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Step Away. Write Your Story. Join Me in Senegal.

Writing Saved Me, And It Can Transform You Too

Sharmadean Reid

03 Aug 2025 — 10 min read

I have always believed that writing can save your life, because writing my book saved mine.

There was a time when I felt like my story was being written by everyone but me. Life, family, business, even the media all had a version of who I was and what I should be doing. It wasn’t until I started to write for myself with messy, unfiltered, private pages, that I began to reclaim my own narrative. Writing gave me clarity. It gave me a mirror to see not just who I was, but who I wanted to become. Slowly, sentence by sentence, I healed the parts of me that felt fragmented and powerless.

Own Your Narrative

This is why I created the New Methods Writing Retreat, taking place this November. For six days, we will step away from the noise and into a space designed to help you own your story. This retreat is built around the first pillar of my book, New Methods for Women - Understanding Yourself - because knowing and naming your story is the foundation of everything: your business, your creativity, and your power.

Framework

Day 1: Grounding – Arrive fully in your body and in Senegal, creating the space to receive what this week holds.
Day 2: Remembering – Journey into memory and lineage, uncovering the quiet stories that have shaped your life.
Day 3: Witnessing – Observe your patterns, emotions, and truths with honesty and without judgment.
Day 4: Rewriting – Transform old narratives into new possibilities, giving voice to the story you want to live.
Day 5: Reclaiming – Step boldly into self‑ownership, integrating your power and vision for the future.
Day 6: Returning – Leave with clarity, creative momentum, and practices to carry your story into the world.

I've never hosted something this intense and this long before but if you've come to any of my talks, workshops, events, you know that I will bring my A-Game and ensure every attendee leaves feeling confident and powerful to own their narrative.

We have just 10 places available on this retreat so read below to see if its right for you and apply with no obligation or attend our Live Q&A session.

Our Retreat Partner

I chose to partner with NUKA Retreats because their approach to travel aligns perfectly with my own values—intentional, intimate, and rooted in cultural connection. Founded by Nush and Ninka, two women deeply connected to Senegal, NUKA curates experiences that are as soulful as they are seamless. They understand that a retreat isn’t just a holiday; it’s a container for transformation. Every villa, meal, and excursion has been chosen to support reflection, creativity, and connection to the land. With NUKA handling the details, we get to focus on the heart of this retreat—writing, healing, and owning our stories in a space where we feel fully held.

What's Included

6 x nights of luxury accommodation in a beachside villa in Saly, Senegal
2 x meals a day (locally sourced, nourishing, fusion of Senegalese and European food
1 x group dinner at Ethiopian restaurant
Fresh local juices on tap at the villa
4 x workshops with entrepreneur and New Methods author Sharmadean Reid
5 x yoga and meditation sessions
Daily guided journaling sessionS
Group sharing circles
Cultural experiences led by NUKA: live music, lagoon visit & Goree Island day trip including transport and lunch
Transport throughout the week
Access to a private community group pre- and post-retreat

Why Senegal?

I effectively manifested this retreat because I have always wanted to go to Senegal! It seems like a bit of LA and a bit of Jamaica vibes. Surfy, hippy, but deeply spiritual. Senegal’s rhythm slows you. Its Atlantic coastline, baobab forests, vibrant culture, and spirit of Teranga (warm hospitality) invite deep presence and transformation. It’s a landscape that mirrors your inner journey—bold, beautiful, rooted.

I've also been committed to exploring more of Africa after a lifetime of European trips and this so far I've been to Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa, and Senegal feels a little more off the beaten track.

Let's go!

RETREAT PROGRAMME: Nov 8–14, 2025

In this week-long immersive, we will eat, write, play, discuss, read, explore and aim to return to our worlds, transformed.

This retreat is a guided narrative transformation, rooted in the New Methods for Women framework through writing, movement, ancestral memory, creative expression, and collective witnessing. Each day builds on the next, taking you from grounding to reclaiming, and ultimately, returning home with a story that is fully yours.

Here's what's in store...

Day 0: ARRIVING (Nov 8)
The moment you step off the plane, your life slows down. You can feel it—the ocean air, the rhythm of Senegal, the invitation to leave your old life behind for a week.

Evening arrivals at Blaise Diagne International Airport
Optional private transfer to Villa Yemaya
Welcome dinner & grounding circle

Day 1: Grounding – Arrive fully in your body and in Senegal, creating the space to receive what this week holds.

Before we can tell our stories, we have to feel our feet on the ground. Day one is about arrival—in your body, in this new landscape, and in your own truth.

Wake to Birdsong – Enjoy fresh local juices in a luxurious beachfront villa to awaken your senses for the week ahead.
Welcome Ceremony with a Griot/Healer – Connect to the land and its lineage through storytelling and ritual.
Grounding Journaling – Gently notice the inner narratives you’ve arrived with, creating awareness without judgment.
Afternoon Excursion to Somone Lagoon – Soothe your nervous system with nature; choose a tranquil boat ride through mangroves or a surfing lesson to feel the waves in your bones.
Sunset Rooftop Yoga – Release tension and welcome presence.
Optional Healing or Spiritual Massage – Support your arrival and restore energetic balance.

Day 2: Remembering – Journey into memory and lineage, uncovering the quiet stories that have shaped your life.

Your story starts with where you come from—your roots. Today, we go deep. We write the truths we’ve been holding, the ones that will set us free.

Morning Meditation & Yoga – Gently ground the body before opening the heart to writing.
Workshop: “The Myth of the Good Girl” – Led by Sharmadean Reid, explore the unspoken rules you were raised with and imagine who you are without them.
Personal Timeline Mapping – Trace key moments of joy, rupture, and growth to uncover your narrative arcs.
Creative Session: “The Women Who Made Me” – Build a tactile collage using photos, textiles, and found imagery to honor your maternal lineage and reflect on what you carry.
Optional Sunset Safari – Reconnect with nature, move gently, and integrate your reflections under the open sky.

Day 3: Witnessing – Observe your patterns, emotions, and truths with honesty and without judgment.

Now that we’ve unearthed our old narratives, we rewrite them. Today is about power—owning your past, reframing it, and deciding what comes next.”

Day Trip to Dakar & Gorée Island – Explore Senegal’s vibrant capital and its most significant historic site just off the mainland.
House of Slaves Tour – Walk through the spaces where countless Africans were once held, witnessing ancestral pain and resilience.
Guided Reflection – Learn to gently untangle which parts of your story are truly yours and which have been passed down through silence, history, or expectation.
Local Lunch & Cultural Immersion – Eat with locals, hear stories, and connect with living history.
Evening in Dakar – Celebrate life with bustling street food, music, and movement under the night sky.

Day 4: Rewriting – Transform old narratives into new possibilities, giving voice to the story you want to live.

Once you know your story, the world needs to hear it. This day is about turning your voice outward—into art, business, or something entirely your own.”

Morning Yoga & Meditation – Ground the body and mind for a day of deep creative work.
Workshop: “From Victim to Visionary” – Led by Sharmadean Reid, revisit defining life experiences and reframe them through strength, authorship, and renewed perspective.
Optional Bogolan (Mud Cloth) Workshop – Create by the lagoon using colour, pattern, and ritual to symbolise transformation.
Fireside Gathering with Live Drumming & Dance – Release built‑up energy, honour your journey, and step into your next chapter beneath the stars.

Day 5: Reclaiming – Step boldly into self‑ownership, integrating your power and vision for the future.

To write a new story, sometimes you have to walk through history. Today we leave the villa to explore Gorée Island, a place that asks you to witness, reflect, and create from a deeper place.”

Sunrise Beach Movement & Intention‑Setting – Anchor your vision in breath, body, and clarity as the ocean greets the day.
Workshop: “Write It Into Being” – Led by Sharmadean Reid, craft a bold narrative for your future—naming not only what you’ll do, but how you’ll feel, love, lead, and create.
Optional Quad Biking in the Baobab Forest – Celebrate your expansion with movement, laughter, and joy in nature.
Optional Farewell Dinner – Gather for an authentic Ethiopian meal to close the retreat with flavour, reflection, and honouring the woman you’ve become.

Day 6: Returning – Leave with clarity, creative momentum, and practices to carry your story into the world.

Your story is now yours. The final morning is for integrating everything you’ve uncovered and setting intentions for how you’ll carry it back into the world.

Gentle Yoga & Meditation – Allow the body to integrate and the mind to settle, creating space for clarity and closure.
Breakfast & Silent Journaling – Honour what has been revealed, shifted, and reclaimed over the week.
Closing Group Circle – Share affirmations, gratitude, and the daily rituals that will carry your story home.
Departures & Optional Extension – Some will head home, while others will journey deeper into Senegal to continue their reflection and integration.

Optional add‑on: Nov 14–16 – 2-night escape to S ine Saloum Delta

Stay at peaceful Boundao Lodge
Day boat trip through delta (island hopping, oysters, BBQ)
Sunset meditation & journaling on ancestral land
Final integration circle and space to rest or reflect

Explore The New Methods Retreat Website

Who Is This Retreat For?

Creative women, entrepreneurs, and changemakers ready to rewrite their stories and show up powerfully in business and life. No prior writing experience needed—just openness to explore, connect, and transform.

NO AI WRITING ON THIS RETREAT!

While I believe this retreat will be beneficial for women of colour, we all live with patriarchal and colonial narratives that have shaped our world. This retreat is open to all races, ages and those who identify as women.

Pricing & Booking

Prices start at £2,511 pp; full pricing tiers range from £2,390 to £3,190 depending on room type
20% non‑refundable deposit required (e.g. £478–£638 deposit options available)
Payment plans offered upon application
Flights, travel insurance, and airport transfers are not included (transfers can be arranged)
Recommended arrival: evening of Nov 8 for check-in ahead of Day 1

Hosts & Team

Sharmadean Reid
An entrepreneur, author, and cultural curator, Sharmadean has spent her life helping women own their stories—whether through beauty, business, or creative expression. Founder of The Stack World and 39BC, and author of New Methods for Women, she knows firsthand the power of rewriting your narrative. Writing was her pathway to self‑healing and clarity, and now she guides other women to do the same. Her retreats are intimate, creative sanctuaries where reflection meets transformation, and every woman leaves with a deeper sense of ownership over her life and voice.

Nush Cope
A former London-based TV presenter, Nush thrived in the fast-paced city—until motherhood left her feeling depleted. After a period of deep self-reflection and time spent in Senegal, she rediscovered a slower, richer rhythm. That journey inspired her to co-create NUKA Retreats: a place where women can embrace sisterhood, creative renewal, and rooted joy in an environment that truly holds and nurtures them. instagram.com+7bookretreats.com+7members.thestack.world+7

Ninka Mbaye
A journalist and broadcaster who’s interviewed some of the world’s leading figures, Ninka’s path shifted after experiencing personal loss. A solo trip to Senegal sparked her creative rebirth and a renewed sense of purpose. She now invites others on that same journey—guiding them through immersive experiences grounded in adventure, culture, and deep self‑discovery.

Ready to Write Your Next Chapter?

This is a rare and intimate experience designed to help you emerge with clarity, creative momentum, and ownership of your story. Space is limited to maintain deep group energy and personal connection.

Apply Now or Book a call → if you’d like to discuss fit, space, or payment options.

If your heart is saying “yes,” I’d love to guide you on this journey—to Senegal, to your story, to yourself.

Shar x