OLIVIA GRIGG: HOW TO HOST A WELLNESS RETREAT | EP 101

Retreats could help you get clients

For some of Olivia’s clients, they often come to her retreats first before signing on as an official client since it allows them to indirectly work with her and experience her counselling before making the commitment. 

‘The strategic part of [hosting retreats] … is that it’s a great onboarding for clients. So someone might not book therapy right away but a retreat might stick out to them, and then you get to know them and they’re like, “Oh, I like your vibe!” So then they book [you] after that.’ – Olivia Grigg 

Of course, not all participants are looking for a therapist, but some do, and so retreats could function like a soft-meeting. 

Advertising retreats

In terms of advertising the retreats that Olivia hosts, she usually uses: 

• Instagram as her main platform 
• Her website 
• Her network of therapists in the community to pass the information onto their clients, but often the therapists themselves join the retreats too! 

‘I feel like people are really interested in retreats right now, and I feel like I don’t have to work too hard to fill up the spots.’ – Olivia Grigg 

Since retreats are becoming more popular and people are more familiar with what they are, the need has adjusted and grown. So, Olivia often finds clients and participants relatively easy. She’s hosted retreats as small as five to as large as 20. 

However, the bigger it gets the more it feels like a conference, but Olivia prefers the intimacy of a retreat and therefore usually keeps it smaller. 

Handling insurance 

Even though insurance is not as big of an issue as you might think, it is still advised to purchase top-quality insurance, like Olivia does, for her retreats. 

For herself and her brand, she purchases high-quality liability insurance so that in case an accident does occur, her business won’t suffer for it. 

‘I am paying a lot in insurance, but also when I book with a venue, they have their own waivers and those types of things that I have to sign … Because people who come to retreats are considered clients, especially because they can bill for social work services, they have to sign a waiver or an in-take form and they check-off boxes that say they understand certain things.’ – Olivia Grigg 

For anyone who is looking to host retreats, get advice that will suit what you want to do. Contact the lawyer or someone who has done this before to see which bases you need covered to protect yourself, your business, and your clients.