You will be so darn proud of who you are, what you have
done in your life and where you find yourself right now! You’ll have made deep peace with your past decisions, dilemmas, and even disappointments. You’ll experience a sense of closure, a profound lightness of being, and truly being able to honour yourself again. Are you ready to find the lightness, laughter and love your life again!

Imagine RELEASING the following:
★ A love relationship that ended
★ A friendship or boss that turned sour
★ A divorce – amicable, messy or both
★ Leaving a country and emigrating
★ An accident or harrowing incident
★ The business you sold or closed
★ A job you hated but can’t stop thinking about
★ A recent retrenchment that’s left you powerless
★ Important chapters in life that recently ended
★ A loved one to grieve and honour fully
★ An important “decade” birthday to acknowledge 

Most of all you want to draw a line in the sand with an outdated version of  YOURSELF  and put a carefully placed FULL STOP on the past! 

When you are facing changes, reeling from a loss, or up against this current crossroads in your life, you can ease the journey by being intentional in your approach. By actively pausing, seeking the gifts, insights, and blessings of the burdens of the past you have been holding onto….to finally say a heartfelt goodbye and release your energy into the present.

“Kate is masterful at walking you across thresholds and into the lightness and joy of life. It’s her essence!

♥ THE RITUAL – CUTTING THE THREADS THAT BIND ♥

Joining this retreat on Iona is a calling from your heart. The moment you say yes, the internal shifts start even before you arrive on the island – such is the power of carving out time.

By the time we gather together on the North Shore, everything will unfold with lightness and joy. Ease and grace.

Imagine greeting yourself NOW and creating the next chapter with clarity?
On this remote island retreat, we tap into the wild power of nature, silence, space and connection. While everything swirls around “Cutting the Threads that Bind”, the entire purpose is for releasing love, lightness and joy into your life again. Remember that when you feel proud and present, EVERYTHING is possible. Walking the sacred labyrinth at Columba’s Bay turbo charges self-compassion and insight that you take back into your life beyond your retreat.

How COMPASSIONATE would it be to trust yourself to make new decisions with clarity?
On Iona, where the “veil between the two worlds is very thin”, we tap into ageless wisdom to connect to your true essence. When you take time to look back at your life with love, pride, gratitude, and a full heart at all you have achieved, been through, and overcome, you enter an enticing new realm and can create this next chapter with energy.

Next, we RE-THREAD your future and life around the roaring fireplace. You’ll step off the island with a suitcase of powerful yet practical tools to navigate life from your inner core and a place of deep, unwavering trust.

How awesome would it be to greet yourself again and feel witnessed in a safe space?
This retreat combines group conversation and delicious shared meals, time to hear each other’s
heartfelt stories, oodles of quiet downtime plus one-to-one connection with Kate. The invitation
to stay off social media and e-mail helps you reduce the incessant pull of the outside world.

Gratitude in the fairy glen

You yearn to feel free, present, and lighter! Yes, please.
If you are at a major threshold and not sure how to leave the past behind to start a new chapter, then joining Kate on Iona is
your key. If you have perhaps felt lost, alone, or stuck in pain and
grief from the past with negative cycles on repeat – it’s time to experience the sweet release by CUTTING THE THREADS THAT BIND.

Imagine feeling heart-centered acceptance and GRATITUDE
and experiencing peaceful calm in your heart. A sense of purpose, light and energy in your life again.

There is elegance in closing a chapter so that it fills you with
love and pride, whereby you can leave any pain and burden
of it behind. When you have experienced that – you are then standing fully in the present in the GAP that exists between
NO LONGER and NOT YET.

You will step off the island with a lightness in your step, renewed vigor and delightful anticipation for your future armed with practical tools to face life challenges as you walk your new path.

♥  TELL ME ALL ABOUT IONA ♥

This is IONA island

The Sacred Isle of Iona is where the veil between the worlds is said to be very thin! Access to the spirit realm abounds.

A small working croft island, off the South West coast of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland. It is the permanent home to approx. 170 folk. Remote, wild and refreshing. Once experienced, you will always hold the magic of Iona in your heart. A place where Scottish kings are buried, the book of Kells was said to be illuminated, Celtic crosses carved and the beaches beckon. It’s a place known as “The Cradle of Christianity’ after St Columba, an Irish monk landed in a small currach on the island in around 563 AD and founded the Iona Abbey.

Iona offers pilgrims and visitors (around 200 000 per annum) a place of community, a respite from the world and a rare chance to pause and reflect on life. A place where visitors cannot bring cars and the only access is by ferry. It’s a place that offers up answers to your profound questions and offers you a way of coming “home” to yourself.

The Green Shed on the North Shore as seen from Dun-I highest point

Based at the northernmost tip of the island, The Green Shed (former Iona Hostel) is a truly special space on the island. Located footsteps away from the beautiful white sand beaches of the North Shore, means you can wake up and have your feet in the sand before your kettle has even boiled. Run with sustainability uppermost in mind, the Green Shed offers a variety of accommodations, both single and twin, that oozes charm, warmth and creativity within its walls.

It is also a working croft and has an award-winning small forest that has been painstakingly planted
by John and volunteers over the past 20 years.

☆  The Sea Room

The large Sea Room is where enjoy our retreat, chatting, eating and circle space. With a glorious long wooden table for communal meals, a fireplace for special rituals, and views to die for. Wander the shore looking for pebbles or take a dip in the crystal water just two minutes walk from our front door  – looking out for seals and crabs, dolphins and minke whales, or watch the gannets divebomb the water!

Large windows bring the ever-changing, dramatic view right inside – you can see the Dutchman’s Cap, the Cullins of Skye, Tiree and Coll in the distance and keep an eye on the resident Hebridean black sheep or hairy cows who pop to the window to keep an eye on proceedings.

There are three simple, yet beautifully appointed bedrooms in the Sea Room, either twin or single, all with shared bathrooms.

☆  The Studio and The Snug

Delightful self-contained studios under the same roof as The Sea Room, each with its own private entrance, a shower/toilet and kitchen facilities for that early morning cup of tea. These two spaces offer you a little more privacy if that’s what you prefer on retreat.

The iconic Iona Abbey – for pilgrims from all corners of the earth

Days consist of quiet contemplation alongside group connection

We will make the most of the island and the weather alongside the energy and needs of the group.

Expect some dedicated silence built into the day, group process work, alone time, private time with Kate, and delicious shared meals for connection and heartfelt chats. This is a retreat after all … which means slowing yourself down and having plenty of time and space to BE.

♥ DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU? ♥

★  I can’t seem to get a grip and make peace with all the past decisions I have made. I feel unsettled yet stuck at the same time. I’ve willingly made all these massive choices, and also dealt with a few more that have been thrown at me and it’s left me reeling, to be honest.

I need some space to BE, to belly laugh again and find ME!

★  It’s impossible to admit that I’m a tad embarrassed. I don’t have my supposedly successful life “sorted” right now. So much has happened and changed and I’ve just kept going. I haven’t stopped to soak it all in, breathe and catch my breath. I can’t think straight as I seem to be looking backward all the time. I want to feel lighter and look forward now.

★  I should be charging forward with my new life but … I’m a bit stuck. I’m questioning everything I have done in life and it all feels like such a waste to be honest. I keep going round and round reminiscing about my ‘old life’ and scared to make the same mistakes or wrong decisions going forward. What the heck is wrong with me?

★  I’ve lost my ‘vooma’ and feel exhausted and weary! I’m constantly stressed and I’m at the bottom of my own priority list.

★  I burst into tears regularly and have zero patience with anything, even the people
and things I love.

★  I just said to my girlfriend this week it feels like I’m split, scattered and confused. Life feels weird and heavy like I’m lugging around a hundred bricks in my bag.

★  I wish to draw a line in the sand and say ENOUGH – the past is the past and it’s time
to look forward! Time to create an awesome next chapter for myself.

Yes, that’s just what I need – I need Iona!

♥ WHAT’S INCLUDED IN MY 5 NIGHTS? ♥

♥ YOUR HEART INVESTMENT ♥

10 – 15th October 2023

A non-refundable deposit of £650
Final balance payable two months before the retreat

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:
★ Transport to and from Iona Island. Getting here is part of your pilgrimage. READ MORE
★ Any personal massages/treatments
★ Wine/alcohol other than final evening celebration
★Bicycle hire to explore the island
★ Any items of a personal nature – exquisite craft shop & local silver jeweler
★ Personal, medical or trip cancellation insurance

FILL IN THE APPLICATION FORM  IONA APPLICATION FORM IONA

♥ WHAT OTHERS SAY♥

Cutting the Threads That Bind is a life-shifting, FUN, and soul-revving experience on a tiny, ancient island so powerful that the air tingles with magic. We started by setting our intention about what we’d like to clear and then we got to work. Kate shared tools and practices so amazing that we could actually feel what no longer served us clearing.

We went on a pilgrimage across the entire island and stopped to clear and process along the island’s chakras. (Yes! The island has chakras which is probably why the energy is palpable.) During the pilgrimage, we spoke aloud our intentions in a tiny chapel built in 1100. When I slipped off my shoes and stood on the stone floor, the energy vibrated up my legs. We were doing magical energy work in a truly magically energetic place.

Beyond that, we had the most fabulous meals including dishes like African Peanut Stew, Vietnamese Noodle Salad and so many delicious cakes.

The Green Shed is lovely. My room had its own little kitchen area and bathroom with shower and the most amazing green grass and sea view. A fantastic experience. I would follow Kate Emmerson anywhere.

Suzanne Casamento

I have been on many retreats since the start of my enlightenment journey 19 years ago. I have found all of them transformative but THIS retreat surpassed all expectations. Kate is able to to be personally supportive with each member of the group, sharing the tears and the laughter, while holding the sacred space together , a rare gift. I have left feeling lighter, knowing the healing will continue, and that I will keep evolving into the best version of myself. I am overflowing with gratitude. Thank you Kate Xxxx Lesley Emery

Adventure and the wild embrace of nature – couple these with Kate’s kind and expert guidance, and it made Cutting The Threads That Bind a truly expansive experience. Wild swimming was five stars, so was the food. I ate so much. Also a perfect balance of the course and free time. I stayed in the bothy – perfect for a retreat in quiet and to feel the elements. Dory Walker

When I read about Cutting The Threads That Bind, I knew I wanted to go on it- moving on from the past was what I needed to do. I had never been on a retreat before so was not sure what to expect. The retreat involves 4-5 women. I was lucky to meet the other three women on the retreat coming over on the ferry-what a wonderful group. I found the retreat profound and life-changing with opportunities for reflection and spiritual growth. The mixture of group work and time alone and with Kate was perfect. The walk on day 2 as a group was an amazing journey for change, completed – for me – by climbing to the top of the highest hill in Iona and washing my face in the well of ages at the top. The accommodation was very comfortable and warm and the food was delicious and plentiful. The whole experience was well managed and safe – with joy, laughter and tears – and you have to try going into the sea around Iona. Carol Gardiner

This is a retreat with a name that matches and delivers on its objective… And more than that, you are left with a toolkit to ensure that you don’t become entangled in threads again; empty of energy. During my time on stunning Iona, I stayed in the bothy – and can highly recommend it! A beautiful little home, it was warm and comfortable and secluded. It meant that for me, there

I can only highly recommend these few days spent on Iona under the skilful care and guidance of Kate – with a mixture of powerful questions and ancient practices we were able to understand and practise cutting negative ties and holding on to our own powerful energy. The retreat was a mix of belly laughs, creativity, vulnerability and tenderness surrounded by a group of amazing women – and I think we all left as our best selves. One month later the lessons learnt and shifts achieved continue to impact positively across all aspects of my life. The long journey to and from Iona are bookends to the most brilliant chapter. Iole

On the beautiful Isle of Iona, I experienced Kate’s guiding work of cutting the cords and letting go. At an emotional time in my life, I was able to invest time in myself to do this course with intention to re-set and re-energize. Wonderful walking, sea swimming and group fun all added to my personal experience and I left Iona positive, and peaceful with new skills for life’s challenges. Thank you, Kate. Susan

I have the tools to centre myself, make decisions that are right for me, and the confidence to know that I can let go of anything that doesn’t serve me, but most importantly recognize and honor my instincts. There was a lot to think about after the structured sessions so free time to reflect, write, sleep, walk or swim gave me the time to process – and have a bit of fun! For my age group, I’d say it was a chance to reclaim your 30s. It was a complete energy refresh at a tough transition in my life with a lot of upheavals personally and societally if we look at the bigger picture. LM

QUEEN OF RETREATS CAME TO IONA TO REVIEW THIS RETREAT
This is what Annabel Heseltine has to share.CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REVIEW!

Warmed by the sun, Kate took us through our ‘letting-go’ ceremony and here again, I sought solace in the water, its silkiness curling its way around me, washing away the fears and opening my heart to the recapitulation. Kate’s unique brand of recalibrating the spiritual and emotional being so that women leave her retreat stronger, more resilient, more in tune with themselves, feeling lighter and more complete is cuddled in love and laughter with some serious foodie experiences on the side. Annabel

♥ MEET KATE ♥

Kate is known as the QuickShiftDeva – which means shining light. She supports women on the threshold of making courageous leaps and she lovingly guides, supports and nudges you forward. She oozes light, possibility and presence.

HELPING YOU SHINE YOUR LIGHT!

She believes in the strategic power of disconnecting from the outside world to journey within to greet your heart. She is known to facilitate effortless and rapid shifts while also embracing the wisdom of patience and divine timing for transformation.

She has a diverse toolbox gleaned from 20 years of coaching, mentoring and facilitating transformational retreats globally. She has been living globally #LocationFree, leaning into her motto of #LiveLightLiveLarge.

Known as South Africa’s clutter expert ensures you will be in professional hands – someone who can see the bigger picture, yet who can also hone into the details of what’s keeping you stuck and stagnant. She embodies a unique combination of patience, compassion, insight, and kindness along with her no-nonsense, stop-mucking about energy and well-aimed heel when needed.

She has shared her life-changing work globally, from Dubai, Italy, Scotland, USA, South Africa, DRC, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Greece, Italy, Spain, Romania, the Czech Republic and more.

Kate is described as a mix of insightful spiritual energy that’s grounded in the real
world of practical life and business experience.

♥ KATE & IONA: a 20-year love affair ♥

Kate worked one summer in the St Columba hotel over 20 years ago and visited another twice within a year. She was so connected to the island that she put it in her will for her ashes be scattered on the North Shore beach one day. She was once again recalled to the island to heal and retreat to Iona in 2020, just after travel opened up to the island after lockdown. She needed to unplug and find JOY, LAUGHTER & LIGHTNESS again.
Read her journey here

She had 3 major transitions and junctions that she wanted to honour. First, saying thank you and goodbye to a beautiful country she no longer called home (South Africa), forgiving and moving on from her ex-partner and finally “recapitulating” her energy from 17 years of running an international coaching business and saying goodbye to the slice of it she had sold off to a client.

She was burnt out, bored, grieving and unsure of her chapter ahead. Her vision for the future had gone awol and through her expertise and life approach, knew she simply had to go to this sacred isle to go within to do the work. She just knew she needed to release and honour the past to STEP INTO THE LIGHT. 

Armed with her professional toolbox and a simple calling in her heart – she ventured to the Iona to
sit quietly, go within and do the heart and soul work.

To bring closure to a chapter
To clear out the debris lurking in her heart
Feel peace and a sense of absolute perfection in timing
Look for the gifts insights and blessings of the past
To feel so darn proud of her life
No longer feeling small and uncertain
To summon the courage to create her next delicious chapter

She has walked that road before you and understands the highs, the lows and the depth of the work required to get the burst of energy as the result.
It is these same powerful processes she will share with you on this retreat.

Iona Calling 

By Jenny Grant

The wind burling and whirling,

tugging and pulling at the heart;

The mermaids sing,

Pulling you in;

The faeries raise their arms

swirling magical charms,

Luring you in.

A longing so broad burrows within –

Deep, Deep in your heart, your soul,

your very fibred being.

Calling, Calling,

Calling you in –

until the feet touch lightly on hallowed ground

which greets you;

Hello old friend.

A hug

and the storm subsides,

Peace

washes in with the Tides.

♥ CANCELLATION TERMS & CONDITIONS♥

A non-refundable deposit of £650 secures your place.
If the retreat is canceled by the organizer due to Covid or another emergency,
there will be another retreat date offered.

The balance of payment is due two months before each retreat.

You are strongly advised to take up trip, cancellation and medical insurance

Please note the following cancellation terms:

➜ Up to 90 days before the start date of the retreat, 50% of the full fee paid
(LESS THE NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT) will be reimbursed within 14 days

➜ 60-90 days before the start of the retreat, 25% of the full fee paid
(LESS THE NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT) will be reimbursed within 14 days

➜ 0-60 days before the start of the retreat, 0% of the full fee paid will be reimbursed

♥ FAQ♥

★ These dates don’t work for me:
Be sure to check out the two 2023 dates. You can also book this retreat as a personal VIP option.
Chat to Kate directly about dates and costs on kate@kate-emmerson.com

★ Iona seems remote:
That is EXACTLY why it’s the perfect place for this retreat. Getting here has a few elements to it
that just requires time and patience. It is also the most scenic trip from Glasgow or Edinburgh.
First, you get yourself to Oban, West coast Scotland. A great place to spend a night!
Hop on the 45-minute Ferry to Mull.
Next, a 75-minute drive (with connecting buses to some ferries) across Mull
Then a 10- minute ferry across the Sound of Iona.
Lastly, a beautiful 20-minute walk to stretch your legs, open your heart and greet the island!
Or a taxi dash up the road can be arranged!
Approach the journey as PART of your retreat pilgrimage.

★ I’ve never done this kind of work before:
Kate is an expert at supporting and guiding diverse groups of people through 30 years of retreat
work since her mid 20’s. She combines her practical energy and vast life and business savvy
with down-to-earth tools and techniques that simply work. While you can expect deep
transformational work, you can also rest assured it’s not too wild and woo-woo. Kate operates
between the space of grounded energy and spiritual insight. There will be a mix of alone and
group time so that while you get the connection needed to support your work, you also have
plenty of alone time to process it all and be still. You are in total charge of what you choose to participate in!

★ What if I book and have to cancel?
Please see the full cancellation policy above.

NOT SURE IF THIS RETREAT IS PERFECT FOR YOU?

IF YOU WISH TO CHAT WITH KATE BEFORE BOOKING PLEASE USE THE FORM BELOW
or mail her directly on kate@kate-emmerson.com