Through meaningful conversations, immersive experiences, nature, movement,
reflection, adventure, and authentic human connection, this retreat invites
you into a deeper relationship with yourself and your life.
November 21–28, 2026
Costa Rica
Limited spaces available
This is not a vacation.
It is a space to slow down enough to hear yourself again.
To step away from the constant pressure, performance, responsibility, noise, and emotional exhaustion that modern life can create, and reconnect with the parts of yourself that may have been waiting quietly underneath it all.
Harmony Rising was created for people who are ready for something deeper.
Not through force.
Not through perfection.
Not through pretending to have it all together.
But through honesty.
Presence.
Connection.
Experience.
And expansion.
Through guided experiences, immersive activities, meaningful conversations, excursions, reflection, movement, nature, community, and adventure, we create space for transformation that feels grounded, real, and deeply human.
This Retreat Was Designed Differently
A Glimpse Into Your Experience
MORNINGS
MIDDAY
AFTERNOONS
EVENINGS
No two retreats unfold exactly the same.
The experience evolves organically based on the energy and needs of the group.
Carole Forest is the founder of Expanding Forward Retreats and the creator of Harmony Rising.
As a mother of eight, a financial advisor working with high-performing professionals and business owners, and a retreat facilitator deeply passionate about emotional well-being and human transformation, Carole brings a unique blend of grounded leadership, emotional intelligence, life experience, and authenticity into the spaces she creates.
Over the years, she began noticing something important.
Many people appear successful on the outside while quietly carrying stress, emotional exhaustion, pressure, loneliness, disconnection, or the feeling that they have somehow lost connection with themselves along the way.
Through both her professional work and personal life experiences, she developed a deep understanding of what it means to hold responsibility for others while still longing to feel fully alive, connected, peaceful, and authentic within yourself.
Rather than positioning herself as someone with all the answers, Carole creates spaces where people feel safe enough to become honest with themselves.
Spaces where people can slow down.
Breathe.
Reconnect.
Reflect.
Expand.
And experience meaningful transformation through connection, conversation, nature, community, adventure, and presence.
Her retreats are known for creating emotionally safe environments where participants feel deeply seen, supported, inspired, challenged in healthy ways, and connected both to themselves and to the people around them.
Blending personal growth with immersive experiences, beautiful environments, nervous system support, meaningful conversations, reflection, and authentic human connection, Harmony Rising was created for those ready to move beyond survival mode and reconnect with life more fully.
Not by becoming someone else.
But by remembering who they are underneath the pressure, conditioning, fear, and constant doing.
Costa Rica
San Juan Airport, Costa Rica
No previous retreat experience is necessary.
You are welcome exactly as you are.
“I came here exhausted from life and left feeling connected to myself again.”
“The level of authenticity, emotional safety, and connection I experienced here was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”
“This retreat created conversations and experiences that changed the way I relate to myself and others.”
“There was something deeply grounding and transformative about the environment Carole created.”
Limited spaces available to preserve intimacy, connection, and the quality of the experience.
Not at all. Many participants attend alone and are completely new to retreats.
This retreat focuses on emotional well-being, personal growth, meaningful connection, reflection, and experience in a grounded and welcoming environment.
No. Expanding Forward Retreats are coed retreats open to both men and women.
Activities may include excursions, ocean experiences, workshops, movement, group conversations, reflection, nature experiences, relaxation, and optional adventures.
Participants will fly into San Juan Airport, Costa Rica.
Absolutely. Many participants arrive alone and leave with meaningful friendships and community.
There comes a point where staying the same becomes more uncomfortable than changing.
Harmony Rising – Waves of Becoming is an invitation to pause, reconnect, expand, and experience life more fully.
Not by escaping your life.
By returning to it differently.