Honoring Diastole
“It was amazing! It exceeded all my expectations and was so beautiful”
Pause and reset
A day to rest, refill, and come alive again.
Enjoy nature, coastal breezes, community, and food as medicine.
Fill your soul, your heart, your lungs, and your belly.
Soak in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feel of nature.
Reflect. Breathe. Reconnect with your purpose.
Enjoy community. Laugh. Be nourished.
“Thank you for the most soul (and belly) nourishing program. It was just what I needed. The location was incredibly special. Truly a magical day.” - Endocrinologist, Sutter Health
Invest in Yourself to Sustain Yourself
In diastole, the heart relaxes, refills, and feeds itself.
A healthy heart spends 2/3 of the cardiac cycle in diastole.
How much time do you spend in diastole?
Sunday March 24th, 2024
Saturday October 5th, 2024
Nourish your body and spirit.
Shift your perspective.
Restore calm, choice, and clarity.
“An incredible experience hands down! Centering and rejuvenating.”
— Pedi Subspecialist, SCVMC
Delight Awaits
Bask in nature at a warm, welcoming, and inspiring coastal farm
Write atop a hill with sweeping views of the ocean
Empower yourself through mindful coaching
Nourish yourself with a delicious sustainably grown farm-to-table lunch
Connect with other like-minded humans
Up to 8 units of CME are offered for physicians and CEUs are available for RNs, Dentists, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Physician Assistants through CMEfy
“I wish I had done this course sooner. It is a stepping stone to a big shift. Amazing experience.” - ObGyn, Bay Area
“Highly recommend this amazing retreat! It’s meaningful and real!”
-CMO, MarinHealth
Who Are We?
Playful, adventurous, convertible-driving, accomplished women physicians with decades of experience in mindfulness, professional development, and wellness.
We are mothers and community builders. We show up, speak up and get stuff done. We are leaders, mentors, coaches, and teachers. We are lovers of nature, the ocean, deep breathing, yoga, and living wholeheartedly.
Listen to us talk about Honoring Diastole on The Mindful Healers Podcast
“This day was a wonderful and meaningful experience.
I spent a day in a beautiful place, with time and prompting to think the "big thoughts".
Drs. Wright and Mahoney gently prompted deep reflection, individually and collectively.
They are exceptional guides!”
-Internal Medicine, SCVMC
“A truly lovely way to decompress with others who understand your journey and struggles.”
-Pediatrics
Dr. Jessie Mahoney
Jessie is a wife, mom, physician, coach, yogi, and lover of minimalism, food, nature, and making the world a better place. She is a passionate innovator, guide, and teacher who creates beautiful spaces and nourishing opportunities for others to connect, heal and grow. She is committed to living an authentic, whole, and healthy life. She aspires to help others do the same.
Jessie is a certified mindful coach, yoga teacher, physician wellness leader, and board-certified Pediatrician. She practiced pediatrics and was a physician wellness leader at The Permanente Medical Group from 2002 to 2020. She now focuses her full attention on helping healers and caregivers live and love better through mindful coaching, yoga, and retreats. She is the founder of Pause & Presence where she shares a synergistic and nurturing blend of mindfulness and coaching. She teaches mindful yoga on zoom and youtube, cohosts the Mindful Healers Podcast, and leads intimate coaching, yoga, and culinary medicine retreats.
“Diastolic dysfunction is actually a thing- don’t get there. There are so many tools for the taking.” - Psychiatry, SFDPH
Dr. Gail Wright
Gail is a mother, doctor, activist, poet, and outdoorswoman. Throughout her career and life, living wholeheartedly has been the unifying theme.
Having worked for many years with children and families in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, Dr. Wright has cultivated a healing presence to hold uncertainty and vulnerability. Along with her clinical practice, she now leads workshops for healthcare workers and the general community focused on enhancing a sense of meaning, purpose, and well-being through experiential exercises, mindfulness practices, reflective writing, yoga, and outdoor adventures.
Find out more about Gail and her offerings here.
Food As Medicine
Mark Mahoney - Our Retreat Chef
Mark, Jessie’s husband, is a culinary craftsman whose inspired, organic, and incredibly beautiful vegetarian meals made with love are a long-remembered experience.
Mark got his start as a chef working at a food stall in Faneuil Hall during a gap year. After graduating from Cornell, Mark helped open Michel Richard’s flagship DC restaurant Citronelle. While Jessie was in med school and residency, Mark was a stay-at-home dad by day. At night, he worked at Wolfgang Puck’s celebrated SF restaurant, Postrio.
Mark is a retired attorney who works with Jessie at Pause & Presence. He is also our retreat photographer.
“I am not a vegetarian and was a little worried about lunch.
It was one of the best meals I have had in a really long time.” - ENT
Why Pie Ranch?
Pie Ranch is the perfect setting to remember what sustainability means for ourselves and the Earth
It is a welcoming, healing, inspiring coastal farm committed to respecting Indigenous practices and cultivating a healthy and just food system from seed to table
It’s a place for “pie in the sky” visioning and transformational change named for its land in the shape of a slice of pie, AND they serve seasonal fruit pies
Pie Ranch’s values are in line with our own hopes for this retreat -- to “reimagine, restore, revegetate, revitalize, reconnect, regenerate, and repair.”
They, and we, hope to “create meaningful and measurable change toward sustainable communities.”
“If you are feeling burnt out or stressed about work, it is a wonderful place to come and change.” - ObGyn
Questions?
Who will LOVE this retreat?
Those who love flowers, trees, nature, the coast, nourishing food, and community.
Those who want to have fun, breathe more deeply, and enjoy the feeling of grounded spaciousness.
Those who consider themselves writers, those who love to journal as a way to do deeper, and those who only write lists.
Those who have a yoga and/or mindfulness practice, and those who don't but are curious.
What makes this retreat special?
- The LOCATION - Pie Ranch is magical and soul filling in its beauty and mission.
- Your LEADERS- We are not only spirited and fun, we bring decades of experience, wi sdom, and mindful calm.
- The LUNCH - A "Seed to Table" culinary experience, prepared in an outdoor chef's kitchen, eaten in nature, on a working farm.
- Experiential LEARNING - Practicing mindfulness, yoga, reflective writing, and "being" together in community.
Will it be worth time away from loved ones?
Yes! The renewed energy, insights, and skills you take away will give you both time back with your family and more time as your best self. Your health, your family, your patients, and the world are depending on the light you shine.
What is the cost of NOT pausing to nourish your mind, your body and your spirit?
How can one day of mindfulness, writing and nature help me?
Self-monitoring and recovery are key to optimal performance for those in healthcare, just as they are for elite athletes, musicians, and astronauts.
The techniques we are offering are evidence-based practices in the allopathic medicine tradition. They improve mood, sleep, mental clarity, and capacity for compassion, as well as decreasing blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and burnout.
Can partners/family/friends join?
Healthy relationships are key to a well-lived life. If your adult family or friends would like to join us they are welcome as participants. These tools benefit all humans with hearts.
Is there CME?
Yes. The programming is eligible for up to 8 units of accredited CME through CMEfy. If you have questions about the CME contact Dr. Gail Wright by email below.
Where is Pie Ranch?
Pie Ranch is an hour south of San Francisco and 30 min north of Santa Cruz on Highway 1. It is 6 miles south of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. You will need a car to get there.
If I want to make a weekend out of it can I stay nearby?
Costa Noa has similar vibe to Pie Ranch and is just down the road. Ano Nuevo, Pigeon Point Lighthouse and gorgeous empty beaches await your exploration. Costa Noa has a 2 night minimum.
Do I have to know how to do yoga, meditate, or be a writer to join?
- No experience is necessary.
- You can opt out of any poses and/or experiences during the day that don't work for you.
Who may NOT enjoy this retreat?
- Those who don't appreciate "rustic" and a farm environment
- Those who are not comfortable walking on uneven surfaces, up small hills, or sitting on the ground.
- Those not interested in trying accessible mindful yoga and meditation.
- Those not willing to use a porta-potty (we don't like them either but Pie Ranch is worth it!)
“I encourage all physicians to experience this day”
-Chair, Department of Medicine, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
“I loved the writing session. I haven’t journaled like that in a long time”
-TPMG, ENT
Podcasts that share more about both the retreat experience and the practices we share
“Super helpful and refreshing. A wonderful and memorable experience.” - Pediatrician, PAMF
More Questions?
We would be delighted to hear from you directly. Jessie and Gail.
We would love to help you organize a private Honoring Diastole Retreat for your team.
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