Retreats
Caribbean Experience
At Passionflower Transformative Wellness we invite caregivers, seekers, and weary souls to step out of survival mode and into the healing rhythm of the Caribbean Sea. Our retreats are beach inspired; infused with creativity, movement, and self care. Born from one nurse’s journey through burnout, grief, and renewal, Passionflower serves as a sanctuary where ocean, fun, adventure, art, health, spirituality, and community come together.
Heal the Healer Retreat
February 8-15, 2027
Join us for seven nights in a stunning space high in the hills with views of St.John, Culebra, and St. Thomas. There are 5 bedrooms each with ensuite bathroom, studio near the pool with bedroom and bathroom, also a casita with bedroom and bathroom. There is AC in every room. Expansive outdoor space for retreat activities includes screened in porch, pool, deck, rooftop space and rocking chairs. Transportation is included to and from the ferry or airport in Vieques, to the beach daily, and to group activities. Indulge in a nourishing food experience with a continental breakfast featuring fresh, locally sourced fruit smoothies, simple lunches, and chef-prepared dinners. We focus on providing mainly plant-based healthy foods, but you also have the option to explore the many restaurants on the island (not included in the price).
So Much More Than a Place to Stay
Every day of the retreat offers incredible wellness enhancing experiences, all included in the price. If booked separately, these tours, workshops, beauty treatments, classes, and island adventures would be exponentially more expensive than the week we have painstakingly developed for our beloved nurses.
We also know nurses are tired. Nothing is mandatory. You can participate in everything, choose only the experiences that speak to you, or simply take a well deserved nap by the pool. But when you’re ready for adventure, healing, connection, or fun, we have created an unforgettable week for you.
Island Adventure Tours
- Visit herds of free roaming horses
- Kayak beneath the stars in the world’s brightest bioluminescent bay
- Hike Mount Pirata, the highest peak in Vieques
Ocean Healing
- Discover stunning tropical beaches throughout the week
- Experience a restorative spa day in the ancient healing black sands of Playa Negra
- Paddleboard on the Caribbean Sea
- Snorkel in crystal clear tropical waters
- Enjoy daily beach and ocean therapy
Movement & Empowerment
- Yoga
- Swimming
- Salsa and empowerment dance class
Beauty & Self-Care
- Rejuvenating facial
- Makeup and beauty session
Island Fun
- Friday night out on the Malecón
- Sunday Funday at Sun Bay
Expert Led Workshops & Experiences
- Indigenous Ceiba Tree ceremony with Tallen Angelique Pérez
- Screening of film Discover the Gift, followed by a self-discovery workshop with Shajen Joy Aziz
- Mind, Body & Spirit Connection workshop with Dr. Anna Pittman
Pricing
Queen bed with a private bathroom $3,300 as a single or $4,700 for couple.
Private casita (little house) $3,700 for single or $4,900 for couple.
Private studio $3,700 for single or $4,900 for couple.
A $500 deposit is required to hold your space, with the full amount due by January 1, 2027.
An Exceptional Value
This is not simply a vacation or a room in a villa. It is a thoughtfully curated, all inclusive wellness experience created specifically for nurses and caregivers. Your accommodations, three healthy mainly plant based meals a day, transportation throughout Vieques, island excursions, workshops, wellness activities, beauty experiences, and special events are all brought together in one retreat; so you can arrive and let us take care of you like you have taken care of everyone else for so long.
Why our retreat? Heal the Healer is a transformative retreat designed and led by a nurse, specifically for nurses. We understand that you spend your time caring for your patients and family, often putting your own wellness last. We invite you to step away from the demands of everyday life and immerse yourself in a week of restoration where you can relax in the tropical enchantment of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Refresh and rejuvenate with intentional self care, meaningful connections, and plenty of fun! Because healing isn’t just something you give… it’s something you deserve for yourself as well.
Connection & Community
One of the most meaningful parts of Heal the Healer is connecting with other nurses and caregivers who truly understand what you have experienced. There is something powerful about being surrounded by people who recognize the exhaustion, burnout, responsibility, and emotional weight of caring for others. You can relax, be yourself, share your story if you choose, laugh, heal, and form friendships with people who genuinely understand.
Collaborator Bios
Larissa Michelle Pollica BSN, RN, CEN
Larissa (Lara) is a Mom, a deeply compassionate bachelor’s prepared, board certified registered nurse, certified equine assisted therapy practitioner, internationally bestselling author, wellness coach, artist, and visionary Creatress of Passionflower Transformative Wellness. Her decades long career spans emergency and trauma nursing, critical care, hospice, and nursing leadership, giving her an exceptional understanding of both the science of healing and the deeply human needs of those who devote their lives to caring for others.
Lara is not only an accomplished healthcare professional but also a Creative who understands art in its many forms as a powerful pathway to healing and self-discovery. After courageously serving on the front lines in New York City during COVID and confronting burnout in her own life, she transformed her experience into a meaningful new adventurous and unconventional purpose.
Inspired by the restorative beauty of Vieques, Puerto Rico, she developed retreats to honor the history, people, traditions, and natural environment of Vieques rather than using the island as a stunning backdrop. She employs a holistic approach that synergizes nursing knowledge, creativity, ocean healing, dance, movement, horses, and authentic human connection.
Down-to-earth and emotionally honest, Lara does not present healing as perfection; healing is a non-linear spiral, not a staircase. In an intuitive but practical way, through holistic wellness coaching, inspirational books, art, equine-assisted experiences, and her signature Heal the Healer retreats, Lara helps nurses, caregivers, and others take steps to delve into their best lives.
Matthew Andrews
Better known by his stage name Jah Witness (Jahwit) is the co-owner of Passionflower Transformative Wellness Healing Arts Center. He is not only a reggae artist and bass aficionado, but also one of the few master craftsmen remaining who is devoted to preserving the history, spirit, and integrity of the Nyabinghi drum.
Jahwit’s musical oeuvre is a talented blend of roots rock reggae, fusing ancient vibrations with modern influence. His sound is rich with thumping bass, deep sub-spaces, and his triumphant spiritual messages that invite the listener not only to hear the groove, but to feel it- an immersive, oceanic sonic experience. His music is one of resistance and remembrance, where suffering is not hidden, but transformed into song, unity, and truth. His voice does not simply sing; it testifies, prays, and calls for both justice and love in the same breath. The Nyabinghi drum is the heartbeat and sacred source of reggae music and holds deep spiritual and cultural significance within Rastafarian tradition. With unequaled artisanship, Jahwit has built literally thousands of drums, helping preserve not only a musical form, but a living cultural legacy.
Jahwit brings the healing power of music to Passionflower. Music is the invisible medicine,tying a unifying thread through the human experience, as we guide our treasured guests into the soul of the Caribbean.
Shajen Joy Aziz M.Ed., M.A.
Shajen is an award winning #1 internationally best selling author, speaker, publisher, educator, and filmmaker best known as the co-creator and executive producer of the global transformational initiative “Discover the Gift.” The project is a spiritual and personal development journey that blends storytelling, psychology, and consciousness work.
We are thrilled to welcome Shajen to Passionflower Transformative Wellness, where she will share a special screening of the feature film “Discover the Gift,” followed by an immersive workshop and book signing of our newest release, “Discover the Gift of Joy” (2026), the highly anticipated continuation of the work that sparked a worldwide movement. Through the film and Shajen’s expert guidance, you will experience how mindfulness, presence, and inner inquiry allow you to release conditioned patterns and reconnect with a deeper intelligence within. From this awakened state, your “gift” naturally emerges- not as something that society has demanded from you, but as an authentic expression of who you really are, in service to both your own healing and the collective.
The shift happens when you step into it.
Click this link to view "Discover the Gift" film trailer:
https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0SF38HIGLPUCZOFKZWUU59QBJJ?tr=sg
Tallen Angelique Perez
It is a great honor to welcome Tallen, an ordained Sacred Spiritual Practitioner, to the Heal the Healer Retreat in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Tallen’s practice is rooted in Indigenous and folk-remedy traditions and in the understanding that healing is multidimensional- that the body, spirit, intuition, creativity, and personal story are deeply interconnected. Drawing upon Kundalini Reiki, body awareness, energy work, tarot, ancestral reflection, and expressive art, she creates transformative experiences that invite individuals to explore what they carry, release what no longer serves them, and reconnect with their own creative life force through holistic self care.
We will meet Tallen beneath the mystical Ceiba (the Tree of Life) which has survived for nearly 400 years against all odds. It has stood watch through Spanish colonial rule, U.S. military occupation, devastating hurricanes, and profound change. In Taíno lore, the Ceiba connects the three realms of the universe: its massive buttress roots reach into the underworld, its wide trunk rests within the human world, and its canopy reaches toward the heavens. Across Caribbean and Mesoamerican cultures, the Ceiba holds profound spiritual significance and is revered as a living bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds.
Rooted in her connection to Vieques, Tallen brings a deep reverence for the island’s landscape, history, cultural heritage, and living relationship with the natural world into her work. Her approach carefully honors the distinction between documented ancestral history, contemporary spiritual practice, and personal lived experience. In doing so, she creates culturally conscious experiences without attempting to recreate traditions that are not hers to claim.
Jessica Rojas
Jessica provides us with more traditional self care pleasantries which includes beauty and skin care. In a fast paced world, coming together for a pampering session allows women to pause, embrace softness, and honor the divine feminine, providing a supportive environment to move away from competition toward shared joy and celebration. We nurture you in this space where we can share our beauty secrets, helping to foster self-love and compassion. We know you are so much deeper than a pretty face. A skin care / makeup workshop allows women to nurture our bodies and spirits together, providing a non-judgmental space where we can be seen, heard, and supported. When you return home from the retreat you will have your fresh face forward, more polished and feeling radiant inside and out.
Samantha MacDonald
Sam is the vibrant, grounded energy of movement and adventure within our Passionflower community- the true “sporty spice” of our team. As an outdoor and wellness enthusiast, devoted mother, and entrepreneur, she brings fitness and fun to every experience she guides. On the exquisite island of Vieques, Samantha leads you beyond the expected- into the hidden, sacred, and breathtaking spaces she has come to know intimately. She will guide you to secluded, soul-stirring beaches and unforgettable experiences, including sandbathing in the ancient healing black sands of Playa Negra, paddleboarding across crystal waters, snorkeling vibrant reefs, visiting the sacred Ceiba tree, hiking Mount Pirata, and more. With Samantha, movement is medicine, nature is teacher, and adventure sparks joy into your viewpoint on life.
Eros Bongiovanni
Eros is a vibrant soul, a wellness and nutrition educator, a holistic esthetician, and a yoga instructor. Every part of her being is a testament to what happens when we tend to ourselves with consistent, patient self care. She is living proof of how deeply it changes the way we look, feel, and move through this life.
While Eros carries an advanced practice, you don’t need to bend or move like she does to find a home in her space. She will meet you exactly where you are, embracing you with open arms no matter your fitness or flexibility level. Her approach is a warm, encouraging embrace focused on nourishing your mind, body, and soul. Together, you will learn to breathe, find presence, and deeply thank your body for carrying you through this world. She truly believes that simple everyday habits, mindful breathing, and tender gratitude are the keys to reclaiming your inner connection and creating lasting change.
Heal the Healer is a sacred week in paradise; a soft place to land far away from the noise of the daily grind. It is So much more than just a yoga retreat; it is a sanctuary of diverse stress relief and life elevating offerings. Gentle morning yoga will be there to greet you, whether you want to try something new, renew your inner motivation, or simply continue a practice you already love. Most importantly, everything is entirely optional. This week is a judgment free and dedicated completely to you and your own healing journey.
We are grateful to welcome Eros to the Passionflower Transformative Wellness family.
Dr. Pittman
Introducing our Heal the Healer guest workshop leader, Dr. Anna Pittman!
Anna holds a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology and a PhD in Consciousness Studies. She also has training in the Kiloby Inquiries, Internal Family Systems (IFS), the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), and more.
Anna is creating a workshop specifically for nurses, with the unique challenges of our profession in mind. As nurses, we understand how deeply the body, mind, and spirit are connected- and how important that connection is to our overall wellness, both as caregivers and as human beings.
Through her compassionate and insightful approach, Anna helps people gently recognize and release fear-based patterns, emotional stress, and cycles that keep us feeling stuck. Her work creates space for greater clarity, awareness, creativity, balance, and lasting joy. She teaches us how even times of crisis or difficulty can become catalysts for growth and expanded awareness.
Participants will leave with meaningful insights and practical tools they can carry into their daily lives, relationships, and nursing practice.
We are so pleased to welcome Dr. Anna Pittman to the Passionflower Transformative Wellness family!
Dena G. Garfield
We’re pleased to highlight and explore collaboration with Dena, founder of Equine Union International, whose Equine-Guided Transformation & Leadership work has recently been featured in Executives Diary Magazine, Influential Women, and PBS. Dena’s approach integrates equine-guided experiences, movement, and nervous system awareness to support meaningful, real-life transformation. Her work is rooted in a deeper mission—every experience contributes to the support of vetted horse rescues and sanctuaries, promoting ethical equine integration around the globe. Read the feature here: https://executivesdiary.com/2026/03/27/dena-g-garfield-2/
Autumn Rose Hunsinger
Autumn Rose, our brilliant daughter, brings lively energy, compassion, and cultural connection to the Passionflower community. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she studied Liberal Arts at Elmira College and is a talented vocalist, pianist, and dancer with a deep appreciation for music and self-expression.
In 2025, Autumn graduated from Fire Academy and now serves the City of Philadelphia as an Emergency Medical Technician, courageously providing emergency medical care and transport to those in need. Through her experiences working in the inner city, she quickly developed a profound understanding of the importance of resilience and maintaining balance between service and self-care.
Autumn’s spirit comes alive in Puerto Rico, where she feels deeply connected to the beauty, rhythm, and culture of the island. She is well versed in salsa, reggaeton, and bachata, knows where to find the best mofongo and authentic local cuisine, and enjoys entertaining evenings gathered around beach campfires beneath the Caribbean sky. Autumn brings youthful fun to Passionflower- reminding us that stress relief can be found in music, dance, adventure, and fully embracing life.
Zorro
Zorro is much more than a service dog- he was part of the original inspiration behind Passionflower Transformative Wellness and remains an active, beloved member of the team. Bilingual in both Spanish and English, this 24.5 pound bundle of unconditional love offers comfort, companionship, and a grounding presence to all who meet him.
Zorro is well versed in Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT), a supportive modality performed by dogs who recognize signs of emotional distress. When someone is anxious or overwhelmed, Zorro gently responds by lying across the lap or abdomen, offering calming pressure much like a weighted blanket. If the moment calls for extra comfort, he may even wrap his little paws around you in a hug. This grounding tactile stimulation helps bring people back to the present moment, easing the body out of fight-or-flight and into a sense of calm and safety. In addition to his clinical therapeutic gifts, Zorro is also a protector, small but fierce when necessary. He patrols the grounds of Passionflower and deters iguanas, lizards, crabs, spiders or chickens from the yard and from entering the house.
Zorro enjoys paddleboarding, frisbee, soccer, endless games of fetch and long walks on the beach at sunset. He is always ready to play, reminding us to be lighthearted. He embodies Passionflower’s mission to elevate consciousness, presence, and joy in life .
