Wellbeing weekend Sept 2026

Cultivating Inner Peace & Authentic Relationships
Rooted in Faith, Friendship, Family & Work

Save the Date: 25-27 September

Why Come?
In a world filled with noise, pressure, and constant movement, the SheSustains – SOKA Wellbeing Weekend offers a sacred pause. Life puts us under pressure. Working hard. Being concerned for our family. Serving people around us. Lack of time. Difficulties of one kind or another. All combine to weigh us down. Our life naturally involves effort, weariness, and exhaustion, a real struggle that accompanies human existence. All of it can leave us exhausted, overwhelmed and disconnected.

And this is why you are invited to step into a space where you can breathe deeply, connect meaningfully, and cultivate lasting inner peace, in the calm of nature and the company of supportive women.

Who is it for?
Women aged 18+ seeking deeper connection, inner peace and authentic relationships.

You may be a student navigating transitions, a young professional balancing ambition and identity, or a woman nurturing home, work, and relationships. Wherever you are, this weekend is for you.

What Awaits you?
-Real stories of hope, healing, and light
-A creative, hands-on workshop
-Guided nature walks and quiet reflection in the forested grounds of Zonnewende
-Practical tools to strengthen the four pillars of a flourishing life: Faith, Friendship, Family, and Work
-A special Sunday session open to partners and friends (because belonging is for everyone)

You will discover how finding peace in your family, at work, in rest, and in the ordinary texture of human relationships remains a living and transformative answer to the challenges of our time. You will leave feeling rested, inspired, and equipped to nurture the most important relationships in your life, including the one with yourself.

You don’t find happiness and peace by chance. You build it. Intentionally. Together.

Programme Overview

Friday 25 September | Welcome
19:30 onwards
Arrival & registration • Welcome • Borrel & games

Saturday 26 September | Cultivating Inner Peace
08:00–21:00
Optional meditation • Inspiring personal stories • Reflection & sharing • Nature walk • Faith talk • Creative wellbeing workshop • Dinner & drinks

Sunday 27 September | Belonging & Authentic Relationships
08:00–17:00
Optional meditation & Holy Mass • Partners & friends welcome • Workshops on authentic relationships and creating a culture of belonging • Closing & departure

Detailed Programme

Friday 25 September | Arrival & Welcome
19:30 – 20:30: Arrival & Registration – Settle into your room

20:30 – 21:00: Welcome Address & Intention Setting by Christy Aikhorin

21:00 onwards: Borrel & Games – A relaxed evening of drinks and light-hearted connection

Saturday 26 September | Cultivating Inner Peace
8:00 – 8:30: Meditation (optional) led by a Priest

8:45 – 9:30: Breakfast

9:45 – 10:00: Introduction to ‘Why Share Stories?’ by Christy Aikhorin & Marina Mauro

10:00 – 10:30: Story Sharing I – Maria Teresa Van Ittersum: A personal story of love and hope

10:30 – 10:55: Reflection Break – Personal reflection + small group sharing with a guided prompt

11:30 – 12:00: Story Sharing II – Amarachi Iwuagwu: Finding Peace Amid the Noise

12:00 – 12:25: Reflection Break – Personal reflection + small group sharing with a guided prompt

12:30 – 13:00: A Panel Discussion –  Veena Joseph + Carmen Gonzalez Barreda

13:30 – 14:15: Lunch Break

14:30 – 17:30: Nature Walk / Reflection Time/ Outing

18:00 – 18:20: A Faith Talk by José van Dijck

18:30 – 19:15: Dinner

19:45 – 21:00: Creative Workshop – Sohaily Kerpens: Reconnect through herbs & mindful reflection.

21:00 onwards: Relax & Drinks – An evening to unwind, connect informally, or rest.

Sunday 27 September | Building Belonging & Authentic Relationships
8:00 – 8:30: Meditation (optional) led by a Priest

8:45 – 9:30: Breakfast

10:00 – 11:30: Arrival of Partners & Friends (coffee available from 11:00)

Sunday is opened to partners, husbands, friends (aged 15+)

10:15 – 11:00: Holy Mass (optional)

11:30 – 13:00: Workshops I – Alexandra Loewe Building Belonging & Authentic Relationships

13:30 – 14:15: Lunch Break

14:30 – 15:30: Workshop II – Alexandra Loewe Creating a Culture of Belonging

16:00 – 16:30: Take Aways and Closure with drinks

About the Speakers

Story Sharing I – Maria Teresa Van Ittersum A personal story of love and hope

Maria Teresa is a qualified secondary school teacher with a deep passion for forming young adults through great books education. A language specialist, she brings text, culture, and meaning to life in the classroom, guiding her students toward the good life. Born in the Netherlands with Italian roots, she is married and a mother.

Story Sharing II – Amarachi Iwuagwu Finding Peace Amid the Noise: A Story of Resilience

Amarachi is a Nigerian, an engineer, wife, and mother of four. She moved to the Netherlands in 2010, earned her Master’s and Professional Doctorate in Chemical Engineering, and successfully navigated a career change, all while building a full-time career and raising four children alongside her husband. Through resilience and the daily choice to show up for herself, she has found peace in a noisy world

Panel Discussion – Veena Joseph + Carmen González Barreda

How do we cultivate inner peace in our own lives while also serving the communities around us? In this panel facilitated by Veena, we explore the connection between personal wellbeing and community impact. Our speakers, including Carmen – CEO of Wonder Foundation, with over one million women and girls reached, will share their journeys and insights on finding peace, building resilience, and creating flourishing communities, rooted in faith, friendship, family, and work.

Veena, originally from India, has lived in the Netherlands for over 13 years. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration and is an ICF-certified counselor and coach. With a background in banking, teaching, and program management, she now focuses on life transitions and career development. Veena facilitates workshops for The Beautiful Unseen and serves as an internal coach for Thrive, a project supporting migrant women. Passionate about transformation, she creates safe spaces for people, especially women navigating migration, to reconnect with themselves, strengthen their mental health, and move toward clarity and reinvention. She is also a co-founder of SheSustains

Creative Workshop – Sohaily Kerpens Reconnect through herbs and mindful reflection.

Sohaily is the founder of Serene Sage Holistics, helping women reconnect with their bodies through Ayurveda, herbal wisdom, and holistic wellbeing. Originally from Aruba, she moved to the Netherlands 16 years ago to study engineering and worked as a project manager before burnout led her to a new path. Inspired by her grandmother’s knowledge of herbs, she now blends scientific thinking with traditional wisdom to support sustainable wellbeing. She believes that caring for ourselves enables us to show up more fully in faith, relationships, and work

In this interactive session, you will discover how everyday herbs can support physical and emotional wellbeing. We will explore their properties, practical uses, and how caring for our bodies can become an intentional act of self-care. The workshop includes a calming Herbal Reset: gentle breathing, a mindful cup of herbal tea, and a guided reflection to help you slow down, release tension, and cultivate peace

Workshops I & II: Building Belonging & Authentic Relationships

Alexandra Loewe is an experienced life coach and trainer with over 30 years of experience in personal development and neurodevelopment. Her sessions blend evidence-based psychology with warmth, humour, and practical strategies for resilience, confidence, and flourishing. Alexandra believes that every person has unique strengths waiting to be recognised and developed. Her aim is always the same: to help people understand themselves more deeply, build healthier relationships, and create lives marked by resilience, purpose, and hope.

Workshop I: The Art of Authentic Relationships

Exploring the foundations of love and connection

What does it take to build relationships that truly flourish? In this opening session, Alexandra will guide participants through the foundations of authentic connection, drawing on positive psychology and practical wisdom.

This session offers a warm, reflective space to consider how we show up in our most important relationships. It invites us to think about what we bring to our families, friendships, workspaces, and communities as well as how we can show up more fully.

Workshop II: Creating a Culture of Belonging

Practical steps for everyday life

Building belonging is not something that happens by chance. It requires intentionality, practice, and a willingness to grow.

In this second session, Alexandra will offer practical tools for creating a culture of belonging in our daily lives. Topics include:

Strengthening communication and emotional regulation
Navigating differences with empathy and grace
Building environments at home, work, and in community, where everyone can thrive
Participants will leave with immediately applicable strategies for fostering connection, resilience, and a true sense of belonging in the relationships that matter most.

Welcome and Closing Notes by Christy Aikhorin, Director of WECF Netherlands and Co-Founder of SheSustains. An engineer by training, she dedicates her energy to creating spaces where women can retreat, rest, reflect and recharge to face their daily realities. She believes that a happier life is built intentionally, and she leads the Wellbeing Weekend with warmth, vision, and a deep commitment to community. Christy lives in Voorburg with her husband and 2 kids.

Photos and Videos:

Please note that photos and videos may be taken during the event. By participating at the event, you grant SheSustains the permission to capture your photo/video of the event that may be used on social media and other communication channels. If you wish not to be included in any photos or videos please notify us by sending an email to: SheSustains11@gmail.com