Online Caregiver Retreat for
Brain Injury Caregivers:
Six weekly live sessions | Thursdays, January 21 - February 25, 2027 | 4 - 6 pm EST | Zoom
Online via Zoom | Sliding-scale tuition and scholarships
Nurturing our capacity to care
Caring for someone with a brain injury can be deeply meaningful—but it is often choiceless and emotionally exhausting. You don't have to navigate it alone.
Join a supportive community of caregivers for a six-week online retreat that blends compassionate caregiving practices, guided meditation, personal reflection, and meaningful conversation.
Together, you'll explore how to navigate difficult emotions, establish healthy boundaries, and care for yourself with the same compassion you offer others.
Great news! Our research shows that caregivers who attend the Retreat see meaningful improvements in social connection and their ability to cope with the stresses of caregiving.
*Data drawn from LoveYourBrain's FY26 program evaluations matched pre- and post-program assessments.
6 week curriculum
Vulnerability
Healthy Boundaries
Listening
Trusting your own goodness
Opening to your grief
Receiving while giving
Interactive Learning
Expert facilitators with lived experience
Guided meditations
Group discussion
Partner practice
Hands-on training
TUITION
To provide more equitable access, we offer trust-based sliding scale payment options and some scholarships, which you can apply for in your application.
$350 USD - Actual cost (pays for you)
$550 USD - Supporter (pays for you and supports another)
$700 USD - Sponsor (pays for you and another)
$200 USD - Partial scholarship
Full scholarship
Payment is non-refundable but if you have a conflict we can transfer your spot to a future retreat.
The Online Caregiver Retreat is right for you if:
Feel emotionally exhausted or overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities
Are struggling to balance your own needs with the needs of a loved one
Want practical tools for stress management and self-care
Feel isolated and would benefit from connecting with other caregivers
Are looking for a supportive, non-judgmental community
Care for someone with a traumatic brain injury, stroke, brain tumor, concussion, aneurysm, or other neurological condition
What caregivers have told us about the retreat
“I have learned so much about being a Caregiver. I feel more confident about taking care of myself along with my sister. I have walked away with tools that I have in my back pocket to aid me when times get tough. I no longer feel I am in the desert.”
Retreat Participant“I hadn’t realized I hadn’t actually grieved and knowing others are facing the same challenges showed I’m not alone.”
Retreat Participant“Over the 6 weeks I felt a shift in my mindset towards caregiving. The ‘I am enough’ one particularly stuck with me and continues to give me a lot of encouragement.”
Retreat Participant
Skills for Caregivers of
People with Brain Injury
Gain confidence in how to work through difficulty, deepen your trust in yourself, and cultivate more compassionate and fulfilling relationships.
Learn an effective frameworkfor negotiating boundaries to balance meeting your own needs and those of your loved one
Learn practical strategies to skillfully work with difficult emotions, grief, and limiting beliefs
Expand your listening skills through head, heart, and body to improve healthy and clear communication
Practice mindfulness and meditation techniques to manage stress and promote self-compassion
Connect witha powerful community of people whose lives have been transformed by caregiving
Build a trusted relationship with your Retreat Partner to validate and expand your perspective
Directly apply each week’s topic in daily life through journaling, home meditation practice, and 1:1 meetings with other retreat members
Let’s reflect, recharge, and learn together.
Adam Pearce, Co-founder, Executive Director, and caregiver
Who can attend the retreat
A retreat for adults serving in a caregiving or supportive role (e.g., spouse, partner, sibling, parent) for an individual with a brain injury, including concussion and other forms of TBI, stroke, tumor, hypoxia/anoxia.
If you’ve experienced a brain injury, we encourage you to attend our Community Retreats!
Six-week Curriculum
Based on Compassionate Caregiving Principles
Week 1: Vulnerability
Week2: Healthy Boundaries
Week 3: Listening
Week 4: Trusting your Goodness
Week 5: Opening to Your Grief
Week 6: Receiving while Giving
Caregiver Retreat Teaching Team
Karla Johnston is co-leader of Wise Caregiving, a non-profit dedicated to helping people become effective, sustainable, and empathetic caregivers. She is a certified mindfulness facilitator with a degree in counseling, passionately serving families and their loved ones in hospital, education, addiction/recovery, and incarcerated spaces for over 30 years. Karla is a TEDx speaker and a writer, ordained in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing. She is a Zen Peacemaker.
Dr. Kyla Pearce is a nationally recognized yoga and mindfulness teacher for people with brain injury, their caregivers, and health professionals. For over 10 years, she has designed and facilitated retreats for caregivers of people with brain injury. Through her role as Senior Director of Programs and Research at LoveYourBrain, Kyla blends her expertise as a mindfulness teacher, caregiver, and researcher to develop and scale evidence-based holistic health programs for people with TBI and caregivers proven to increase resilience, quality of life, emotional regulation, cognition, and positive affect.
FAQ
What technology will I need to participate?
It is best if you have reliable internet, a device that connects to the internet and has a webcam. We will be hosting each session over Zoom, and we recommend you download the Zoom app to your device before the retreat begins.
What if I’ve already participated in a LYB Retreat or other program?
We’d love to have you again! While some content is similar, you’ll receive it in a new way based on where you are today in your caregiving journey. The group will also be different so you’ll make new friendships and gain unique insight from this cohort. We encourage you to join us again to deepen and expand your learnings!
If I am unable to make a session over the course of six weeks, can I still attend?
While we recommend all registered participants to attend every session, we understand that sometimes unexpected situations may arise that prevent you from joining us. We will record all sessions (for internal use only), and can share the recording of the session you missed if needed.
How long is each session? Will there be an opportunity for breaks?
Each session will be 2 hours in length, and will include guided meditations, and facilitated discussions. If at any moment you need to step away, please do, and join us when you are able to.
I am a caregiver of someone that does not have a brain injury - am I eligible to attend?
Our Caregiver Retreat is designed for adults (18+) who are serving in a caregiving role (e.g., spouse, partner, sibling, parent) for an individual with a brain injury, including concussion and other forms of TBI, stroke, tumor, hypoxia/anoxia. You also must be interested in participating in an interactive group setting and available to attend the entire event.
Will there be an opportunity to connect with participants throughout or after the program concludes?
Yes, pending permission from each participant, we will share ways to stay in touch at the conclusion of the retreat.
I have another question not answered here - who can I reach out to?
We’re always happy to help! Please email: retreats@loveyourbrain.com and we will get back to you within 1-2 business days.
“Expectations Kill Connection”
Hard-won advice on caregiving from Adam Pearce, Co-founder and Executive Director
“A teacher once shared with me, “expectations kill connection.”
Until I started really doing the work, I started to really see how this was true for me.”
-Adam Pearce