LoveBack™ Healing the Pain We Carry: A 4-Day Retreat for Communities of Colour
There is pain many of us carry that did not begin with us. It lives in our bodies. It shapes how we move through our work, how we show up for the people we love, how we lead, how we give, and sometimes — how little we allow ourselves to receive. It was passed down through family lines, through community ruptures, through systems designed to break what they could not control. We learned to survive. And survival, as necessary as it was, often came at a cost. Many of us have spent years — sometimes entire careers — holding space for others while carrying wounds of our own. We show up for our communities, our organizations, the people who depend on us, even as the weight of intergenerational and collective trauma quietly fractures us from the inside. The communities and workplaces we serve have been fragmented by the same forces that shaped our pain. We feel that fragmentation too. We absorb it. We try to heal it. And we rarely stop long enough to ask what it is costing us. LoveBack™ Healing the Pain We Carry is an invitation to stop. To come together — in community, in beauty, on the land — and begin the work of healing that makes everything else possible. Because when we heal, we do not just heal ourselves. We bring that healing back to the people, places, and communities we come from. We become better able to hold others because we have allowed ourselves to be held. This is not a workshop. It is not a conference. It is a held space — for grief, for truth, for rest, for reconnection, and for the kind of healing that doesn’t happen alone. Your Co-Facilitators Myrna McCallum Myrna McCallum is a Métis trauma educator, lawyer, speaker, and the creator of LoveBack™ — a healing methodology originally developed for and with Indigenous communities, rooted in the belief that love is not soft: it is the most radical act of resistance available to us. Myrna has spent her career working at the intersection of trauma, healing, and Humanity-Centred Practice, and she brings her lived experience, her stories, and her love to every space she holds. Natalie Y. Gutiérrez, LMFT Natalie Y. Gutiérrez is a Puerto Rican trauma therapist, ancestral healer, Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist, international keynote speaker, and the author of The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color and its companion workbook. With 17 years of specialization in complex trauma — including racial, multigenerational, and ancestral trauma — Natalie’s decolonial healing work is rooted in liberation and dedicated to people of the global majority. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, the LA Times, NPR, and PopSugar, among others. About This Retreat Grounded in Myrna McCallum’s LoveBack™ methodology and Natalie Y. Gutiérrez’s landmark work on complex trauma and ancestral healing, this retreat brings together two frameworks built specifically for and with communities of colour — and the team holding this space reflects that same intentionality. Every participant will receive a copy of The Pain We Carry Workbook, the companion guide to her book The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color. This workbook is a guide to healing racial trauma, reclaiming ancestral wisdom, and igniting liberation. You will work through it together, in community, over the four days. Over four days, participants will:• Engage in guided group work and facilitated dialogue rooted in relational practice and collective care• Explore how the pain we carry shows up in our bodies, our relationships, our caregiving, and our leadership• Identify patterns and begin practising tools for self-regulation, reflection, and relational repair• Be reminded that joy, rest, and celebration are forms of ancestral resistance• Rest. Integrate. Be witnessed — and witness others. This retreat centres revolutionary love, truth, authenticity, accountability, and liberation. It is for those who are ready to begin — or deepen — the work of healing themselves and gathering the tools, skills, and strategies to help others do the same. The Team Holding This SpaceMoana PaulusMoana is a Polynesian healer with roots in New Zealand and Hawaii. She will offer individual one-on-one healing sessions to participants during the retreat — an opportunity to receive direct, personal care alongside the group work. Charmaine Parenteau — Resident AuntieCharmaine is Métis from Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, Treaty Six territory, and serves as our Resident Auntie for LoveBack™ programs. She brings humour, warmth, empathy, and an unshakeable sense of care to everything she touches. Every retreat needs an Auntie. We are lucky to have ours. Alicia Hrbachek & Mariana Trujillo-Lezama — Program & Logistics SupportAlicia Hrbachek is Cree from Peepeekisis First Nation in Treaty 4 territory. MarianaTrujillo-Lezama is an immigrant from Cali, the Cauca Valley, Colombia. Together they bring their lived experience and humanity to the work of holding this retreat — managing program logistics and participant care so that the space for healing remains uninterrupted. The SettingThe Kingfisher Pacific Resort & Spa sits on the traditional territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, on the eastern shores of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is a place of water, forest, and beauty — a fitting container for the work we are coming together to do. Please note: the Kingfisher offers additional wellness experiences including healing caves and spa services. These are available to retreat participants at their own cost and are not included in the retreat investment. InvestmentThis retreat is limited to 25 participants.• Early bird rate: $2,499 + GST — first 5 registrants only• Group rate: $2,899 + GST — groups of 3 or more• Regular rate: $2,999 + GST All rates are in Canadian dollars. GST will be added at checkout. To save on processing fees e-transfer the total plus GST to myrna.m@myrnamccallum.co with the password “loveback,” including your full name and the retreat title in the message box. Questions? Reach us at info@myrnamccallum.co
LoveBack™: Indigenous Women’s Leadership, Healing & Emotional Intelligence
Facilitated by Myrna McCallum with Charmaine Parenteau (Resident Auntie) and Moana Paulus (Polynesian Healer) About the Gathering LoveBack™ Indigenous Women’s Leadership, Healing & Emotional Intelligence is a 2.5‑day professional development gathering created for Indigenous women who serve as leaders and advocates in their communities. Together, we will explore how emotional intelligence, cultural healing, and spiritual strength can sustain us as we navigate the complex realities of leadership, service, and community care. Rooted in Indigenous and Polynesian worldviews, this experience blends professional development, trauma‑responsive practices, and intergenerational healing. Participants will leave grounded, connected, and renewed — with practical tools for wellbeing, emotional regulation, and culturally aligned leadership. A limited number of subsidies are available to help offset costs; please reach out for more information. Program Flow Day 1 – Reconnection Wed, Oct 7 | 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Through storytelling and guided reflection, we’ll explore the impacts of colonial and racial trauma on our leadership journeys — and rediscover the resilience, creativity, and wisdom that have always carried our Nations forward. Featuring: Opening with Charmaine Parenteau and Moana Paulus, storytelling circle, and Emotional Intelligence foundations presented through an Indigenous lens. Day 2 – Emotional Leadership Thurs, Oct 8 | 9:00 AM–5:00 PM A full day of practice and integration. Learn tools for emotional regulation, embodied leadership, and navigating challenges with empathy and clarity. Deepen connections with ancestral guidance through story, movement, and visioning work. Featuring: Somatic practices led by Moana Paulus, interactive leadership labs, community healing circle, and personal leadership mapping. Evening (optional): Dinner in the Village Day 3 – Returning to Ourselves (Optional Experience) Fri, Oct 9 | 9:00 AM–1:00 PM A gentle morning of rest and renewal at Scandinave Spa Whistler. Water, reflection, and silence invite deep integration and gratitude before returning home. Program Highlights Circle‑based learning & leadership development Trauma‑responsive, culturally grounding approach Emotional intelligence practice in real‑world contexts Healing through connection, story, body, and ceremony Facilitated by Indigenous and Polynesian women rooted in community care and ancestral practice Location: Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, Whistler, BC. A stunning setting on shared Squamish and Lil’wat territory, surrounded by the mountains, forests, and waters that sustain us. Who This Is For: Indigenous women in leadership, governance, advocacy, health, education, and community service — and those emerging into leadership roles who seek to lead from wholeness, compassion, and cultural strength. Registration: Space is limited to maintain circle integrity.