Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Richardson.
Megan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Here’s a bit of the backstory to SUSTAIN Marriage Retreat: My husband Garrett and I are huge fans of each other and are always looking for ways to collaborate, offer support, and participate in each other’s individual worlds. We often make the joke that we are both in the business of marriage but on different ends of the spectrum. Garrett captures the beautiful and vastly significant beginning of couples’ journeys as a married couple, and as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, I have the privilege of meeting couples in a time of need, crisis, turmoil, grief, or in times where they recognize they need a bit of encouragement.
A couple of years ago, sitting at a bayside restaurant here in San Diego, we threw out the wild idea to each other,
“What if we hosted retreats or something like that?” I could provide some marriage education and content based on therapeutic training and practice, and Garrett could provide an amazing professional photo session for each couple. “But wow, that sounds like a big undertaking. Would people even be interested?”
Several months later, maybe even about a year or so after, the dream had not gone away. We felt the pull on our hearts to make this happen but did not have thorough clarity on the when, the where, the how. We were at happy hour at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, just brainstorming and letting our intended purpose and values swirl around in our minds and the air of conversation between us.
Garrett got up to use the restroom and a middle-aged woman who sat by herself at the table next to us, and who I had noticed look over and smile to herself from time to time, leaned over to talk to me,
“Excuse me, so sorry to interrupt but I have been watching you two and listening in here and there. The moments and laughter you are sharing just seem so sweet. It is clear you have fun with each other and that your relationship is very dear.”
“Wow, thank you so much. What a kind and generous compliment” I replied.
“My husband and I would come here all the time, and looking at you two reminds me of so many moments between him and me…” Tears filled her eyes. “He passed away just two weeks ago. This is the first time I have been here without him.” Her gaze drifts, I imagine she is briefly lost in some magical memories with her recently deceased love…” So sorry to be a burden on your evening, I will let you two get on with your night. Just be good to each other, enjoy every single bit of it.”
Garrett had returned mid-conversation, he listened without interruption as he too noticed the kind woman’s raw emotion. We expressed our sentiments and gratitude as best we could and I grabbed the woman’s hands squeezing them tight. “Please know, you have not been a burden. We will sincerely be praying for you and we are sincerely grateful to have met you.”
We proceeded to return to our conversation, however, we were now determined that our dream was important to chase. Marriage matters and it is beautiful. It should be enjoyed, “every single bit of it.” But to do so, it must be cultivated, nourished, chosen, SUSTAINED. We believe this comes with intention. Most don’t “fall into” a thriving, easy, or perfect marriage. It requires small and big choices along the way, investment, time, energy, and stubborn commitment to each other. In the day to day busyness of life, these types of choices can, unfortunately, fall by the wayside. SUSTAIN marriage retreat is aimed at creating space where our couples’ only distraction is each other, so the choices flow easily and partners can breathe, rest, “be good to each other,” and also explore some beautiful cities around the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
SUSTAIN is one outcome of many, resulting from some winding roads full of really hard work, self-doubt, and some bumps along the way. In order to even be somewhat equipped for this undertaking, it required a graduate school for three and a half years, during one of which I had the privilege of offering consistent therapy for clients experiencing homeless at the San Diego Rescue Mission. This was a trying time for a number of reasons: I continued to work full-time, be in school full-time, and then wrestle with the pain, trauma, and difficulty of my clients’ lives and stories. I was COMPLETELY blessed and humbled by them. And it was one of the greatest honors of my life thus far to get to work there for a season. However, I did struggle… with exhaustion, with thoughts of “am I really cut out for this? Will I actually be able to help anyone?”
Switching from this setting to the private practice over the course of this past year was a pretty large shift and another season of asking those same questions about my competence and purpose. But I often still tell myself, “Megan, you just gotta do it. Put one foot in front of the other and just try your best. That is really your only option right now because you do love this stuff and you’re not going to quit. You’re going to keep trying and keep learning.”
These experiences definitely prepared me to even feel somewhat adequate to host our marriage retreats. And other than preparation, Garrett and I are also just firm believers in just dreaming really big dreams and then going for them! I think it can be easy to have some dreams and then just talk about them, but never really take the steps to make them happen. Garrett and I have tried to keep choosing hope, faith, prayer, and hard work over the temptation of doubt and fear. The journey is definitely an adventure but so far, even when it has been difficult or risky, it has been so worth it!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with SUSTAIN Retreat – tell our readers more, for example, about your journey as a therapist and what you’re most proud of about SUSTAIN and what sets it apart.
Therapy has been a safe space for me throughout many seasons of life. I first walked into a therapy office at five years old, and again in my early 20s when I was scrambling for health and wholeness. I discovered the power of feeling safe and known, and the impact that my unique life story, the wounds, and the victories, had on my current thought processes, relationships, emotions, and behaviors. In therapy, I found hope, greater self-compassion, and awareness, and moved away from self-defeating processes of shame and feelings of unworthiness. As a result, the health of my body, mind, soul, and relationships improved.
Now, I have the privilege of creating that safe space for my clients because I believe that is the beginning of where change and transformation happen.
I am profoundly grateful when clients allow me into the sacred truths of their inner worlds, into their difficult and not-so-curated stories of joy and pain. I am humbled by the courage and vulnerability that clients exhibit just by walking through the door. I believe that each person is the expert on his/her own journey. Operating from my knowledge and training, I simply aim to come alongside my clients in that journey and empower them towards growth.
In my work as a therapist at a private practice, I work primarily with couples in distress and individuals experiencing a variety of difficulties. I have more specialized training in working with couples, in working with people who have experienced trauma, and due to my work at the San Diego Rescue Mission, I have experience working with crisis intervention and addiction. I love working with all different ages for individual therapy but I am particularly passionate about college students/young adults.
SUSTAIN Marriage Retreats are special because they offer a boutique experience where couples can travel, have thoughtfully planned and luxurious experiences provided for them, all the while creating space for their marriage to be transformed with intentional insight and practical application based on practice and research from the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. We have found that another powerful aspect of these experiences is the group dynamic that is formed and the power and encouragement that comes from sharing space with likeminded couples who also provide insight and encouragement for the journey. Another really fun part of our retreats is that each couple gets a photo shoot with Garrett who is a professional photographer. The idea is that these photos would serve as a reminder of this time away together and of the moments of connection each couple experiences at the retreat.
Garrett and I hope that our couples feel truly taken care of, safe, known, and honestly spoiled (in a good way!) by the time they leave our retreat and that they would experience lasting changes and new levels of depth, intimacy, and grounded-ness in their marriage. We believe that when marriages thrive, families thrive and when families thrive, our cities and societies thrive. So it is a win-win for everyone.
Who have you been inspired by?
Honestly, my mom is a huge inspiration. She raised my brother and me on her own. And as I am preparing to become a mom (due date is May 18th!) I am gaining an increased appreciation for all that it entails. I can’t really imagine doing it on my own and the baby isn’t even here yet! But as I reflect on my childhood with her, I never once felt like she took out her stress, overwhelm, or maybe even some disappointment about life, on my brother and I. Instead, I always knew that I was safe with her and that I was deeply loved and valued. I also observed her work really, really hard. She worked multiple jobs and still managed to attend athletic games and aim to provide dinner, a home, etc. for us. I think I learned from her that life can be difficult, but still so fun and meaningful. There is always hope, and struggle doesn’t ever have to define who I am or where my story is going. So, for all those reasons and many more, she is definitely a woman who has inspired me.
Gosh, I am inspired by a variety of women every single day but several that come to mind are women who are musical artists, (Jenn Johnson, Steffany Gretzinger, Amanda Cook to name a few) whose voices and music lift me up and encourage me so often. I don’t know them personally but these women are like lions, roaring with their powerful voices, speaking truths over the listeners and over culture and society. They do it unapologetically and without trying to diminish their talents or power in any way, shape, or form, but instead own it wholeheartedly.
I am inspired by some of my closest female friends. We do life together and navigate the really ugly parts of life. The heartbreak, the gut-wrenching terrible curveballs, the devastating pains caused by other people, the transitions both good and hard. These are the women who are brave enough to be vulnerable, strong enough to be honest and to let others into their stories. I am inspired by their grace, their grit, their unwavering yet honest resilience and commitment to themselves and their convictions. I benefit from being around them, from being loved by them, from being challenged by them. I am thankful for these women on the daily and I am always learning from their lives and their hearts.
Pricing:
- Private Practice Therapy – $160/session
- SUSTAIN Marriage Retreats – $3000-4000/couple
Contact Info:
- Website: Private Practice: http://www.sdicouples.com/megan-richardson. SUSTAIN: www.garrettrichardson.co
- Phone: (619) 663-5288
- Email: mrichardson@sdicouples.com, sustainretreat@gmail.com
- Instagram: @sustainretreat, @sdicouples
Image Credit:
Garrett Richardson
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