Kelye Rouse Brown, Author at Wholistic Women Living

Ireland Enchantment 2026

by Kelye Rouse Brown | Jun 4, 2025 | Retreats

Wholistic Women are beyond excited to expand travel to Enchanted Ireland, offering a boutique retreat customized to immerse you in a land rich in ancient history, folklore, mythology, countless shades of green, stunning natural beauty, and commonly described as magical and inspiring – what we are always looking for!

Our destination retreats have been enjoyed in Soulful Sedona, Arizona since 2020, where magic and mystery consistently happen. In 2026, we continue the magic by transforming our destination retreat from the vortex in the desert to the vortex across the sea! Ireland is my best friend, Joanne’s, most favorite place in the world, as Sedona, Arizona is mine. She has been part of all the Sedona retreats and part of all my life since childhood. One of her favorite people, Nikki Roberts, who lives in the west of Ireland, joined the Sedona sisterhood in 2023 and then we joined her in Ireland in 2024. This is when our energy exploded and the magical planning began! We are thrilled to have Nikki, a certified holistic coach with Celtic wisdom, guide us to the sacred sites, partner with us and curate a meaningful, connective journey like no other in the Emerald Isles. You can look forward to a spiritual and creative Wholistic Women Living Retreat filled with the camaraderie of like-minded sisters becoming immersed in the Irish culture, traditional music, tales of Irish legends, sound healing and the mystical nature of extraordinary sacred locations designed JUST FOR YOU! Private transportation during the retreat dates is part of our Ireland Enchantment exploration.

5/13 – Ceade Mile Failte: Arrival & “One hundred thousand Welcomes” in Killarney

After checking into the classic 4-star Killarney Avenue Hotel, meet us at the Celtic Whiskey Bar for a warm Irish welcome with a taste of Guinness, dinner and a stunning selection of “uisce beatha” or water of life (whiskey!)

5/14 – Day 1, Sacred Irish Connections: Kenmare & Bonane

AM – We begin the day grounding at the sacred Kenmare Stone Circle and The Wishing Tree, meditating on our hopes for self, others and the world at large. After a short walk to the town center, we have a bit of personal time for lunch, shops and exploring.

PM – A quick bus ride will take us to the historic Bonane Heritage Park, where we will explore how to deeply connect to the ancestral energy of this ancient archeological site, from the Neolithic Age to the Famine Era, listening to the Celtic wisdom inherent in the landscape and marking the experience through ceremony and sound.

After returning to Killarney, you will be on your own for the evening for dinner and to “wander and ponder”.

5/15 – Day 2, Delights & Sights: It’s Dingle Day!!!

AM – An early start for a full day begins at one of the most glorious beaches in Europe, Inch Beach, and continues along the stunning Dingle Peninsula to the Blasket Island Visitor Center with its spectacular views of the Sleeping Giant, then on to the famous Dunquin Pier for a picnic lunch.

PM – We continue to the delightful and colorful town of Dingle, stopping at the award-winning Louis Mulcahay Pottery Studio, and ending with a fish-n-chips dinner with “craic agus ceol” (fun and music) at the infamous Dick Mack’s Pub.

5/16 – Day 3, Diving Deep into the Heart of the Landscape: Killarney

AM – Beginning at the magnificent Muckross House & Gardens, we will ride the jaunting carts (horse-drawn carriages) through the scenic Killarney National Park to magical surprises at Torc Waterfall

PM – We continue our tour around the Killarney Lakes and through the stunning Gap of Dunloe to Kate Kearney’s Cottage, with all the Irish charm you can imagine. There we will be entertained with music and dancing while we dine and maybe learn a few steps ourselves!

5/17 – Day 4, Closing Ceremony: Ross Castle & Inisfallen

A brief boat ride on Lough Leane takes us from Ross Castle to mystical Inisfallen Island for our closing ceremony to reflect on our spiritual and physical journeys and send us off with Irish Blessings and Celtic Memories.

May your troubles be less and your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through your door!

FAQ:

What is the agenda of the retreat?

5/13 – Ceade Mile Failte: Arrival & “One hundred thousand Welcomes” in Killarney

5/14 – Day 1, Sacred Irish Connections: Kenmare & Bonane

After returning to Killarney, you will be on your own for the evening for dinner and to “wander and ponder”.

5/15 – Day 2, Delights & Sights: It’s Dingle Day!!!

5/16 – Day 3, Diving Deep into the Heart of the Landscape: Killarney

AM – Beginning at the magnificent Muckross House & Gardens, we will ride the jaunting carts (horse-drawn carriages) through the scenic Killarney National Park to magical surprises at Torc Waterfall

5/17 – Day 4, Closing Ceremony: Ross Castle & Inisfallen

Cost

What does the retreat cost?

Early Bird Pricing – $1,799

Regular Pricing – $1,999

Are there payment options?

Payment plans are available if paying by check.

To participate in a payment plan check that option when completing your registration.

Do you give refunds?

We do not give refunds. Contact our wholistic community support team for assistance in transferring your retreat registration and call Killarney Avenue Hotel directly to cancel your hotel reservation.

Ireland Enchantment Orientation

Once you have registered for our Ireland Enchantment retreat you will be invited to our virtual orientations prior to take-off. We hold these to answer additional questions, start forming the sisterhood/re-connecting, and discuss logistics or rooming. Many ladies are open to sharing a room to help with cost.

How do I get there?

TBD

Which hotel are we staying at?

The Killarney Avenue Hotel

Stay for 4 nights
Discover Killarney’s majestic lakes and the National Park with a Bed & Breakfast experience at the 4-star Killarney Avenue Hotel. Situated moments from Killarney town centre and directly facing the Killarney National Park entrance, our country house-style hotel offers genuine Irish hospitality and timeless charm. Enjoy a peaceful night’s rest in our spacious guest rooms, equipped with all the essentials for a seamless stay. Start your day with a freshly prepared breakfast crafted by our skilled culinary team, ensuring you’re well-fueled for your Killarney adventures.

Contact Kelye to secure your room for Ireland. She has personally reserved for the group and will transfer to you.

The Sisterhood Journey

by Kelye Rouse Brown | Dec 1, 2020 | Personal Development, Relationships, Success

This has been an amazing Wholistic Woman Retreat journey. It is true that it’s about the journey, and not the destination, or else we would have arrived in Sedona, AZ 10 years ago. We really needed the last decade to learn and grow our own programs, develop our community, and create a safe environment for women – and in the case of 2020, a safe way to travel with each other. For me, it’s easier to work backward starting with now – the present, and then retrieve the last 10 years of growth.

Traveling Sisterhood…

My life and business have been immersed in travel, and I am like “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” coach if you have ever seen that movie. Naturally, I have been focused on a WWR destination retreat experience because of my love for travel. Sedona was the soulful place to make that dream retreat a reality – just as WWR was a dream for our founder Carol. Twenty women in 2020 joined us in red rock country – my most favorite place. It was fun to have the founding coaches be my “wing women” for retreat take-off and other special WWR team members, including one of our past co-founders, coach Jeanette. Together, we arrived and it exceeded my expectations…Sedona sisters for life.

Be Whole…

When we started Wholistic Woman Retreats over 10 years ago the vision was to offer women retreats for one to two days and now we have experienced a three to four-day retreat! We also offered monthly in-person meet ups that turned virtual in 2020. Our group of founding coaches were go-getters putting on two retreats the first year – a one day and a two day! Oh my! We were just getting started. Wow, we thought we can do this with our team strengths that make us “whole” – which became our motto – Be Whole…in heart, mind, body, and spirit. We formed a like-minded Wholistic coach approach, like in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”, the one pair of jeans fit the four best friends of different sizes and personalities, sharing them equally to lead them in heart and spirit and to feel braver. Our organization leads that way…loving your sisters and loving yourself.

Connection and community…

We learned over the decade that our women love retreats and wanted to retreat more often. Somewhere in the middle of our time as an organization we took monthly Build Your Own Business (BYOB) Success workshops from my business model and morphed them into our WWR community. The different venue locations, coaches, and creative topics opened the door from 10 to 20, to 30, to 40 and sometimes 50 women, month to month. The connections grew stronger over the years. This is one way we created a safe space in our community and developed the motto that we follow to this day…come as you are when you can.

Coaching Circle and Growth…

During this time we expanded our coaching community bringing on partner coaches. This is my favorite part of our growth as an organization. We are so much more and stronger together. We built internal and external coaching opportunities – supporting and meeting each other where we are and developing our coaching circle. We work as a team to strengthen our retreats, membership, alliances, sponsorship programs, and most importantly ourselves. We are women- on- the- grow becoming our best selves. Carol, our founder, became an author writing her first book Lost and Found; Laura, a co-founder, faced her fears with public speaking and jumped out of a plane – wait can we pause and say that again, Laura jumped out of a plane! For myself, I recognize my 15-year company milestone that includes joint ventures in airports with Minute Suites, the Travelers Retreat, and my Wholebeing Institute Certification in Positive Psychology. Our founding and partner coaches have all grown so much personally and professionally.

Celebration of sisterhood…wherever you are

We celebrate hundreds of women from our day retreats, overnight retreats, monthly events, international women’s day events, women’s conferences and organizations, and our Soulful Sedona destination retreat. This has been the time of my life. That’s when you know it is right – and feel a calling to go on. We now have businesses that believe in our organization and offer scholarship funds to assist our women-on-the-grow.

Gratitude, growth, connection, and celebration are words to wrap-up this year and this decade. Meaningful words that will be our foundation for what’s ahead. One of our founding sisters is now branching out on a new journey and one thing I know, like the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”, is that we will be together even when we are apart. Thank you Laura for being on this 10-year journey. Thank you Carol for the invitation to be a part of something so much bigger than me. Thank you to all the WWR founders, partner coaches, community and members, sponsors, and alliance partners. Whether you have traveled one mile or hundreds of miles with Wholistic Woman Retreats, I look forward to being on this journey wherever you are… and celebrating sisterhood.

Off we go!

Experience Sedona

by Kelye Rouse Brown | Sep 30, 2019 | Retreats

Have you experienced Sedona? For me, it’s like Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the happiest place, but not because of the rides. It’s the energy you get after being on a ride and the magic around you. In Sedona, they call it the vortexes – an amped up energy you get and feeling of being more alive. My first experience from Sedona, Arizona was about 28 years ago with my oldest friend and her family. It was a treat to get immersed in a beautiful place I had never experienced and what is now considered the most beautiful place on earth. We stayed in Flagstaff, AZ and started at the Grand Canyon, but ended in Sedona for most of our day trips. The beauty and energy of the red rock is indescribable – you really need to see it and feel it to believe it.

Red rock country is where everyone seems to go for play and pause or adventure and reflection. It’s a pretty small area about 20 miles with an elevation of 4,500 feet. The red rock formations, Oak Creek and all the positive energy surrounding you take your breath away. In early September, I went back on vacation with my husband for a week and couldn’t get enough. Almost 10 years ago, I was there with some of my closest girlfriends for a week exploring and also had a nice short trip two years ago. All in all, I have visit Sedona over half a dozen times in my life and plan to keep visiting and live my dream to move there one day.

Here are some reasons I need my Sedona fix:

The Vortexes, what’s the vortex about?

It’s been said, that a vortex is a place where the Earth is at its healthiest and most alive. The natural beauty of the Sedona area is a physical indicator, but more importantly, the aliveness shows up in the increased energy. The energy acts as an amplifier, magnifying what we bring to it – in our heart, mind, body, and spirit – a wholistic approach. The level of intention and awareness you bring matters in your experience.

Feeling good, what’s the feel-good, wellness about?

Sedona has been regarded as a place of healing and spiritual renewal. There are a number of favored spots in Sedona to connect with the energy. The four major hot spots are Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Boynton Canyon, and Airport Mesa. I love all four of these spots. Every single trip, I visit the airport mesa for the sunset and take in all the shades of red and orange and blue sky background as the sun goes down. There are art galleries everywhere to get inspired, over 100 hiking trails to explore and even more healthy culinary spots to feed the soul!

Positive energy, how to pause and play?

The whole Sedona area, they call a vortex, is a place to hit the pause button and be adventurous. We enjoy the Cathedral Rock for hiking, swimming and relaxing. Meditating there soothes your soul and it’s the most photographed spot in Sedona. The Pink Jeep Tour is fun for the adventure to ride to some of the highest red rock points for the panoramic views. You really can’t beat the views all over Sedona. Whether it’s observing and quiet time or playtime, there is positive balanced energy awaiting.

Wholistic Woman Retreats has envisioned a destination retreat in Sedona, AZ since our formation. Just like the heart stone on a stack of Sedona rocks (known as the symbol of protection) found on this last trip, we are meant to be heart-centered in Sedona in 2020! It’s like the pioneering families settling in Sedona more than 10,000 years ago, we are coming together 10 years later to make our own history. We hope you can join us in Sedona, but if you can’t we are bringing Sedona to you in our last Be You, Be in Sedona session on October 30^th. Come feel the energy and good vibrations we bring individually and together to get amped up! We hope to see you! Our website is www.wholisticwomanretreats.com to learn more about our monthly retreats and new destination retreat in Sedona in 2020!

Today’s author: Kelye Rouse-Brown, CHA, CHT is a business owner, joint venture partner, HR expert, certified coach, and training professional. Her 3 components: Educate, Motivate, and Cultivate help her clients develop, spark action, and grow a successful career/business and life from the core. Kelye can be reached at 301-371-9300 or by visiting her website: krbtrainingsolutions.com