Sing, Dance, Pray: Iona Pilgrimage with Renee Trudeau

Sept. 23-29, 2027

Iona, Scotland

“We live in two worlds… the world into which we were born, and the otherworld that was born within us. Both may be a blessing or a curse. We choose.” — Celtic teaching

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Iona is a “thin veil” place ….a space where there is a permeable boundary between the physical and spiritual realms, between heaven and earth. A place where we can connect to our souls, our ancestors, our intuitive wisdom and to primordial truths more easily. ~ Renee Trudeau 
Dear Friend,

Join me for a once-in-a-lifetime spiritual journey, pilgrimage and self-renewal retreat to one of the most magical places I have ever been …Iona, Scotland. Known as a “thin veil” place, Iona has captured my heart, connected me deeply to my essence and rekindled my soul. Sink into the wild beauty and sacred stillness of Iona, Scotland — the birthplace of Celtic spirituality. We will homebase at the beautiful, award-winning, Scotland Gold rated Argyll Hotel on the ocean and enjoy five-star meals and service. We’ll roam this small island-home to just 100 people–and dance and sing at the ancient open-air Abby, meditate at sacred sites on the ocean, enjoy pleausureful movement at the architecturally stunning beautiful Iona Village Hall and be inspired by my friend Nicki Wilkins as we explore–through creative writing–the story of the Selkie & The Cave of the Womb.

I have designed a deeply restorative, inspiring retreat that I hope you will carry with you for the rest of your life.

Warmly ~

mindfulness

We will weave the ancient into our current life experience. Come:

  • Learn about power of regenerative rest, doing less and slowing down (and why it’s key to living joyfully and sustainably) as we relax into slow island time
  • Explore–at your pace– the transformative power of self-care and access tools to help you create a more aligned life
  • Tend to your wild soul and ignite your creativity as you reflect on, “What is mine to do?”
  • Tap into the wisdom of your feminine power (while connecting to the ancients: Goddess Brigid and the myth of the Selkie) and learn how to cultivate & harness your energy.
  • Meditate, strengthen and learn to trust your intuition so you can feel more aligned and in flow with life.
  • Awaken through pleasureful and joyful nature-based movement, music and ritual with carefully chosen thought leaders, creatives, muses, song/somatic guides & more.

Enjoy authentic connection with soulful, wise women ages as you embrace new ways of being and experience greater freedom and joy. 

What’s included?

  • Seven-day retreat: A gorgeous, thoughtfully designed nurturing/nourishing  soul-centered guided retreat experience based on “the best of” Renee Trudeau’s sell-out retreats at 1440 Multiversity, Esalen, Art of Living, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Omega Institute. 
  • An intimate, personal experience with Renee and her close friend/teaching assistant Nicole Casey and 18 other women
  • Private room accommodations at the beautifully appointed, award-winning Argyll Hotel 
  • Special Wild Souls movement experiences in the stunning Iona Hall 
  • Sacred song circles led by Renee in the Iona Abby (300 AD)-a mysical, sacred setting
  • Curated experiences and field trips to sacred sites with Renee and guides
  • Special creativity sessions with guest teachers and muses, including Journey to the Cave of the Womb, A Sellkie Myth: An afternoon of myth, creativity and poetry with Edinburgh-based Nicki Wilkins.
  • Hearty delicious locally sourced multi-course breakfast/brunch and multi-course farm to table gourmet dinner 
  • Pre and post-Zoom call/connection with your fellow pilgrims to support your journey and answer any questions (option for a travel buddy-where possible)
  • Custom handouts and post-retreat follow-up self-renewal resources and support
  • A directory of our retreat attendees for ongoing creative sparking and connection
  • E-books of Renee Trudeau’s two award-winning life balance titles: Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life and The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life (A $40 value)

What’s not included?

  • Travel to Iona, Scotland (flights and ground transportation)
  • Any extra meals, alcohol or drinks not indicated above (note: lunch is not included, but your breakfast and dinner are very hearty; there are options to grab a simple soup or snacks for lunch)
  • Travel insurance (Travel insurance is required. We recommend Allianz)
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Accommodations & Pricing

Investment for this once-in-a-lifetime journey: Depending on your accomodations: $4,895-5300 for the early bird rate. Price increases on Sept. 30th. A $500 nonrefundable deposit reserves your space. Remainder due Jan. 30th, 2027. See room options HERE. 

The Argyll Hotel has welcomed pilgrims, retreat groups and travelers for generations and is deeply woven into the spirit and rhythm of island life. A  beautiful, charming, “home away from home,” offering warm Hebridean hospitality, cozy nooks and rooms and beautiful gathering spaces designed for rest and renewal. There is a very limited number of rooms available -this is an intimate experience!

Traveling to Iona

Getting to Iona is part of the pilgrimage — a beautiful journey that invites you to slow down and arrive with intention.

All participants are responsible for transportation to and from Iona. It’s a ferry ride from Oban to Craignure on Mull, a bus across Mull to Fionnphort, and then a 10-minute ferry to Iona. This requires paying close attention to the ferry and bus times. We will also cover this on the Zoom call. Renee recommends staying in Oban on the night of Sept. 22 on your own if you’re able (to break up the trip).

Oban to Mull ferry timetable

Mull bus timetable

Who is attending?

“There are many reasons I have been retreating with Renee for 15 years, but as a writer/ creative, one of the biggest is the WOMEN she attracts: wow! Creative, alive, authentic, soul-centered and heart-driven; many of my closest friends, peer mentors and women I turn to for sage counsel– I met through Renee. She models sisterhood like no other!”  ~ Sarah (read testimonials)

Join like-hearted women for a self-renewal retreat devoted to spiritual renewal, soulful connection, ancient ritual and reconnecting with who you are.

Cancellation Policy

The deposit of $500 is an administrative fee that secures your space in this intimate retreat and is nonrefundable. There are no exceptions to the refund policy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage for 18 women.  This will sell out quickly; if you are called to this special place please do not delay. The balance of the program fee is due by January 30th, 2027 and is nonrefundable after that time. We require that you obtain travel insurance to include trip cancellation (“cancel for any reason” coverage will give you the widest leeway for cancellation), which will cover financial losses from any personal emergencies or other events which require your cancellation.

Click HERE to Read FAQs

REGISTER NOW ($500 reserves your spot)

“Renée is so powerfully professional and so forcefully human and kind. Her presence inspires us all. This retreat was a life-altering experience.”

Toronto, Canada

Donna A.

“During a woman’s life, she has the need to retreat, replenish and re-energize. Renée created a safe and sacred space at her retreat and taught me how cultivate — and practice — the art of self-care.”

Board, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Wellness, Lenox, MA

Carol O’Neil

“Renée Trudeau has saved me repeatedly; her books, her tools/techniques, and dang, merely her PRESENCE has been nectar for my struggling soul.”

Washington D.C.

Elizabeth

“Renée is a transformative and compassionate speaker/teacher/woman who exudes the message that we are all powerful and worthy.”

New York, NY

Deborah S.

“Of all the programs I’ve taken over the last twenty years, this compassionate women’s retreat spoke most deeply to my heart and helped me more with self-acceptance than any other. Profound.”

Freeport, ME

Patty

“Renée has the amazing ability to create a nurturing, sacred space that honors and celebrates each woman. Her retreat was transformative; I am still using what I learned from her in my daily life.”

Munich, Germany

Mary K.

“Renee has a wonderful energy for leading retreats. Loved the pace and format. A deeply restorative and incredibly satisfying retreat.”

San Diego, CA

Julia J.

“I have 'retreated' with Renee many times-- this work has saved my life. Every time I leave with new insights and tools. Always a wise investment.”

Grafton, VT

Erica

“Renée is so powerfully professional and so forcefully human and kind. Her presence inspires us all. This retreat was a life-altering experience.”

Toronto, Canada

Donna A.

“During a woman’s life, she has the need to retreat, replenish and re-energize. Renée created a safe and sacred space at her retreat and taught me how cultivate — and practice — the art of self-care.”

Board, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Wellness, Lenox, MA

Carol O’Neil

“Renée Trudeau has saved me repeatedly; her books, her tools/techniques, and dang, merely her PRESENCE has been nectar for my struggling soul.”

Washington D.C.

Elizabeth

“Renée is a transformative and compassionate speaker/teacher/woman who exudes the message that we are all powerful and worthy.”

New York, NY

Deborah S.

“Of all the programs I’ve taken over the last twenty years, this compassionate women’s retreat spoke most deeply to my heart and helped me more with self-acceptance than any other. Profound.”

Freeport, ME

Patty

“Of all the programs I’ve taken over the last twenty years, this compassionate women’s retreat spoke most deeply to my heart and helped me more with self-acceptance than any other. Profound.”

Freeport, ME

Patty

“Renee has a wonderful energy for leading retreats. Loved the pace and format. A deeply restorative and incredibly satisfying retreat.”

San Diego, CA

Julia J.

“I have 'retreated' with Renee many times-- this work has saved my life. Every time I leave with new insights and tools. Always a wise investment.”

Grafton, VT

Erica

Read More

(Watch a 3 min. retreat video to get a sense for Renee’s events; she has been creating/facilitating life-changing retreats for 30 years. Hear kind words from past attendees here.) 

Your retreat facilitator/guide

Renée Peterson Trudeau is an internationally-recognized transformational coach/speaker, president/founder of Austin-based Career Strategists and the author of two award-winning books The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life and Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life. A visionary catalyst/teacher for more than 25 years, Renee is on the faculty at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, 1440 Multiversity, The Art of Living Retreat Center, Omega Institute,  Esalen Institute and she and her team certified 450+ women leaders in more than 10 countries to facilitate self-renewal circles/retreats for women based on her award-winning self-care curriculum. Passionate about supporting women in coming into balance through the art/science of self-care, Renée has been creating/facilitating transformational events for 25+ years. An evangelist for the healing power of nature, Renee grew up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of CA, the rolling Texas Hill Country and the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC, where she now resides full-time. She’s been featured in The New York Times, Spirituality & Health, US News & World Report, Yoga Journal, AARP and more. A recent graduate of the Wisdom Heart Mystery School (Austin, TX), Renee and her husband have one son, a jazz pianist, who lives in New York City. Renee’s latest creative initiative is Wild Souls Nature Adventures. Learn more about Renee here. 

Special Guest

“The Selkie Myth & The Cave of the Womb” with Nicki Wilkins, Certified Core Transformation™ Coach

Nicki is an Edinburgh, Scotland-based writer, mother, poet, artist and coach. A mentor and certified Purpose Guide/Core Transformation Coach, she offers wisdom and guidance to women as they navigate the soulful side of midlife and elderhood.  Nicki sees herself as a midwife for your rebirth. She offers bespoke mentoring sessions, Mythic Soulwork groups for women, and creative retreats on Iona. You can find her writing on Substack at The Soul Pelt Press. American-born, she has spent most of her adult life living in Scotland with her four children. www.nickiwilkins.net

Can’t make it?

  • Want to lead your own retreats? Join Renee for Secrets to Facilitating Life-Changing Women’s Groups/Retreats in Uncertain Times ~ the online video course. This course offers personal mentoring and everything you need to masterfully facilitate women’s circles/retreats based on our 18 year-old training program. Unlimited access; download 24/7. Learn more.
  • Join Renee October 16-18th ~Awaken Your Wild Soul: Reclaim Your Purpose, Power & Inner Wisdom ~ A Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Details/Register here.
  • Enjoy/download a virtual self-care retreat with Renee today; available 24/7. Learn more. 
  • Email info@reneetrudeau.com to explore having Renee create/facilitate a private retreat for your organization or group.

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My inspiring Tuesday emails provide timely life balance tools to help you soar through your week, plus receive pre-invites to our sell-out events.

Sign up and receive my meditation on How To Start Your Day Intentionally.

My inspiring Tuesday emails provide timely life balance tools to help you soar through your week, plus receive pre-invites to our sell-out events.

Get In Touch

info@reneetrudeau.com

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Upcoming Events

July 1-31st ~*DOWNLOAD TODAY!* Secrets to Facilitating Life-Changing Women’s Groups/Retreats in Uncertain Times ~ a self-paced video training course. $195. Learn more.  

July 1-31st ~ Download your self-guided retreat today! Ready to prioritize your self-care? Our highly popular self-paced online retreats are only $59. Download 24/7 & enjoy today. Learn more.

July 12th, 9:30am-11:00am ~ Join us for a Wild Souls Authentic Movement Class. Come get unstuck, meet like-minded women and access your innate freedom! Learn more.

October 16-18th, 2026 ~Awaken Your Wild Soul: Reclaim Your Purpose, Power & Inner Wisdom ~ A Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Details here.

September 23-29th, 2027 ~ IONA Scotland Pilgrimage with Renee Trudeau. Waiting list, already half-full. Details and registration coming soon.