Classes & Retreats

The retreat will be held at Susan’s beautiful home, gardens and woods in Chelsea, Vermont.

This year, the focus is TENDING THE FIRE WITHIN. As a primary part of that we will be working with the ultimate powerful energy of FIRE in the context of a full on traditional sweat lodge ceremony.

This is a deeply transformative process that brings together cleansing and releasing, healing ,prayer, and our personal and collective intentions. This will be just one of the many deeply transformational practices and healing ceremonies we will be participating in.

We will camp, share healthy organic and wild foods, do gentle daily movement, breath work and meditation, hold sacred ceremonies and rituals including a sweat lodge ceremony, We will create sacred space to rest, rejuvenate and reset our nervous systems, body, mind and soul.l

The cost is $588.00 . It includes camping, all meals, group and individual healing sessions and materials. A deposit of $200.00 is due at registration to hold your space.

should you need to cancel, you will receive your deposit back until July 1st. The remainder is due by July 15th and is generally non refundable but for emergencies.

We will accept checks made out to Kimberly Hotelling, or you can pay by Venmo at Kimberly-Hotelling Please make a note that its for the summer retreat. If you need something different let us know.

Kimberly Hotelling 250 Highland PlaceCorinth 05039 limited number of scholarships/ work trade options and payment plans may be available,

Please inquire if you are interested in this. .

Please bring your own tent and camping gear. Full camping set-ups are available for 75.00 for both nights if needed. let us know a week ahead if you are interested in this option. It will include a tent with rain fly, comfy sleeping pad, sleeping bag or blankets and pillow.
Local B&Bs are available for those who do not wish to camp. Let us know if you plan to do this and we will provide a list of B&Bs close by.

Directions:

The address is 296 Bobbin Shop Rd. Chelsea, VT 05038. GPS is accurate. Note: We do not have much cell service here, but we do have a land line you can use and decent Wi-Fi, so you can use that for calls from your phone. For a more relaxing experience, we suggest you consider turning off your phone for the weekend.

Food:

Most of the food will be vegetarian, fresh and organically grown and prepared on site or locally sourced when possible. Gluten and dairy free options will be available. Let us know your special needs regarding food 2 weeks in advance

Opening Circle will begin at 10am on Friday, you are welcome and encouraged to arrive anytime from 8:30 a.m. on Friday to set up your tent and get settled. Closing circle will be at 4:30 on Sunday.

Other things to bring: tent with a fly for rain, ground cloth, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pillow, flashlight or headlamp, rain gear, swimsuit and towel, a yoga mat if you have one, and a blanket. The nights here are cool, so you will want warm clothes and a jacket. Bring a journal and/or drawing pad and any items you wish to place on the group altar to be energized (these will go home with you). Also bring something you can leave as an offering for the land (a stone, shell, feather or anything that's meaningful to you).

Consider what your primary intention for the weekend will be before you arrive. The group heart will be helping to hold these intentions collectively. We will be sharing stories as a way to connect with each other so bring one or more personal stories to share. They can be about anything that is significant to you. This could be an impactful thing from your childhood (positive or negative), something magical or mystical that happened to you, or some deeply challenging situation or event in your life. This, like all the activities and sharing we will offer, is optional, of course! However, the more you participate the better the experience will be for everyone.

For more information, questions and to register, please email susanhoffmanherbalist@gmail.com.

Susan Hoffman is a community herbalist, Daoist Stone medicine practitioner, Healing Touch and Reiki practitioner, Medical intuitive, and certified Aromatherapist. She also has training in Aurveda, Traditional Chinese medicine, and shamanic practices. She is the founder/owner of Wild Hill Soap and Herbals, serving Vermont since 1994. She lives and practices in Chelsea, VT.

Kimberly Hotelling is an herbalist, educator, and healer with over 25 years of experience working with plants and people. She is the founder of Root Vine Healing, a land-based herbal practice nestled in the hills of central Vermont. Through her work, Kimberly offers handcrafted herbal remedies, one-on-one consultations, seasonal herb camps for children, and immersive workshops and retreats for adults— all aimed at fostering a deeper connection between people and the natural world. https://www.rootvinehealing.com/

Reflections from the 2024 Retreat:

"The Retreat was perfect, especially in the reminding of One the importance of Letting Go(assisting in the process)of what no longer serves one’s divine purpose, highest wellbeing for self, for, All Our Relations A’HO.

We were offered nourishment on all levels, Body, Mind, Soul, Spirit, All WholeSoulSome Food for Healing all parts of us, Unity, Wholeness, Within!

Each Ceremony deepened and opened up the experience to a much deeper feeling of being grounded, a greater level of awareness of Being, of Connection to Higher Self, Source!

The use of Sound, the Teachers, The Flowers, Earth, Sacred Geometry, Wind, Fire ,Water, Ether: each offering their gifts, allowing a safe place for each opening of the heart to heal, rejuvenate, if we pay attention, give thanks, and share the Joy, the tears, our authentic selves!

A truly Special Journey for this Love Being that remains present in this moment, of, sitting in circle.

I am grateful beyond words, Thank You Thank You Love Love.

I wish you Blessings on Your Journey, Blessings on your journey." Ama’ San’i

~~~

"There are experiences in life that forever change the shape of your heart — this retreat was one of them. Held within the sweet embrace of a sacred garden, surrounded by ancient trees and the soft whispers of the land, Susan Hoffman created a container so safe, so wise, and so deeply attuned to feminine healing that it allowed parts of me I had never touched before to rise to the surface.

In this sanctuary of sacred sisterhood, I felt truths stir in my body — emotions that had long been buried, ancestral stories that had lived beneath the surface — they began to speak. I found myself reconnecting with parts of my family history that I never imagined would find light. Most importantly, I was finally able to soothe the voice of the little girl within me — not by silencing her, but by allowing her to rest. She no longer needed to seek answers; she was seen, heard, and held.

When the feelings came, I couldn’t hold them back. But I didn’t have to. I was surrounded by a circle of wise women who welcomed my grief and my discovery with such tenderness. Their presence allowed me to release in ways that felt ancient, holy, and entirely human. I cried the industrial cries — deep, generational sobs — and still, I was met with grace.

This retreat didn’t just offer healing — it offered transformation. I left with stories and revelations I will carry in my heart forever. The sacred ground, the intentional practices, the ancestral whispers, and the collective womb of women healing together — it was beyond what words can fully express.

I am forever grateful for the magic and depth of this experience. Thank you, Susan, for being the guardian of such potent and necessary work. This retreat was a return — to self, to lineage, and to the sacred truth that we are never alone in our healing."

Reset and Renew Spring Women's Day Retreat

When: Apr 26, 2025, 10 AM to 4 PM

Where: Wrights Mountain Wellness Collective, Main Street, Bradford, VT

Amanda Gilman of Green Mountain Bodyworks and Susan Hoffman of Wild Hill Soap and Herbals are teaming up to offer a rich and nourishing day-long self care retreat to rejuvenate and replenish the body, mind and spirit.

If you have been feeling tired and heavy after the long winter, frazzled, disheartened or unsettled in our chaotic changing world; or just needing inspiration and a reset in the company of open hearted women, this beautiful day is for you!

Through the ancient practices of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine , guided meditation, self massage, Chi gong, harmonic frequencies , herbal medicine, and harnessing the wisdom, energy and intuition of the collective, we will learn new tools and practices for building resilience, gain new insights, and reset our precious nervous systems.

Herbal teas, nutritious snacks and a light, vegetarian lunch are included.

This retreat is open to all who identify as women.

Cost 100.00-125.00 sliding scale.

For more info & to register: Contact Susan Hoffman susanhoffmanherbalist@gmail.com