Geography of Change:
A Forest Retreat for Navigating Life Transitions
with Valerie Brown
an in-person, on campus program
May 29-31, 2026
Immersed in the stunning beauty of the redwoods in spring, this retreat explores issues of life transition, vocation, passion, purpose, meaning, direction, and underlying patterns, to live in greater alignment with your deepest values, to listen to your own inner wisdom, and to have the courage to act with integrity and authenticity.
Grounded in mindfulness practices in the Plum Village tradition, Quaker faith and practice, the work of Center for Courage and Renewal® and Parker J. Palmer, we will immerse ourselves in nature, build a caring, supportive community, and engage in contemplative practices to support personal and societal transformation.
About the facilitator. Valerie Brown is an author, Buddhist-Quaker Dharma teacher, facilitator, and executive coach specializing in leadership development and mindfulness practices with a focus on diversity, social equity, and inclusion. A former lawyer and lobbyist, Valerie transformed her high-pressure career into serving nonprofits to create trustworthy, authentic, and compassionate workspaces. For more information about Valerie, please visit www.valeriebrown.us.
Click here to register!
Age range. This retreat is designed for those who wish to explore transitions that occur later in life, perhaps in mid-life and beyond, and not the grand life transitions that occur when finishing high school and college. As such, this retreat is recommended for those 25 and older.
Childcare will not be provided at this program, and we ask that parents who wish to attend will make other childcare plans for their kids.
Program cost. Quaker Center program fees are on a sliding scale, and the amounts listed below are suggested ranges. To read more about Quaker Center program costs, click here.
Standard rate: $200-350.
Welcome rate: $75-150.
Geography of Change
Come exhale deeply in the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains in Northern California, traditional territory of the Awaswas people.
Welcoming people from diverse faith traditions, racial and ethnic identities, genders, ages, abilities and spiritual practices and in a safe, nurturing, and confidential environment, we will share periods of silence, quiet self-reflection, immersion in the redwoods, and engage in small and large group discussion, as well as laughter, lightness, movement, and renewal.
The retreat will attend to your body, mind, and spirit, providing a safe and sheltered space to slow down and nurture personal and professional integrity, and the courage to lean into action. Guided by core principles and practices, which include the belief that everyone has an inner teacher, an inner source of truth. As you connect who you are with what you do and how you act, you touch the seeds of transformation already planted in your life, a movement toward greater self-awareness and greater individual and communal wholeness.
Savoring the stunning spring beauty of the redwoods, we will explore poetry, prose, music, gentle guided movement, journaling, stories from various wisdom traditions, and mindfulness meditation practices.
Click here to register!
At this retreat, you will learn how to:
- Get grounded and renewed through the natural world.
- Navigate life’s uncertain and ambiguous moments.
- Cultivate courage and trust even when you don’t feel it.
- Reflect on what matters most with soul-amplifying questions, creative practices, small and large group dialogue and more.
- Align your values with your work for a greater sense of purpose and meaning.
- Cultivate body intelligence and body awareness.
- Show yourself real kindness through self-compassion.
- Practice self-stewardship while compassionately respecting your limits.
What people are saying about retreats with Valerie:
- ‘This retreat provided so many excellent opportunities for inward journeys, and identified ways that my energy, spiritual journey was blocked.’
- ‘This retreat helped me to see more clearly the hindrances to my deepening/developing relationship to my joy and fullness.’