Online Finishers’ club retreat.
FAQ
What’s the difference between a workshop and a retreat?
Workshops are designed to facilitate learning. Retreats are sacred spaces that pull you out of the everyday. We’ll create the room for you to set aside what’s holding you back.
Who’s leading this retreat?
Brandi Larsen will be your host and guide for this retreat. Brandi is a former journalism and publishing executive who helped create New York Times bestsellers, wrote stories that earned Emmy nominations, and persisted in spite of the impossible. She’s spoken at Harvard Business School, Book Expo America, and Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, among others. Brandi designed the first Finishers’ Club retreat because she needed the space and camaraderie to finish her own creative project. She’s excited to create this retreat and community for women.
When is it?
Saturday, May 9, 2020, from 1-4:45 pm EDT. We cannot guarantee the full experience for those who arrive late.
What do I need to set up?
The tools and materials you need to finish your project. For most participants, that is a fully-charged laptop and headphones. You also need a reliable Internet connection and either a computer or tablet capable of video. Want to make sure your device will work? Check out these guidelines. Still have tech questions? Email Brandi and we’ll troubleshoot with you.
What type of project should I bring?
You may have so many projects that it’s hard to decide which is the best one for this retreat. The truthful answer is the one that’s been nagging at you. Some examples from past participants include finishing podcasts, book chapters, poems, and songs; finalizing screenwriting goals; and launching websites. A writing project is a natural fit, especially options such as creating an agent or editor pitch letter; polishing an essay, article, or talk; or finalizing your short story, chapter, or book proposal. You’ll pick the right one — we believe in you.
Who comes to your retreats?
Mothers and grandmothers. These are women who want to finish their work. Women who need retreat time. Women who need accountability partners. We’ve had mothers with a six-decade span sit at the Community Table together -- each has come away with meaning, determination, gratitude, and connection to the women alongside her.
But I’m not a mother. May I still come?
No. Given the unique challenges of being a mother right now, this retreat is only for moms. If you identify as female, join us for our Finishers’ Club for Women retreat in September.
How do I connect with the community following the retreat?
So much of Brandi’s work manifests in connecting creative people to each other. For participants who opt-in, we share a contact list of the mothers at each retreat. We also host a Facebook group for participants and a Finishers’ party following the retreat.
How do you do a retreat online?
The magic of the Internet. Video conferencing gives us the ability to be in the same room and share a Community Table -- even when we’re time zones apart.
How do I join?
Online retreats are held on Zoom. You’ll need audio and video capabilities and a stable Internet connection on your computer or tablet. For more information about how to join a Zoom meeting and the capabilities required, click here. We’ll send out the invitation ahead of the retreat -- please test the link ahead of the retreat to ensure you can participate. Unfortunately, Brandi Larsen and Friends, LLC cannot troubleshoot the day of the event and cannot refund the registration fee due to technical difficulties on the day of the event.
What is the price?
Brandi believes that cost shouldn’t get in the way of connection. While we’re proud of our record offering scholarships to each Finishers’ Club retreat we’ve hosted, this retreat is pay-what-you-can pricing. What that means: You choose to pay the amount you can. We believe you deserve your seat whether you pay nothing or the most expensive level to support a small business working to help others. All variants $100 and above include an addiitonal scheduled 50-minute coaching session with Brandi Larsen (a $197 value) and a charitable donation to one of these important causes in your honor.
Tell me about the coaching.
For all attendees who select a pricing variant $100 and above, Brandi will set up a 50-minute coaching session, scheduled at a mutual convenience, focused on the topics most important to your work.
Tell me about the charities.
Brandi believes in the importance of service and we need each other more than ever. For all attendees who select a pricing variant $100 and above, Brandi will make a donation in the attendee’s name to one of these charities. If an attendee would prefer not to be honored, please contact Brandi.
What is your cancellation policy?
These are unpredictable times. Brandi understands that and will do her best to work with you. For this retreat, Brandi will provide a full refund for any cancellation requests made before 12:59 pm on Saturday, May 9, 2020.
Why are you doing this?
We need each other now more than ever. And the world needs your work.
What happened to the May in-person Finishers’ Club retreat?
COVID-19.
I’m scared. What if I don’t…?
It’s okay to be afraid. You’re not alone. Part of what makes this retreat such an incredible experience is the community of women who are coming together. We’re all scared of something: not being good enough, not being present enough, not being enough, the pandemic. Every one of us is fighting for the time and mental clarity to get there. The retreat space is designed to help acknowledge fears and persist through them.
That’s great. But, really, what if I don’t finish?
It will be okay. You will still be loved. So many of us come to Opening Circle exhausted, even when we weren’t sheltering-in-place. It takes so much to raise our hands and say, “I need a break. I need time for me.” This retreat is designed to fill your cup; it’s not one more pressure on the never-ending list. It’s been our experience that seeing the supportive community of mothers — each working on her own goal — strengthens and energizes participants. Part of the magic of the retreat space is that women feel more alive and engaged as they reconnect to their own work. Brandi helps nourish both you and your project during our time together. Even if, right now, finishing feels too far away from where you are, giving yourself the time and trust will mean that you are further along than if you hadn’t tried.
But I want to finish! Is that okay too?
Absolutely! During Closing Circle, we will celebrate the distance we traveled, the relationships we created, and ideas on how to recreate the magic as we ease back to the outside world.
How do I connect with the community following the retreat?
So much of Brandi’s work manifests in connecting creative people to each other. For participants who opt-in, we share a contact list of the women at each retreat. We also host a Facebook group for participants.
Return to your writing with the gift of time.
You felt so excited when you started writing. There was so much energy. Momentum. The world was almost in your hand. Then, life happened. And then a pandemic happened.
And now you’re safe-at-home. Maybe you’re seeing the sun shine through your windows and the renewal of spring reminds you of your writing project, left behind as the world shifted to this new normal.
For mothers with young kids, it may seem like there’s no escape from the constant barrage of needs from snacks to schooling to entertainment. For mothers whose kids are grown, you may have too much time: interminable hours, each day blending with the last.
Traditionally, Mother’s Day weekend is a time to take moments to nourish yourself and celebrate the gift of motherhood.
That’s why we want you to join us. To connect and create in a community of mothers. For one afternoon, retreat to a quiet place with an Internet connection and good headphones.
Join us on May 9 from 1-4:45 pm (EDT) at The Finishers’ Club for Mothers, the online retreat designed to give you the time, space, and community to return to what you’ve started. Working alongside others, you’ll take your project off your to-do list and move it forward, getting it ready to share with the world.
You may have so many projects and so little time that it’s hard to decide which is the best one for this retreat. The truthful answer is the one that’s been nagging at you. Some examples from past participants include finishing podcasts, book chapters, poems, and songs; finalizing screenwriting goals; and launching websites. Because of the joy of the Internet, past participants have even tackled the sticky home projects of cleaning out the garage and organizing their space. A writing project is a natural fit, especially options such as creating an agent or editor pitch letter; polishing an essay, article, or talk; or working on a short story, chapter, or book proposal. We know you’ll pick the right one — we believe in you.
Now more than ever, we need each other.
Cost shouldn’t get in the way of connection. While we’re proud of our record offering scholarships to each Finishers’ Club retreat we’ve hosted, this retreat is pay-what-you-can pricing. You deserve your seat whether you pay nothing or the most expensive level to support a small business working to help others. All variants above $100 include an addiitonal scheduled 50-minute coaching session with Brandi Larsen (a $197 value) and a charitable donation to one of these important causes in your honor.
The world needs your work, and we’ll help you get back to it.
