Notice the scanning.
Recognize when you begin comparing, questioning intentions, or looking for reasons to withdraw. Pause to consider what you are observing, what you fear, and what you need before deciding how to respond.
SHOW UP · AN INTIMATE RETREAT
For highly ambitious Balkan women who want to be known beyond what they give.
You have become everything to everyone. Join Selma Baćevac for three days in a mountain villa to explore the family patterns behind that role and make room for relationships where care goes both ways. With guided circles, private check-ins, and shared meals, there is time to consider what you want beyond being the person everyone relies on.
Whittier, NC · April 9–11, 2027
Up to 10 women · By invitation only
HOW TO JOIN
Your next three steps.
Share your interest.
Tell Selma what draws you to the retreat. Share only what you’re comfortable sharing.
Meet Selma privately.
Ask your questions and discuss the program, boundaries, and whether the retreat is a good fit.
Review your invitation.
If it’s a good fit, review your invitation and decide whether to join.
Submitting interest or having a conversation does not guarantee an invitation or reserve a place.
Since 2010Working in the field
1,500+Balkan women worked with
3 countriesRetreats and gatherings hosted
YOU’VE ALREADY DONE A LOT OF WORK ON YOURSELF
You want to be included.
Getting close still feels risky.
You want a friend to call because she misses you, include you in dinner plans, or suggest getting the kids together. You want to spend time with someone without being the person who always makes it happen. It hurts to give so much and still feel like you have no one to call.
Then someone does reach out, and you start checking whether she means it. You wonder what she’ll notice, what she’ll judge, and whether something private could be repeated. You can want friendship and still find reasons to keep it at a distance, while everyone sees the capable woman who seems to need nothing.
Being the one who needs nothing may be a pattern you learned.
Perhaps you watched women in your family care for everyone while their own needs went unanswered. You may have been praised for being helpful, capable, and easy to rely on, while receiving little support yourself. We’ll explore how those expectations show up in your relationships now, alongside the real demands and responsibilities you face.
Breaking a generational pattern can begin with something specific: naming what you need, sharing a responsibility, or accepting help without immediately returning the favor. Through the Breaking Patterns workshop, guided circles, and private check-ins, you can explore what makes those choices difficult and practice a response you want to take home. You decide what to share, when to pause, and what feels appropriate for your life.
What feels familiar?
A need can be difficult to say out loud.
You can want someone to notice you’re struggling and still reassure them that you have it covered. Consider what you need, what you expect might happen if you ask, and what would make a small request possible.
What do you wish someone would notice without you having to ask?
YOUR GUIDE FOR THE WORK
A therapist who understands
what opening up can bring.
Licensed Psychotherapist & Gatherer
Florida Qualified Supervisor
I’m Selma Baćevac, a licensed psychotherapist with a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health and extensive training in trauma and attachment. Since 2010, my work has focused on understanding women’s experiences in the context of family, culture, and relationships. I have been in private practice since 2013, worked with over 1,500 Balkan women, and served as a clinical supervisor, behavioral health educator, and expert witness in court.
As a mother of two and a former Bosnian war refugee living in Florida, I bring lived cultural understanding alongside my clinical training. I consider the expectations placed on women and the support available to them. I help you examine what makes depending on others complicated and practice ways to ask for support, keep boundaries, and evaluate the care available to you. Your judgment and authority over your own life remain part of that work.
Education & clinical training
Selma holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies, a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health, and a postgraduate certification in Infant and Toddler Mental Health. She is a licensed psychotherapist and is registered with the Florida Board. Her training includes EMDR, Compassionate Inquiry, EFT, ACT, IFS, and Circle of Security Parenting.
WHAT YOU’LL WORK TOWARD
Make room for connection
in your everyday life.
Imagine considering a dinner invitation or a local gathering with more awareness of what you need and what makes you want to pull away. We’ll connect the weekend’s work to small choices you can practice at home: asking for help, sharing responsibilities, and noticing when you put your needs last because that is what you learned.
Practice being known.
Try naming a preference, asking for support, or sharing something you choose. With guidance, explore what comes up while keeping your boundaries and your right to pass.
Plan a real next step.
Identify one or two local opportunities to spend time with women. Consider how you could join in, notice the urge to pull back, and give a connection time to develop while using your judgment.
YOUR FRIDAY–SUNDAY RETREAT
Your weekend,
day by day.
Explore the planned program: guided work, shared meals, movement, and time together. There are pauses to rest and reflect. You choose what you share and how you participate.
FRIDAY · APRIL 9
Get to know
the women beside you.
A welcome, shared intentions, dinner, and your first circle together.
View the dayClose the day ＋
the women beside you.
- ARRIVAL
Settle into your room.
Meet Selma, get comfortable in your space, and take time to arrive before the group comes together.
- THE WELCOME
Meet the group, without the pressure to impress.
Selma names the concerns that may already be present: scanning the room, comparing yourself, or wondering how much to reveal. Together, establish agreements about privacy, sharing, advice, touch, and the right to pass.
- GUIDED REFLECTION
Name what you want this time to be about.
Use guided journaling to consider what you want from connection, what makes relying on someone feel risky, and what helps you feel respected.
- OPENING DINNER
Begin the weekend around the table.
Share dinner and conversation as the introductions become more familiar. There is time to enjoy the company, not only talk about the work.
- EVENING CIRCLE
Gather by the fire pit.
Join Selma for an opening healing circle. Share your intentions or listen, with room to keep parts of your experience private. One-to-one support and private check-ins are included during the weekend.
SATURDAY · APRIL 10
Look at the pattern.
Practice another response.
Breathwork, time outdoors, a focused workshop, and room to reflect.
View the dayClose the day ＋
Practice another response.
- MORNING PRACTICE
Breathwork and guided reflection.
Begin with guided breathwork, followed by time to write or quietly consider what you notice. Discuss the practice and participation options with Selma before booking.
- BREAKFAST
Start the day in good company.
Share breakfast before the day’s activities. Continue a conversation, meet someone new, or enjoy a quieter start.
- OUTDOORS
A gentle hike in the mountains.
Take a mild hike with time for conversation and enjoying the surroundings. Route, pace, and conditions will be discussed before the retreat.
- LUNCH & A PAUSE
Eat together. Have some time to yourself.
Share lunch, then take a break before the workshop. Rest in your room, sit outside, or reflect at your own pace.
- WORKSHOP WITH SELMA
Breaking Patterns.
Explore what you learned about need, independence, loyalty, and trust, and how those expectations show up now. Selma leads this workshop, informed by her training in Compassionate Inquiry®, an approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, ND.
- WORKSHOP PRACTICE
Practice a request and a boundary.
Use guided reflection and optional paired conversation to try a small request, such as “Could you listen without giving advice?” Practice keeping a boundary, including “I’m not ready to share that,” and consider how it feels to ask, accept, or decline.
- HEALING CIRCLE
Talk about what the day brought up.
Return to the group for a guided circle. Hear other perspectives and reflect on what you want to keep exploring, without being expected to share everything.
- DINNER & CONVERSATION
Enjoy an evening together.
Share dinner, laughter, and conversation beyond the workshop. There is room for connection that does not depend on having something profound to say.
SUNDAY · APRIL 11
Consider what
you want to take home.
Morning movement, breakfast, a practical next step, and a closing circle.
View the dayClose the day ＋
you want to take home.
- MORNING MOVEMENT
Stretching and yoga.
Join a morning practice with room to move at your own pace. Discuss participation needs and available options with Selma before booking.
- BREAKFAST
Share another meal together.
Spend time with the group over breakfast before turning your attention to the return home.
- GUIDED NEXT-STEP PLANNING
Choose one change to practice.
Choose one person you might approach, one small request, and a boundary you want to maintain. Consider how you would evaluate their response and decide whether to ask for more, revise the request, or step back.
- CLOSING CIRCLE
Close the weekend together.
Reflect on what mattered to you and what you want to continue exploring. Say your goodbyes before departing for home.
Up to ten women, with time for guided inquiry, conversation, and getting to know one another.
Request an invitationThis is the planned program. Exact times will be shared before booking; outdoor activities depend on weather and conditions. Discuss hiking, breathwork, yoga, and any participation needs with Selma in your private conversation.
YOUR STAY · WHITTIER, NORTH CAROLINA
Space to gather.
A room to return to.
Stay for two nights in a villa in Whittier, North Carolina. Spend time on the balconies, enjoy the mountain setting, and return to your room between sessions. Choose the individual or shared sleeping arrangement that suits you below.
Swipe to explore the villa.
Property photographs show different seasons; April conditions will vary. Some outdoor spaces and grounds are shared with another villa on the property.
YOUR INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF
One retreat.
Two ways to stay.
Your investment covers the full Friday–Sunday experience. Both room options include the same program, meals, and two-night stay. Travel to and from the villa is arranged and paid for separately.
Both options include
- One pre-retreat group Zoom call for introductions and Retreat 101
- Two nights at the villa
- Guided healing circles and the Breaking Patterns workshop
- Private one-to-one work and check-ins during the retreat
- Breathwork, a gentle hike, and Sunday stretching and yoga
- Journaling, optional paired practice, and next-step planning
- Friday dinner; Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner; Sunday breakfast
INDIVIDUAL SPACE
Your own room.
Your own bathroom.
$1,775retreat investment · per person · USD
A bedroom and private bathroom for your exclusive use. Join the group for the retreat, with your own space to return to between time spent together.
One guest · Private bedroom · Private bathroom
Request an invitation
SHARED SPACE
Share the stay
with a sister.
$1,257retreat investment · per person · USD
Two women share one king-size bed in the same bedroom, and share that room’s bathroom. This option includes sharing the bed, so choose it if that arrangement feels comfortable for you.
Two guests · One shared king-size bed · One shared bathroom
Request an invitationThe $350 non-refundable deposit is credited toward your total. After invitation and booking, the remaining balance is paid in two installments on the dates shown above.
Your cancellation terms.
The $350 deposit is non-refundable. If you cancel on or before January 31, 2027, any payments you have made beyond the $350 deposit will be refunded.
Both prices are per person for the full retreat, with attendance by invitation following a private conversation with Selma. Bedroom photographs show examples at the villa; your specific room and any sharing arrangements will be confirmed before booking. Guests arrange and pay for all travel to and from the villa.
BEFORE YOU DECIDE
Your questions,
answered.
- When
- April 9–11, 2027Friday–Sunday · Two nights at the villa.
- Where
- Whittier, North CarolinaA villa with individual and shared room options.
- Group
- Up to 10 womenAttendance by invitation after a private conversation.
- Travel
- Arranged by youAll flights and transport to and from the villa are excluded.
What would you like to know?
Will we meet before the retreat?
Yes. One group Zoom call is included before the retreat so participants can meet one another and Selma. We’ll cover Retreat 101, including the weekend’s program, group agreements, what to expect, and your questions. The call date and joining details will be shared with participants.
This group call is in addition to your required private conversation with Selma before an invitation.
What if opening up feels overwhelming?
Selma is a licensed psychotherapist with extensive training in trauma and attachment. She can help you pause, work through what is coming up, and consider what you need. Private one-to-one work and check-ins are included during the retreat; you can also discuss checking in after a circle or later that day.
Who will be in the group?
Up to ten Balkan women, each meeting privately with Selma before an invitation to explore intentions, expectations, and fit. The shared focus is understanding relationship patterns and exploring connection and support. If you’re concerned about being in a group with someone you know, raise it privately with Selma and discuss what information can be shared before you decide.
What does invitation only mean?
Everyone interested in attending must first submit an interest form and meet privately with Selma one-to-one. The conversation helps you both explore whether the retreat fits your needs, intentions, and expectations. If there is a good fit, Selma will extend an invitation; an interest form or conversation does not guarantee an invitation or reserve a place.
Do I need to know anyone?
You can enquire on your own. Wanting to meet other women is a reason to be interested, and you do not need an existing friendship group to begin the conversation with Selma.
Will I have to talk about personal experiences?
You choose what you share and may pass on a question or optional exercise. The welcome includes agreements about privacy, advice, touch, and participation. Before booking, talk privately with Selma about the approach, group expectations, and any concerns. Group agreements support respectful participation; discuss their scope and limits with Selma.
Is this only for therapists?
This retreat is for ambitious women. You do not need to be a therapist, own a business, or hold a particular professional title to enquire. What connects the group is an interest in exploring trust, learned family patterns, and the experience of receiving support. You do not need to be a mother or have children to take part in that conversation.
Can I discuss activity or accessibility needs?
Yes. Use the private conversation to discuss breathwork, hiking, yoga, dietary needs, and the villa’s layout before deciding. Bedrooms are located across three floors, and some require stairs. Selma will help you review the specific room and program arrangements before booking.
Can I pay in installments?
Yes. After your invitation, a $350 non-refundable deposit is due when you book and is credited toward your total investment. For shared space at $1,257 per person, the two remaining payments are $453.50 each. For individual space at $1,775 per person, they are $712.50 each.
The first remaining payment is due December 31, 2026, and the second is due January 31, 2027. Selma will share payment instructions and booking terms with your invitation. No payment is due when you submit the interest form.
What is the cancellation policy?
Your $350 deposit is non-refundable. You may cancel on or before January 31, 2027, and receive a refund of all payments made beyond the deposit. The deposit remains non-refundable if you cancel within this period.
Can I continue working with Selma afterward?
Yes. Selma offers one-to-one work after the retreat as a separate service. Discuss your needs, fit, availability, fees, and arrangements with her individually. The retreat investment includes the weekend’s program and private support during the retreat; ongoing work is booked separately.
BY INVITATION ONLY · UP TO 10 WOMEN
Request your invitation.
You can want this experience and still feel uncertain about the group or opening up. Talk privately with Selma about what you need, what you’re worried about, and how support works during the weekend. If there is a good fit, review your invitation and decide whether to join.
Complete the interest form to begin. A private conversation with Selma is required before an invitation. No payment is due when you express interest, and the form does not reserve a place.