A Welsh events specialist has launched a new wellbeing retreat business in rural southern France.
Madame Retreats, founded by Jo Braham, has been created for women seeking space to rest, reset and reconnect at a time in life when priorities begin to shift.
It draws on more than three decades of experience in marketing, events, hospitality and destination wedding planning to create carefully curated retreat experiences centred on calm, comfort and thoughtful detail.
Braham said the inspiration for Madame Retreats came not from career ambition but from personal experience.
“Over the past nine years, retreats were the only place where I truly stopped,” she said, where my mind became quiet, my body relaxed and I could wake up and think about what I needed, rather than what everyone else needed from me.
“After a lifetime of organising events for other people, I wanted to create that same sense of calm and care for women just like me – women who are ready to prioritise their wellbeing without pressure or expectation.”
Madame Retreats is set in a hand-selected location in the French countryside.
It combines restorative movement, nourishing food, time outdoors and unhurried space to reflect, designed to help guests return home feeling clearer, calmer and more energised.
Braham added: “This stage of life brings a different perspective. You begin to value peace over pace and joy over obligation.
“These retreats are about creating space to breathe, to think and to feel like yourself again.”
Questions women ask about this
Where is the retreat?
We are in Gascony, in south west France, near the village of Condom in the Gers. Most guests fly into Toulouse, about an hour and twenty minutes away.
We keep the château itself a little bit under wraps. It is a quiet corner of France and we rather like keeping it that way. The full address goes out with your booking confirmation.
Can I come on my own?
Most of Jo's guests come on their own. A lot of them have never been on a retreat before. You will arrive not knowing anybody and very quickly feel like you know everybody. There is no awkward sitting on your own at dinner.
How long is the retreat and how many women will be there?
Seven nights and a maximum of fifteen women. It is deliberately small, small enough that by the end of the week everybody knows everybody.