Unbreakable Mind & Body

Connection in the Wild

• Tiana Gonzalez • Episode 13

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Disconnecting to truly connect might be exactly what you need. 

The fitness retreat I attend twice yearly in Tennessee offers more than just training techniques and education—it provides a sanctuary where barriers fall away and authentic connections form. With limited WiFi, rustic cabins, and a community of health-focused individuals, it is the perfect environment for profound personal growth.

For high achievers constantly chasing the next goal, these immersive experiences offer valuable perspective. They remind us to pause and recognize how far we've come and serve as a re-set for the next 6 months - 1 year.

Curious about how a retreat might transform your perspective? Send me a text, and I'll address your questions in an upcoming episode. Together, let's build unbreakable minds and bodies through connection, challenges, and continuous evolution.

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Disclaimer: This show is for education and entertainment purposes only. This is not intended as a replacement for therapy. Please seek out the help of a professional to assist you with your specific situation.


Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Unbreakable Mind and Body podcast.

Speaker 1:

I am your host, tiana Gonzalez, a multi-passionate, creative storyteller and entrepreneur with a fierce love for movement. This is our space for powerful stories and actionable strategies to help you build mental resilience and elevate your self-care practice. Together, we will unlock the tools that you need to create an unbreakable mind and body. Welcome back to the show. I am your host, tiana, and at the time that this episode airs, I will be at a fitness retreat in the middle of the woods in Tennessee. Now, on today's episode, what we are going to talk about is the power of in-person connection, of putting yourself in rooms with like-minded individuals and with people who promote healthy challenges and advancing you, and while you also get to do the same for others. Now, if you have listened to any of the previous episodes of this show, then you already know that I am a fitness professional. I love all things movement and I love dance and theater and art and music and painting and singing, and I also love the importance of play, and what I mean by play is allowing for yourself to just enjoy things for the simple pleasure of enjoying them, without them always having to be productive or intentional to lead you towards potentially earning income or creating something that's work-related or in support of someone else out of an obligation. Play is a vital part of our human experience. So this fitness retreat that I go to the reason why I want to talk about it here with you is because I want to encourage you to put yourself in rooms similar to this camp experience that I go to. This particular event is held twice a year and it's about an hour and 40 minute drive away from the Nashville Airport in Tennessee, so it's literally in the woods. It is beautiful landscape, there are gorgeous trees, there are bugs and spiders and snakes, and the place where this retreat is held is a campground for gymnastics sleepaway camp. That's the primary operation that goes on, and different groups of kids of various ages will show up to the camp for two-week intensive experiences throughout the year, at the beginning of their season and at the end of their season. There is also this fitness retreat for adults that I have the beginning of their season and at the end of their season. There is also this fitness retreat for adults that I have the privilege of being a part of.

Speaker 1:

Now, not only do I get to experience this camp as a camper and jump into different sessions to continue to educate myself on the various modalities of functional fitness, to learn new training techniques, to rub shoulders with some of the best coaches in the world. I also get to do a little bit of consulting work part-time, so a few hours of each day. I help a small business out with facilitating metabolic testing and it is such a gift, such a joy and such a pleasure. It's hard work because I am a creature of habit, so if I kind of like a newborn baby, if I don't get enough sleep or eat well or have enough coffee in the morning, I can be a little irritable brat. All of that aside, I can make do for a couple nights of irregular sleep in order to be of service and to help share powerful information with the folks who want to learn about their metabolic systems and how they can refine their training protocols whether it has to do with their food and nutrition intake or whether it has to do with their actual fitness fitnessing or fitness profiles and programming in order to continue to optimize the work and the efforts that they're putting in in the gym and in the kitchen to support the things that they're working towards. So it would make sense if someone is willing to invest in themselves, go to a retreat. Most of them are taking a plane, some people drive there, but you know there's people from all over the world that are investing. They wanna continue to learn, they wanna grow, they wanna meet other people that are doing similar things, like-minded individuals. Then, of course, it would make sense to have this kind of offering there in addition to the foundational sessions of the camp programming.

Speaker 1:

Now, the reason why this experience is so powerful is because it spring 2025. And even for the people who are returning, even for the people who've been there from the first rollout of the camp experience, everybody leaves feeling a little bit lighter, a little bit different, a little bit more plugged in to themselves. You're in the middle of the woods, so the wifi is very spotty and we kind of like it that way. It forces you to connect with people in person. Now, don't get me wrong. Everyone has their moments where they are checking their messages. There's a lot of coaches that come to this experience as well, a lot of gym owners, a lot of trainers, so it's not unusual for people to step away and take care of business, but the main function is to get you off of the devices and to get you in the room and to get you with your group. And to get you in the room and to get you with your group.

Speaker 1:

Now, my first camp experience. The first couple of days were a bit traumatic. That sounded like dramatic I meant to say traumatic as in T-R-A-U-M-A-T-I-C, but it was kind of both. What I didn't know, which I found out very quickly, was that I had PTSD from being a kid and going to camp. Now, I never went to sleepaway camp. I did go to day camp and I always hated day camp because I felt like it was an opportunity for older kids to bully younger kids, especially the CITs, the counselors in training, who were not really counselors. They weren't old enough to be counselors but they were a little bit too old to be campers those in-betweeners and I remember being traumatized at camp, particularly because I went through my changes in puberty a little bit earlier than most of the girls I knew, so I had my period way earlier and I remember having to bring feminine products with me to camp. I remember being embarrassed because I had to go swimming and I had my time of the month, and I remember certain boys picking on me because they actually had a crush on me, but they weren't being very nice and it was just a lot of nonsense.

Speaker 1:

What I also forgot but quickly remembered was that I did not enjoy playing on teams in any sort of organized sports, particularly sports that involved throwing a ball, catching a ball, kicking a ball or tossing a ball Not my jam and on the first day of my first camp experience, we had team building, icebreaker games where all of the campers were divided into groups. There was about 100 campers and we divided everyone into groups of, I think, 10 people. So there were 10 groups, 10 people and 10 games and they would rotate every few minutes. And I did this experience with the campers because I wanted to fully understand the progression that happens from when all of these strangers convene in a place and then spend a lot of time together in a bubble connecting with each other, and what the outcome is at the end of the week. So I put myself in a group and I was very overwhelmed, trying to remember names, feeling a lot of pressure sucking at most of the games because, like I said, I'm not great with organized team sports, and I realized and this goes back to a lot of the things I talk about on this show. This goes back to trust. I didn't want to let other people down, and I remember in gym class as a kid I hated when we had to play basketball or softball or kickball, because nobody ever wanted to pick me, because I wasn't that great at anything. And add the stress that I put on myself because I knew I wasn't good at anything, it just made it worse. And so here I am as an adult this was in the fall of 2021 at my first camp experience, and all of these things are bubbling up and I'm trying to keep my cool. Now.

Speaker 1:

There was also some confusion because I was learning the ropes for the first time and, to my own detriment, I was trying diligently to maintain structure as best as I could. What do I mean by that? Well, I had my own workout program and I was trying to adhere to it, even though I was in a new location. I had access to gym equipment. However, the timing was limited and because the work that I was doing was consulting work and it was pretty much only during free times, that meant when the campers were free that's when I was working. So not only was I experiencing the camp experience. From a camper perspective, I was also consulting and then trying to squeeze in my own workouts.

Speaker 1:

Now I have a very fragile stomach, so my stomach was all over the place because I wasn't eating on my own routine or schedule, or even eating foods that I normally make for myself. I know my intense workout. People listening know exactly what I'm talking about and the mealtimes were different. My sleep was dysregulated because I was sleeping in a cabin with strangers and there were people coming in another room. It was very disruptive and the coffee did not really do the job the coffee that was available to me. So I was really on edge, very sensitive, feeling very confused, and I remember also it felt like everyone knew each other except me, and that was not true. But from the outside perspective, looking in, it did feel like everyone knew each other. I remember the other people working at camp. Of course they know each other. They are coming together for the first time since the previous camp experience. Or some people missed a few camps because of the pandemic and different regulations where they lived. Some people are international so they couldn't make it overseas. So it is a reunion of sorts.

Speaker 1:

And when you're in a reunion where people are hugging and kissing and showing so much joy and love and excitement to see each other, and then you're the odd guy, like kind of on the end of the table, like oh, hey, hi, nice to meet you. I'm the awkward one. It can feel strange. It doesn't mean that that's what the other people were promoting, it's what you perceived, it's what you felt in that moment Nine times out of 10, it's not true. It's just that inner narrative or that inner voice inside of you, that insecure person saying oh, they know each other already and I don't, okay, cool. And then there's this structure part. Structure apart, I tried so hard to keep structure and, of course, my second camp experience, my third camp.

Speaker 1:

Each time that I've gone back it's gotten easier and easier for me because I know the lay of the land, I know how to navigate these things, I have a couple of my essentials shipped to the campground from Amazon, amazon, so I don't have to actually pack things and remember everything. The last camp that I went to, my friend let me borrow her car so I was able to leave the property and head over to a couple of the local stores just to grab some essentials, just to get off the property and change it up a little bit and change it up a little bit, and each time it feels like a tremendous amount of effort to pull it together to get there. And then it's an adjustment the first day or two, and then after a couple of days I'm in the groove. And then it's time to go home and it's always sad to leave. And then it's time to go home and it's always sad to leave.

Speaker 1:

It's an interesting experience because even for someone returning, there's a large number of strangers in the room. On the first couple of days you're still learning names, you're still learning about people where they're from. You see friendships form. I've seen friendships come together from this camp experience of two, three, four people that may never have had the opportunity to meet each other any other time in their lives. Very different walks of life, but at camp their lives very different walks of life, but at camp those differences are the things that light us up, are the things that actually bring us close together as well, because it's through sharing our stories that we connect with each other, and the differences are what make us interesting. And not having such great Wi-Fi keeps us more connected to the people in the room with us and being so busy and in our bodies for hours per day. It brings restoration to the mind and the soul. It fills your cup in a way that only that experience can do.

Speaker 1:

So maybe you're not a fitness junkie like myself, but you are craving something more. Get out into the woods, go out into nature, look for something, some type of experience or trip, retreat, excursion, a certification where you can continue to grow, continue to expand, continue to level up, because that's what life is about. It is a constant evolution. You never actually fully arrive, and this is something I think about often. Often we establish a goal for ourself and we work diligently at it, but here's the thing Most of the time, you never feel like you actually arrive. And do you want to know why that is? Because nine times out of 10, especially if you're a high achiever or an entrepreneur nine times out of 10, by the time you get to that point, that destination, you have already established a new goal. It's like you're continuing to advance and you're continuing to look onward and upward. So, of course, it feels like you don't ever fully arrive. But the point that you are at right now, right this very second, as you are listening to this show.

Speaker 1:

Your younger version of you was hoping and praying for this moment. Did you ever think about that? Did you ever stop and truly think about that? I would turn around and say thank you to that younger version of you. I would say thank you for all the challenges, for all the adversity, for all of the difficult times that helped to shape you, develop you, nurture you, mold you and grow you into the fucking amazing human being that you are right this very second. I'm so lucky that I get to do an experience like camp because I continue to advance mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. A couple of days in the woods, a couple of days around like-minded individuals who are fitness focused, who are health centric, who are looking to live the longest and healthiest life possible for themselves and for their children and their children's children those are the people I want to be around. Those are the people that I want challenging me, those are the people that are going to promote growth. So do yourself a favor and find something where you can continue to evolve and to see what's next for you, what's around the next bend and how you can evolve, whether it be a couple of days or a week or some type of trip that takes you out of your natural habitat but puts you in an environment where it cultivates growth and expansion.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to leave this episode right here.

Speaker 1:

If you enjoyed this show, go into the show notes, shoot me a text, let me know what you think, let me know if you have something planned and you can also ask me a question. So if you shoot me a text, I get an anonymous piece of fan mail and I will answer a question or comment or respond to the comment in an upcoming episode. In fact, I actually did get some fan mail a couple of weeks ago and the person wrote that they think the show is very inspiring and well done, and I really, really appreciate that person who said that. I know who it is actually and I appreciate her for saying that. This has been such a joy for me to work on this project and to share and connect with you. So, like I said, if you find this show helpful, please send me a text. You can go to the show notes, click send me a text and I'll get the message in my fan mail. Thank you so much for being here. I appreciate your time and attention and I'll catch you on the next one.