The Alchemy of Grief:
An intimate gathering exploring grief, joy and connection through times of change.
August 1 & 2, 2026
Aubrey Acres | Astorville, Ontario
We are living through a time of collective exhaustion, uncertainty, disconnection, and rapid change. People are carrying grief connected to personal loss, relationships, caregiving, burnout, identity shifts, loneliness, and the growing pressure to keep moving while quietly, and sometimes barely, holding it all together.
At the same time, there is a longing for deeper connection. For spaces that feel grounded, thoughtful, human, and real.
The Alchemy of Grief was created for this moment.
This is not a traditional retreat. It is an intimate two day gathering exploring what it means to move through grief and change in community instead of isolation.
Together, we will gather in nature for guided conversation, reflection, shared meals, music, ritual, rest, and meaningful connection. We will explore the relationship between grief and joy, loss and growth, endings and beginnings.
This experience is rooted in the understanding that grief is not something to fix or move beyond. It is something that can deepen our relationship to ourselves, each other, and the world around us when we are willing to hold it differently.
There will be depth here.
There will also be beauty, laughter, music, good food, summer air, and moments that remind us we are not alone.
This Weekend Includes:
Guided reflection and facilitated conversation
Solo time in nature
Breakfast, lunch and light dinner on Saturday, Breakfast and lunch on Sunday
Welcome gift curated to support you throughout the weekend
Journaling and reflection practices
Fire circle and evening gathering
Music, storytelling, and quiet moments
Opportunities for rest and integration
Community, laughter, and honest conversation
Optional ritual experiences
Saturday Evening Gathering
On Saturday evening, we will gather for a relaxed summer dinner with an outdoor fire, music, appetizers, conversation, and space to simply be together.
Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in an optional ritual experience as a way of honouring a memory, marking a transition, carrying someone forward, or making a quiet promise to themselves.
Accommodation
Accommodation is not included in retreat pricing, however a limited number of simple on site accommodations are available for guests who would like to stay immersed in the experience throughout the weekend.
Guests may choose from shared cabins or a community style barn stay designed for those seeking a more connected, camp inspired experience. Cabin accommodations are limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
A curated guide to additional local accommodations will also be shared on request following registration, including options for solo travellers, friends attending together, and family friendly stays that reflect the beauty and spirit of Northern Ontario.
Investment: $599 CAD + HST
This includes two full days of guided programming, shared meals throughout the weekend, retreat materials, and the Saturday evening gathering with music and community.
A small number of supported spaces are available for those experiencing financial barriers. Please reach out directly for more information.
This is an intentionally intimate gathering with limited spaces available.
Meet your Facilitators
Melissa Sulley, Founder of josiah+co.
Grief + Loss Coach | Bereavement Doula | Grief Literacy Educator
Melissa Sulley (she/her) is a Certified Grief + Loss Coach and Bereavement Doula offering trauma-informed, heart-led grief support in Canada and beyond. As the founder of josiah+co., she creates inclusive, non-clinical spaces for individuals navigating the layered realities of loss—including miscarriage, stillbirth, pregnancy after loss, divorce, religious deconstruction, identity shifts, and other life-altering transitions.
With over a decade of lived experience in grief and extensive training in psychology and bereavement care, Melissa blends emotional intelligence, somatic awareness, and gentle guidance. She is a single co-parent to three living children and seven children in the stars, including her son Josiah who died at 20 weeks gestation—a pivotal moment that ignited her path into grief education and support.
Melissa’s approach is rooted in deep compassion, nervous system literacy, and a firm belief that grief doesn’t need to be fixed, simply witnessed. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Education, a Grief + Loss Coach certification, and a Pregnancy & Infant Loss Doula certification. She facilitates community events, support groups, and collaborates with organizations to increase awareness and education around the real, lasting impacts of grief. Her spaces are known to be soft landing places where people feel seen, supported, and gently reconnected to their own inner knowing.
Current offerings include grief + loss coaching, pregnancy + infant loss bereavement care, and community engagement gatherings to deepen awareness around how grief shapes our lives.
Cristin Talentino, Founder of Birch + Bloom
Cristin Talentino is the founder and steward of Birch + Bloom, a Northern Ontario–based gathering practice that supports individuals, teams, and communities as they navigate change.
For more than twenty years, she has worked in leadership, facilitation, and community building, designing spaces where people can come together to think clearly, reconnect with themselves and others, and move forward in more intentional ways, especially in moments when the path ahead is uncertain.
Her work brings together creativity, embodiment, nature, and dialogue, not as techniques, but as ways of returning to what matters. The spaces she holds are grounded, relational, and shaped by what is present, rather than a fixed agenda.
Cristin’s facilitation is steady and intuitive, informed by both professional experience and her own lived experience of change. She creates environments where people can slow down, reflect honestly, and engage with the complexity of what they are carrying without needing to perform.
Birch + Bloom gatherings are intentionally different. They are rooted in place, shaped by story, and designed to meet each moment with care for the people inside it.
Cristin lives and works on the ancestral lands of the Anishinabek in Northern Ontario. Through Birch + Bloom, she offers Leadership Circles, one-to-one work, retreats, and facilitated gatherings for organizations and communities.