Cowgirl Up!
Women's Retreat Series
Life-Changing Connection
Cowgirl Up! is an experiential equine retreat giving women the opportunity to heal from many challenges in life through building connection with themselves, others, and their faith.
Connection heals – but instead of connecting through pain, we often isolate. This leaves us vulnerable to shame, loneliness, and hopelessness.
It is often hard for women to take time away from family, work, or other responsibilities to take care of themselves. But you are worth it! Our one-day retreat format helps make it easier to take time for your own well-being. We break down the retreat experience into four levels, described in detail below.
- Connection to Self
- Connection with Others
- Connection with Faith
- Connecting the Dots
Our goal is for women to experience the peace and freedom that comes with living in the present, gain confidence to make empowered choices about her future, and embody authenticity to make meaningful connections in her life. We know first-hand the powerful healing that working with horses can bring, and we desire to share that with everyone. As women, we know the pressures and expectations the world places on us. This retreat series will give you a break from these pressures and equip you with the tools to take back your life.
During these retreats, you will:
- Explore your purpose and the vision you have for your life
- Reconnect to your authentic self
- Be empowered to leave behind self-doubt and shatter limiting beliefs
- Rediscover yourself and your passion
- Find clarity to pursue your goals and dreams
- Experience the healing power of being seen for all of who you are by a horse
- Rest and play with gentle horses on a beautiful ranch
- Connect with like-minded women to build friendships and support
Horses have an intuitive wisdom in how they do life: they live in the present moment, with an awareness of self, herd, and environment that empowers them to confidently take the next step. Working with horses allows us to slow down and live in the moment with them. They show us how to live authentically and unapologetically.
Cowgirl Up! is led by Licensed Professional Counselor and Take Heart’s clinical coordinator, Erin Reilly. Erin’s personal connection with each horse and experience working with women therapeutically, as well as her laid-back and authentic personality, make her a leader you will love working with. Erin is intuitive and attuned to her clients’ journeys, guiding you as you grow through the activities and discussions throughout the retreat. Her professional training and experience sets this retreat apart from others. Not only will you have a weekend full of restoration and fun – it is also facilitated by a professional using evidence-based therapeutic techniques.
Cowgirl Up! Retreat #1: Connection to Self
Self-care is not self-ish. One of the biggest hurdles women face is loving ourselves enough to bloom into all we were created to be. We let obligations, doubt, body-image, and other limitations get in the way of living the life we dream of. We lose ourselves in work, family, or insecurities, and one day wake up and may not even recognize the woman we’ve become.
In this retreat, you will:
- Rediscover yourself. Look at your story with kindness and grace, and powerfully choose how you want to write the next chapters. Horses are nonjudgemental partners who accept you as you are, and can point you towards acceptance of those parts of you that you have never made peace with.
- Gain valuable grounding & self-regulation skills to help you live life to the fullest in the present moment – not continually circling your past or spiraling into the “what if game” of future anxiety. Horses live in the moment, teaching us that the present is where we have the most power.
- Find your inner Cowgirl Confidence. Horses are honest, intuitive companions who call out our true authentic, assertive selves. They respond best when we lead ourselves and our “herd” with confidence and kindness.
- Learn to trust your intuition again. Life has a way of creating a lot of self-doubt. Horses help us heal our discernment and build confidence organically through genuine relationship-building activities. As you give permission for the horse to make requests in the relationship, you begin to rediscover your own voice.
Upcoming Dates:
- April 5, 2025
Price: $459. Includes a 30-minute goal-setting phone call with Erin before the retreat.
Lunch and refreshments throughout the day are included.
Email Erin@TakeHeartCounseling.com to register or for more information. Space is limited to 8 cowgirls per retreat, so book your spot early!
Cowgirl Up! Retreat #2: Connection with Others
Our highest highs and our lowest lows in life often occur within the context of relationships. They hold the highest potential for healing and joy, as well as for deep wounding. We’ve all been hurt in some way or another by those we hoped we could trust. When this happens, our instinct (not always a conscious choice!) is to shut ourselves off from others by building walls and acting in ways that protect us. But when we live in protection, there’s not the vulnerability and openness for connection. We may be lonely, even if we are surrounded by people. We may “hide in plain sight,” wearing masks that we think will hide our “unloveability” from others – and in so doing, we never let others be close enough to truly see our real self. We are born completely dependent on others, gain independence as we grow, and sometimes fall into codependence as we try to connect. But the goal is interdependence: a mutually beneficial, healthy relationship with self and others, based on our interconnected design at creation. We are not meant to live life alone.
In this retreat, you will:
- Discover that you are not alone. Shame has a way of falsely accusing us of being the “only one” experiencing this pain. Working with the horses brings our struggles into the light without provoking that shame, and you will receive encouragement as others in the group relate to your struggles, too.
- Identify your protectors – those defenses you’ve put in place to keep yourself from being hurt by others. Once we have awareness of the protector, and develop insight as to why and when we use it, we are empowered to choose more connection-oriented ways of keeping us safe in relationships. Horses are gentle but honest partners as we explore our defenses and learn to set healthy boundaries.
- Find true courage. Experience safe vulnerability as you work through various group activities with the horses that help you learn to trust again. Trust is always risky – it takes real courage to trust someone – but these activities are designed to grow that vulnerable experience of trusting someone (human or horse!) in a physically and emotionally safe environment.
- Learn that you are loveable! The horses, activities, staff, and other cowgirls ALWAYS challenge our harmful beliefs that keep us isolated and alone. It comes up organically throughout the retreat, as the supportive environment naturally promotes empathy and attunement that heal some universal wounds we all carry as women.
- Embody Cowgirl Confidence that you take with you off the ranch as you learn how to attune closely with your horse partner, communicate your honest thoughts, feelings, and needs assertively, and explore your interpersonal boundaries and attachment styles.
Upcoming Dates:
- May 31, 2025
Prerequisites for attendance:
- Attendance at Cowgirl Up! Retreat #1: Connection to Self. Each retreat builds off the last, so it is important that you have attended each retreat in order.
Price: $459. Includes a 30-minute goal-setting phone call with Erin before the retreat.
Lunch and refreshments throughout the day are included.
Email Erin@TakeHeartCounseling.com to register or for more information. Space is limited to 8 cowgirls per retreat, so book your spot early!
Cowgirl Up! Retreat #3: Connection to Your Faith
Our deepest healing comes when we heal our connections to self, others, and God. Most healing experiences focus on healing our body or mind, but what about our spirit? At Take Heart, our Christian faith is the grounding for our beliefs, but women of any faith background are welcome to this spiritual retreat as we focus on common ground in our beliefs. Many of us have experienced spiritual wounding, whether from an unhealthy religious environment, legalistic religious requirements placed upon us, an abusive spiritual leader, or having Scripture twisted to manipulate or control our spirit. Sometimes our wounding comes from deep disappointments, losses that don’t make sense to us, or seemingly unkept promises from God. Sometimes our wounds come straight from hell, from the enemy of our souls. Restoring our connection with our Creator is crucial to healing, since in Him, we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Find freedom as you overcome barriers to that connection within your spirit.
In this retreat, you will:
- Release your anger, disappointments, or grief in a safe, grace-filled environment. Too many of us have experienced a lack of permission to express our true feelings within a religious environment. We will wrestle with the hardest questions and feelings together. You are not alone in feeling them – and they are not too big for God to handle – we promise. Let our herd surround you with comfort and truth as you embrace even the hardest emotions.
- Forgive and let go of the pain that has been limiting you so long. It’s too heavy to carry any longer. Learn to discern when to forgive and when to reconcile (as they are indeed different!), and explore the truth that forgiveness is for you to be free of the weight of the wound, not to justify the offender.
- Internalize the peace that surpasses understanding. Experience authentic inner peace in the safety and connection of the herd, and begin to embody that peace so that you take it with you in any situation.
- Develop your discernment through activities with horses designed to awaken your intuition. Too often through life, we stop trusting our thoughts or feelings – but how are we supposed to listen for the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit, if we’ve stopped listening to ourselves? We find purpose and calling in our everyday lives when we follow His leading.
- Gain the Cowgirl Confidence needed to simply Pray, Listen, and Do what you hear God telling you. We are empowered when we filter life’s decisions through our faith, with the confidence that God’s got us – we can trust him! As part of His creation, horses share a simple and special connection to their Creator that we can learn a lot from.
Upcoming Dates:
- September 6, 2025
Prerequisites for attendance
- Attendance at Cowgirl Up! Retreat #1: Connection to Self, and #2: Connection with Others. Each retreat builds off the last, so it is important that you have attended each retreat in order.
Price: $459. Includes a 30-minute goal-setting phone call with Erin before the retreat.
Lunch and refreshments throughout the day are included.
Email Erin@TakeHeartCounseling.com to register or for more information. Space is limited to 8 cowgirls per retreat, so book your spot early!
Cowgirl Up! Retreat #4: Connecting the Dots
In the culmination of the Cowgirl Up! retreat series, you will connect the dots of all the Cowgirl Confidence you’ve been developing! We focus on embodying connection in all areas of life to empower you to pursue your dreams and calling.
In this retreat, you will:
- Identify skills for success no matter what your dreams look like. What are principles of connection that apply to any area of life? Horses make powerful instructors and allow us to practice these skills in a safe and forgiving environment.
- Develop empowering mindsets for a positive outlook as you pursue your goals. We will uncover and break down negative or limiting mindsets, and learn what we can from the herd’s perspective.
- Find your voice. Horses say what they mean, and mean what they say. They teach us to communicate assertively and effectively, with awareness and respect for self and other, verbally and nonverbally.
- Discover your unique role in this world. You are needed here! Explore your passion and interests that point to your calling.
- Create connections that last. The other cowgirls in attendance will become fast friends – and there’s not much in this world more powerful than a bunch of women who are intentional about healing supporting each other!
Upcoming Dates:
- October 18, 2025
Prerequisites for attendance:
- Attendance at Cowgirl Up! Retreats #1, #2, and #3. Each retreat builds off the last, so it is important that you have attended each retreat in order.
Price: $459. Includes a 30-minute goal-setting phone call with Erin before the retreat.
Lunch and refreshments throughout the day are included.
Email Erin@TakeHeartCounseling.com to register or for more information. Space is limited to 8 cowgirls per retreat, so book your spot early!
The Cowgirl Up! retreat series is for the woman who...
Is tired of hiding and making herself small for the world
Wants to live authentically and unashamedly
Is ready to shatter limiting beliefs
Is looking for peace, restoration, and not having to take care of anyone else for a weekend
Wants to get her spark back
Wants to reconnect with her heart, purpose, and passion
Wants to experience an adventure and make new friends
Is looking for the courage to take her next step
Wants to have the space to reconnect with herself, with others, and with God
Is ready to step outside of her comfort zone and learn how to OVERCOME what has been holding her back
What are you waiting for?
If you are ready to find your Cowgirl Confidence, embody presence and peace, and make powerful changes in your life: contact Erin today!
For more information, schedule that prerequisite individual session with Erin, virtually or in-person. You’ll get to share your goals, ask questions, and (in-person) meet some of the horses. You’ll get tips and tools to start your Cowgirl journey in the meantime. Our goal is to empower you. You’re not required to register for the retreat immediately after the session – but we’re confident you’ll want to!
Erin@TakeHeartCounseling.com
Ready to start your
life changing journey?
Wherever you are at on your journey, we are here for you. Our human and equine team will walk alongside you so you can find hope, healing, and wholeness in your life. You are worth it. Don't hesitate, reach out to us today.