Confession: I’m kind of obsessed with cults. I’ve read a bunch of books by gurus and self-help teachers. They range from cult leaders to people whose work I would characterize as irresponsible/not in alignment with my values. I read these books because I’m so fascinated by how and why people get swept up with certain […]

This month, I’m beyond thrilled to announce a special treat just for you—my Summer Reading Giveaway! It’s a celebration of my love for gift-giving, self-help books, and supporting brilliant authors who are also trusted teachers and friends. Three Things I Love: 1) Gift Giving: There’s nothing quite like the joy of giving. It warms my […]

This April, we traveled to Nosara, Costa Rica, for our annual Surf Retreat with 25 incredible women. It’s by far one of our favorite offerings because no one comes out of the week unchanged. In just seven days, 25 women gathered for a week of surf, sun, and sisterhood. Masks were shed, vulnerabilities were embraced, […]

In February 2024, we traveled to Big Indian, New York for a special retreat in partnership with Ally Bogard. Each year, we plan our Upstate Retreat in the winter, as it’s the perfect time to rest and turn inward. The season lends itself to restoration and quiet contemplation. There was no better place to do […]

I’m a recovering perfectionist and here’s how motherhood helped me let go. I’ll never forget the time I called Tovah Klein, a leading developmental psychologist, desperate and at my wits end with my outrageously non-compliant child. Among my son’s transgressions was his refusal to participate in the “Mommy and Me” music class I had signed […]

How to Boost Your Confidence The Number One Pep Talk To Give Yourself Everyday A guest blog post written by Success Coach, Angel Marie I’m scared. Nobody’s going to care about what I have to say. I’m not wise enough yet. I care too much what other people think. I’ll never make it. Is it […]

Certified NUSHU Group Facilitator and Founder of Well Refined, Courtney Evans, joined the NUSHU Surf Retreat in February 2023. What follows is her beautiful retelling of the time spent on retreat: “I spent last week in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica on a women’s surf retreat with NUSHU, a wellness collective I facilitate sharing circles for. I […]

I’ve always been really interested in fear. It’s the reason I took up surfing, rock climbing, and skiing at 36 years old. I had spent the last eight years pregnant, breastfeeding, or both. I had been taking care of five babies and put myself on the back burner. I found myself exhausted, numb, and totally […]

Since her personal awakening, Vanessa Cornell has become a relentless and curious observer of the human condition and a leading voice for true empowerment in breaking down the guru paradigm in the wellness space.   In this deeply personal offering, Vanessa shares the five key insights that were her guiding principles on the journey from […]

01. Figure out how you want to spend your day. Block out times for different tasks based on when you’re most effective, daily and weekly. And schedule in time for rest and daydreaming! All of my creativity and insight comes when I’ve put aside the tasks and allowed myself space to dream.   02. Do […]

Rha Goddess is a cultural innovator, social impact strategist, and creative change agent. At NUSHU’s Annual Women in Wellness Lunch, Vanessa and Rha discussed “The Great Awakening.” After two years of living in a global pandemic, we pose some big questions: What have we learned? How have our values changed? How might we show up […]

If you’re overly worried about offending someone, then you’re too dialed in to their experience rather than your own and you start self-abandoning.  – Dana Childs     ABOUT THIS EPISODE Renowned intuitive, energy healer, author and teacher Dana Childs joins us for a powerful conversation on navigating life as an empath with ease and […]

My destiny is that I’m here to have intimate experiences with people that lead to their transformation and mine. – Lauren Ash     ABOUT THIS EPISODE What does it really mean to be a healer? We hear the world a lot, but what is our relationship to it? How do we step into our […]

Trauma is anything that that is too much, too soon, too fast, or not enough. – Britt Frank     ABOUT THIS EPISODE Vanessa is joined by Licensed Psychotherapist and Trauma Specialist Britt Frank for a discussion on “The Truth About Trauma.” In this episode, Britt Frank, MSW, LSCSW, SEP demystifies the word “trauma” and […]

The more we do, the more poorly we do it. The less we do, the more space we have and the better able we are to fully show up for the things that are getting our devoted presence and attention. – Kate Northrup     ABOUT THIS EPISODE What would your life be like with […]

We put the the hero archetype in Western culture on a pedestal. So a lot of men are trying to live into this very heroic ideal of what they think it means to be a man.  – Connor Beaton, ManTalks     ABOUT THIS EPISODE In this episode, Connor Beaton, a leading men’s work facilitator […]

I really feel that the more that we’re tapped into our intuition, the more that we are capable of weaving a more beautiful future for humanity, and not just for our own lives. – Amisha Ghadiali     ABOUT THIS EPISODE We sit down with Amisha Ghadiali, the host of the acclaimed podcast, The Future […]

You need an ego, you need a sense of self. Oftentimes, the ego is used like it’s negative. It’s like everything’s wrong. But, you have to have a sense of self in order to enter into the endless process of death and rebirth. – Rob Bell     ABOUT THIS EPISODE In this episode, we […]

Yes, we can do work on ourselves, we ought to certainly, but there shouldn’t be this narrative that we have to do it all on our own before we are allowed to access love. – Vienna Pharaon, LMFT     ABOUT THIS EPISODE How do we get the love we want? We turn to Licensed […]

We’re on these hamster wheels go go go and something like this crisis and pandemic happens and we are no longer allowed to function in our usual way. And, I think we think that that is the death of inspiration, but what it might be is actually the quieting of your habitual things that stop, […]