The Secret to an Honest Heart Journey

What's the secret to an honest heart journey?

I’ve been on a handful of community-based self development trips and retreats, and I can definitively say that Honest Heart Journeys is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. 

Its secret ingredients? Deep, lasting sisterhood built on vulnerability and open hearts; an element of being unplugged; pre-trip discovery that feeds deep conversation; and accountability and community beyond the experience.

I didn’t set a lot of expectations for my first HHJ trip to Utah; I simply had an open mind and heart for whatever came my way. If you’re like me, you typically don’t set expectations because you don’t want to be let down. That may sound pretty pessimistic, and I’m working to reframe it!  

To my surprise, even the 10 hour drive from California to Utah was filled with levity, trust and delight in this adventure. With few expectations and an open heart, things felt fun and surprising!

The trip’s community was unlike anything I’ve experienced in a retreat setting. On most trips or retreats, you make connections, but it feels like they don’t last that long. 

On the very first night, as we talked about what we were leaving behind for this trip, I felt surrounded by women who were open and immediately willing to share their authentic hearts and be truly vulnerable. It was nothing scary, just real! This set the stage for incredible conversations, both on the river and continuing to this day several months later. 

Three months post-trip, we’ve had our second reconnect call, and the text messages of updates and progress in each others’ lives continue weekly. Oh, and not to mention, I’ve already met up with three other HHJ sisters in San Diego since then! 

Having communication from other HHJ participants has helped me to stay accountable to what I learned on the trip. 

My biggest fear about Utah was being totally unplugged. It turns out this experience was actually one of my key takeaways. While the first day it was tough to let go of technology, by the second day, I didn’t even think about my phone! I was so enveloped by the beauty of the Green River and the connections I was making. 

While technology can bring a lot into our lives, when we turn it off, we’re able to tune into each other with so much depth and truly be present. 

Finally, you may be thinking, “What…I have to do prep work for a trip?” Yes, and it is AMAZING. 

A key element of HHJ experiences, whether trip or retreat, is engaging with a book, short article, or podcast beforehand. It gives us all a foundation of themes and similar language when we gather in group settings or our own casual conversations. 

You experience an outer journey with a community of people, and what happens on the inside – the inner journey – is where the magic happens. Whether you’re going on an HHJ trip for 7-14 days, or a retreat for 4 days, supportive sisterhood, unplugging, pre-reflection, and beautiful accountability are integrated into what we call an Honest Heart (Outer and Inner) Journey.

Heading to Utah to meet 15 other women this past June, I was worried about how my furbaby, family, and coaching clients would do without me - which, in hindsight, feels pretty egoistic. Turns out everyone did just fine! And I came home transformed and with a whole new community of sisters…and more ready than ever to be there for those I’d worried about!