Finding Yourself in Uncertain Times: Truth, Connection & Love
26–28 September | Zonnewende, Moergestel, The Netherlands

This year’s SheSustains Wellbeing Weekend, co-hosted by Stichting Soka, brought together over 40 women from different walks of life for three days of reflection, renewal, and reconnection in the calm of nature.
Last year’s wellness retreat left such an imprint on me that I spent almost a full year counting down to the 2025 edition. When the weekend finally arrived, sunny, bright, and without a drop of rain, it felt like a small confirmation that the days ahead would be good.

I packed quickly, tucked jollof rice and chicken in my bag (a survival skill, honestly), shut down my laptop, and headed to The Hague Central to meet Christy, Veena, Tessy and Gaile. Every year, that train ride sets the tone. Something about being with Christy and Veena makes me feel like the youngest sibling in a small, joyful trio. They always show up with kindness, attention, and just enough big-sister energy to make the journey feel safe. I admire how much of themselves they pour into this community.

The moment we met on the train, the nostalgia hit like a hug. With giggles, gentle hugs, and one too many inside jokes, we rolled into Tilburg, grabbed a few snacks and drinks at the station, and took a Bolt to our home for the weekend: the castle-like Zonnewende.

Arrival was a joy-fest. Women drifted in from everywhere, new faces more than last years, soft hellos, big reunions, and that shared sense of “we came here to breathe again.” In our rooms, we found some beautifully made Veena’s renowned handmade soaps made by Beauty Unseen. The beautiful unseen is a socal enterprise that empowers women from vulnerable circumstances. Venna conduscts workshops for these women and the soaps are their handy work. The soap, this time shaped like diamonds to remind us of who we are, resilient, radiant, and meant to shine. (Thank you, Veens!). We eventually found our rooms, I wasn’t in my previous room – Iep. This time, I was in room Fuut but the mini kitchen nearby softened the loss, with a coffee machine, fridge, and a cookie bar. If I went missing, check the cookie bar.

With everyone settled and all “awws” “omg” “so good to see you” were done, we gathered for the first session.

Evening One: A Circle of Women & the Power of Play
We kicked off with introductions and an opening from Christy on pause and breathe, which its core of the theme was to return to the heart, to rediscover our center in a world filled with noise and uncertainty. Her message landed deeply: love isn’t a feeling, it’s a doing. It’s the way we show up. The way we move from “I” to “we” to “us”. Ubuntu in action: “I am because we are.It was really a warm evening with high energy, meeting new people and sharing more memories together.

Then came the games – charades, my favorite and almost everyone’s favorite. It started chill, then got
deliciously competitive with loud laughter, happy tears, and just a little dramatic scoreboard watching. The star of the night? Helena, with her legendary “tikitikitiki” sound-only performance. We still don’t know what it meant, but it was pure magic. Her team (Group 2, which was my group) looked ready to lose until Helena vaulted us to a tie at the last minute.

It was all about fun for everyone, never about who wins or loses but that tiny moment held a lesson for me: you’re not done until the very last second. Keep going. Ask my seatmate Arethusa, who went from “we’re doomed” to “WE DID IT!” in 60 seconds’ flat. As Shima who was a bit reluctant to play in the beginning now later put it, “This was fun” and “it truly was”.

We ended with smiles, hugs, and happy exhaustion yawning our way to our beds.

Good night!

Day 2: Stories That Steady the Heart
Day 2 kicked off with a lovely breakfast and a lot more networking and catching up.
Soon as breakfast was done, the morning session kicked off with story sharing starting with Sophia.

Sophia’s story (A Light on a Hill) opened the morning. Born in China, raised in the Netherlands, holding a master’s in public international law, she shared how faith reshaped her [especially in times of uncertainties]. What began as an ordinary trip to the [dentist turned into a meeting with Destiny in a Church], which led her towards her Baptism. Her journey taught her that God often works through small steps long before the big ones appear. It began with feeding others and ended with realizing she herself was being fed spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. She spoke with a calm sincerity that made you want to slow down and breathe. Her message landed plainly: Be the light, even when life feels dim. God is in the details. We rose to our feet for her.

As soon as we finished, we listened to Emilia share her story titled Stillness in the Storm. A wife, a mother of two, and someone who has lived in several countries, she reflected on storms — the kind that arrive without warning and stay longer than you would ever wish. Her story carried job loss, stress, relocation, physical pain, a broken back that was misdiagnosed, a difficult legal battle, and the deep fear of almost losing her mother. And yet,  through it all, she kept moving — creating, cooking, studying, rebuilding. At some point, she decided she would not be a victim of her story. She would be the one who chooses how to walk through it.
She also shared how, in the middle of that darkness, God opened the way, protected what seemed impossible, and guided her toward what will undoubtedly be a stronger and brighter version of her life.Her words reminded us that storms do not always end quickly, but they do not erase who we are. Sometimes, you learn to dance in them.We embraced her with full hearts.

After a light refreshment, we listened to Arethusa’s story – Rising After Rock Bottom.
Brazilian, multilingual, mother, and a woman grounded deeply in faith and family, Arethusa
began her story. Her story began with financial strain, unemployment, and losing everything they had saved. It continued through therapy, prayer, babysitting jobs, client
frustrations, and a long stretch of self-doubt. With the help of friends and unwavering
determination, she rebuilt her confidence, returned to the workforce after ten years, and
eventually found herself with not one, but three jobs.

She also carried the pain of losing her mother after a stroke, an experience that forced her
to confront grief and responsibility at the same time.
Her closing line stayed with me: Life has storms, but God restores. Don’t settle. Don’t stop.

We stood again to honor her courage.

Afternoon: Walks, Meditation & Quiet Joy
We had a lovely lunch as usual; the chefs keep whooping amazing meals. We also held a clothing swap in parallel while lunch was ongoing. It was simple and fun: picking something you love, leaving what you no longer need. I left with a pair of earrings I’ve been wearing ever since.

After lunch, we all went for walks.
Some women wandered into nearby villages while others, including me, followed Christy on a long walk to the monastery. I spent time talking with Sophia, and the way her face brightened when she spoke about God, made the entire conversation feel warm. We sat for a drink, laughed, and allowed the day to settle.

We also went for meditation at the chapel held by Father Rafael. He spoke about
worry, surrender, peace, and humility. His voice felt steady, gentle truth offered
without force.

Later in the evening we settled for Veena’s session.

Evening Workshop with Veena: Seeing Ourselves Clearly
Veena Joseph, originally from India, has lived in the Netherlands for over 13 years. She holds a master’s in business administration and is an ICF-certified counselor and coach. With a background in banking, teaching, and program management, she now focuses on life transitions and career development.
Veena facilitates workshops for The Beautiful Unseen and serves as an internal coach for Thrive, a project supporting migrant women. Passionate about transformation, she creates safe spaces for people, especially women navigating migration, to reconnect with themselves, strengthen their mental health, and move toward clarity and reinvention. She is also a co-founder of SheSustains.

The evening session centered on personality, self-awareness, and how we relate to people who are wired differently from us. Using the DISC framework, Veena guided us through triggers, patterns, reactions, and the difference between responding and reacting. The session was simple, honest, and immediately useful. We ended with dinner and the kind of tiredness that comes after emotional work. I went to bed thinking about kindness, how much it matters, and how little we sometimes know about what another person is carrying.

With that I closed my eyes in sleep, with a wide smile on my lips, hopeful for the future.

Day 3: Partners Join the Circle
After breakfast, our partners arrived. Seeing them walking in, some shy, some eager, some (like mine) pretending not to be nervous—felt grounding. We were all happy to see our partners, particularly me,as this was my first time coming with my partner as we newly got married. Including our partners was intentional, and I could already see why.

Then came our main relationship session with Ciro and Caroline Candia. They have been married for over 30 years and have seven children and one grandchild. In 1996, they helped to start a primary school in London, where they both worked for 25 years – Ciro as Head and Caroline as a teacher. More recently, Ciro was also Director of Ethos for an educational trust, where he helped to develop a life-coaching programme for sixth formers. Beyond their work in education, they lead the ProFamily Foundation, supporting couples and parents through hubs, workshops and conferences. Ciro also
hosts ProParent, a monthly show on Radio Maria England.

They spoke about friendship as the core of every lasting relationship, and how small daily habits keep connection alive. They touched on apology, conflict, acceptance, differences between how men and women communicate, and moments that help reset tension before it becomes damaged.

A few lessons I carried home; Make time intentionally; Apologize sincerely; Look in the mirror before fixing another; Some conflicts never disappear; learn to live with them without making them wounds; Reset moments can change the whole tone of a relationship; Real love holds two truths at once: I accept you and I want the best for you.

Ciro’s line that lingered in my chest was: “The way to love something is to realize it might be lost.”

They ended with a reflection on family culture, creating a home where habits and values anchor us in a world full of noise. By the time we finished, everyone looked thoughtful in the best way, full, not heavy.

Closing Reflections
After final remarks, group photos, and long goodbyes, we each headed back to our
different cities. I left with my notebook full but my heart even fuller.

This weekend reminded me that joy hides in the smallest moments, light grows even in uncertain seasons, storms are real, but so is resilience, we rise faster when we rise  together, love is not a feeling, it’s the way we choose to show up and with that, I say goodbye to the 2025 retreat, already grateful for the next one waiting in 2026: 25 – 27 September.

                                                                                             ***The End***

This blog is written by Anurika Nwoke and will be reviewed by Christy.

Anurika is an expert in the field of International Project Management and
Business Development as an Operations Project Associate with over 10
years of experience managing complex, donor-funded social
impact projects across EMEA.