May 1-4, 2025 | birthmoms only
location: The Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN
nearest major airport: Knoxville (TYS) approx 1 hour
Twenty-one years ago, a few months after my fifteenth birthday I delivered a healthy baby girl and a few days later left the hospital with empty arms, a grieving heart and a new title ... birthmother. I was in my thirties before I ever spoke to another woman who could truly understand and empathize with this part of my life. I'll never forget the feeling of relief to be able to sit in conversation with someone who "got it" and wasn't afraid to sit in the grief and gratitude with me.
Four years ago I unintentionally became an educator and advocate within the adoption community after sharing a post about being a birthmom in reunion went viral. I was shocked to see how few resources were available and how many stigmas were still attached to women like me, nearly two decades later.
resilient is a retreat grounded in my unflinching belief that grief and gratitude can coexist, hope is worth holding fast to, and resilience isn't a bad word.
meet the crew
Raquel McCloud
host | workshop leader
Hello sunshine, there’s a few things you should know about me before we spend a few days together. For starters, what you see is what you get. No false pretenses or adjusting who I am to fit in. I have a happy personality and a heavy soul so sometimes it gets weird … but to clarify, I’m the good kind of weird
haha. I fervently reject the idea that growing up has to be boring and I adamantly believe we can hold both grief and gratitude simultaneously, while living our best life. I’m excited to cultivate an intentional weekend for us to do this together and equip you to continue pursuing hope, healing and joy beyond the constraints of this retreat!
Guided Discussions:
While I love to lead workshops, I think I love intentional conversations even more. No doubt I'll have plenty to say throughout the day but each night we'll gather around something cozy (like ice cream or campfires) and discuss topics like grief & gratitude and trauma & resilience. Think of it as a hangout with that one friend who is always out in the deep end and skips right past the small talk ... it's me, I'm the friend.
Leah Outten
speaker | workshop leader
Sweet friend (I do hope we become friends during this trip!), I hope you know how welcome you are in whatever season you are in your healing journey. I look forward to sharing my own still-in-progress journey and walking alongside you as we take steps forward together. In my daily life, I'm an author and adoption educator advocating for birth moms, an avid fiction reader, and a chai tea fanatic. My hope is that you'll feel seen and have encouragement knowing purpose can come from our pain.
Workshop: Turning Our Painful Sand Into a Beautiful Pearl
Pain and hard experiences are inevitable in life, especially in our walks as birth mothers. We have triggers, we have trauma, we have grief. But, what will you choose to do with your pain? In this session we will challenge ourselves with a growth perspective: "Since I cannot remove it, I shall try to improve it."
Kristen Thomas, LCMHCA
speaker | workshop leader
I am so excited that you are joining us! You will quickly find that this crew already loves you and is excited to have you join the retreat! By day I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist to children, teens, and young adults. By night I’m an adoptive mom, advocator, lover of my pups and boba tea enthusiast! I’m so eager to help you understand the power of play, even as adults, especially in healing!
Workshop: Playful Healing
Did you know that our brain's favorite way to grow and change is through play? SO much so, that learning to play can speed up the process tremendously. As a therapist who believes strongly in the power of play, l can not wait to invite you into exploring healing through a time of intentional laughter and creativity. This workshop will cover some of the neuroscience behind play and help you discover the unique way you were created to play. It will a low pressure time, with lots of opportunity for new skills and hilarious memories!
Ashley Maiden
Photographer | Mtn. Mover photo + film
Hey y'all, I am so excited to be there to document your time during the retreat. As a cinematic photographer I don't believe in perfection or forcing fake smiles, because when you look back on your memories in 30+ years you are going to want real honest moments. I'm all about those in-between times-the quiet, yet mighty moments that most folks might miss, but they sure do show the real you. My hope is that during our time together I help you feel confident and comfortable just being
yourselves! While l'll be there capturing those "behind the scenes" moments, I have very special photo session planned during the retreat too!
Electra
chef
bio coming soon
day 1
Thursday
03:00 - arrive
06:00 - dinner
08:00 - ice cream social
day 2
Friday
08:00 - breakfast
10:00 - nature adventure
12:00 - lunch (on a trail)
03:00 - workshop
06:00 - dinner
08:00 - guided discussions
day 3
Saturday
08:00 - breakfast
10:00 - workshop
12:00 - lunch
03:00 - free time
06:00 - dinner
08:00 - guided discussions
day 4
Sunday
8:00 - breakfast
10:00 - check out
*after checkout hangout
we need your help
birthmom sponsor | $500
Your name or business will be printed in the welcome packet for all attendees
bronze sponsor | $1000
Everything above + business name and logo will be added to my website (titled retreat sponsors) until approximately one month after the sponsored event
silver sponsor | $1500
Everything above + your name, business or organization will be mentioned in the Candid newsletter after the sponsored event
gold sponsor | $2000+
Everything above + a social media shoutout (on Instagram @mccloudlife) leading up to the sponsored event
scholarship requests
for such a humble brand (just me and my big dreams) I have goals that will take a village ... that's where you come in. And because I know that stories help cultivate connection and empathy, this is our why:
I was 15 years old when I had my son and had to place him with another family. For 18 plus years i never crossed paths with anyone that would genuinely understand the choice I had to make until I entered social media world. Receiving a scholarship would mean the world to me and give me the opportunity to connect with fellow birth moms in person.
Since placing my daughter nearly 16 years ago, I have seldomly found others that could not only understand the impact of that experience, but be able to say they also have walked through it. To be able to surround myself in community with other birthmoms has been something I’ve longed for since placement. Hoping to find a place where I may stand a chance at fitting into the puzzle. Like many others, our family is living paycheck to paycheck and lack the funds that would make it possible for me to afford the entire cost of this retreat, as much as my heart pulls me towards the experience.
I am always seeking out connection with other birthmoms and to attend a retreat like this would be a huge blessing! I am a single parenting mom of a five year old and birthmom to a 4 and 3 year old. This scholarship would mean so much as I live off a below average salary . I want all my daughters to know I can be whole again and will always seek to grow in faith. hope and love!
So much gratitude for our sponsors
