BRAVE in the Desert
A Women’s Recovery Retreat with Horses
April 16 - 19, 2026 | Apache Springs Ranch | Sonoita, Arizona
You’ve been strong long enough. Now, be BRAVE.
BRAVE in the Desert is a women’s retreat with horses in the Arizona desert, created for women who are done carrying everything alone.
In the quiet of the desert mornings and the spaciousness of three restorative nights, you’ll soften your grip, inhale deeply, and rediscover the strength that’s been waiting beneath the noise.
This retreat is intentionally designed for women who are ready for deep, meaningful inner work, and that’s not everyone.
The first spot has already been claimed — 11 remain.
Who BRAVE in the Desert Is For
It’s for you if you’ve been:
🪷Carrying the weight of others’ expectations and responsibilities.
🪷Feeling stuck in survival mode—strong on the outside but quietly exhausted on the inside.
🪷Craving time and space to reconnect with who you are beneath all the roles.
🪷Ready to move beyond “just getting through the day” and into living with courage, clarity, and self-trust.
🪷Longing for community, authenticity, and meaningful connection with women who truly get it.
🪷Wanting insight, grounding, and guidance without judgment or pressure.
This retreat isn’t for everyone—and that’s okay.
It’s not for you if you’re:
🚫 Looking for a vacation, party weekend, or total solitude.
🚫 Hoping for only horseback riding or a traditional equestrian experience (all activities are on the ground).
🚫Wanting to bring alcohol or substances to unwind.
🚫Uninterested in gentle self-reflection or open conversation.
🚫Expecting a highly structured agenda where every moment is planned.
🚫Not ready to participate in a supportive, compassionate group experience.
This is a healing space, created with intention, compassion, and trauma-informed support.
Who This Retreat Is NOT For
What You’ll Experience
Through The BRAVE Recovery Method™, you’ll rediscover what it means to exhale, to rise, and to trust yourself again.
Expect:
Horse-guided insight and gentle breakthroughs
Group exercises with the herd
Mindfulness practices to reconnect with your body
Authentic confidence building
Heart-centered community connection
Space to heal, breathe, and reset
A closing reflection that marks your next brave step
This is not about fixing yourself — it’s about finally making space for yourself.
If you’ve been holding your breath for too long, consider this your invitation — 11 spots left.
What’s Included
At BRAVE in the Desert, you’re not just going on a retreat, you’re stepping into a space intentionally designed for deep healing, honest reflection, and the kind of freedom that lasts long after you leave Arizona.
Your retreat experience includes:
🎥 Pre-retreat Zoom Connection Call
Our first opportunity to get to know each other, you’ll receive additional logistics and details, and will be able to line up ride sharing, etc.
🌵 3 nights / 4 days at Apache Springs Ranch
A breathtaking sanctuary tucked into the rolling desert hills of Sonoita, designed for rest, reflection, and soul-level reset.
🐴 Equus Coaching® sessions with the horses
Guided, experiential work that helps you get out of your head, drop into your truth, and reconnect with your inner wisdom. No riding involved, just pure, powerful connection taking place on the ground.
🤎 Guided meditations & embodied healing practices
Release what’s been weighing you down and create space for what’s trying to emerge.
💬 Group coaching + courageous conversations
Deep, meaningful dialogue with women who get it — without judgment, pressure, or performance.
✨ Connection + community
You don’t have to walk through this season alone. Come as you are, leave with relationships that support your next chapter.
🥗 Delicious meals + nourishing snacks
Prepared with love, intention, and a focus on supporting an alcohol- and substance-free space.
🎁 BRAVE Retreat Essentials Gift Bag
Thoughtfully curated goodies to support your healing experience during and after the retreat.
💜 $50 donation to the SHE RECOVERS® Foundation
Included with every registration — because healing is bigger than any one of us.
Clear, transparent, and drama-free — just how we like it.
✈️ Travel to and from Apache Springs Ranch
You’re responsible for getting yourself there (car, rental, flight, broomstick — whatever works).
🛌 VIP Upgrade
If you want an additional 45-minute Equus Coaching® session + an elevated VIP gift bag, that’s available at checkout.
💆 Massage or additional wellness services
If you choose to book anything extra, those are optional add-ons (availability varies at the ranch).
🍷 Alcohol
This is an alcohol- and substance-free retreat. You won't miss it — I promise you that.
💸 Travel insurance (required)
Protect your investment — just in case life does what life does.
What’s NOT Included
Retreat Guidelines
This retreat is designed to be a grounded, clear, emotionally safe space for everyone. To support the deepest healing possible, we ask that all participants honor the following:
This is an alcohol- and substance-free retreat.
We create clarity, connection, and safety by staying fully present.All equine activities take place on the ground.
No riding — all work is experiential, mindful, and accessible for everybody.This is a shared community environment.
We honor privacy, respect boundaries, and hold space for each other’s process.Trauma-informed facilitation.
You are encouraged to participate at your own pace — no pressure, no pushing.
✨ These guidelines protect the integrity of the experience and the well-being of every woman who attends.
Your Journey Includes
BRAVE Retreat Essentials Welcome Bag
Meditation with the horses & guided reflection
Equine-assisted coaching and connection (no riding)
Transformative group workshops
Tools from the BRAVE Recovery Method™
Fireside conversations under the stars
Supportive group time + personal quiet time
Access to a beautiful herd in a breathtaking landscape
What Makes This Retreat Different
1. It’s recovery-inclusive, not addiction-specific.
Women join this retreat while navigating grief, burnout, transitions, stress, emotional overload, patterns, people-pleasing, and more.
2. The desert does half the work.
The environment itself downshifts your nervous system so you can finally hear your inner wisdom again.
3. The horses tell the truth.
They reflect your energy, not your performance — giving you clarity you didn’t know you needed.
4. It’s trauma-informed and emotionally safe.
Guided by a facilitator who’s been through it, worked through it, and now walks beside women doing the same.
5. You walk away with more than memories.
You leave with tools, insights, shifts, and connections that stay with you long after the retreat ends.
Accommodations at Apache Springs Ranch
Deluxe ranch lodging
Private Queen bedroom with shared bath (2 women per bathroom)
Delicious chef-prepared farm-to-table meals
The desert itself becomes part of your healing — with space for rest, reflection, and renewal.
Travel:
Fly into Tucson—full travel details and recommended arrival times will be provided after registration.
✨ Each Bunkhouse wing has its own living room.
✨ Private Queen bedrooms for deep rest beneath the desert sky.
✨ Beautiful labyrinth for walking meditation
Sample Day in the Desert
A gentle rhythm designed for grounding, clarity, and connection.
🐴 Morning: Guided meditation with the horses and quiet reflection.
🐴 Midday: Equine-assisted coaching and deeper connection with the herd.
⭐ Evening: Dinner, fireside conversation, and hot cocoa under the stars.
About Your Guides
Nancy McKay and TJ Killoran share a deep belief that true healing happens when we create space for courage, compassion, and connection.
Nancy brings decades of lived wisdom and a powerful sense of purpose to every retreat she leads. She has been sober since 2009 and has been an ovarian cancer survivor since 2015. After her cancer journey, Nancy became a Certified Wayfinder Life Coach, Equus Coach Master Facilitator, and SHE RECOVERS® Coach. As the founder of Women Empowered Recovery and creator of The BRAVE Recovery Method™, she’s known for blending honesty, humor, and empathy to help women rediscover their strength and self-trust.
TJ brings the grounded energy of Apache Springs Ranch itself—a place she has lovingly shaped into a sanctuary for transformation. Also an Equus Coach Master Facilitator, her gift lies in holding safe, sacred space for growth, whether guiding couples toward “full respect living,” supporting veterans and families through post-traumatic growth, or welcoming guests into the ranch’s natural rhythm.
Together, they create a warm, authentic environment where the desert’s quiet beauty and the wisdom of horses open a path back home to yourself.
Nancy & Bernadette
Apache Springs Ranch | October, 2024
Retreat Investment
$500 non-refundable deposit will secure your spot.
Early Bird (Nov 15 - Dec 15)
Retreat: $2897
VIP Retreat Experience: $3197
Early Bird saves you $500 — and with only 11 spots left, now is the time to say yes.
Only 4 VIP Spots Available
Ready for deeper support and more time in the round pen with your favorite horse? VIP spots are limited.
VIP Retreat Experience includes a Private 45-minute Equus Coaching® session + elevated BRAVE Retreat Welcome Bag
Standard (Dec 16 - Feb 15)
Retreat: $3397
VIP Retreat Experience: $3697
Last Minute (Feb 16 - Mar 16)
Retreat: $3497
VIP Retreat Experience: $3797
Each registration includes a donation to the SHE RECOVERS® Foundation, helping women and non-binary individuals in or seeking recovery reclaim their strength, hope, and freedom. Every VIP upgrade amplifies your impact.
A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your spot. The remaining balance is due March 16, 2026. Payment plans are available.
Travel insurance is required. This is a non-refundable event. Please review Terms and Conditions here.
What Women Say About Working With Nancy
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Best Experience Ever!
Dawn Rosser, Louisiana
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"Nancy held a space of safety and healing for me, without judgment, that I will remember forever."
Maria Maskas, Louisiana
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“Working with Nancy was transformative."
Kerry-Ann McStravick, Massachusetts
FAQs
Do I need horse experience?
No. All work is on the ground—no riding involved. You’ll receive gentle guidance every step of the way.
Do I have to share a room?
No. Every participant enjoys a private Queen room. Bathrooms are shared (two participants per bath).
Can I bring alcohol or marijuana?
Please leave those at home. This is an alcohol- and substance-free retreat; healing happens most deeply with a clear mind.
Is this the right retreat for me?
If you’re craving connection, clarity, and a reset from stress, burnout, grief, transitions, emotional overload, or old patterns—yes.
You do not need to be sober or in addiction recovery to attend.
What airport do I fly into?
Most guests fly into Tucson (TUS). Full travel details and timing recommendations will be provided after registration.
Is the ranch wheelchair accessible?
Yes, one of the bunkhouses is set up for wheelchairs.
What if I’ve never been on a retreat before?
You’re in the right place. This retreat is designed to be welcoming, gentle, and supportive—no pressure, no performance, no expectations.
Giving Back — Supporting SHE RECOVERS®
*SHE RECOVERS® Foundation is a nonprofit organization with legal charitable status in the US and Canada serving more than 325,000 women and non-binary individuals in or seeking recovery from a myriad of life experiences, including mental health issues, trauma, substance use, burnout, grief, and disordered eating.
A portion of every registration will be donated to the SHE RECOVERS® Foundation*.
When you join us in the desert, you’re also helping another woman take her next brave step.
If your soul has been whispering it’s time, this is your moment.
Healing happens when you say yes to yourself.
