Client
Small Business Owners
Services
Industry OPD, Burnout Prevention, Work/Life Balance, Neuroplasticity Techniques
Year
2024
Johanna’s 2024 industry OPD retreat through The Work Wives brought together more than 60 small business owners over two back-to-back retreats in Ubud, Bali, for a focused, high-impact reset, designed as an effective blend of “wellness escape” and a working lab for sustainable performance.
Set against the calm quiet of rice-fields, the retreat centred on three core pressures most business owners carry: chronic overload, creeping burnout, and the slow erosion of work–life boundaries. Johanna’s role in co-facilitating this event anchored her experience in applied neuroscience – specifically, how to use neuroplasticity to shift patterns that keep people stuck in overdrive.
Sessions moved between education and implementation. Participants unpacked the physiology of burnout – stress loops, cognitive load, decision fatigue – then translated that into practical strategies they could actually use in real time. This education was interwoven with self-directed downtime, wellness practices, and exploration of the local community.
A key focus was on small, repeatable shifts: micro-adjustments to attention, environment, and behaviour that compound over time. The workshops guided attendees through techniques to effectively recognise business stressors, rewire unhealthy professional habits, improve cognitive clarity, and identify & prevent burnout symptoms. The aim wasn’t to remove pressure (because that’s not how business works), but to change how the brain and body respond to it.
Alongside the structured sessions, the retreat created space for peer-level conversation – business owners comparing notes without the usual chaos and noise of an industry conference. That combination of evidence-based wellness content and relaxed business discussion meant that both industry and wellbeing goals were achieved throughout the event.
The result was a retreat that felt grounded and immediately useful. Attendees left with a clearer understanding of their own patterns, and a set of tools that fit into real life and business. If you feel your team, community, or organisation could benefit from a similar event, please reach out here.
