Resilient by Nature

Practical Tools for Stress, Strength, and Sustainability in the Desert

Set within the spacious stillness of the desert, Resilient by Nature is a five-day, place-based resilience experience for individuals living and working under sustained pressure. This immersive retreat is designed to help participants slow down, restore nervous system balance, and rebuild inner resources that support steadiness, clarity, and long-term sustainability.

Guided by Dr. Heidi Schreiber-Pan and Phillip McKnight, the program integrates the RISE Resiliency framework, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), nature-informed practices, and evidence-based resilience skills informed by the work of Dr.Rick Hanson.

The RISE Resiliency framework—used successfully in demanding, real-world settings, including programs associated with the United Nations—provides a practical, evidence-based foundation for building resilience in high-pressure environments.

The Journey of the Week

Rather than offering a single peak experience, Resilient by Nature is intentionally designed as a progressive arc of restoration and integration, allowing resilience to be built, practiced, and embodied over time.

Arrival & Grounding

The early days focus on settling into the desert’s rhythm. Through guided hikes, desert sit spots, and short learning segments, participants begin regulating stress responses, orienting to the landscape, and reconnecting with their bodies and attention.

Strengthening Inner Resources

As the week unfolds, participants engage in experiential practices that build core resilience skills—attention training, nervous system regulation, and cultivating inner strengths such as steadiness, compassion, and confidence. Learning is woven seamlessly into outdoor experiences, supported by reflection and small-group dialogue.

The Solo Day: Deep Listening & Integration

A central element of the retreat is a day-long solo experience in a nearby park. With clear structure, safety guidelines, and reflective prompts, participants spend the day at their own pace—walking, resting, journaling, and sitting with the landscape.

This extended solo time offers a rare opportunity to step out of habitual roles and external demands, deepen self-trust, and listen more closely to what restores balance and resilience from within. The solo day is thoughtfully framed to feel grounding and supported rather than isolating, and is followed by gentle integration and optional group reflection.

Returning with Clarity

The final days focus on integration—helping participants translate insight into practical ways of living and working differently. The emphasis is on sustainability: how to carry resilience skills forward into real-life demands, rather than leaving them behind in the desert.

Optional Individual Resilience Coaching

Participants may also choose to engage in a one-on-one coaching session during the retreat. These individualized sessions support participants in creating a personalized resilience plan, drawing directly from Dr. Rick Hanson’s resilience framework.

Each plan is tailored to the participant’s unique stress patterns, strengths, values, and life context—offering clear, realistic tools for sustaining resilience well beyond the retreat experience.

Program Length & Flow

Six-day immersive experience
Includes a dedicated, fully supported solo day
Balances movement and stillness, learning and embodiment, solitude and connection
Designed to allow participants to fully settle, deepen, and integrate rather than rush transformation

Location & Group Size

The retreat will take place in southern Utah, a location chosen for expansive desert landscapes, varied hiking terrain, and powerful sunrise and sunset experiences.

To preserve depth, safety, and individualized attention, participation is limited to 15 people. This small-group format allows for meaningful connection while honoring the importance of solitude and personal pacing.

The program will take place in mid-November, a season well-suited for desert travel and extended outdoor engagement.

Who This Retreat Is For

This experience is designed for people who:

Carry responsibility for others (clinicians, leaders, caregivers, educators, advocates)
Work in high-stakes or emotionally demanding environments
Feel competent on the outside but depleted or overstretched on the inside
Want practical, evidence-based tools to become more resilient

Are longing for time to reset, reflect, and recalibrate in nature

Participants Leave With:

Greater capacity to regulate stress in real time
Tools to interrupt burnout cycles before they escalate
Increased clarity around personal limits, values, and sustainability
A personalized resilience plan grounded in neuroscience
A felt sense of steadiness that comes from time in wide, quiet landscapes

A deeper love for the desert landscape

Location & Dates

Location: Moab, Utah (onsite accommodation details sent at time of registration)

Dates: November 17-21, 2026 (onsite arrivals on the evening of November 16)

We encourage car pooling from Salt Lake City Airport - let us know if you’d like to be on the car pool list.

The drive from the SLC airport to Moab is about 4 hours.

Program Tuition

Early Bird rate: $100 off with code EB100 until September 17

Double occupancy (shared room): $1,995 early bird | $2,095 standard
Single occupancy (private room): $2,245 early bird | $2,345 standard
Offsite sleeping: $1,600 early bird | $1,700 standard

What’s included: facilitation, guided hikes/practices, supplies, and lodging, self-serve breakfast, dinner

Not included: travel to/from Utah, optional gear purchases, and any personal incidentals.

Everyday Hero Discount

Those working in healthcare, emergency response, social services, and environmental protection are often exposed to sustained stress, emotional labor, moral injury, and limited recovery time. Resilient by Nature exists because resilience is not a luxury in these roles—it is essential for long-term sustainability and continued care.

The desert setting, supported solo time, and evidence-based resilience practices are intentionally chosen to help participants restore nervous system capacity, rebuild inner resources, and reconnect with steadiness and meaning. For those working on the front lines of protecting land, ecosystems, and communities, this retreat offers a rare opportunity to be held by the natural world rather than always defending it.

To honor those serving our communities in demanding roles, we offer an Everyday Hero Discount: 10% off the program tuition portion (not applied to lodging/room cost). Email us at info@natureinformedtherapy.org for more information.

Eligible participants (examples):

Healthcare professionals (including mental health providers)
First responders (fire, EMS, law enforcement
Active-duty military and veterans

Environmentalists, conservation professionals, land stewards, park and natural resource staff

Next Steps

This retreat is offered infrequently and intentionally limited in size to preserve depth, safety, and individualized attention. Space is limited, and we anticipate the retreat will fill quickly. We encourage you to reserve your spot early.