Lisle, IL - The 9th Annual Divine Beauty Women’s Retreat, Nurturing the Spirit, was held at the Science of Spirituality International Meditation Center in Lisle, IL on Saturday, March 9th, from 9AM – 3PM.
The conference was a resounding success with close to 500 women attending from Canada, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the surrounding Chicagoland area. Representing all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, people came together for the day to experience the sisterhood of likeminded women, personal rejuvenation, and renewed focus in a peaceful and supportive environment.
The MC and moderator for the event was Sara Pletcher, M.S., M.Ed. (dual language educator) who deftly led the audience through a day of thought-provoking discourses and discussions.
The event opened with keynote speaker, Karen S. Wells (Chief Operations & Inclusion Officer from Make-a-Wish America), who inspired the audience with her talk on “The Pursuit of Courage: When Being Brave is Not an Option.” Sharing anecdotes from her life, Ms. Wells outlined five key strategies we can use to harness courage and authenticity in our own lives.
Following the keynote, there was a 10-minute chair yoga session with Aastha Saggar (sponsored by the wellness app, Innergy). After, Zelma Chamberlain, M.Ed. led a meditation workshop, “The Power of Love,” and illuminated the importance and process of meditation. After her dynamic presentation, she had everyone sit in meditation for 15 minutes.
After a complimentary vegetarian lunch was served and the audience returned to the hall to learn a few salsa steps together, the retreat continued with a panel discussion from women community leaders: Isabel Draughon, M.B.A. (Author, CPCC Certified Professional Life Transformational Coach & Speaker), Nancy Sayer, Ph.D. (L.C.P.C., P.C.C., Founder and CEO of LEADS Program at Benedictine University), Rimjhim D. Stephens, M.D. (R.H.N., Health & Nutrition Strategist at Nature’s Path), and Karen Wells (Chief Operations & Inclusion Officer from Make-a-Wish America). Each offered wisdom about how they harnessed bravery and found their own voice to forge ahead in their chosen paths, both personally and professionally.
The audience gave feedback from “simply amazing,” “fantastic,” and “empowering,” to “volunteers were great, too—loved the venue,” and “enjoyed the raw honesty and insights of the speakers and panel.”
Science of Spirituality International Meditation Center in Lisle, IL - March 9th
Sponsoring the Divine Beauty Women’s Retreat were community organizations and local businesses: Host Sponsor Science of Spirituality in partnership with the Institute for Meditation and Inner Harmony; Community Sponsors supporting the event were the DuPage County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Lisle Area Chamber of Commerce, the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce, the Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce; sponsors from local businesses and organizations were A Better We, Loud Whisper ~ Ignite Your Voice, Karyn’s Inner Beauty Day Spa, and the Innergy wellness app.
Next year, March 2025, the Divine Beauty Women’s Retreat will return to the Lisle area and the Science of Spirituality International Meditation Center with plans to go big to celebrate the 10th anniversary. They hope to see you there!