OUR STORY
From the inside out, there is you
Founded in 2005 by Alison Pothier, Inside Out Retreats was first located in Richmond-Upon-Thames, London, England. Hidden down a historic cobblestone lane, Alison called Inside Out Retreats a soul nourishment center ... a place to feed one's soul. Whether through guided coaching, healing treatments, intuitive workshops or transformational events, Inside Out Retreats' mission remains to support all those on a journey back to their authentic self. Today, you find us serving a global audience out of Malibu, California. We have outgrown our walls and spread our wings further afield, but our purpose remains the same ... the actualization the authentic self.
From the Inside Out
The name "Inside Out Retreats"and its logo appeared in a dream months after Alison had written a poem for her sister's wedding that she called "From the Inside Out". Soon realizing that the poem's sentiments applied not only to those getting married, but to everyone, Alison made the poem her ethos, printed it on a bookmark and handed it out to all who entered her special healing center. Therein, the name Inside Out Retreats was born.
“For when the horizon overwhelms and fills you up with doubt, don’t look for your tools from the outside in, look from the inside out.”
A VERY GOOD FRIDAY
“From the inside out, there is freedom
From the inside out, there is peace
From the inside out, there is always hope
From the inside out, there is you.”
It was Good Friday, March 25th, 2005. Alison had just run seventeen miles around Richmond Park training for the London Marathon when the owner of Presence and Presents, a holistic bookstore and gift shop ahead of its time, asked her to run the extra mile.
A tiny haven with a big idea, Presence and Presents believed in "being the change" it wanted to see in the world. Having paid host to friends and soon-to-become-renowned authors such as Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Diana Cooper and many more spiritual visionaries, the owner was ready to hand over the torch. That night, she invited Alison to fulfill a lifelong dream for a healing retreat centre by purchasing Presence and Presents and evolving its journey forward.
Earlier that day, Alison had accepted an offer to return to the city as the investment banker she had been for many years. Though she’d dreamed since childhood of running a center dedicated to all she loved and aspired to be, as an adult that dream seemed idealistic and impractical.
Facing two career choices - one an investment in her material future and the other, asn investment in her spiritual future, the owner urged, "Do both."
On Easter morning, Alison chose 'both'. Placing a foot firmly in both worlds, she accepted the challenge to bridge the divide between them within her first. For three years, she lived a parallel existence - investment banker by day and spiritual healer and intuitive coach by night - until she could integrate them a single expression of herself.
Today, Inside Out Retreats supports people around the world on a journey back to their authentic self and its true expression. Alison began by taking that journey herself.