Women Learn to How to Get Real, Connect Better with Others in Retreat of Connection in Highland Mills

By Yehudit Garmaise

     Lifecoach Peri Gottlieb will be hosting her second “Retreat of Connection,” on May 24 and 25, at King David’s Mansion in Highland Mills, NY, which is on the outskirts of Monroe.

     Mrs. Gottlieb, who was trained and licensed as a life coach by Dina Friedman three years ago, described her first retreat, which took place on May 4 and 5 in Deal, NJ, as “a smashing success,” and “unbelievable.”

    “The women all felt that the space we shared was so safe and so sacred,” said Mrs. Gottlieb, who lives in Monsey. “The friendly and loving atmosphere gave the participants the ability to open up, to get vulnerable, to share their stories, to get the support they needed, and to grow.

   “People came out with hope. They felt like, ‘Wow, we can do this.’ They felt empowerment.”

   Mrs. Gottlieb’s only regret was when she had to turn away 10 ladies at the last minute when rising COVID rates caused New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy cap her group at 25 participants.

   It was disappointing, of course, but, with her usual sunny attitude, she said, “Everything is from Hashem,” and quickly started planning her next retreat.

   While the second Retreat of Connection will be exploring the same theme of “connecting to: ourselves, our bodies, our desires, our communities, and Hashem,” she said, the locale will be more private, but equally elegant.

   “The retreat is about self-love, self-acceptance, and getting to know all the parts of you that you have rejected, for whatever reason, in the past: The parts of yourself of which you were not truly aware,” she explained. “It is really about the connection to yourself: Your mind, body, and spirit as whole.”

   To learn how to achieve true authenticity, participants in Mrs. Gottlieb’s Retreat of Connection will make art, learn, walk, meditate, and practice yoga at the mansion, which boasts a kosher kitchen, beautiful grounds, a private outdoor pool, and a dry sauna.

     As she did in Deal, NJ, Mrs. Bracha Meshchaninov will lead participants in “Tiferet Yoga,” which incorporates ideas of Chassidus with movement. 

     Mrs. Meshchaninov helps women to connect to their bodies in healthy and loving ways and express their femininity in positive, empowering, and meaningful ways that connect with Yiddishkeit.

      In addition, Mrs. Dini Ettinger will be leading workshops in creative journaling that include exercises and prompts that help women to access their subconscious truths and their authentic selves.

     Participants also will paint, color, sculpt as “an enjoyable, easy, relaxing, and a fun way of doing inner work,” said Mrs. Gottlieb, who added that the women in Deal loved making art.

    “The ladies were open to something very new and different,” she said. “Some of them were saying they feel a little silly, but that was alright because they were really tapping into their inner children.”

    What Mrs. Gottlieb most wants for her participants is for them to get real about what they most want and need to live their best lives.

   “What I want people get from my retreats is gratitude, hope, and joy,” said Mrs. Gottlieb. “I want to share my love, my light, to empower women, to give them hope, and to give them tools to use in their lives and in their situations, so that they can grow.”

  To register for Mrs. Gottlieb’s Retreat of Connection, women can call, WhatsApp, or text (914) 906-1109. Prices range from $485 to $525.