I laughed for a week straight, this has been so special and memorable and fun.

If you can make it happen, DO IT. It’s a once in a lifetime experience. I did have some guilt about spending that much money on myself to do something for ME apart from my family, but I haven’t regretted it for a second.

I knew even if i only got to do something like this once, this was the trip to spend it on.

You can always make more money. You’ll never be more young or capable than you are RIGHT NOW.

“I had no idea how much it would change my life.

From the outside looking in, I’m sure it looks like I have it all together. But over the years, I had allowed things to get in my way of doing what lights up my soul. This was a beautiful step in the right direction. Saying YES to the things I want to do, disconnecting from the chaos of the world around me, connecting with other women who are similiar to myself and really truly remembering why I love myself. I will always be grateful. You inspire and motivate so many of us every day.”

“At one point in this trip we were all asked what made us sign up to spend a week in the tundra with strangers. Top answer? CONFIDENCE.I cannot tell y’all the amount of skills I wish I had in order to feel like a confident, capable grown ass woman, but I had no idea where to learn and acquire them from. Why in the world would I sign up to go on a trip by myself, to bush Alaska, with strangers I never met? Because I was HELLA tired of sitting on my couch watcing other women do the things I wish I knew how to do. To get a hands on chance to go out and finally learn things hands on from other insanely inspiring women?

I’ve never signed up for something so fast in my life.

So do it Scared. Basically my Life motto.”

“It’s the emotional things that change us. We would sit around the campfire at night and share stories about our families, triumphs, struggles, and our pasts, and I could still relate to each story in some way.

Yes, I learned a ton of new skills, but without knowing ahead of time, this retreat helped me find myself again. It helped me disconnect with things that don’t matter. It helped me re-connect with myself again and what matters. It reminded me of my goals. It pushed me mentally. It made me stronger. It made me more independent. It made me more confident.

It changed my life. Invest the time and money in yourself to do so. Take the trip. Pay the money. Go on the expensive retreat. You can do hard things!

I met 14 incredible women on this retreat. We met as strangers at the airport and left as lifelong friends.”

“If you are looking for a way to break away from reality and find yourself this is as good as it gets. It’s amazing what us girls are capable of. This is a trip for all skill levels. Whether it’s your first trip or your 100th.”

“Tana and the other coaches are experienced in an awesome variety of areas, making for a great learning experience for a wide range of skill levels. The Alaskan wilderness is unforgettable in its beauty, at times scary, but with this group of ladies and the skills they taught us, I felt safe, and empowered to keep going further, longer,...and plan more trips! Definitely an inspiring experience.”

“I feel changed. But not necessarily in the way I thought I would. It was kind of a big eye opener for me in really realizing that I only have so much time here and that I’m never going to do the things I want to in life if I just think about them all the time and never take any action.”

“I feel way more confident in my ability to educate myself in the outdoors and hunting. I gained new ideas on how to make myself feel more comfortable and confident.”

“I am more open to new experiences and people now. I am wanting to take advantage of more opportunities in the future. I learned to not ‘judge a book by its cover’ “

“I loved having my own space to learn things but also being with other people and making new friends. Being able to experience life in Alaska. Honestly I don’t want to leave, I’m looking into other opportunities to get me out here.. I feel like I am deprived of so much living by being stuck to a 9 to 5 job.”

“For the past 2-3 years I’ve been in somewhat of a funk and have convinced myself that I no longer could hunt/fish/camp etc. since I didn’t have a boyfriend to take me anymore. This trip made me realize how much I’ve missed all of those things and that I can do them on my own, as well as surround myself with others who have similar interests. I’ve already planned so many things since being back and am so excited to start enjoying the outdoors again!!!”

“I just got home and my house feels stifling. Realizing that I need to simplify things so I can spend more time outside. Understanding that all the things I want to do are going to scare the shit out of me and I should do them anyway.”

“I am tougher than I thought I was mentally, I pushed through some fear with the creek crossings. I was very uncomfortable when we got to the first one, I didn’t think I would be able to get across without falling down. I did it anyways. It is okay to feel uncomfortable and do it anyway.”

“I love the confidence I had after leaving. Having a fun group of women was amazing and I learned there were other outdoor women just like me.”

“I left with a new outlook on life, my heart was craving something and it found happiness. Surrounded by woman who want to empower you and guide you to become a better version of yourself.”

”Tana, JJ, and Lindsay created an unimaginable trip that allowed a group of like minded women to get together from all over the country and share stories, tips and tricks for the outdoors, create friendships, cry, sweat, and laugh together. An experience most strong independent women do not always get to experience! Thank your for a trip of a life time! I can’t wait to come back!”

“I definitely know I changed. I feel more confident and capable in myself. I also feel I grew in how I work with others. Being able to attribute to a large group rather than follow along in the back. I feel like I can be a leader and not just a follower.”

“I learned the importance of mindset. We where faced with poor weather on our trip. The rain was pouring, and all plans went to plan b..c..and even d. Yet although it was challenging and put out physical strength and endurance to the test. Yet all continued to laugh and smile through the pain. At the end we managed to turn a poor situation into a positive one. I attribute the positive turnout to how we handled it mentally. I learned it is what you make of every situation. Mental toughness!”

“Within 15 minutes of meeting these women we were all friends and laughing together like we’d known each other for years. What a wild world we live in! We’re all so different. We come from different parts of the world. We all have different beliefs and stories. We saw some things together and encountered animals and make the most memorable meal of my life consisting of rabbit and pretzels and tundra berries. We ate pizza in the rain. I am very grateful. What a wild time we had.”

“I loved the guidance of the coaches and educational gain. The coaches did an outstanding job teaching us ladies. They where patient and made all challenges fun! I also loved how close the girls got by the end of the trip. We went from strangers to family. Thanks to the guidance of the team I feel more confident in myself and eager to apply my new skills.”

“When I first heard about this women’s retreat I knew I had to go no matter what. I needed to stop an do something about the place I was in after the roughest 1.5 years. This retreat I was able to be surrounded by women who enjoy the same things, a few moms who struggled with finding themselves again after kids, and I got to be open and honest. I was able to be with my feelings that I needed to deal with and greeted by hugs from people I had never met before until this retreat.”

”This time last year, I found Tana and this women’s retreat in remote Alaska. I had a few months to talk myself out of going. People thought it was crazy. I had no idea it would be one of my best life experiences yet.

The things I learned and experienced there I’ll keep with me for the rest of my life. Being able to experience tundra, fly fish, see giant brown bears, learn how to live off the land, and so many others…. I can never say thank you enough to Tana and everyone at Bristol Bay Retreats for making this amazing experience possible!”

“So so thankful for this adventure and for the women that went from strangers to friends. As always, the outdoors filled my cup and calmed my nervous system in ways that other things simply can’t!”

“Best part of getting dropped in the wilderness: you find a greater appreciation for the things around you. but you’ll never see it if you don’t take the step out of the door. Plan the trip. Pack the bag. and GO. Experience Life.”

“I was SO determined to light a fire. In my mind, there was just one thing I wanted to do and that was to start a fire (every girls dream!) I’m amazed that after a few patient minutes, with everyone encouraging me, the sparks FINALLY caught and it stayed! I am proud of this moment. It’s small. Its not the craziest moment that happened, it was a victory!”

I have a really hard time creating relationships with women back home, so I was really worried I would struggle with that. And then I got here, and it was an opportunity to listen to others, and I took it. I loved listening to everyone life stories, and there was no judgement when I felt inadequate, there was just encouragement, so my fears were really silly.

I really came to this retreat because I wanted to meet more like minded girls and be around positive energy and Alaska is on my bucket list, and everything fell together for me.

Just do it, you won’t regret it. How often do you get to go out and see places like this and be with people like this?

Being in a place like this helps me mentally so much. I feel calm and stronger inside and that I can deal with anything. It helps my mood to feel happier. I am mentally stronger now.

My favorite moments has been chatting with these women about their experience and learning.

The sense of open space and freedom to roam has been great for me. The ability to stop and be present is often interrupted back home. Here, you can be present.

This year has been a year of growth for me. Being around really strong women has been awesome. My biggest worry was not fitting in, because I am not a big hunter, but it didn’t matter. This sisterhood has been amazing.

I have learned so much from every single one of them and I can’t wait to learn more.

I now have friends for life. I don’t regret one minute, it was worth every penny.

I have become more independent on this trip.

If you are thinking about it, Just do it. Don’t overthink it.

You’ll learn about yourself and you’ll grow so much. I have learned that I am stronger than I thought I was, and this world is a lot bigger than I realized. I can’t wait to learn more.

I think this is one of the best trips I’ve ever had, and everyone should do it, even if they’re afraid.

My favorite part is making all these new friends because everyone is so different and so fun and similar in many ways. I love being in the mountains and away from civilization. I did enjoy learning how to shoot handguns as I have not done that much. It felt good to do that!