REED REtreat
Who are we?
Matt and Joy Reed! We’ve been married for a decade and have done some type of retreat each year of our marriage. Over time we compiled all the nuggets of wisdom we’ve gotten from mentors, friends and conversations we felt were important to our marriage.
Why are you sharing this?
As people have found out about our Reed Retreat, they have asked us how it’s done. So this is a guide to share, how we “do” what has become our favorite weekend of the year.
Who should do it?
Couples who feel like life is flying by.
Couples who have decisions to make but don’t know what questions to ask to find their answer.
Couples who feel like they stopped dreaming years ago and want to return to the exciting conversations they had when they were dating.
Couples who don’t want life to just happen to them, but desire to take more agency in the type of individual, spouse, employee, entrepreneur, parent, etc. that they are becoming.
Couples who feel like “We should do this!” anytime they hear about other people investing in life planning or contemplative retreats, but feel overwhelmed as to where to start or how to make it happen.
Couples who need a weekend away from the kids and have no plans of actually doing the Reed Retreat but want some type of official sounding reason instead of just saying, “We want to go to a hotel and sleep for 48 hours.” (We won’t tell.)
What does this include?
A 40-page downloadable workbook for couples to guide them through a weekend retreat. Filled with prompts to reflect on the past, think about the future, so they can go home and live well in the present.
A 20-minute video from Matt and Joy to set you up for Reed Retreat success!
Sample weekend agendas to give you ideas on how to set up your own.
Note: You only need to purchase one time. You will get a download link in your inbox with everything you need and you can use the same document to print for both you and your spouse.
What is this?
A 40-page downloadable workbook for couples to guide them through a weekend retreat.
A 20 min video from Matt and Joy to set you up for Reed Retreat success!
Sample agendas to give you ideas on how to set up your own.
Note:
You only need to purchase one time. You will get a download link in your inbox with everything you need and you can use the same document to print for both you and your spouse.
SPECIAL THANKS
To our parents* for showing us what it looks like to make time for one another and the importance of friendship in marriage.
To Ken Weigel, founder of Focus Labs, who gave us some of the prompts that helped bring the retreat into…focus. If you enjoy this kind of reflection but want to work directly with a facilitator, email him at ken@focuslabsgroup.com). His team serves organizations, individuals and couples. And if you’ve watched any of the Substack LIVES that Joy and Liz Forkin Bohannnon do together, you have probably heard about Focus Labs because Liz is a facilitator! On a personal note, Ken’s wife Linsea was our match-maker, so in a very real sense we owe the Reed Retreat to them. And in an even more real way, our children owe Ken and Linsea their lives.
To David and Erin Thompson for telling us to get a standing date night on the calendar ASAP after having our first kid. They told us that even when we don’t feel like it and would rather just watch Netflix, to make it happen and make it consistent. This is one of the most important investments we make in each other and it’s all our kids know. A common phrase when they see mom putting on lipstick is, “Is it date night?”
To Father Rick Ganz of the Faber Institute who gave us so much wisdom and context for what it means to do a “retreat” and for the retreats he’s led that we have benefited from.
To our friends who always ask how our marriage is doing and care enough to hear the good, the bad and the ugly and still cheer us on.
* If you are looking for a biblical and research-driven resource on marriage to read during the retreat, we highly recommend Lightbulb Moments in Marriage by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. Yes, we’re related.
