Welcome to Wanderess
Reconnect with your creativity, rewrite the stories you carry, and step into the next chapter of who you are becoming through immersive journeys rooted in myth, ritual, storytelling and embodied somatic practice.
Reconnect with your creativity, reclaim your voice, and rediscover the woman you are through immersive women’s creative retreats rooted in mythology, storytelling, ritual, expressive arts and embodied practice.
Create the story you are ready to live.
Wanderess creates immersive creative journeys for women, weaving together mythology, archetypes, storytelling, ritual, expressive arts and somatic embodied practice to support transformation, self-discovery and becoming.
Through our unique Somatic Mythwork™ methodology, we explore the stories we carry, the identities we inhabit and the possibilities waiting to emerge — helping women reconnect with their creativity, their bodies and their deepest sense of self.
Where ancient wisdom, creative practice and modern psychology meet.
Wanderess was founded by Dr Ellie Chadwick from a simple concept:
Creativity has always been medicine.
Across cultures and throughout history, women have transformed themselves through story, ritual, performance, movement, myth, art and community. Long before therapy existed, these were the ways human beings made meaning from loss, reclaimed identity, marked life’s transitions, returned to themselves and imagined new possibilities.
Ancient theatre was never simply about performance. It was a place where humans could step into different perspectives, embody new possibilities and explore what it means to be alive.
Drawing on her background as a creative practitioner/theatre-maker, academic, and trauma-informed somatic practitioner, Ellie developed Somatic Mythwork™ to bring these worlds together.
Somatic Mythwork™ is Wanderess’ unique creative methodology, combining mythology, archetypal psychology, storytelling, ritual and expressive arts with trauma-informed somatic and nervous-system practices to support lasting personal transformation.
Rather than separating creativity, spirituality and psychology, Wanderess treats them as deeply interconnected.
Every retreat invites women to explore the stories they have inherited, the roles they have outgrown, and the archetypes waiting to emerge – not only through conversation, but through embodied creative practice.
Through movement, voice, writing, ritual, imagination, performance, visual art, meditation, somatics and intercultural experiences, participants begin to experience transformation not simply as something they think about, but something they live through.
The Unique Wanderess Retreat Membership
At Wanderess, we also recognise that meaningful change rarely happens in a single week.
Whilst retreats can create profound insight and powerful experiences, lasting transformation develops through continued reflection, embodiment and integration over time.
That is why every retreat continues into the Wanderess Circle – a six-month integration journey combining somatic practice, creative exploration, mythic reflection and ongoing community support.
This slower rhythm allows the discoveries made on retreat to become part of everyday life.
Because transformation is not about becoming someone else.
It’s about remembering who you’ve always been.
The Wanderess archetype represents the woman who is curious, courageous, creative and deeply alive – and every retreat is an invitation to return to her.
Reconnect with your true self, reclaim your voice, and rediscover the woman you are through immersive women’s creative retreats rooted in mythology, storytelling, ritual, expressive arts and embodied practice.
You may be here because...
You feel that something within you is ready to change.
Perhaps you feel the quiet pull of a new chapter. You sense that there is another version of yourself waiting to emerge.
You miss your creativity.
You want to feel alive again.
You want to reclaim your voice.
You want to express yourself or learn a new skill.
You know you are standing at a threshold – between who you have been and who you are becoming.
Wanderess exists for these moments: The transitions. The questions. The becoming.
Through myth, ritual, creativity, embodiment and community, we create space to explore the stories you have inherited, reconnect with the parts of yourself that have been waiting to be expressed, and step into the next chapter of your journey.
You are in a rite of passage. Let us walk with you through it.
Archetypal Journeys
At Wanderess, each retreat invites you into a different archetypal journey (like The Heroine’s Path, The Performer’s Path, The Path of the Goddess….).
Across cultures and throughout history, humans have used stories, myths and symbolic figures to understand the different dimensions of being human: the creator, the lover, the warrior, the wise woman, the rebel, the healer, the sovereign.
These archetypes are not fixed identities we must become. They are symbolic pathways — ways of exploring the qualities, patterns and possibilities already within us.
Through mythology, creativity, ritual and embodied practice, you don’t simply learn about an archetype — you encounter it.
You explore its stories.
You move with its qualities.
You express it creatively.
You discover where it lives within your own body, relationships and imagination.
Because transformation doesn’t happen by understanding a new story. It happens when we begin to embody one.
Who This Journey Is For?
The Wanderess Retreat Membership is for women who:
✔ feel called into a new chapter of life and are ready to explore what comes next
✔ long to reconnect with their creativity, voice and authentic expression
✔ are seeking deeper meaning, self-understanding and a richer relationship with themselves
✔ feel drawn to mythology, archetypes, storytelling, ritual and the arts
✔ want to explore spirituality in a grounded, culturally respectful way
✔ value deep inner work held with care, integrity and trauma-informed awareness
✔ desire a supportive circle of women with whom to grow and transform
✔ want a meaningful experience that continues beyond the retreat itself
✔ are ready to move beyond old stories and step into a more expressed, embodied version of themselves
If you feel the pull towards a Wanderess journey, we would love to hear from you.
✨ What Makes Wanderess Unique ✨
Research-Led Expertise
Trauma-informed, science-backed, and deeply transformative.
Our retreats and our membership are designed by a PhD specialising in ritual, wellbeing, and embodied creative practice, blending cutting-edge research with centuries-old wisdom to create the Somatic Mythwork™ approach. We are trauma-informed, and you’ll move through experiences that honour your nervous system, support deep, lasting healing, and cultivate lasting emotional resilience. Every session is built by expert facilitators to guide you gently, helping your body and mind recalibrate so transformation is not just fleeting: it’s real, embodied, and sustainable.
A Membership, Not a Trip
A week isn’t enough to rewire your nervous system or shift deeply held patterns.
That’s why every Wanderess retreat comes with six months of guided integration in the Wanderess Circle, including somatic therapy, creative coaching, sharing circles and peer support. With repetition, consistency, community, and a holding container, your nervous system, mind, and body have the space to absorb change fully. This is where transformation becomes permanent. Our initial membership is for 6 months + a retreat, but this can be extended on a monthly basis after that for any who wish to continue.
Creativity as Medicine
Express, release, and reclaim your full and authentic self through the power of the arts.
Within our retreats we keep equal focus on the needs of mind, body and spirit and nurturing creative energy is central. Through art, storytelling, movement, performance, journaling, and more, you’ll connect with your authentic voice, release limiting patterns, and awaken your inner power. Creativity is therapeutic, transformative, and central to our methodology for deep personal growth.
Global and Intercultural
Deep partnership with local creative, healing, and spiritual teachers.
We prioritise sustainability and interculturality by partnering with local providers and retreat facilitators across the globe. Travel with a conscience and immerse yourself in local customs and traditions while supporting the communities we visit. Enjoy a stress-free experience with comprehensive packages that cover accommodation, meals, and all activities, while knowing that you are contributing to local economies and supporting diverse culture.
We value real connection, trust and the power of real conversation. If you feel called to explore a Wanderess retreat membership, you are warmly invited to book a conversation with Ellie. Together, we’ll explore where you are in your life, what you are longing to reconnect with, and how creativity, embodiment and archetypal work might support your next chapter. 🫶
What's included in your Membership
🧘♀️ YOUR CHOSEN IN-PERSON RETREAT:
A 5–7 day immersive journey of myth, creativity, embodiment and cultural experience
✔ Beautiful accommodation and nourishing meals
✔ Airport/station transfers
✔ Myth, archetype and storytelling workshops
✔ Embodied creative practices, movement and ritual
✔ Somatic and nervous-system-informed facilitation
✔ Expressive arts, voice, writing and artistic exploration
✔ Cultural experiences and meaningful excursions
✔ Practices, resources and ritual materials to continue your journey at home
✔ Support from experienced facilitators throughout your retreat experience
🌙 THE WANDERESS CIRCLE:
your 6-month integration & community membership
Your retreat is only the beginning. The Wanderess Circle supports you in bringing the insights, discoveries and transformations from your retreat into everyday life.
✔ Bi-weekly online embodied integration sessions and women’s circles
✔ Private community space with monthly themes, practices and reflections
✔ WhatsApp group for ongoing connection and micro-integration
✔ Somatic and nervous-system-informed practices
✔ Creative coaching and expressive arts exploration
✔ Archetypal reflection guide
✔ Guest workshops with artists, healers and cultural practitioners
✔ Alumni pricing for future Wanderess retreats
✔ 20% discount on 1:1 sessions