Lesson Learned On An Unhinged Road Trip

Eric and I just got back from a week long road trip through Colorado and Utah, exploring national parks, hiking a ridiculous number of miles, and spending what had to be close to 20 hours in the car.

Before we left, I was feeling little nervous about how I was going to handle it.

For the previous four to six weeks, I had been overdoing it.

I started my new practitioner training program, which added about 30 hours a month to my schedule. I was onboarding new team members. I was working a lot.

Too much.

By the time we left, I was exhausted and overwhelmed to the point where I felt a little mentally unwell. My brain felt fried. My body felt heavy. I knew I needed a break, but I was also thinking...

Is six straight days of hiking and a ton of driving really going to help here?

Apparently, the answer was a resounding YES.

Every day, I moved on different terrain.

Every day, I saw something I had never seen before.

We hiked through completely different landscapes, explored new places, and had so many of those moments where you just stop and stare because your brain can't quite comprehend how beautiful something is.

And despite getting up to 30,000 steps a day, hiking for hours in 90+ degree heat, and spending a frankly offensive amount of time in the car...

I started feeling better.

My mood shifted, my body felt lighter, and my brain started to quiet down.

By the end of the trip, I felt more relaxed, more clear, and more like myself again. I came home with a much better sense of what needed to come off my plate and, interestingly, a renewed excitement about how I want to move through my life.

It was a good reminder of something I've learned about myself over and over again:

Two of the fastest ways I reset are movement and novelty.

Not necessarily sitting still.

Not doing nothing.

Moving. Exploring. Giving my body and brain new input.

We’re wired to move and adapt. Our brain and body need new experiences, new environments, and new movement patterns to help interrupt the loops we get stuck in when every day starts looking and feeling exactly the same.

And as I was thinking about all of this on the drive home, I realized...

This is exactly what Monica and I are creating in August.

While I wish I could just throw you in the car for my next slightly unhinged road trip , the easier option is to join us for the NeuroFascia Integration Retreat at Vitality Village in Thousand Oaks, California, August 7 through 9.

No need to worry—it’s not six days of hiking. But this entire weekend is built around giving your body something NEW.

Dr. Monica Lesslie, physical therapist and CFR practitioner, will guide you through Cortical Field Re-education, a powerful nervous system modality that uses novel movement to interrupt old compensation patterns and create new options for your brain and body.

I'll be guiding you through strategic fascia release, including self release work and hands on support, to help unwind restrictions that are affecting how you move, breathe, and feel.

Together, we're going to help you step outside the patterns your body has been repeating for months, years, or even decades.

If you've been feeling overworked, overwhelmed, stiff, exhausted, disconnected from yourself, or just deeply stuck in the same routine...

Consider this the reset you've been needing.

This isn't a spa weekend where you temporarily escape your life and then return to the exact same patterns.

We want you to move, feel, and understand your body differently. And leave knowing how to carry that change forward when you go home.

 [Learn More and Reserve Your Spot Here]

The next 3 people who sign up can get a 10% discount with code NFR10 ($85 savings!).

If your brain has been fried and your body has been asking for something different, come spend the weekend with us! 

TheNeuroFascia Integration Retreat

Vitality Village inThousand Oaks, California

August 7-9, 2026

• Why do movement and novelty help with stress, burnout, and nervous system regulation?

  Because the body and brain often respond really well to new input. When life starts feeling repetitive, stressful, and overwhelming, it is easy to get stuck in the same physical and nervous system patterns. Movement and novelty can help interrupt those loops, support nervous system regulation, and create more space, clarity, and energy.

• Can hiking, travel, and new experiences help reduce stress and reset the nervous system?

  Yes — they can. New environments, different terrain, and unfamiliar experiences can all give your brain and body the kind of input that helps break up chronic stress patterns. It is not always about doing less. Sometimes stress relief and nervous system reset happen through movement, exploration, and stepping outside the routines that have been keeping you stuck.

• Why does movement sometimes feel more restorative than rest?

  Because rest is not always about sitting still. Sometimes the body needs supportive movement to come out of tension, stress, and bracing patterns. For many people, intentional movement can feel more restorative than passive rest, especially when sitting still leads to overthinking, stagnation, or feeling even more disconnected from the body.

• How do fascia release and novel movement help break chronic tension patterns?

  Strategic fascia release can help unwind restrictions that affect how you move, breathe, and feel, while novel movement helps interrupt old compensation patterns in the nervous system. Together, they can help reduce chronic tension, improve mobility, and create new options for the body instead of repeating the same stress and pain patterns.

• What is the NeuroFascia Integration Retreat for stress, tension, and burnout?

  The NeuroFascia Integration Retreat is designed for people who feel overworked, overwhelmed, stiff, exhausted, disconnected from themselves, or stuck in the same routine. It combines fascia release, novel movement, and nervous system support to help you reset stress patterns, move more freely, and leave with practical tools you can continue using at home.