Wild Within retreat:
South Africa
February 18-22nd, 2027
Join us for a women’s inner leadership retreat in the South African wilderness for high-achieving, visionary women in transition who are ready to reclaim their power, trust themselves again, and walk into their next chapter and identity with clarity, courage, and embodied self-authority.
This is for you if…
If any part of you feels you’re standing on the threshold where the old identity no longer fits.
You’ve done everything “right,” but can feel that the life you’ve built from responsibility, approval or survival no longer matches the woman you’re becoming.
Your life looks fine from the outside, but you want to feel more alive and connected to yourself, your people and your life.
You’re in the space between chapters: divorce, empty nest, career pivot, relationship change, grief, burnout, retirement, reinvention or just the feeling that life cannot continue as it has.
Wild Within is more than a burnout reset, it’s a women’s rite-of-passage experience into deeper aliveness, clarity, courage and self-trust.
For 5 unforgettable days, you’ll trade your screens and busy schedules for slow sunrises, ancient land, intentional breath and movement, powerful coaching, supportive sisterhood, and memories that last a lifetime.
Hosted & facilitated by Elle Winsted, Founder of The Courageous Life &Guest Facilitator, Anelia UZUNOVA, Founder of the RISE LEadership Method.
📍 Kruger National Park, South Africa
🗓️ February 18-22nd, 2027
optional 3-day Cape Town pre-trip (February 15-18th)
For the woman who has outgrown the life she once worked so hard to build.
You’ve built an incredible life for yourself.
From society’s eyes, you should be fulfilled because from the outside, you have everything. But deep down, there’s an inner knowing that you’re meant for more. Theres an inner whisper and curiosity that asks, “Is this it? What’s next for me?”
You’re at a point where you’re juggling a career, caregiving or have nonstop responsibilities. You’re a high-functioning and high-achieving woman who is externally put together, but your soul is yearning for more. Or you’re in a period of a big life shift - retirement, loss, divorce, empty nest, or simply realizing the version of you that “worked” before doesn’t feel aligned anymore with your desires for life.
From the outside, life can look completely fine. But inside, something feels off. You feel disconnected from your body, your joy, your zest for life, - and you can’t quite explain why.
I know that feeling.
And when that disconnect builds, we reach for whatever helps us cope: staying busy, over-scheduling, numbing out, another self help book, binging another season on tv… anything to avoid the quiet truth that something wants to change.
That’s why I created Wild Within. This retreat is a rite of passage designed to interrupt your status quo so you can reconnect with the wild within YOU. A threshold from the old life and identity you once had, into the more aligned ones.
In South Africa, something shifts. Here, you’ll trade the hamster wheel for the WILD. Safaris at sunrise. Lions roaring in the distance. Stillness you can feel throughout your entire being. Space to hear the quiet whisper of intuition that normally drowns in the noise.
Through breathwork, guided coaching, movement, and honest conversation, we go beyond nervous system regulation. We reclaim our aliveness by bringing you back into your body where we gently release old energy and old identities to and make room for what’s next.
This isn’t about escaping your life. It’s about building your capacity and expanding your identity so you can return to your life differently: clearer in your choices, steadier in the chaos, more alive, and deeply connected to what actually matters to you now. A new blueprint for a life that actually sets your heart on fire!
Come reconnect with what’s true to you: your body, desires, aliveness, courage and your next chapter. Become the leader of your life through this powerful threshold.
After booking, you’ll receive a short Participant Care Form. Because Wild Within is an immersive retreat, we may follow up if we need more information to ensure the experience is the right fit for you.
Meet Your Guides
Elle Winsted is the Founder of The Courageous Life and Wild Within. She is a breathwork facilitator and retreat leader who helps women regulate their nervous systems, build resilience, and reconnect with the courage needed to create lives they truly love.
With more than 300 hours of trauma-informed breathwork training, Elle guides experiences that help women move out of survival mode, expand their capacity to handle life, and come back into a deeper relationship with themselves. She is trained in both Conscious Connected Breathwork and 9D Breathwork, a revolutionary modality that combines the ancient practice of breathwork with immersive 9-layered sound technology to support profound emotional release, nervous system regulation, and transformation.
Having lived all over the world and traveled and lived in and out of Africa since 2011, Elle brings a depth of lived experience to the spaces she creates. Now based in South Africa, her work is deeply shaped by her connection to the land and by her belief in Africa’s power to bring people back to their true nature. Wild Within was born from that relationship: a retreat designed to help women step away from the noise of everyday life and return home more clear on the lives they desire, more courageous, more clear and more alive.
Anelia Uzunova is a speaker and educator on inner leadership and personal transformation whose work helps people move through transition with more courage, authenticity and self-trust. After more than 14 years in global leadership roles, including the World Economic Forum, she now guides mission-driven leaders and changemakers to reconnect with themselves and live and lead from a place that feels deeply aligned, powerful and true.
Through her RISE Method, which stands for Root, Ignite, Surrender, and Embody, she supports people through burnout, reinvention, expansion, and the deeper shifts that ask them to return to their truth.
As featured in Apple News, Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance and CEO Weekly, Anelia brings both credibility and depth to Wild Within, offering women a powerful framework for navigating change from the inside out.
(Learn more about Anelia HERE).
AFrica-
The place of all our beginnings.
“Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same. But how do you begin to describe the magic to someone who has never felt it? How can you explain the fascination of this vast, dusty continent? Could it be because Africa is the place of all our beginnings, the cradle of mankind, where our species first stood upright on the savannas of long ago?”
-Brian Jackman
I chose South Africa for this retreat because ever since I stepped foot on African soil fifteen years ago, I felt home. A deep sense of kinship that I couldn’t articulate nor understand. How could I feel so connected to a place I’d never been?
Africa chose me as much as I chose it. Since 2011, I’ve camped with friends along her shorelines, driven 4x4’s across barren deserts covered in dust, hopped on dozens of safari drives and let myself be changed by the cultures and communities that hold so much heart, rhythm, resilience, and soul. It’s mysterious yet nurturing. Fierce yet forgiving. Harsh yet healing. It feels like one of the last places in the world that really feels WILD. And it was here that I came back to myself and back to the adventurous, courageous, bold, loving and fun woman I know myself to be.
Africa transformed my heart and soul and I have no doubt that it will evoke an incredible transformation in you as well.
I can’t wait for you to join me here, where it all began, as you return to yourself.
Elle xx
THE RISE METHOD-
Your inner leadership Arc
with Anelia Uzunova
Root:
Leadership begins with awareness. We first ground into centre, reconnect with your truth, regulate the nervous system and create the stability that allows clarity instead of reactivity.
Ignite:
Step into your power by reclaiming your sovereignty from external authorities and your inner opponent.
Only then can we step into courage, take aligned action and reclaim agency.
Surrender:
Every genuine act of growth brings uncertainty. This is where we learn to release control, trust the process, and lead through ambiguity rather than force.
Embody:
Finally, we integrate all that came before. This is the state of sovereignty: where inner alignment becomes outer integrity, and leadership becomes who we are, not what we do.
The RISE sequence is intentional, reflecting the natural rhythm of inner transformation.
Each phase builds upon the one before it – from grounding in truth (Root), to acting with courage (Ignite), to leading through trust (Surrender), and finally embodying integrity (Embody). Together, they form a living cycle of inner leadership – the process of transforming awareness into embodied power.
Your 5-Day Transformation Arc
Day 1: Arrival & Opening: Crossing the Threshold
After your journey, you’ll arrive at the lodge, settle in, and begin to exhale into the pace of the bush.
That evening, we gather for our opening fire ceremony and Boma dinner. With local drumming and dance from the Mdluli community, this first night marks a transition out of the noise of everyday life and into a space designed for tenacity, presence, honesty, and transformation. Together, we open the retreat, set intentions, and begin the journey ahead.
Day 2: Root - Land Back in Yourself
Your first full day begins with breathwork led by Elle, helping you regulate your nervous system, clear the residue of travel, and land more fully in your body.
After breakfast, Anelia leads the first RISE workshop: Root - grounding into your center and reconnecting with your truth through honesty, awareness, and acceptance. This is where the retreat begins: by slowing down enough to see clearly what has been driving you, draining you, or pulling you away from yourself.
The afternoon is yours for integration, rest, journaling, or the pool before heading out on a sunset game drive.
Day 3: Ignite - Reclaiming Your Power
This morning opens more slowly, giving your body time to rest and integrate.
Later, Anelia guides the next RISE workshop: Ignite - stepping back into your power by reclaiming your sovereignty from external expectations, old conditioning, and the inner voice that keeps you small. This part of the work is about remembering your agency and reconnecting with the part of you that knows how to lead your life from within.
The rest of the day is spacious, with time for reflection, rest, and integration, plus the option for an evening breathwork session depending on the rhythm of the group.
Day 4: Surrender - Releasing Control, Building Trust
This morning begins with breathwork, movement, and voice activation led by Elle - a session designed to help you move what is still stuck, release emotional charge, and surrendering to all that has come up in the previous days.
After breakfast, Anelia leads the next RISE workshop: Surrender - the practice of loosening your grip on old patterns, perfectionism, and the need to control every outcome. This is where you begin building the courage to stay present with uncertainty, trust what is unfolding, and make space for a new way of being to emerge.
Later, the energy shifts into expression, play, and celebration. With adornment, ritual, and a bush braai under the stars, this day invites you to soften, open, and experience what becomes possible when you stop bracing and allow yourself to be fully seen.
Day 5: Embody - Becoming the Leader of Your Life
At dawn, the bush awakens. The morning begins with a bush walk - a chance to meet the land on foot and sharpen your senses in a whole new way.
Later in the morning, Anelia leads the final RISE workshop: Embody - taking full responsibility as the leader of your life and committing to what it takes to live in alignment with what is true. This is where insight becomes action and change becomes something you can actually carry home.
That evening, we close with a sunset game drive, sundowners, and a final starlit Boma dinner and celebration.
Day 6: Closing & Departure: Taking It Home
On the final morning, Elle guides a closing breathwork session to help anchor the work and integrate all that has opened over the retreat.
After breakfast, we gather for a final gratitude circle and closing ritual before departures. You leave with more than memories - you leave with a more regulated body, clearer truth, and a deeper connection to your own courage.
After booking, you’ll receive a short Participant Care Form. Because Wild Within is an immersive retreat, we may follow up if we need more information to ensure the experience is the right fit for you.
The Luxury of Transformation
Intimate group: Maximum 14 women
Four-star eco-luxury chalets with outdoor showers under African skies
All meals included: Fresh, nourishing, locally grown cuisine
Daily game drives: Sunrise and sunset wildlife encounters
Sacred workshop spaces: Both indoor and outdoor venues
Pool & spa access: Integration time for journaling and reflection
Expert facilitation: Elle & Anelia’s full attention and guidance
Cultural experiences: Local drummers & dancers
Professional safari guides: Safe, intimate wildlife encounters
Fire ceremony spaces: Traditional boma for evening rituals
WhatsApp group and post-retreat integration breathwork Zooms: Lifetime connection with your soul sisters
Mdluli Safari Lodge - Where Comfort Meets Wild
You’ll stay in luxury eco-chalets nestled in the bush, each with indoor & outdoor showers, beautiful furnishings, and privacy among the trees. The lodge offers a pool, spa treatments, gathering areas, and unforgettable dining experiences.
Every detail has been considered so you can relax into the land, into yourself and into the magic that is Africa.
After booking, you’ll receive a short Participant Care Form. Because Wild Within is an immersive retreat, we may follow up if we need more information to ensure the experience is the right fit for you.
Your Investment in the Wild Within Retreat
SHARED ACCOMMODATION
Early Bird: $2,997 3 payments of $1,111)
Early Bird Investment: $4450
$3999
(2 slots available - PAY IN FULL
Save $450)
Regular Investment: $4450
Share your transformation journey with a
soul sister
✔️ 5 nights luxury accommodation at Mdluli Safari Lodge
✔️ All meals from lunch Day 1 through breakfast Day 6
✔️ Daily safari game drives with professional guides
✔️ Breathwork & somatic sessions with Elle
✔️ All workshops and integration with Anelia
✔️ Roundtrip airport transfers from Nelspruit Airport to Mdluli Safari Lodge
✔️ All gratuity for staff and rangers
✔️ Built in sisterhood. Best Value. Same full retreat experience
✔️ Lifetime access to sisterhood community
✔️ Integration support & practices (includes two integration calls 3 weeks and 6 weeks after the retreat ends)
❌ Not included:
International flights, local domestic flight to retreat arrival airport ($160-$200), travel insurance, pre-trip expenses (if joining Cape Town) & personal purchases / spa / optional add-ons
(
Flights are not included, but you won’t be navigating the logistics alone. I’ll provide clear travel guidance and can help you find the best international and domestic flight options so your journey to South Africa feels simple and supported.
(Payment plans available after non-refundable deposit)
Private ACCOMMODATION
Early Bird Investment: $5600
$5100
(1 slot available - PAY IN FULL
Save $500)
Regular Investment: $5600
Your own sacred space for integration and reflection
✔️ 5 nights luxury accommodation at Mdluli Safari Lodge
✔️ All meals from lunch Day 1 through breakfast Day 6
✔️ Daily safari game drives with professional guides
✔️ Breathwork & somatic sessions with Elle
✔️ All workshops and integration with Anelia
✔️ Roundtrip airport transfers from Nelspruit Airport to Mdluli Safari Lodge
✔️ All gratuity for staff and rangers
✔️ Lifetime access to sisterhood community
✔️ Extra solitude and personal space to integrate each day
✔️ Integration support & practices (includes two integration calls 3 weeks and 6 weeks after the retreat ends)
❌ Not included:
International flights, local domestic flight to retreat arrival airport ($160-$200), travel insurance, pre-trip expenses (if joining Cape Town) & personal purchases / spa / optional add-ons
Flights are not included, but you won’t be navigating the logistics alone. I’ll provide clear travel guidance and can help you find the best international and domestic flight options so your journey to South Africa feels simple and supported.
(Payment plans available after non-refundable deposit)
After booking, you’ll receive a short Participant Care Form. Because Wild Within is an immersive retreat, we may follow up if we need more information to ensure the experience is the right fit for you.
Not sure if this is your season? Book a short fit call - we’ll explore whether this experience is aligned for you.
(contact info below)
Extend your Journey: Cape Town pre-trip Arrival Experience
Cape Town Arrival Experience (Hosted 3 day Pre-Trip Add-On): FEbruary 15-18th, 2027
Before you enter the wild, soften into Africa's rhythm with three days of coastal luxury in Cape Town, one of the world's most breathtaking cities where mountain meets ocean.
Day 1: Arrival & Restoration
Begin with a spa morning at the iconic Mount Nelson Hotel's Librisa Spa, where two hours of pampering prepare your body for transformation. Finish off our spa experience with lunch at the hotel’s Oasis restaurant.
Afternoon brings oceanside wandering along the promenade, followed your first evening at the infamous, Dorp Hotel in the bustling Bo Kaap neighborhood of Cape Town.
Day 2: Ocean Adventures
Wake for an extraordinary morning, kayaking with penguins in Simon's Town. These two hours on crystal waters bring you face-to-face with African penguins in their natural habitat at Boulders Beach.
After lunch at the legendary Brass Bell (where waves literally crash against the windows), you'll sail into the sunset on a private catamaran around the harbor before dinner at The Bungalow in stunning Camps Bay.
Day 3: Choose Your Adventure
Your final day offers freedom to explore:
Partake in a two-hour breathwork session with Elle
Ride the cable car up Table Mountain for breathtaking views (weather permitting)
Master Cape Malay cooking in a hands-on cultural class
Explore the colorful Bo Kaap district with a cultural guide
Tour historic Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned
Taste world-class wines in nearby Constantia
Or simply luxuriate at the beach or pool
We'll gather for a farewell dinner at the atmospheric Kloof Street House before departing for the safari lodge the next morning.
Why Arrive Through Cape Town?
This isn't just about logistics, it's about transition. You need space and rest between your everyday life and the profound work ahead. Cape Town offers that bridge: from urban to wild, from ocean to savanna, from external beauty to internal exploration. Plus, you'll connect with other retreat participants before entering the bush, creating bonds that deepen the entire experience.
Your Cape Town Investment
Shared Classic Room
Investment: $1400
✔️ 3 nights at The Dorp Hotel
✔️ Day 1: Spa morning at Mount Nelson Hotel's Librisa Spa, lunch at The Oasis and dinner at the Dorp Hotel
✔️ Day 2: Penguin kayaking adventure in Simon's Town, lunch at the famous Brass Bell in Kalk Bay, sunset catamaran cruise around the harbor, dinner at the luxurious Bungalow in Camps Bay
✔️ Day 3: Free day to explore (optional activities available: Two hour breathwork journey, Table Mountain cable car, wine tasting, Bo Kaap cultural tour, cooking class), final dinner at Kloof Street House
✔️ All meals and gratuity
✔️ All transportation from Day 1 through airport drop-off on last day
✔️ Hosted by Elle: seemless arrival, connection and an optional breathwork session to open the week
❌ Not included: International flights to Cape Town, arrival day accommodation, Inter-Country flight to Nelspruit Airport for Wild Within main retreat (around $200), optional Day 3 activities, alcoholic beverages & travel insurance.
PRIVATE Superior Room
Investment: $1800
✔️ 3 nights at The Dorp Hotel
✔️ Day 1: Spa morning at Mount Nelson Hotel's Librisa Spa, lunch at The Oasis, and dinner at The Dorp Hotel
✔️ Day 2: Penguin kayaking adventure in Simon's Town, lunch at the famous Brass Bell in Kalk Bay, sunset catamaran cruise around the harbor, dinner at the luxurious Bungalow in Camps Bay
✔️ Day 3: Free day to explore (optional activities available: Two hour breathwork journey, Table Mountain cable car, wine tasting, Bo Kaap cultural tour, cooking class), final dinner at Kloof Street House
✔️ All meals and gratuity
✔️ All transportation from Day 1 through airport drop-off on last day
✔️ Hosted by Elle: seemless arrival, connection and an optional breathwork session to open the week
❌ Not included: International flights to Cape Town, arrival day accommodation, Inter-country flight to Nelspruit for Wild Within main retreat (around $200), optional Day 3 activities and lunch, alcoholic beverages & travel insurance
After booking, you’ll receive a short Participant Care Form. Because Wild Within is an immersive retreat, we may follow up if we need more information to ensure the experience is the right fit for you.
Questions Rising?
Good, that’s your soul recognizing possibility.
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If you keep waiting for a ‘clear’ week, it may never come. This week away can give you back months of mental bandwidth when you return. Therefore, the question isn't whether you can, it's whether you can afford not to.
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You’re right - it is far. And that’s exactly why it works. This isn’t meant to be convenient, it’s meant to be catalytic.
Africa is a different continent, rhythm with unfamiliar cues and vast nature that makes our problems shrink. The distance isn’t a drawback-its what creates enough disruption for real change.
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If unplugging seems impossible, that’s data. We’ll support you to set boundaries for one week and you’ll come home with a new relationship to your time.
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Absolutely. Mdluli Safari Lodge is a 4-star rated property with 24/7 security, professional guides, and full safety protocols. We handle all logistics. You just handle your transformation.
Elle has also lived in South Africa for the past six years. She has multiple partnerships on the ground and a deep sense of the area. You’re in great hands!! Let us hold you throughout the experience-you don’t need to worry about a thing!
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Most women come solo. This is designed for that. You won’t be ‘joining a friend group,’ you’ll be entering a container that creates belonging fast.
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If you're reading this, you're ready. Your resistance is just your ego's last attempt to keep you small. Trust the part of you that brought you here.
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We intentionally pair women based on preferences and energy to make sure your stay feels supportive, comfortable, and aligned.
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Not at all. Both room options include the exact same retreat journey, activities, breathwork, and support.
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For the Early Bird option, we are only accepting full payments.
For the normal retreat packages, you can either pay in full at checkout or reserve your spot with a deposit ($2000 for shared room and $2500 for private room). If you choose the deposit option, the remaining balance must be paid by a new date TBD soon.
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All payments are non-refundable, including the deposit, because funds are committed to accommodations and vendors in advance.
If you cancel on or before May 10, 2026, you may request a retreat credit (non-transferable) to use toward a future offering within 24 months (through May 10, 2028).
Cancellations after May 10, 2026 are not eligible for a refund or credit. -
Yes—if you find a replacement participant and Wild Within approves them (and they complete required forms/agreements), your paid amount can be applied to their registration. Any price difference is their responsibility. A reasonable admin fee may apply (e.g., $150). Payment processing fees are non-refundable.
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Travel insurance is strongly recommended and should include trip cancellation/interruption, medical coverage, and travel delays—especially due to the non-refundable policy and the realities of international travel.
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No. Flights are not included. You are responsible for booking your own travel to South Africa and the inter-country flight from either Cape Town if you’re attending the optional pre-trip experience, or from Johannesburg if you’re flying in directly for the retreat. We can help you book that flight. Depending on how far out you book it, it will range from $160-$250 most likely.
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We recommend arriving at least one day early whenever possible so you can land, rest, and settle before the retreat begins.
If you fly into Johannesburg (and skip the pre-trip), we recommend you arrive one day before we start to be able to spend the night (we can work with you to help book safe and affordable accommodation) so that you can catch the flight to Mdluli to arrive on the first day of the retreat.
If you fly into Cape Town to catch the-pretrip, we recommend you land in Cape Town one day before to get a good’s night rest before we start. We can most certainly help you book a safe, affordable option.
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Yes. We offer two integration calls post-retreat: 3 weeks and 6 weeks after the retreat ends.
We will also offer more post-retreat integration (group sessions, private sessions, and/or VIP support) to help you embody what you unlocked once you’re back in real life.
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Yes. Breathwork and integration work translate beautifully online - and many women love being able to integrate from the comfort of home.
I have facilitated breathwork via Zoom for many clients. If you’re interested i their experience, check out the “Testimonials” page on the website.
This is your moment
This journey is where the stress ends
and the real you comes back to life.
Space. Wilderness. Breath. Activation. Truth.
A new blueprint you can actually live.
February 18-22nd, 2027- come meet the wild within.
Limited spots.
Payment plans available.
Questions? Email us at elle@the-courageous-life or book a 15-minute clarity call with our team here.