From Breakdown to Breakthrough: How Thrive Collection Was Born
I’m Stephanie, the founder of Thrive Collection—and I know what it means to start over. For more than a decade, I built and ran travel businesses, leading luxury retreats across the globe—from the wilds of Africa to the turquoise waters of the Maldives. My life looked perfect on the outside, but inside, I felt empty.
It wasn’t until I stepped out of that fast-paced, title-driven life and into three months of volunteering in Cambodia that clarity finally found me. Stripped of distractions and expectations, I heard what my heart had been whispering for years: “This isn’t the life you’re meant to live.”
I was deeply unhappy in my marriage, but I lacked the confidence to leave. I was caught in conditioned beliefs—“this is just how life is”—and felt suffocated by the roles I was playing: entrepreneur, wife, home-owner. Even with a successful business, a beautiful home, and the kind of lifestyle many dream of, I was disconnected, anxious, and numb.
The unraveling began when I made the conscious decision to stop, feel, and unlearn. I dove headfirst into healing—exploring every wellness modality I could find: ice baths, breathwork, yoga, detox retreats, and silent immersions. Where my journey truly started was the quiet guidance of a spiritual counselor, a few transformative workshops, and friendships rooted in truth. I began to unlearn everything that had kept me small—and started remembering who I truly was.
Living between Bali and a remote corner of Western Australia gave me the space to study, reflect, and rebuild. But I knew I wasn’t meant to stay hidden. I longed for energy, connection, and tropical vibrancy. So I packed my car with no fixed plan and drove the East Coast of Australia. Along the way, previous clients—who had become dear friends—opened their homes and hearts, helping me feel supported.
Then I arrived in Byron Bay—and everything shifted. I couldn’t believe I’d never even heard of this place before! It felt like the town pulled me in. The beaches, the food, the yoga studios, the healing community—everything I had spent years searching for around the world was here. I knew I had found home.
House-hunting in Byron felt like speed dating for soul spaces. Eventually, I found it: a dreamy converted barn full of light and nestled in nature. To my surprise, my landlord turned out to be none other than Pete Murray, my favourite Australian musician. It felt like a nod from the universe—confirmation I was exactly where I needed to be.
It was around this time I began exploring the deeply transformative world of plant medicine. With responsible, guided sessions exploring the world of plant and psychedelic medicine, I experienced profound healing. These journeys didn’t just shift my inner world—they gave me unbelievable clarity. I knew I was meant to return to retreat work, but this time from a place of truth and purpose.
Thrive Collection was no longer just a dream. It became my calling.
Over three years, I immersed myself in deep study and personal development—deepening my training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, yoga teaching, and coaching, while also completing a few MBA subjects to strengthen areas of business acumen I had once overlooked. I was adding new skills to my toolkit that would later empower me to facilitate purposeful, high-impact retreats.
Just when I thought life had reached its sweetest rhythm, it surprised me again—I met my soulmate. A calm, grounding love unlike anything I’d known before. It wasn’t something I chased, but something that arrived through alignment. Since choosing myself, life has opened in ways more beautiful than I ever imagined.
Now, I guide others through their own major life pivots—divorce, career changes, retirement, or the quiet ache of feeling lost. I know how disorienting those seasons can be, and how powerful they become when met with the right support. Thrive retreats were born from this knowing.
They are sacred, intentional spaces where women can breathe again. Where you’re invited to reconnect with your body, your truth, and your joy—away from the noise, labels, and roles you’ve been carrying. Every retreat blends soul, culture, healing, and adventure, held in some of the world’s most beautiful destinations.
This isn’t about escaping life—it’s about returning to yourself. And I’ll be right there with you, creating space for everything you are, and everything you’re becoming.
For me, home is no longer just a place—it’s a feeling. A calm and joyful knowing that I am exactly where I’m meant to be, surrounded by people and energy that let me be my truest self.
My message is simple:
You can start again. It will be hard. But it will also be the most freeing, expansive, and beautiful thing you’ll ever do.
And I’ll be here to walk with you—every step of the way.