"Fabulous Retreats is my dream come true. When I am working on it, I feel inspired, in the flow and Fabulous!"

Sophie Alize

Sophie Alize wears many hats, and she wears them all fabulously!

She is a Yoga instructor, professional Bellydancer, Meditation Facilitator, Healer, manager of Kurrajong Trails & Cottages, and creator & facilitator of Fabulous Retreats. Facilitating retreats is a dream come true for Sophie. Each retreat she feels more passionately retreats are her calling; the perfect space to combine all of her talents.

Yoga. Her goal as a yoga teacher is to introduce people to Yoga in a friendly, safe and loving environment where students feel safe to ask questions and know it is normal to feel challenged and bemused at how specific poses are meant to be relaxing! Beyond the mat, Sophie challenges students to allow the practice to guide them into a deeper understanding of themselves. Sophie trained as a Vinyasa Yogi under the beautiful and amazing Dr Jeff Miller 2016 (RYT 200 hours) Sophie completed an additional 25 hours with the wonderful Jasmine Tarkesh of Laughing Lotus San Francisco, in 2018.

Bellydancer. Sophie has been performing and teaching Bellydance since 2000, performing at weddings, restaurants and events Australia wide and overseas. In retreat workshops she often uses Bellydance movements to clear energy blockages in the body and clear the energy field.

Meditation. Sophie is obsessed with guided meditation. She loves doing them and giving them. The journeys her students have shared with her are incredible and inspiring.

Manager – Sophie manages her parents business Kurrajong Trails and Cottages, the land on which Fabulous Retreats holds space. “I love sharing this amazing land with likeminded people who want to reconnect with themselves and the earth.”

Healer. Sophie is a natural born healer. She intuitively feels the places that need healing in her clients. She graduated from Nature Care College with Diploma of Energetic Healing, and a Meditation Facilitation Certificate, in 2015.

Sophie has a Bachelor of Arts, Communication Studies from University of Western Sydney 2003, and a TAFE Certificate of New Small Business 2018.

"I am dedicated to helping everyone feel their most fabulous selves!"

Lani Jean

Lani is an energetic and passionate ray of sunshine, dedicated to helping everyone feel their most fabulous selves!

Lani is a Pilates Master, Head Foodie, creator and facilitator of Fabulous Retreats. Lani has always dreamt of hosting retreats at her family property Kurrajong Trails and Cottages. When she and sister Sophie realised they shared this dream, they knew something Fabulous was in sight!

Lani uses the Pilates Method, as a way to connect the mind and body on a deeper level, creating awareness and control that unleashes their power within. Pilates with Lani is so much more than Pilates; it’s a fusion of functional training, mindfulness, Yoga, positivity and is always loads of fun. Lani’s sessions will leave you with heightened body awareness, feeling energised, strong and empowered. Lani believes movement is therapy and that people hold the power to heal themselves. When she isn’t teaching at Retreats, Lani can be found teaching around the Hawkesbury region, spreading her love and energy in peoples homes, workplaces and sporting teams.

Lani as Head Foodie, along with her Fabulous kitchen team, will brighten your day and delight your taste buds with gourmet, homemade vegetarian cuisine. Lani is exceptionally passionate about making, eating and sharing healthy, fresh and wholesome food. All Lani’s Fabulous dishes are created from scratch, fresh produce is sourced from local farmers markets and prepared with abundant love and care. Although Lani loves curries, she promises to only ever serve one per retreat, offering guests a huge variety of different style dishes, with flavours hinting inspiration from all all around the globe.

Lani is a fabulous host, an energising and inspiring woman with a huge heart, not to mention her sense of humour, warmth and passion for sharing her gifts. Your time with Lani is always time well spent.

Our Team

It takes a village to raise a child. Fabulous Retreats is our baby and we are so grateful to all who are involved in the success of each retreat.

Tori Mclean – Arts n Crafts Teacher
We are so privileged to have Tori as our Arts n Crafts teacher. Each retreat she has new and brilliant ideas for workshops that are creative and lots of fun. Workshops range from creating Kokedama’s to Sun catchers to clay creations.

Lee and Steve Finnane – Our wonderful parents and owners of Kurrajong Trails and Cottages
You may not see Steve. Though he does float in and out. He does an enormous amount of work for the retreats, from general work on the land to ensuring we have plenty of fire wood.
You’ll definitely see Lee. Retreats are her favourite past time and she loves to be part of every moment. She also does a massive amount of work for our retreats, from baking her famous carrot and ginger cake to add to the menu, to tiny details that make a difference, as well as all the gardens and work on the land.

Kitchen Staff
Our amazing friends who are incredible support with everything, and work especially hard in the kitchen during retreats. Staff have varied over the years and there are many to thank, but a special thanks and gratitude to Ellie, Gabi and Sylvia who have been Lani’s rocks in the kitchen.

Our Family
Though our other siblings are not directly involved in Fabulous Retreats, we would like to acknowledge them, as their energy runs deep within this land. Our love and gratitude for our ever growing family gets stronger every day.

History

Sophie and Lani grew up on Kurrajong Trails & Cottages, roaming the 100 acres of bush from the time they could walk. Life growing up on the property was bliss. Pure freedom and ultimate adventure everyday. Lani spent every moment on her horse, Sophie rock climbing and exploring. They consider themselves guardians of the land. They love to share their experience of being connected to the Australian bush, and facilitate guests to find that deeper connection for themselves.

Steve & Lee Finnane purchased this stunning block of land in 1983, when there were no roads in or out and the boundaries essentially unknown to the real estate. The property began as a weekender, a great escape from the week-long city life. They built the main house with the help friends and family. The rest of the property evolved over time.

Steve decided he’d like to run a weekend horse riding business in 1989 and the cottages were introduced in 1997 so guests could enjoy the magic of the property for longer, staying overnight after their horse ride.

In 2015 Lani and Sophie began running retreats on the land. With each retreats, their passion to create together intensifies! The girls share both a special connection with the land, and each other. They are not only sisters, but best friends, with a common goal in creating Fabulous Retreats that bring positive, uplifting energy and welcome people to find a deeper connection to themselves, others and the land. Being a family property, it is exceptionally heart warming that the girls get to host their retreats at ‘home’.

Our Fabulous Mission

To hold space that allows people to discover or rediscover a deeper connection to and understanding of themselves.
To ensure retreats are inclusive; welcoming people of any ethnicity, cultural heritage, religious background, sexual orientation and gender identity.
To run retreats with integrity, honesty and courage, and by doing so, encourage these traits in our guests.

Our Fabulous Vision

To contribute to a shift in global consciousness by running high quality, fun, wholesome retreats with amazing food and wide variety of well planned and crafted activities that leave retreat guests feeling fabulous, and infecting the world with their fabulous vibes.

Fabulous Core Values

Choose honestly
Live wholesomely
Nurture the environment
Choose self love
Be vulnerable
Have fun & feel Fabulous

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Reignite your passion for life.​

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