Nearly half of female executives are burned out — and the companies they lead are paying for it.
According to McKinsey & Company’s 2024 “Women in the Workplace” report, 43% of female executives experience burnout, compared with 31% of their male counterparts. A Gallup study published in March 2026 found the gap between women and men in leadership has held steady at 10 percentage points over four years, with no sign of narrowing.
The data points to a conclusion high-performing women are often the last to accept: the most strategic investment a female founder or executive can make right now is not a new hire or a new funding round. It is intentional time away from the business — in other words, a retreat.
Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and CEO of Thrive Global, put it plainly in an interview with M13: “We are all facing this delusion that burnout is the price you must pay for success.”
“After decades of working with clients, I have witnessed how stress, anxiety and burnout impact every aspect of health,” said Dr. Desi Bartlett, EdD, CPT, E-RYT, a women’s wellness expert and the 2025 IDEA Fitness Leader of the Year. “Self-care is not selfish — it is essential.”
I attended one of Bartlett’s retreats at a point when burnout had quietly taken hold. It was exactly what I needed. I came back recentered, re-energized and with a renewed focus on my goals. For any woman in business who is running on fumes, it is not a nice-to-have. It is a must.
Not every retreat is designed with the female founder or executive in mind. The following four experiences represent distinct approaches to renewal, each suited to a different kind of leader.
ENCORE RETREAT: NOURISH IN TUSCANY
The Encore Retreat is the standout experience of the year for the woman seeking total renewal — physical, mental and nutritional. Set against Tuscany’s rolling hills during peak harvest season, this five-day immersive program is designed to awaken and optimize the body, heart and mind through a blend of movement, functional nutrition, restorative practices and authentic Tuscan culture.
The retreat is co-led by Dr. Desi Bartlett, EdD, CPT, E-RYT — creator of the Bodymind Workout®, author of Total Body Beautiful and the 2025 IDEA Fitness Leader of the Year — and Ilanit Blumenfeld, MPH, RDN, CDN, founder of Encore Retreat and president of IBG Nutrition, a registered dietitian with more than 20 years of experience in functional nutrition and wellness.
What sets the Encore Retreat apart is its intentional intimacy. The group is kept deliberately small so every participant receives individualized attention from both co-leaders — not a group lecture, but a personalized wellness experience tailored to each woman’s specific health and nutrition needs.
“This retreat creates a space where we can meet each woman where she is and share tools to help optimize her health from the inside out,” Bartlett said in a May 2026 announcement.
Programming includes daily Bodymind Workout® movement sessions, farm-to-table Tuscan cuisine guided by Blumenfeld’s Mediterranean diet and Blue Zones philosophy, meditation, yoga nidra, breathwork, nervous system regulation and truffle hunting.
“True well-being is about more than what you eat; it is about how you live, explore, and experience the world,” Blumenfeld said.
“Some places don’t just hold you. They transform you.” — Dr. Desi Bartlett
Best for: Female executives and entrepreneurs seeking a premium holistic reset — body, mind and nutrition — in an intimate international setting. Spaces are extremely limited.
Dates: Nov. 4-8, 2026 | Location: Fonteverde Lifestyle and Thermal Retreat, Val d’Orcia, Tuscany, Italy | Registration: Open. Register: encoreretreat.com/tuscany-italy-retreat-2026 | Contact: Nourish@EncoreRetreat.com | (646) 326-4658
POWERHOUSE WOMEN EVENT
The annual Powerhouse Women Event draws women entrepreneurs to the JW Marriott Camelback Inn in Scottsdale for three days of keynotes, mastermind sessions and peer connection, closing with a Sunday focused on tactical business strategy for founders from early-stage startups to seven-figure operations.
“It will help you get out of your own way and kick those big ideas into action,” said founder Lindsey Schwartz.
Best for: Women seeking high-energy business programming and community in a larger-scale setting.
Dates: Aug. 14-16, 2026 | Location: JW Marriott Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, Ariz. Tickets: powerhousewomen.co/event
LUSHI WELLNESS SOCIETY: PUNTA DEL ESTE SUNRISE RETREAT
The Lushi Wellness Society retreat in Punta del Este, Uruguay, offers an intimate, practice-first experience by the ocean in one of South America’s most beautiful coastal destinations. Cohorts are capped at 12 to 16 people, accepted by application to maintain group balance. The four-night program includes two classes daily, evening workshops — breathwork, sound baths and women’s circles — locally sourced Uruguayan food and genuine ocean-side rest.
Best for: Women leaders seeking a boutique, application-only international experience with serious movement programming and a small-group feel far from the conference circuit.
Dates: Aug. 14-18, 2026 | Location: Punta del Este, Uruguay | Spots: 12 Apply: lushi.co/pages/retreats
ENTREPRENISTA FOUNDERS WEEKEND — PLAN AHEAD FOR 2027
The Entreprenista Founders Weekend, hosted by the Entreprenista League, sold out in 2026, drawing hundreds of women founders to the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, for three days of business strategy, wellness and high-level networking.
“We’ve watched partnerships form, deals close and lifelong friendships begin over a single weekend,” said Stephanie Cartin, co-founder of Entreprenista Media, in an April 2026 press release.
Best for: Women founders seeking large-scale community and high-value networking. Join the waitlist now for 2027 access.
Location: PGA National Resort, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. | Note: The 2026 edition sold out. Waitlist: entreprenista.com/foundersweekend
THE BOTTOM LINE
The most valuable asset in any company is the person at the top. Her judgment, her vision, her capacity to lead under pressure — none of it regenerates on its own. Leaders who take structured time away return with improved decision-making, greater creative capacity and stronger emotional regulation — all direct drivers of business performance.
“I’m not saying that you can’t succeed by burning out,” Huffington told CNBC Make It. “But you can succeed much more effectively, and much more sustainably, and with much less damage to your health and your relationships.”
“Some places don’t just hold you,” Bartlett said. “They transform you.”
