Reclaim Your Inner Power - Crete Retreat May 2025

Off the southern coast of Crete, two islands sit in the sea, uninhabited and enormous. Local myth says they’re sea monsters. One is diving into the depths, the other in hot pursuit. Some days, they’re clearly visible, looming large against the horizon! Other days, they vanish completely beneath a veil of sea mist. It’s surreal. One moment they’re massive and unmistakable. The next, it’s like they were never there at all…

When I first heard the story last year, I was delighted by it! I felt deeply intrigued by these huge islands that may also be sea monsters… I thought perhaps the story playfully embellished the local weather. But then one afternoon the natural phenomenon happened. I saw it with my own eyes! The sea mist rolled in… and wow! They were gone!!! Whoa…

And this year, visiting the island of Crete again, I realised our sea monster friends were powerful metaphors.
Not that you’re a sea monster (though what a power move that would be - try affirming that in the mirror: “I AM A SEA MONSTER Raaaa!”). Instead - like all good myths do - it spoke to something I’ve seen again and again in myself. And it’s also what I see with my coaching clients:
Our power can be like those islands.

Some days, it’s right there! Grounded, definite, immense, unmistakable. Other days, it drifts into the mist… it feels far off. Or other times, it’s like our connection to our power has disappeared entirely.
This is why we came back to Crete.
The Reclaim Your Inner Power retreat was a week of remembering what’s already inside us. A deep dive back into the steady, elemental strength that lives beneath the surface (like our sea monster friend diving deep!). Our inner power is waiting - not to be chased - but simply to be felt, heard and seen.
This May, we returned to the wild and rugged landscape of south Crete for the second time! To guide a group of incredible humans through the Reclaim Your Inner Power retreat.

We hiked along flower-filled cliff edges and swam in glittering blue seas. We breathed together. Moved together. Laughed, cried, danced barefoot, and shared our own personal stories. And ate far too much Greek yoghurt (maybe just speaking for myself here!).

Underpinning all 7 days was this question:

What does it really mean to reclaim your inner power?

A Personal Realisation

Let me share a truth I’ve bumped up against more than once (like stubbing my toe on a rock in said-beautiful Aegean sea!).

I used to believe that in order to change my life, I just needed to know more. If I could just read the next book, finish the next course, do that training - aha! Then I’d be able to do things differently. Then I’d finally eat better, save more, build the business, make the change, etc, etc, etc.

Sound familiar?

I’ve learned the hard way (through grief, divorce, burnout and more than one professional implosion) that it’s not more information we need - it’s integration.

We live in the “Information Age,” yet we’re more overwhelmed and distracted than ever. And while AI tools can now summarise entire textbooks in seconds, we still struggle to bridge the gap between knowing and doing. (I am looking at the epic stack of partially-read books that I have an intention to finish on my bedside table as I type this :P)

As Calvin Coolidge famously said:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not... Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

The truth? Inner power isn’t something you have to earn. It’s something you remember. And to remember is to act, to embody.

A Collective Experience

In Crete, our group came together in a beautiful villa (and hot tub!) surrounded by olive groves. Nestled between the remote, rugged mountains and the sea, we used practices of yoga, breathwork, nature excursions, and shared meals to co-create a sacred space. It’s in this retreat that we could slow down, share, and witness each other. And to make space to remember - and feel - what had been forgotten.

We also used ancient tools from Greek philosophy and yoga therapy, all through a trauma-informed lens. We hiked to mountaintop Greek Orthodox monasteries (honouring divinity in all its forms), soaked in the glittering blue-green Aegean Sea, and practiced reconnecting to our breath, our presence, our power.

We explored how our breath can anchor us - like in breathwork. How movement can release what’s stuck and stagnant - in dancing and yoga practice. How stillness can reveal what’s already here - like with group inquiry and yoga therapy meditation.

We looked honestly at the patterns that keep us small: the stories, the self-doubt, the victim narrative, the shirking of responsibility.

Throughout the week, participants reflected on:

What it means to live with agency - and what becomes possible when we live from that place
How to trust the intelligence of their body - and practices to strengthen that
How their aliveness is a source of wisdom and power!
And how so much power can come with vulnerability

To everyone who joined us in Crete - omg thank you! Truly. Your openness, courage, belly laughs, and willingness to show up (sea monsters and all) made this retreat what it was. It was such a privilege to witness your transformations, hear your stories, and feel the magic we co-created together. You brought the depth. The joy. The sacred sass. Thank you for trusting us - and yourselves - in this process.

And just love and thanks to the other retreat facilitators, Mel Plehov and Eleni Deli for their creativity, wisdom and own power that they brought to this space!

A Reflection Invitation

So let me gently ask:

🌀 What does reclaim your inner power mean to you?*
🌀 What’s here in your life to support you? People, practices, knowledge, community, etc. Remember how supported and blessed you are!
🌀 Where are you feeling stuck? And how might you be contributing to that stuckness? (Be kind to you! No value or meaningful change comes with self-shame.)
🌀 Instead of looking for answers outside, how might you already know what you need to do, feel, be to get unstuck?
🌀 What makes you feel more alive? And what dulls you or drains your energy? Write down what comes up. How can you make space for more of what makes you feel alive? And reduce what dulls you? #Balance

*Side note: No right answers here! Language is so subjective, right? It’s not just motivational high-fiving speak—in the retreat, we literally broke down each term: what does “reclaim”, “inner” and “power” mean to you? This shines a light on your mental conditioning. Try asking someone else! Without any framing or context first—see what they say… and how they may interpret it differently from you. The point being, we live our lives through the lens of our mental conditioning.

Remember: we don’t need to have it all figured out. And oh jeez, I’ll bet you don’t need to KNOW more huh! Your saturated brain probably needs a rest. What if instead you could close that darn knowing-doing gap a bit more?

And closing that gap is much easier when you remember that you are, oh actually, so powerful. You have agency. You have a choice. Can you trust in your own decisions, desires and dharma?

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
— Alice Walker

What if your next chapter isn’t about being more, but about remembering who you already are? Letting more of you come to the surface (maybe even the sea monster part of you 👀 🦕🐉 ). Shoulders back, head up, chin in, deeper nose-breath, smile… you f-ing got this.

My invitation to you is to let that be your practice: Remember your power.

Big love,
Briony ✨

P.S. Maybe next year’s theme upgrade? Reconnect to Your Inner Sea Monster. Join me for cathartic practices such as consciously thrashing about in the sea, screaming and shouting - in a non-judgemental, safe space :P