As soon as I opened the email about the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat, a sense of doom flowed through my body. It started at the top of my head and my face went crimson red as the blood flowed into my now-blushed face. My heart started racing and my hands clammed up. The backs of my knees started feeling weak and a nervous energy flowed through my body.
If I said “yes” to this email, I’d have to get vulnerable…one of my least favourite places to be.
But the yuckier it felt, the more I knew I had to lean into it. The more I knew that the universe was bringing me something I needed. Objectively I tried to engage my sense of humour and laughed while asking myself, “What are you so scared of?”
I mean, after all, if you look at my life on social media I’m one of those girls who “has it all”. I travel for a living, exercise daily, have a roof over my head, and have a happy marriage and a loving family. But I’m equally a private person, and strategically only try to bring happiness to social media, while keeping the daily challenges that life brings to myself.
So when Oak Bay Beach Hotel invited me to attend The Life Delicious weekend retreat I turtled up. This would be a weekend of deep and meaningful work. Was I ready? Nope. Did I sign up anyway with the goal of sorting out my insecurities later… you betcha!
Spoiler alert, I made it through what was a soul-serving weekend. Here’s my in-depth behind-the-scenes experience and some of the key takeaways from the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat.
The Life Delicious Retreat
“Acting in the service of the vision I hold for my life,” was a powerful quote that helped kick off the overall vibe for the wellness weekend. A group of like-minded individuals passionate about living their best life came together and it was an honour to share this experience with them. Here’s a detailed look at what the weekend was like including some of my favourite quotes, key takeaways, big lessons, and of course, photos.
So many photos. I took over 600 and had a hard time culling it down to my top 100! The Oak Bay Beach Hotel setting is picture-perfect and I couldn’t stop trying to capture it all on my camera!
Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat Day One – Takeoff, Literally!
I started my Oak Bay Beach Hotel retreat weekend at the Helijet terminal in downtown Vancouver. While the calendar said it was January outside, it was as bright and sunny as a summer day in July. After a quick check-in and a 30-minute wait watching the boats come in and out of the harbour, it was our turn for takeoff.
Like a 4-year-old child with their nose pressed up against an ice cream parlour window, I had my camera lens against the window and my phone in the other hand taking videos for the full 35 minutes of our flight. Vancouver is my favourite city in the world and she was showing off her full beauty for us to see from above. From the iconic 5 sails of Canada Place that jut out over the inner harbour, to the giant Red Cedar trees and sandy beaches in Stanley Park, even the Science World geodesic dome seemed to sparkle just a little bit more from above.
Once we had left the city and were out over the open ocean it was the magic that only Mother Ocean can provide. Vast blue seas ran seamlessly into the bright blue sky as if all colours of the blue crayons were creating an artist’s pallet right before my eyes. Looking down over us all was Mt. Baker, standing strong, with a white cap on as if saluting us from afar.
Oak Bay Beach Hotel
Upon landing at Helijet in Victoria it was a short 20-minute cab ride and I arrived at The Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Known to the locals as the OBB, this castle-like hotel has earned accolades such as #6 Top Hotel in Canada by The Conde Nast Reader’s Choice Awards for 2024. As soon as you step out onto the property it’s clear that this isn’t just any normal hotel, it’s an oceanfront oasis resort and an elevated luxury experience (I do think they should change their name to the Oak Bay Beach Resort!).
Nestled into the shores of the Salish Sea, this beautiful property creates an incredible opportunity for you to connect, both with yourself and with the incredible environment around you. From oceanfront mineral pools, The Boathouse Spa, and extravagant rooms that feel like a warm hug and a hot cup of apple cider, rejuvenation starts as soon as you receive your room key.
Day One Schedule – Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat
2:30 pm – Arrival, Module 1: Mindset
5:00 pm – Mobility Session
6:00 pm – Dinner
Here we go!
The Life Delicious Wellness Retreat With Catherine Roscoe Barr, BSc Neuroscience
I’ll be honest with you, normally when I walk into a room I stand tall, feel confident, and bring enough energy to fill the whole space. It’s just who I am, and how I roll… most of the time. But this isn’t my first retreat and this time I walked in cautiously, almost as if I knew what was coming. Now why was I so scared to be vulnerable, well it’s probably a combination of ego and fear of adding more to my plate. As a busy entrepreneur – mom – volunteer – and friend, it felt a bit overwhelming knowing there was going to be a transformation, even though in my heart I knew it would be a good one. But that won’t be without work, so instead of my normal gusto I quietly snuck into the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat, head down, and eyes on a chair in the front row (I forgot my contacts so I needed to be close to see the presentations).
Catherine welcomed me where I was, with a calm and assuring energy that gave a Zen vibe of feeling like, “You’re in the right place love.” Sigh. Exhale. Okay, we can do this.
And we did. 16 of us came together to ask questions, to learn, to share resources and ideas, common struggles and pain, and ideas and inspirations for the future. From tears to celebrations, Catherine leads an incredible weekend focusing on five in-depth modules: Mindset, Movement, Nutrition, Sleep, and Connection. And I’ll be honest, we were given the freedom to go as deep as we wanted, push ourselves as hard as we felt we needed to, and be gentle and kind with ourselves through the process. While I spent the lead-up to the workshop being nervous about what was going to be unveiled, the reality was that there were lots of proud, gratitude-filled moments, and then a few tools that I can use to pivot and implement new resources and habits into my life.
About Catherine Roscoe Barr
Catherine is a woman with a reputation and when people heard I was attending this workshop I heard a variety of phrases like, “You’re so lucky to be working with Catherine” and “You’re going to love her, you have similar energy” and finally, “How do you NOT know Catherine?” A formal travel writer, Catherine is a Neuroscientist, certified personal trainer, fitness instructor, older adult specialist, and coach practitioner, who’s been featured on blogs, TV shows, podcasts, and radio programs for her expert opinion on mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Strong stature with intentional words, Catherine has found a beautiful connection between what can be perceived as “boring science” and built a bridge for how we can leverage science to create practices for everyday wellness and lifelong physical and mental health.
She’s part guru, part teacher, part healer, and 100% inspiring.
The Powerful Plate – Dining With Intention at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat
One of the key messages at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat was nutrition and the need to connect with our food in a meaningful way. We all shared stories of the struggles we have not only with deciding what to eat, but finding inspiring recipes, trying to sort out schedules on when everyone would eat, and feeling rushed / chaotic most of the time while eating.
The challenge is that this is not good for your digestion, or your connections with your family and has an overall negative impact on your wellness. One of the investments we were encouraged to make was dedicated time when eating our food. Things like removing distractions from the table such as devices, turning off the background noise or TV, and setting a table with things like nice decor, dishes, and candles can help everyone come together around the table.
To lead by example, Catherine and the team at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel set the most beautiful long table for us for our meals. From dim lighting to help our circadian rhythm adapt to the time, to beautifully elegant dining and dishes, to meals that were suitable for a Queen, she showed us how impactful an intentional meal time could be.
Retreat Nutrition
Meal time at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel retreat was a nurturing and nutritious celebration of food and incredible fuel for our bodies and minds while we took the weekend to invest in our health and wellness. Upon Catherine’s leadership, the menu was designed around Dr. Gregor’s Daily Dozen, which includes beans, fruits, greens, flaxseed, grains, berries… and more. A major emphasis was placed on food that was sourced from local farmers and all within a local range, a theory that supports us eating food that comes from our local region.
To help showcase just how nutritious and delicious the food was, here are some samples from the weekend, because can you ever get enough food photos?
Sample Menu
Feast for Your Eyes
Spa Service
The Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat has a lot of personal time built into the schedule so that you can invest in self-care, whether that be journaling in your room, soaking in the mineral pools, or heading down to The Boathouse Spa for a service.
I was invited to check out their newest service, The Thermal Detox. “A restorative, detoxifying, and reducing full body exfoliation and remineralizing treatment, customizable with a unique relaxing Gua Sha draining massage. A blend of essential oils stimulates deep tissue purification, while the Fucus and Laminaria algae provide a detoxifying and lipolytic action. Ideal for providing an overall feeling of lightness and well-being. Receive a complimentary take-home gift to continue your detox at home.”
This 90-minute experience was unique, a combination of scrub and massage, with the goal of lymphatic drainage, which until the exact moment I was on the massage table I had never really thought about. However as delightful as the treatment was I was warned that I’d probably have an incredible sleep and WOW, did I ever. 6.5 hours of pure bliss, one of the deepest sleeps I’ve ever had, and as we know sleep is integral to restoration and rejuvenation.
Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat – Day Two
7:30 am – Strength Session
8:30 am – Breakfast
9:00 am – Module 2: Movement
10:30 am – Module 3: Nutrition
11:45 am – Walk / Run
12:15 pm – Lunch
1:00 pm – Module 4: Sleep
2:30 pm – Personal Time
Dinner on our own (In a restaurant or my favourite, room service!)
Sunrise At Oak Bay Beach Hotel
Day two of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat started with me and my cameras, running around my suite trying to capture as many amazing photos of the sunrise as possible. For an hour straight I went from window to window, bouncing as I could see time moving as the sun lit up the skies for the day. Deep oranges and reds started to tease the ocean as the day warmed up to a bluer sky. There’s something so powerful about seeing the sun take shape in the sky and starting your day off with appreciation for what’s in store.
The Life Delicious Wellness Retreat – Day Two Workshops
Our day two workshops were really about our physical health including movement, nutrition, and sleep. I permitted myself to celebrate the things I do well, movement for example, as I have a strict schedule for planning to work out daily (I plan to, it doesn’t always happen, which is why I plan to work out 7 days a week and then if I have conflicts 1-2 days I’m still meeting my goal of 5 days per week).
I recognized that while I value nutrition, if I don’t have a plan in my house for what’s for dinner for the day by 9 am, well it’s just not happening and dinner can quickly be something that is ordered in. So weekly meal plans and then daily touch base points are a system I need to lean into and evolve.
Sleep has been a major trigger for me as I enter pre-perimenopause. As a group, we shared bedroom war stories about the challenges of sleepless nights, hot/cold bouts, lights, moving partners, kids, cortisol swings, and everything in between. There was a sisterhood appreciation knowing that I wasn’t the only one facing these challenges and also the collaboration and resource sharing of what we could do to help increase the quality of our sleep collectively.
Naptime
I often joke that I’m a professional napper and if you’ve spent any time with me anywhere, chances are you’ve seen me sleeping. On couches in lobbies, in the back of a transport car, on a plane, or on a beach, I’m able to sleep wherever, whenever.
After all of the brain and body stimulation that was part of the action-packed day, it felt glorious to come back to my hotel room and a king bed for the most delicious nap. To snuggle, to not set a timer, and just let my body rejuvenate was healing. I only slept for 40 minutes but it felt like 3 hours. And when I woke up the ocean views were waiting for me.
Dinner for One
As an only child, I crave alone time and one of the things I loved about this retreat was that I didn’t have to socialize all weekend. I was able to call room service for an incredible meal (that was included with my retreat) and enjoy the serenity of my room while indulging in an incredible pan-seared tuna meal, all while listening to spa music!
Oceanfront Mineral Pools
After dinner, it was time to put on my swimsuit and head into the mineral pools for some quality hot tub time. I was there solo but was quickly joined by a group of women on a girl’s trip to OBB and they had me in stitches the whole time. They reminded me of my crew who I go on trips with, wearing bright colours, engaging in interesting conversations, and the laughter, oh the laughter. I love seeing empowering groups of women come together and it reminded me of how important those connections are. I came back up to my room to message my crew and remind them just how much I love them!
Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat – Day Three
7:30 am – Walk / Run
8:30 am – Breakfast
9:00 am – Module 5: Connection
11:45 am – Mobility / Walk
12:15 pm – Lunch
1:00 pm – Review and Action Plan
1:45 pm – Closing Ceremony
3:00 pm – Personal Time
6:00 pm – Closing Reception & Dinner
Putting Action into the Plan
Day three of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat was where it all came together for me and I believe the other ladies in the room would agree. We started off learning about connection and about how the word itself leads us to think about the connections we need to make, honour, nurture, and be grateful for with others. But one of the first lessons was to honour the connection with ourselves. Our inner voice. Our intuition.
“Ignoring our emotions teaches our immune system to ignore threats.” – Gabor Mate
This quote punched me in the gut. Pulled from the book, “When the Body Says No,” we learned that ignoring our intuition and our feelings can affect our health. Ignoring our emotions teaches our immune system to ignore threats…
How many times have I done that? Taken on the extra work, not spoken up because I didn’t want to ruffle feathers, stewed in anger but didn’t have the courage to speak my mind, and pushed down my feelings because they were inconvenient. I could go on. If I walk away with anything from this retreat it’s to recognize that my feelings and my intuition need to be truly prioritized for me to achieve optimal health.
And that as a Mom I need to be sure to be crafting safe spaces for my children’s emotions to be fostered and respected.
Action Plan
Inspiration without action creates zero results. So we wrapped up our workshop by creating our own action plans, prioritizing the changes that we wanted to make, with SMART goals on how we were going to implement them once we returned home. I appreciated the flexibility in the model and the time we were given to actually strategize on how we were going to implement these new priorities.
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat brought tears of joy, tears of struggle, and celebrations and applause for the challenges we’ve gone through and the changes we hope to make going forward. Being vulnerable was my biggest fear and I certainly struggled with it at moments during the retreat. However, in that space was where the most evolution happened and I am so grateful for the time that I dedicated to this retreat and am so excited for what the future will bring. In short: I’m glad I got over my insecurities and signed up!
Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat Closing Reception & Dinner
The piano room was transformed into an intimate gathering where canapes and cocktails were flowing but not as fast as the conversations and the comradery. Another beautiful table setting greeted us and after a group photo, we took to our seats to enjoy one last delicious meal together. It was neat to see everyone dressed up and in celebration mode, and I recognized that maybe I wasn’t the only one fearing vulnerability, seeking transformation, or wanting to evolve to break those self-limiting beliefs and live our best lives.
“Are you scared of what life could be like if you actually went for it?”
After meaningful conversations, more laughs, and a chocolate desert, it was time for us to enjoy one last night in our rooms before our final day.
Day Four of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat
8:00 am – Cold Plunge
Breakfast at Leisure
Checkout & Journey Home
Sunrise Cold Plunge
Catherine challenged us to one more gathering, an 8 am sunrise cold plunge. Wrapped up in our warm OBB robes we made our way down to the shore, many with excitement for what to come.
I, on the other hand, was a hard no. I’ve tried cold plunging. So many times. Like really… I’ve given it an A effort, but I just can’t do it. However, I was willing to try and I was excited that I made it all the way up to my thighs. Maybe not an accomplishment compared to the rest of the group who went all the way in, but my little milestone was a small success and I’ll take it.
Key Retreat Takeaways
FEAR
It was interesting how physically uncomfortable I got at the suggestion of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat. But leaning into that discomfort and signing up for something on the other side of my comfort zone was just what I needed. I’m so glad I went.
Mom Guilt
Mom Guilt is real and something I really feel challenged with, even though I’m always with my kids. Social media would have people thinking I travel all the time, when realistically it averages about 3 days per month away from the kids (less than most moms who work outside the home). And while I know there are a plethora of benefits that my kids experience when I am away, like self-dependency, relationships with each other, my husband, and their grandparents, appreciation, and respect for the work that I do when I am home, the list goes on. But when I’m in a hotel room all by myself at the end of the night, missing out on nighttime routines and tucking my big kids into bed (when they let me), I still have Mom Guilt. Maybe I just love them so much and time is going by too fast. I don’t know. Open to advice!
Opportunities for Jami 4.0
As an “all in” type of person, with a “How can I be the BEST at this” type of personality, I recognize that I have a roller coaster work schedule in an industry that never stops, which sets me up for burnout when not managed properly. I think Jami 4.0 takes the lessons learned in the workshop and prioritizes health and wellness, with simple things like nighttime routines, and fundamental shifts like leaning into hard conversations.
So there you have it. From nervously sitting behind the keyboard to dreaming up versions of Jami 4.0, The Life Delicious – Oak Bay Beach Hotel Retreat helped me enter a new year with profound gratitude and a detailed action plan for tangible changes I will be making in my life. Thank you to Catherine for facilitating such a wonderful experience and to the Oak Bay Beach Hotel for hosting me at your beautiful property.
