Last night was a special occasion. It marked the end of an era, of sorts, for my staff, wife and I. This group of individuals have been together for three glorious years hosting 50+ transformational retreats at our two properties on the Big Island of Hawaii. We are more than colleagues, we are a family. The Bliss Family!
Chef Joseph Martinez and I go back even further. We started working together in 2017 when my main retreat cohort Patrick Combs and I teamed up to create Bliss Champions. We have both lost track of how many retreats we teamed up on, but we both know in our hearts that it is time. Time for Joseph to hang up his retreat apron and time for me to put on a new hat.
Joseph and Zoe are moving off island to start a new chapter to their relationship. While they both may pop in again for worthwhile cooking opportunities and I may continue to book third party retreats at both of my properties, Joseph and I have both decided that we are ready for new challenges and will no longer pursue retreats as a business model.
Valerie Mendoza, Lori Lochtefeld, Stacey Breining and I will stay behind to create a beautiful hotel experience and continue to operate the Waterfalling Estate. So, the end of an era, but NOT the end of our Hawaiian journey!
Last night, potentially our last as a team, was a joyous occasion. We worked through the meloncoly sadness earlier in the retreat week by doing what we always do, leaning on each other. Making it to the final night we celebrated each other and all the love and transformation we have delivered to hundreds of retreat guests over the years. If you were one this post will carry more resonance. There aren’t many teams like this one!
Somehow, we failed to take a group photo over the years. Last night we made sure to memorialize things properly. There are many layers to this astounding Bliss Family, so just one photo would not do it justice. Instead, I share all of us! (Some live action kitchen dancing is next!)
