Red Bird House Announces Stillness & Sisu: A Winter Retreat For The New Year
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BETHEL, NY — August 18, 2026 — Red Bird House, the intimate wellness retreat property nestled in the natural landscape of Bethel, New York, today announced Stillness & Sisu: A Winter Retreat for the New Year — a three-day women’s retreat taking place December 11–13, 2026, presented in partnership with Mind Body Spirit Network and Being Well Collective.
The retreat marks the first US appearance of Reetta Ranta, Finnish storyteller, coach, and creator of the Nordic Forest Rituals Oracle Deck, who will travel from Fiskars — Finland’s legendary artists’ village — to co-facilitate what promises to be one of the most distinctive wellness weekends of the season.
THE SPIRIT OF SISU COMES TO THE CATSKILLS
The retreat is rooted in a Finnish concept that has no direct translation in English: Sisu — the quiet, unshakeable courage that carries you through difficulty. Not loudly, not dramatically — but steadily, persistently, and with grace.
The concept was discovered firsthand by retreat leaders Sallie Fraenkel and Wendy Bosalavage during a journey to Finland earlier this year — foraging in ancient forests, plunging into the cold Baltic Sea after a wood-fired sauna, tasting zero-waste Nordic cuisine, and sitting with storytellers, biologists, and sauna experts who live this philosophy every single day.
“Finland captured our imagination with its breathtaking nature, extraordinary cuisine, and enchanting people. We can’t wait to bring a taste of what we experienced there to Red Bird House this December.
— Sallie Fraenkel and Wendy Bosalavage, wellness pioneers and retreat leaders.
Founders of Mind Body Spirit Network and Being Well Collective.
Red Bird House, built from the ground up by Fraenkel and Bosalavage is the home for this experience with its winter landscape, natural surroundings, and intimate scale which create the ideal conditions for the kind of deep stillness, contrast, and restoration that lie at the heart of the Finnish wellness tradition.
“Red Bird House exists to hold experiences that matter. Stillness & Sisu: A Finnish Inspired Retreat is exactly the kind of gathering we built this place for — intentional, immersive, and rooted in the healing power of nature.”
— Wendy Bosalavage, Founder, Being Well Collective
Principal & Co-Owner, Red Bird House
A ONCE-IN-A-SEASON EXPERIENCE
Reetta Ranta — storyteller, coach, and creator of the Nordic Forest Rituals Oracle Deck — brings to Red Bird House a body of work that lives at the intersection of ancient Finnish forest wisdom, mythology, and the healing power of nature. One of Finland’s most gifted keepers of living tradition, she is crossing the Atlantic for her first retreat co-facilitation in the United States.
Over three transformative days, guests will experience:
- Reetta Ranta live from Finland — guided oracle readings using the Nordic Forest Rituals Oracle Deck, drumming, fireside storytelling, and the living wisdom of the Finnish forest tradition
- The spirit of Sisu — an intimate exploration of Finnish grit, resilience, and inner fortitude through facilitated sessions and journaling
- Nature as teacher — time in the winter landscape of the Catskills, because the season has something to say if we slow down enough to listen
- Contrast & restoration — inspired by Finland’s tradition of heat and cold, effort and ease, darkness and extraordinary light — including access to Red Bird House’s infrared sauna, salt booth, Somadome, and outdoor hot tub on our “wellness level”
- Stillness & reflection — guided yoga, journaling, vision work, and spacious unstructured time to simply be
- Nordic-inspired nourishment — warming farm-to-table cuisine prepared by a local chef and farmer
- New year intention — leaving with a clear, grounded sense of what you are calling in and what you are releasing
“This is not a retreat about doing more. It is about discovering what happens when you finally stop — when you let the stillness of the season hold you, restore you, and prepare you for everything that comes next. You will leave not just rested, but ready.”
— Sallie Fraenkel, Mind Body Spirit Network
Principal & Co-Owner, Red Bird House
ABOUT REETTA RANTA
Reetta Ranta is a Finnish storyteller, coach, and creator of the Nordic Forest Rituals Oracle Deck — a body of work rooted in ancient Finnish forest wisdom, mythology, and the healing power of nature. She lives and creates in Fiskars, one of Finland’s most celebrated artists’ villages and a global destination for craft, design, and creative culture. Sisu & Stillness marks her first retreat co-facilitation in the United States.
ABOUT RED BIRD HOUSE
Red Bird House is an intimate retreat and wellness property in Bethel, New York — in the heart of the Catskills — designed to hold meaningful gatherings in a setting of natural beauty and intentional care. Wellness amenities include infrared sauna, salt booth, Somadome meditation pod, steam shower, hot tub, Peloton, and access to the surrounding winter landscape including walking trails and a private lake. Red Bird House partners with leading wellness practitioners and organizations to offer programming that nourishes body, mind, and spirit.
ABOUT MIND BODY SPIRIT NETWORK
Mind Body Spirit Network is a New York-based wellness events and programming organization dedicated to creating meaningful, immersive experiences at the intersection of wellness, community, and conscious living. MBSN brings together leading voices in wellness — practitioners, thought leaders, and innovators — to serve a community of women committed to living with greater intention, depth, and vitality.
ABOUT SALLIE FRAENKEL AND WENDY BOSALAVAGE
Sallie Fraenkel and Wendy Bosalavage are wellness pioneers, retreat leaders, and the co-founders of Mind Body Spirit Network. With decades of combined experience in wellness programming, retreat design, and community building, they are known for creating immersive experiences that foster deep connection, personal transformation, and lasting change. Sisu & Stillness is their latest collaboration — and their most personally inspired to date.
RETREAT DETAILS
Event: Stillness & Sisu: A Finnish-inspired Retreat
Dates: December 11–13, 2026
Location: Red Bird House, Bethel, New York
Capacity: Limited — intimate gathering
Investment: $1,495 to $1,795
Registration: redbirdhouseny.com/retreats
