Case Study · International Retreats
A Decade of
Transformational
Retreats.
Before retreat was a business model, Sarah Pirie-Nally was building immersive leadership experiences that changed lives. Over a decade, more than 1,000 leaders passed through She Evolves, Nurture Her, and Evolve X — across Australia, Fiji, Bali, and beyond.
The Numbers
1,000+
Leaders Through International Retreats
3
Distinct Retreat Programs
10+
Countries & Locations
10+
Years of Retreat Experience
The Philosophy
Transformation doesn't happen in a conference room.
Sarah built her retreat programs on a simple belief: that the most significant shifts in a leader's life happen when they step completely out of their ordinary environment. Away from the inbox, the school run, the board meeting — and into a container designed for depth.
Over a decade of retreat facilitation, she developed a methodology that combines strategic frameworks with somatic awareness, community depth with personal accountability, and luxury experience design with genuine transformation. It is not a holiday. It is not a conference. It is something else entirely.
As the only human-centred design practitioner operating at CDO level in the AI education space, Sarah brings a rare lens to retreat design: every element — from the room layout to the facilitation arc to the post-retreat integration — is designed with the same rigour she applied to enterprise customer experience transformation.
2015 – 2022
▶ She Evolves 2023 · Highlights
▶ She Evolves 2022 · Highlights
Multi-day immersive retreat
She Evolves
“Where women come to remember who they are.”
She Evolves began as a radical act of belief — that women in leadership deserved a space that was equal parts strategic and soulful. Long before 'women's retreats' became a business category, Sarah was producing multi-day immersive experiences that combined high-level leadership strategy with deep personal transformation.
The first She Evolves retreat was held with a handful of women in Sydney. Within two years, it had grown to sell-out events across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Bali. Sarah produced every element herself — the programming, the facilitation, the speaker curation, the experience design — bringing together women from corporate, entrepreneurial, and creative worlds who all shared one thing: they were ready for more.
What Happened
- Multi-day immersive retreats held across Australia, NZ, Fiji, and Bali
- Keynote speakers, facilitated workshops, and deep personal development sessions
- Community of 700+ women across 7+ years of events
- Sold-out events consistently — word of mouth only, no paid advertising
- Spawned long-term friendships, business partnerships, and life pivots
700+
Women through She Evolves retreats
7+
Years of continuous events
5
Countries — AU, NZ, Fiji, Bali & more
100%
Sold out — word of mouth only
“Joining the She Evolves community has been life-changing. I've found a powerful sense of belonging and connection, and feel more empowered in my personal and professional life than ever before.”
— She Evolves Member
2018 – 2021
▶ Nurture Her · Fiji Retreat Highlights
Luxury women's retreat — Fiji
Nurture Her
“Rest is a strategy. Restoration is a competitive advantage.”
Nurture Her was born from a simple observation: the most driven women Sarah knew were running on empty. They were achieving extraordinary things — and quietly burning out. Nurture Her was the antidote: a luxury women's retreat held in Fiji, featuring multiple world-class speakers and designed to restore, reconnect, and recalibrate. Over its run, more than 250 women passed through its doors.
Held in Fiji, Nurture Her brought together multiple speakers alongside curated experiences that gave high-achieving women permission to slow down without losing momentum. Sarah co-founded the retreat and played a central role in its design and facilitation before making the decision to sell her shares — not because the program wasn't working, but because it was. Her human-centred design consultancy had taken off, and she chose to go all-in on the work that would eventually position her as one of Australia's leading HCD practitioners operating at CDO level. Nurture Her was a chapter she closed with pride.
What Happened
- Luxury women's retreat held in Fiji — 250+ women across multiple cohorts
- Multiple world-class speakers curated for each event
- Blend of restorative practices, strategic workshops, and personal development
- Co-founded and designed by Sarah — deeply intentional experience architecture
- Sarah sold her shares as her human-centred design consultancy took off
250+
Women through Nurture Her retreats
Fiji
Signature location — luxury island setting
Multi-speaker
World-class speaker lineup each event
Exited
Sarah sold her shares to focus on HCD consultancy
“This year with Sarah unfolded as a quiet revolution. What began as coaching became a full recalibration of how I move through the world. This was the year I invested in the truest version of myself.”
— Jen Tippet, 4Es Consulting
2020 – Present
▶ Evolve X · Mastermind Highlights
8-month premium mastermind with retreat immersive
Evolve X
“For the leaders who have outgrown the room.”
Evolve X is the most exclusive container Sarah has ever built. An 8-month mastermind for founders and executives who have already achieved significant success — and are ready to build at the intersection of AI, strategy, and soul. The retreat component is the heartbeat of the program: an immersive experience that accelerates what months of coaching cannot.
Evolve X was created for a specific kind of leader: one who has read all the books, done the programs, and still feels like something is missing. The retreat immersive — held in Bali and other curated international locations — is where the real work happens. Away from the noise of daily operations, in a container of radical honesty and strategic depth, Evolve X members make the decisions that change the trajectory of their businesses and lives.
What Happened
- 8-month premium mastermind with an immersive retreat component
- Maximum 6 members per cohort — application only, highly curated
- Retreat immersives held in Bali and international locations
- Combines AI strategy, business architecture, and personal evolution
- Members have gone on to 10x revenue, exit businesses, and pivot careers
120+
Leaders through Evolve X since 2020
6
Maximum cohort size — deeply intimate
8
Months of transformation per cohort
Application
Only — highly curated membership
“Working with Sarah has been nothing short of transformative. Her brain is an absolute weapon — sharp, fast, and deeply intuitive. The impact she's had on our business and leadership team has been profound.”
— Francesca Pavone-Dann, Dann Event Hire
The Retreat Methodology
What makes a Sarah Pirie-Nally retreat different.
Human-Centred Experience Design
Every retreat is designed with the same rigour Sarah applied to enterprise CX transformation at ASB Bank and NAB. The arc, the room, the facilitation, the post-retreat integration — all designed for lasting change, not momentary inspiration.
Strategic Depth + Somatic Awareness
Sarah doesn't separate the strategic from the personal. Her retreats combine high-level business frameworks with embodied practices that help leaders access the clarity that intellectual analysis alone cannot reach.
Community as a Transformation Technology
The most powerful thing that happens at a Sarah Pirie-Nally retreat is often not the content — it's the room. Carefully curated cohorts create the conditions for the kind of honest conversation that changes the trajectory of a business or a life.
What Leaders Say
“Sarah produces a world-class event. Wired for Wonder is incredible.”
Guy Kawasaki
Author & Former Apple Chief Evangelist
“Sarah is a force of nature. There's no one like Sarah. She's prompt, totally 'tuned-in' and absolutely on theme and remarkably on-point. Having Sarah at your event creates action, real impact, lasting learning and off-the-chart reviews.”
Paul Dunn
Co-Founder, B1G1
“Working with Sarah gave me clarity when things felt busy, messy and overwhelming. She brings calm, perspective, and amazing clarity when things feel complex. Sarah helps you get unstuck and move forward in a real human way.”
Steve Hui
Founder, IflyFlat & The Flights Club
Live Events
Wired for Wonder
Sarah co-created and hosted Wired for Wonder — a landmark live event series bringing together the world's most provocative thinkers on consciousness, creativity, and the future of human potential. With speakers including Guy Kawasaki, Dandapani, Rachel Botsman, and Paul Dunn, Wired for Wonder became one of Australia's most talked-about thought leadership events.
2013–2016
Years hosted
3 cities
Sydney · Melbourne · Auckland
40K+
YouTube subscribers
World-class
Speakers from 6 continents
2016 Hype Reel
▶ Wired for Wonder 2016 Hype Reel
Event Highlights
▶ Wired for Wonder Event Highlights
Featured Speakers
“Sarah produces a world-class event. Wired for Wonder is incredible.”
Guy Kawasaki
Author & Former Apple Chief Evangelist
Watch all Wired for Wonder talksFuture Retreats
Join the Retreat Waitlist
Sarah is planning the next chapter of women's retreat experiences. Be the first to know when dates, locations, and applications open — and receive early access before public announcement.
What's Next
Ready to experience
transformation in person?
Evolve X is Sarah's current premium mastermind — an 8-month container for founders and executives ready to build at the intersection of AI, strategy, and soul. Includes an immersive retreat experience. Applications are open for the next cohort.
Made by Sarah Pirie-Nally and Manus AI