Living Legacy Retreat
The Head and the Heart of End of Life Planning
Brew Creek Lodge ~ Whistler, BC
May 30 – June 1st 2025
This will be a life and death changing experience!
A Retreat Experience Like None Other
Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore, define and craft your living legacy within a community of people who are contemplating their own mortality.
During our time together, we’ll invite you to reflect on your values, share your stories, and create the legacy you want to leave behind. Together, we’ll explore the role of ritual and ceremony in life, death, and everything in between. Hosted by end-of-life care providers, we’ll focus on what truly matters ~ the ripples we create while living and the stories we leave behind.
Who Should Join?
This retreat is an inclusive space designed to hold meaningful conversations. We welcome people of all ages and stages of life who want to co-create a brave and communal space to contemplate mortality and end-of-life topics. We connect with each guest before approving an application to ensure everyone is aware of the topics and circumstances of the retreat experience.
What To Expect?
This three day retreat will take you on a journey of discovery as we spend time letting go of the stories we’ve been told about death, dying and grief. With different workshops to choose from, you’ll be guided to consider a more holistic advance care plan, write legacy letters, plan your own funeral or celebration of life, and consider the role of ritual and storytelling in your life.
Where Is It?
The retreat is hosted in Whistler BC at The Brew Creek Centre, located 1.5 hours from Vancouver. Set on a private 20 acre sanctuary, the main lodge is stunning, the rooms are luxurious, and the food is thoughtfully prepared by a five star chef. You can choose from either a private or shared cabin nestled in the forest, with meandering paths to contemplate and connect you with nature.
Your Hosts
This retreat is co-hosted by Megan Sheldon and Christa Ovenell , who have thoughtfully designed the entire experience, drawing on their knowledge, experience and wisdom as end-of-life care providers.
Megan Sheldon
A Cultural Mythologist, Humanist Celebrant and End-of-Life Doula who designs ceremonies across the lifecycle
Christa Ovenell
A Funeral Director, End-of-Life Doula and Death Educator who offers workshops and events
An Overview
This retreat connects the head with the heart when considering the end-of-life. Together, we’ll explore the questions you need to be asking and the values that are guiding your decision-making. We’ll offer you a framework to draw from as you contemplate your own mortality and craft your living legacy. We’ll create a warm and supportive community space to approach these conversations with care and compassion.
Who Is This Meant For?
This retreat is designed for anyone wanting to approach their end of life plans with care, community and compassion. This retreat will meet you where you’re at and offer you accessible and meaningful ways to step into the legacy you want to leave behind. Please note that we do pre-screen each applicant to ensure that we all agree to our Community Guidelines and co-create this space together.
Investment
Until Feb 15th: $1299 (shared) / $1499 (private)
After Feb 15th: $1399 (shared) / $1599 (private)
This is an all-inclusive 3-day retreat, including two nights in luxury accommodation, six delicious vegetarian meals, curated workshops, ritual supplies, and breathtaking grounds to explore. It does not include travel to and from Brew Creek Centre. All prices are in CAD + tax.
We have two needs-based scholarships available ~ see FAQs for more information
Accommodations
You can choose either a shared or private room. The shared rooms are two floor cabins, with one king bed on the ground level and one double bed upstairs, with a shared washroom. The private cabins offer either a king or queen bed and private washroom.
Brew Creek holds many unique spaces, including the main lodge, west coast modern cottages, a meditation hut, a green house, and 20 acres of property for our exclusive use and enjoyment. The grounds will inspire you with meandering paths and natural creeks, all set in a secluded rainforest. We’ll host our workshops in The Gathering, a breathtaking space with a vaulted post-and-beam ceiling, hushed acoustics and a forest backdrop.
We’ll have a five-star caterer on site, harvesting vegetables from the local green house and preparing our vegetarian meals. We can accommodate most dietary needs with advanced notice. Meals include Friday dinner, Saturday all meals, and Sunday breakfast and lunch. There will be light snacks throughout the day. Non alcoholic drinks will be provided and alcohol can only be purchased on-site.
We ask that everyone arrive at 3pm on Friday, May 30th. We’ll begin our Opening Circle at 4pm, followed by dinner and a guided conversation on death & dying. We’ll spend Saturday in various workshops, including holistic advance care planning, legacy writing, and custom ceremony ideas. Sunday will focus creating your own legacy, followed by our closing ceremony, with plans to leave Brew Creek by 3pm.
Over the course of the weekend, there will be different workshops and events to choose from, offering guided conversations surrounding topics such as Weaving Your Story, Holistic Advance Care Planning, Planning Your Own Funeral, and Writing Your Legacy. There will be time for reflection, nature therapy, creative expression, and community gatherings to connect with ourselves, each other and with nature.
FAQs
After our opening circle on Friday, we’ll host a Fireside Chat focused on shifting the narrative surrounding death, dying and grief. Saturday includes several workshops to choose from, including Holistic Advance Care Planning, Legacy Letter Writing, Planning Your Own Funeral, and a guided ritual walk in nature to contemplate your mortality. That evening, we will host a panel of end-of-life care providers sharing stories, knowledge and the opportunity to ask questions. Sunday will be more creative, crafting personal legacies and sharing them as a community. We’ll finish with our closing ceremony before wrapping up at 3pm.
Yes! Be sure to note the fact you’re planning to attend with a friend and we will do everything we can to place you in the same room. Please note that rooms are available on a first-come basis and may fill up.
Prices are in CAD. Full payment is requested to secure your spot. Payment plans are available upon request. An invoice will be sent to you within a couple of days of registering.
If you cancel before 30 days of the retreat, we will refund your payment less a $100 administration fee. If you cancel within 30 days of the retreat, we cannot provide a refund.
Due to the limited number of spaces available and the financial commitments incurred to book the lodge and caterer, we cannot make any exceptions to this refund policy, not even for personal emergencies. We recommend that you take out travel insurance to protect yourself against illness, emergencies and changes in your circumstances.
In the unfortunate event you are unable to attend the retreat, you may transfer your spot to a friend or someone on our waiting list if available, subject to our approval. If we have to cancel the retreat due to events beyond our control, we will reschedule the retreat for a later date. If you cannot attend the new date, we will provide a full refund.
To make our retreat more accessible, we offer two partial scholarships with a priority for marginalized communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ2S and people with disabilities. We will reach out to those who apply for a scholarship during our application process to share more about your circumstances.
Absolutely! We welcome those who are able to offer an extra scholarship to a participant in need. Please reach out if you have the means to add to our scholarship program.
Absolutely. Our chefs are world-class and will create outstanding meals for us. However, you are also welcome to bring items to supplement the nourishment we will provide.
Unfortunately not. The venue has strict policies around outside alcohol being brought in, but they do have a cash bar available for our guests.
Our time together is carefully planned and the nature of the event is one that fosters community learning. We understand that sudden events may come up but we request that all attendees join us for the duration of our weekend, from 3pm on Friday to 3pm on Sunday.
We set up a RideShare spreadsheet for our guests to request and offer ride sharing. We’re also happy to help you connect with the many bus, taxi, and private car services available between Vancouver International Airport and Whistler, BC.
Of course! We have had several mother-daughter duos join in the past, and welcome fathers and sons too. This is a powerful way to connect and share your legacy and wishes with your loved ones.
Our retreat facilities are not set up as a conventional hotel, so you cannot stay at Brew Creek Centre longer than our allotted timing. However, we would be delighted to suggest options for extending your vacation in Beautiful British Columbia! BC.
Yes, of course. Our time is carefully scheduled but not packed. There will be time on Saturday to rest and recharge in whatever way you need. This could include taking a nap, going for a walk in nature, cold plunging in a nearby river, or spending time in the meditation hut.
