Leader: Dr. Fiona Schneider
Cost: £360 including including room, all tutoring and materials, dinner and refreshments on day one, breakfast, lunch and refreshments on day two.
Retreat Description:
A 48-Hour Retreat for Discovery & Replenishment of Mind, Body, and Spirit, for men and women.
Day 1: Spacious – Entering Sacred Space
16:00 – Arrival & Welcome
• Refreshments available
• Distribution of retreat journal & welcome pack
• Introduction to space, rhythm, and guidelines (including silence blocks)
17:00 – Opening Session: “Making Space for God”
• Scripture reflection: Isaiah 30:15 – “In quietness and trust is your strength.”
• Breath prayer & personal grounding
• Group intention-setting.
• Journaling: “What do I long for?”
18:00 – Dinner (Community Table)
19:15 – Evening Reflection: “God’s Spacious Grace”
• Devotion on Psalm 18:19
• Music & candlelight meditation
• Guided journaling: “What have I been holding too tightly?”
20:30 – Sacred Silence Begins
• Time for journaling, gentle walk, or early rest
• Suggested reading: Psalm 4
• Optional: prayer room open, spiritual direction sign-ups
Day 2: Gracious – Restoring the Inner Life
07:30 – Morning Outside exercise & Meditation (Optional)
08:30 – Breakfast (Silent Reflection Continues)
09:30 – Session 1: Values & Needs
• Values clarification from a Christian worldview
• : Living aligned with your core values.
• Journaling: “What is most important to me – and how am I living that?”
11:00 – Break / Silent Walk
11:30 – Session 2: Content vs. Noise
• What’s filling our lives unnecessarily?
• Christian lens: Simplicity, Sabbath, and attention
• Journaling: “What am I consuming vs. what is feeding me?
13:00 – Lunch (Conversation returns if desired)
14:00 – Creative Hour: Visual Journaling or Soul Collage
• Quiet time with art materials or continued journaling
• Optional prompt: “Draw your soul’s landscape today.”
• 15:30 – Tea Break
16:00 – Session 3: Conflict & Inner Peace
• Jesus and healthy confrontation
• : Unhelpful thought patterns
• Journaling: “What conflict am I carrying?” “What am I avoiding?”
17:30 – Free Time / Spiritual Direction (if available)
18:30 – Dinner (Light, shared)
20:00 – Evening Worship: “Precious in His Sight”
• Devotion: Isaiah 43:1–4
• Music, stillness, communion?
• Journaling prompt: “What do I hear God calling me?”
21:00 – Sacred Silence Resumes
Day 3: Precious – Returning Whole
07:30 – Morning Quiet Time: Personal Prayer / Journaling
• Optional: walk, prayer labyrinth, or scripture meditation
If this is a Sunday an option to join Rydal Hall service would be available and organised sessions around this time
08:30 – Breakfast
09:30 – Session 4: Energy Management for a Sustainable Life
• Rhythms of rest in Jesus’ life
• Mapping energy drains vs. restorers.
• Journaling: “How can I honour my limits and still live faithfully?”
11:00 – Break
11:30 – Session 5: Boundaries & Grace
• Teaching: Jesus’ life-giving “yes” and “no”
• : Boundary mapping
• Reflection: “Where do I need to say no to say a deeper yes?”
• Journaling exercise
13:00 – Lunch (Final Meal Together)
14:00 – Integration & Sending Workshop
• Creating a “Replenishment Plan”
• Closing worship: Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work…” 16:00 – Departure.
Bio:
Fiona Schneider is a Licensed Lay Minister at All Saints’ Church in Ilkley, with a unique background that spans medicine, coaching, and spiritual direction. She originally trained as an obstetrician and gynaecologist in London, Leeds, and Oxford, and has worked extensively in England, Germany, and in the US Armed Forces Hospital in Frankfurt. Her international experience gave her a broad and holistic understanding of women’s health.
While running her own women’s health clinic in Germany, Fiona expanded her expertise into herbal medicine, psychosomatic care, and nutritional health. On returning to the UK, her work in gynaecology and sexual health brought her face-to-face with the deeper challenges women face — from trauma and exploitation to the hidden impact of adverse childhood experiences. These encounters led Fiona to pursue further training as a coach, focusing on supporting women who juggle multiple responsibilities and risk burnout. She now runs the successful online programme Flourish After 45 and wishes to now offer this as an in-person retreat. This would be led by Fiona Schneider but with others addressing some sessions.
To complement her coaching work, Fiona trained as a Spiritual Director with the Diocese of Leeds, where she discovered the deep interconnection between prayer, healing, and personal transformation. She served as Chair of a charitable House of Prayer in Ilkley, and has a passion for prayer, mission, and encouraging others in their spiritual journey.
Fiona has wide-ranging ministry experience, from planting children’s groups in Silsden, supporting rural congregations in Blubberhouses, to serving as a visiting chaplain in the tourist resort of Zermatt. Whether through healthcare, coaching, or spiritual guidance, Fiona’s calling is to empower and equip others to live with purpose, balance, and renewed faith.
