27/09/2025
I saw the mean spirited post about this yesterday so pleased to see Chelsea Winter give this reply. Too much division and pulling down out there - no longer buying into all that.
Hello, New Zealand.
Many of you will have seen the recent article published online about my upcoming retreat, Nourish & Bloom. While I wasn’t initially planning to respond, I feel it’s important to speak - not from defensiveness, but from devotion to truth.
The article was under-researched, speculative, and in many places, simply inaccurate. The journalist contacted me beforehand for comment, but I declined as I could already feel the narrative had been shaped, and I chose not to participate in a version of the story that would likely be distorted.
Firstly I’d like to correct something: this retreat is not a "$10,000 experience". The twin-share option is $6,888 for three nights at one of New Zealand’s most prestigious luxury lodges, with all meals, accommodation, guided sessions, and world-class facilitators included - some of whom are flying in from overseas. If you were to book three nights at Flockhill privately, without the retreat inclusions, you’d actually pay more. I’ve worked very hard to reflect the depth and quality of the experience, while keeping it fair for what is offered.
Now, for those who don’t know me, here’s the unfiltered truth:
I’m the proud author of seven bestselling cookbooks, with number eight here soon. I’ve spent the past 13 years pouring my heart into nourishing this country - through food, stories, humour, and honesty. I’ve tested cookbooks with babies on my hip, run my business through heartbreaks, and continued to show up, because I believe in the goodness of what I share. And because I believe in women empowering women.
In recent years, I’ve begun sharing more of what happens behind the scenes - the inner work, the self-care, the personal evolution that sustains everything I do. It’s a path that’s taught me to find balance, and how to pour from a full cup even while raising two beautiful boys as a solo mum.
That journey is what inspired my next book, Nourish (a much-needed cooking resource to help kiwi families thrive) and my newest offering, Nourish & Bloom, a sacred retreat space for women. Everything I create now is made with deep care, purpose and intent.
To reduce me to an “influencer” marketing a generic luxury wellness trip solely for profit misses the point entirely. I am a woman who is creating in the golden phase of her life. Someone who works incredibly hard, not just professionally, but personally, to walk in truth, to live in integrity, and to help light the path for others.
This retreat is not a gimmick. It is the most heart-led offering I have ever created, and I know it’s the start of something big. A place for women to release what no longer serves, to remember who they are beneath it all, and to rise. It is potent. It is profound. For these women, it will be life-changing. And at the end of the day, it’s their experience, their transformation, and their truth that matters most.
There will be more retreats in future - some luxury, some more affordable - because all women deserve this kind of nourishment. The idea that I will only create for the "elite", as some kind of bizarre marketing strategy is simply untrue. If someone wants to connect with me, they can send me a message on social media - it costs nothing. That door has always been open.
So now, hear this: I will not be diminished, discredited or shamed. Not by clickbait. Not by outdated narratives. And certainly not by those who feel uncomfortable when women remember their power.
To my readers, my supporters, and the women walking this journey beside me: you know my heart. You’ve witnessed my journey. And you know I come from a place of truth, with only the highest intentions.
I am here for you.
With love, Chelsea
