeling misunderstood, navigating the fast pace of the world, or the deep empathy they carry. Later, we moved into larger sharing circles, where there was never any pressure to speak. In fact, we often remind participants that listening and witnessing others is as important and requires just as much presence and courage as sharing.
Over the course of the retreat, we explored themes like:
Feeling misunderstood or unseen in childhood and adulthood
The masks we wear to "fit in"
The shame and stigma often surrounding sensitivity
The overwhelming, fast pace of modern life
Reclaiming the silenced parts of ourselves
And learning how to step unapologetically into our power as HSPs, embracing our strengths and intuitive gifts.
A theme that resonated deeply this year was the idea of fierce compassion, a form of compassion that not only soothes but empowers. It allows us to set boundaries, speak our truth, and honour our needs in a world that may not always understand us.
This kind of emotional honesty is at the heart of why we hold these retreats. They’re not just spaces for connection—they’re spaces for healing.
Cacao, Movement and Deep Rest
Alan Piatek offered his powerful, grounding, and deeply healing breathwork sessions which are always a highlight. We were also joined by Simone De Costa, a psychotherapist who led three yoga sessions. Simone’s gentle, soothing presence invited everyone to land more fully in their bodies. Suelen returned with her Reiki practice, bringing her gift for creating an energetic space of calm, softness, and surrender.
As with last year, my personal highlight was the Saturday afternoon where we served Cacao —a heart-opening drink that helped everyone to feel more connected. We then moved into a silent disco facilitated by DJ and conscious dance facilitator Josh Silver. With silent disco headphones, each person could tune into their own unique experience. The sun came out, in between refreshing rain showers, and I felt such joy connecting more deeply with myself, and seeing people really letting go of any remaining self-consciousness; enjoying the music and moving in whatever way felt comfortable for them.
Following the cacao and dance, Jules and I led a sound bath with a shamanic drum, koshi chimes, and crystal bowls. It created a space of deep relaxation, helping everyone arrive gently into the evening. As we walked to dinner, a rainbow appeared across the sky — a beautiful, quiet moment that felt like a gentle affirmation of the day we had shared.
Nourishment from the Earth
Anton recommended Chippy and Bogdan to us for catering and when he said they were heads of catering at one of our favourite festivals, Medicine Festival (Resonant Parenting Project #28), Jules and I didn’t hesitate to book them.
Breakfasts, lunches and dinners were a daily highlight. Using organically sourced ingredients—many from Selgars’ own vegetable garden—they transformed meals into works of art, each dish sprinkled with edible flowers and vibrant herbs. Chippy and Bogdan are deeply passionate about food, and the love and care they put into every meal was something you could truly taste.
One meal I especially loved were the breakfast Buddha bowls: overnight oats beautifully topped with colourful, thoughtfully arranged fruit. I also eagerly looked forward to the Sunday smoothies and late brunch on the final day, served after our morning yoga and breathwork sessions.
The Granary Barn, the Infinity Fire, and Cammie the Giraffe
Our main gathering space was the Granary Barn, which was a great space for sharing. Anton has designed it to have soft, ambient lighting, cozy textures, and eclectic art, including Cammie, the whimsical giraffe watching over us with a quiet presence.
In the evenings, we gathered around the infinity fire, sang songs, shared poetry and toasted marshmallows. We opened with an intention setting ceremony and closed with a letting-go ritual, which many participants found to be one of the most transformational experiences of the retreat.
What struck me most this year was how much space there was for both connection and solitude. Selgars is full of nooks and crannies, perfect for sitting with a cup of tea, sharing a conversation, or slipping away to be alone in nature.
More Than Connection — A Space for Healing
An estimated 70 percent of HSP are introverts, and many of us have felt a sense of not belonging, or that we are outsiders. That’s why it was so wonderful to see people start to trust the space, and share from their hearts, whether through our sharing circles, or via songs, poems and chatting around the fire. We were able to have an embodied experience of what it felt like to be more connected to the people around us — and that’s an opening that many of us will take forward into our daily lives.
This retreat wasn’t just about slowing down or being seen, it was about healing. My deepest passion lies in creating transformational group spaces where people can let go of the masks, gently peel back the layers, release what no longer serves them, and meet themselves anew—with curiosity, compassion, and courage.
Looking ahead
As we look ahead, we feel inspired to welcome even more people who are on a journey of inner growth and healing, people who value safely held spaces, immersed in nature, where true transformation can unfold. We want these retreats to feel like portals, not only to connection, but to remembering and reclaiming parts of ourselves that may have been left behind.
Around the fire this year, as we spoke our intentions, a long-held vision within me reignited: how can we welcome families into these spaces? Many of my clients have shared how difficult it is to attend retreats when they can't leave their children. So I’m beginning to dream into what a family retreat could look like, where parents are supported, children are happy and well cared for, and families experience new ways of being together—full of ease, joy, and playful connection.
I’m also holding questions around how we can make these retreats more accessible, so they can grow into truly inclusive spaces of healing and belonging for all.
In the meantime, I’m creating more offerings for parents raising the next generation of deeply feeling, highly sensitive children. Jules and I are also planning a few shorter, in-person events for HSPs.
More details coming soon!
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who joined us, participated and supported the weaving together of this amazing community.
And to Jules, my co-facilitator, collaborator, and dear friend, thank you for continuing to dream these spaces into being with me.
We’re already planning next year’s retreat. Until then, may the seeds we planted at Selgars Mill continue to bloom in beautiful and unexpected ways.
This looks like an amazing gathering:) So great to see more and more safe spaces for Highly Sensitive People to connect with one another xx