Episode 23 : Meet Tanya Lynch of Ease Retreats
I’m Tanya Lynch, a mother, a ridgeback owner and the founder of Ease Retreats. I love what I do, collaborating with authors and creatives, hosting retreats in beautiful venues across the UK. Most recently I launched The Bibliotherapists podcast with my co-host Toni Jones. I’m also a therapeutic journalling coach and through my programme ‘Rage on a Page’, I help midlife women channel their emotions into something more positive and creative in less than 60 days. Each Thursday I host an online journaling club ‘Journal with Ease’ If you have any questions about the benefits of therapeutic journalling, please reach out and connect. I’m usually on a beach walking the dogs, hosting retreats, writing in my journal or hanging out on Substack.For Tanya Lynch - founder of Ease Retreats, therapeutic journaling coach and host of the Bibliotherapist podcast - running a business has never been about chasing the shiny stuff.Instead, her focus is on connection: meaningful, lasting, and gently woven into every cup of tea poured, every early-morning sea swim led, and every softly held space at one of her West Wales retreats.“I wanted to do something I loved rather than something just to earn money... I thrive off being a host.”And she really does. From the way she talks about her guests to the attention to detail she brings to each retreat (we’re talking welcome cuppas before you’ve even unpacked your bag), Tanya has that rare gift of making it all feel effortless. But as anyone who’s ever tried to host a gathering knows, making it look easy is the hardest part.Tanya's background is in the media - radio, newspapers, magazines - and it shows in the way she communicates with warmth and clarity. She started Ease Retreats in 2016, originally under the name “Hygge Retreats,” which - as she laughs - was a bit Marmite.“People were like, ‘What is this? Huggy retreats?’ because they couldn’t pronounce it.”Post-pandemic, the name changed, the format evolved, and Tanya leaned fully into the kind of intuitive, personal hosting that had always been her strength.But like many founders, the journey has had its stumbles.“During COVID my business just broke. There were no events, no in-person retreats... You can either pivot or cry and feel sorry for yourself.”Spoiler alert: she pivoted. And in doing so, found a way to make things even more aligned with her values.Tanya is candid about the reality of self-employment - financial unknowns, imposter syndrome, all the hats. But what’s clear is that behind the scenes, there’s as much intention as there is instinct.“Even though I sometimes think ‘how am I going to do the next one?’, I just get on and do. Because I care so much about making people feel welcome and cared for.”She grew up in a family that hosted students in a B&B - her first brush with the magic of the guestbook and the endless curiosity of who might arrive next. That same curiosity and warmth now shapes the rhythm of Ease Retreats.“No retreat is ever the same. You never get the same women twice. The stories that are woven, the giggles, the phone numbers exchanged... that for me was gold.”And it’s that gold that keeps people coming back—whether they’re first-timers nervously arriving late or seasoned guests who know to bring slippers and a good pen.Alongside hosting, Tanya is passionate about journaling - both as a business tool and as a quiet form of everyday therapy. She runs online sessions and encourages people to begin with what feels possible.“My journal has been both my therapist and my business mentor.”She shares how journaling doesn’t need to be complicated or lengthy. In fact, it’s better if it’s not.“Rather than morning pages, I started doing one word a day. And what I found was once you open the notebook and give yourself that minute... the words start flowing.”Her philosophy is grounded and practical, and her advice to new journalers? Don’t overthink it. Just write like nobody’s reading.“We spend so much time editing ourselves in daily life. The journal can be one place where you just don’t.”Perhaps the most powerful thing Tanya brings to her retreats is something many of us crave: to be seen and cared for, quietly and without fanfare.“They arrive as strangers, and they leave as friends.”Her approach to hosting is intuitive and subtle - no big welcome speeches, no performance. Just the right question at the right moment, or a hand-delivered cup of tea when you didn’t even realise you needed one.It’s service that, as Tanya says, “goes beyond obligation.” And it’s rare.“Luxury is achieved when service is intuitive... and it doesn’t have to be loud. You don’t even have to notice it, but you feel it.” At Countrywoman’s Guide, we’re passionate about sharing stories like Tanya’s. Stories that show business doesn’t have to be bold and brash to be successful - it can be thoughtful, slow, meaningful.Because when women come together to share ideas, experiences and encouragement - whether around a retreat table or a journal page - that’s when the real magic happens.If you’d like to find out more about Tanya’s retreats or therapeutic journaling sessions, you can find her here or tune in to the Bibliotherapist podcast.And for more conversations like this one, make sure you’re subscribed to Countrywoman’s Guide - bringing stories from the countryside, straight to your inbox. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countrywomansguide.substack.com
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