About the Retreat

An unforgettable adventure of self exploration, honesty, and intimacy awaits.

This workshop has 7 days of sessions aimed at improving your ability to:

• Recognize patterns of self-sabotage and disconnect that leave you in emotional or physical isolation

• Foster interdependence (as distinct from co-dependence and independence)

• Appreciate and accept yourself and others for who you are, rather than who you think you / they SHOULD be

• Heal the past and get over current hurts and struggles so you stop bringing them forward into future relationships

• Foster a growth mindset for yourself and within your romantic relationship(s)

• Learn the delicate dance of contact and withdrawal by simply and clearly stating what is going on with you, right now

Discover brave new ways to communicate, connect, and love, surrounded by Costa Rica’s natural wonders.

During this retreat we’ll support you and your partner in communicating honestly, in new and revolutionary ways, and in redesigning your relationship to focus on aiding each other in being your best selves, as defined by you. If you are single, our goal is to give you the space to get clear on what you want in a relationship and begin/continue to heal any past wounds that may be holding you back.

Our aim is to assist you to re-contextualize your relationships around supporting one another in being genuinely who/how you want to be in a way that acknowledges and embraces the aspects of yourself that are not in alignment with that vision.

We want you to have the relationships you long for, and we’d be so happy and honored to support you in creating that!

This retreat is absolutely for LGBTQIA+ folks,
for those in any sort of relationship configuration, and for singles.

***This retreat may be an emotionally intense experience for you—it is for most. We will spend a lot of our time focusing on remaining present in our bodies and present to our individual experiences; we will also spend time expressing and processing emotions, including sadness, resentment, and appreciation, and there will inevitably be crying and raised voices, along with lightness and laughter. If you have unaddressed trauma this workshop may not be a healthy choice for you.***

WEEKLONG SCHEDULE

We’ll begin with an evening session and then 6 full days in sessions will follow.

DAY 1: March 9
6:30-8:30pm

Arrive anytime March 9th. The program will begin with a group dinner at Cascada Elysiana at 6:30pm, followed by brief introductions.

DAY 2 - 7: March 10 - 15
10am - 5:30pm

All day workshop centered around group and partner exercises.

3 meals/day provided, and breaks throughout the day.

Optional (casually guided, brief) daily yoga at 8am and group breakfast at 8:30am, then session begins at 10.

DAILY SCHEDULE

8am Optional Yoga and Meditation

8:45am Breakfast

10am-1pm Morning Workshop Session

1-1:30pm Lunch Break

1:30-5:30pm Afternoon Session

5:30-6pm Dinner

Note: Schedule is approximate and may change

LOCATION & TRAVEL

Cascada Elysiana, San José Province, Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica

The eco resort, Cascada Elysiana, is seated in the valley of San Juan de Dios in Costa Rica, near Dominical. The easiest way to get to Cascada Elysiana is by flying into San Jose's airport, Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), and taking a taxi to the retreat center.

The retreat center is 3.5 hours from the airport and a taxi ride generally costs $100-150, so we suggest trying to share a taxi with other workshop members if you can -- if you consent to it, we will create a google spreadsheet list of the workshop members' information so you can coordinate a shared taxi with someone.

We can provide you contact information of a trusted taxi company, or you can find your own transportation. Renting a car is not recommended as parking is limited. For potential group excursions, we will provide transportation offsite.

ACCOMMODATION & RATES

Shared rooms, private rooms in shared homes, private glamping tents, and private cabins are available.

Price ranges from $1500 to $3200 depending on the accommodations you choose. All options include 3 meals/day and workshop sessions.

REGISTRATION

Register by making a $1500 non-refundable deposit. If the rate for your accommodation choice is more than $1500, then we’ll be in touch to coordinate your additional payment which will be due on or before March 1st, 2025.

Come practice Radical Honesty in Relationships IN COSTA RICA!

The adventure your heart craves ❤️

If this retreat seems to be what you’re looking for but you’re hesitant for any reason and you’ve got questions or concerns, then please reach out! You can contact me, Lindsay, at takerootcoach@gmail.com and I’m happy to write and answer your questions, or to set up a time to chat.

WORKSHOP FACILITATORS

Your workshop will be led by Radical Honesty Trainers Lindsay St. Antoine and Tony Shawcross.

Lindsay St. Antoine

I partner with folks who are ready and aspiring to get free and intimate through self revealing, who are eager to emerge as their bold, authentic selves and create a life of exhilarating self expression and deep realness.

I’m an honesty coach and Radical Honesty Trainer in Denver, Colorado. In addition to providing honesty coaching, I also lead in-person and online Radical Honesty workshops.

I began working with Radical Honesty Enterprises in 2014, filling many roles within the company, ending with my role as COO in 2021. I was certified as a Radical Honesty Trainer in 2017.

I have a great capacity for being with and fully witnessing people in their shame, embarrassment, anger or darker emotions, and ushering in whatever naturally arises for them in those spaces, and then what emerges in the clearing. I support people to stick with themselves (and each other) in these vulnerable and often uncomfortable spaces, and fully experience their whole experience. In doing so, shifts can occur, full body forgiveness naturally arises, and they may come to know themselves and be able to share themselves fully with others.

Tony Shawcross

Radical Honesty has given me greater access to understanding my body, my subconscious mind, and my internal biases and filters than I ever had before.

As long as I can remember, I've had a passion for unbridled, authentic conversations and collaborative creative expression, and am grateful for how Radical Honesty has contributed to my work in film, music and writing. -Tony 

Tony worked closely with Brad Blanton and Radical Honesty beginning in 2014. As a video producer, editor and writer, Tony helped produce Radical Honesty online workshops and videos, editing and compiling hundreds of hours of footage in ways that give him a unique level of familiarity with the work of Radical Honesty.

In addition to being a Certified Radical Honesty Trainer who co-leads Radical Honesty workshops and runs a monthly meetup group, Tony has been trained in several modalities including Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, and Psychedelic Facilitation with certifications in Trauma-Focused Psychedelic Psychotherapy from Innate Path Dynamic Attachment RePatterning from Trauma Solutions and Psychedelic Pharmacology from Ben Malcolm.

FAQs

What’s the benefit of going to Costa Rica to do a Radical Honesty workshop VS doing it online?

The main benefits:

• Being in person with the facilitators and fellow participants is often a much more intimate and intense experience, allowing for so much more to show up in our space together

• The adventure of going on your own or with your partner to a new experience, in a new place, and interacting in new and brave ways, face to face with new people!

• The adventure of traveling to and being in Costa Rica and being in the mind-blowingly beautiful jungle!

• As Tony mentioned in Part 1 of this newsletter, “When we're working to build new ways of relating to ourselves and our partners, it’s good to be in a new setting that supports new neural pathways.
  
  Cascada Elysiana is integrated with the land and nature in a way few places are, and I find it energizing and invigorating to be in such a beautiful place with fresh air, fresh water, fresh food, and fresh faces.
  
  Even the act of traveling there subconsciously programs our psyche for a new experience and context of investing in ourselves and our relationships... and you are worth the investment.”

How serious or “strict” is the vibe? Will this feel like a vacation or a workshop?

While we consider this a pretty intensive workshop, it’s intended to be less intense than our 8-Day Residential Workshops. Our session periods during this retreat are hours shorter than the 8-day workshops with evenings off to do as you please. 

That said, we intend for participants to be present for the full duration of all workshop sessions and to communicate with us ahead of time if that won’t be possible for any reason. The workshop sessions build on each other and rapport and trust develops within the group through each session, and your absence would have an impact on the group. 

This retreat is a space for the whole range of human emotions. There will inevitably be lightness and laughter, as well as anger, raised voices, and crying. We’re trained and practiced at being with you through all of that, and we’re here for it. 

Will I have time to myself? Are there evening offerings?

Our workshop sessions will end each night at 5:30, followed by dinner at the Lodge. After that, you’re free to spend the evening as you’d like. Some folks like to have alone time to rest and recharge after the intense days with the group, and others like to keep the action going. 

Some evening options:

• Staying at Cascada Elysiana and hanging out on your own

• Participating in optional evening sessions offered by guest facilitators

• Hanging out at the Lodge with other participants and guests

• If you arrange transportation, you can head out to Dominical, the small town about 30 minutes away from the retreat center.

*Although we won’t have a strict rule about abstaining from alcohol during the retreat, we do request that you take it easy with any alcohol you do consume in the evenings so you’ll be in good shape and feeling well for the workshop sessions. 

How much will I be interacting w/ my partner during sessions VS being w/ the other participants?

We’ll do some exercises and activities that we’ll encourage you to take on with your partner if you’re attending with yours, and others that we’ll encourage you to do with other participants.

There are NO exercises that anyone is required to do with a romantic partner, and the retreat is just as appropriate for single folks as it is those coming with a romantic partner. 

If you are coming with a romantic partner, we’ll be encouraging you to do work together, and separate from each other, and ultimately, it’s up to you.

Who will be at the retreat?

We’re limiting the group size to 20 people and we currently have 10 people enrolled (as of Feb 12). The participants are couples and folks coming on their own, varying ages, and currently everyone signed up lives in the states.

Where in Costa Rica is the retreat, and how close is it to the beach? What will the weather be like?

We’ll be at the Cascada Elysiana Retreat center in the Southern Pacific area of Costa Rica. March, during the “dry season” is a beautiful time to visit. Weather will generally be between 80 and 90 degrees fahrenheit with little rain.

The retreat center is a 30 minute drive to the nearest tiny town, Dominical, and the beach. 

Where/how do sessions happen? Is it accessible?

We’ll have a dedicated indoor session space in one of the homes with A/C. Depending on where you’re staying at the retreat center, it may take you 10-15 minutes to walk to the session space. When in this space we’ll be sitting in chairs in a circle, and we encourage you to bring what you’ll need to sit comfortably and take good care of yourself (we’ll have some pillows, etc to help with this and will encourage standing, stretching, etc during sessions, as much as you need/want).

Depending on the weather, group energy and mood, etc. we’ll do some sessions in various outdoor areas. 

*Unfortunately the workshop session space is not wheelchair accessible due to a somewhat long, steep, and uneven hike to the space, and that is the case for much of the retreat center.

Walking from the Main Lodge (where we’ll have all of our meals) to our session space is, “The equivalent of climbing about 8 flights of stairs on uneven ground.”

What are the accommodations like at the retreat center and how much will it cost?

Cost for the retreat depends on the accommodations you choose and range from $1500 per person for shared bunkhouse sleeping arrangements with shared compost toilet bathrooms and outdoor showers, up to $3200 per person for a private home with A/C. You can find photos and details about all of the options here. 

How will I travel from the airport to the retreat center?

The drive from the airport to Cascada Elysiana takes about 3.5 hours. Tony and I will be arriving at SJO airport on the afternoon of the 9th and we’ll carpool with participants arriving at/around the same time.

We’ll support you in connecting with others who may be arriving around the same time as you so you may also carpool if you’d like.

If you’re arriving at SJO prior to the 9th and want to work out transportation to Cascada Elysiana on your own, please check out the detailed description on their site for travel from the airport to the retreat center. 

Are the waterfall photos actually taken at the retreat center?

Yes! Cascada Elysiana is a total natural wonderland and has creeks, cascades and small pools around the land, and a spectacular 190ft (58m) waterfall which is a 10-15 min hike from the Main Lodge. It’s considered an Easy/Moderate hike, and is unfortunately NOT wheelchair accessible, as it’s located deep in the mountain.

The power of the falls varies throughout the year, depending on rainfall and whether it’s the dry or wet season, and we’ll be there in March, during the dry season and I’ve just been reminded that the waterfall is more of a mist at that time of year.