Vacations help you escape; retreats help you return home—to yourself. In this bonus episode, Erica and Rusty crack open the “medicine bag” from Becoming the Medicine with The Satsang Project in Costa Rica: jungle dawns, cacao ceremony, applied belonging, and the kind of community that asks, “How’s your practice this week?” Expect island humor, psychology you can actually use, and a love note to human-sized heroics.

What’s inside

• Why retreats ≠ vacations (one is escape, the other is relationship).

• The three pillars: Preparation, Presence, Continuation—and how to pack practices, not just photos.

• How to choose a trustworthy retreat (fit, rhythm, accessibility, substance-free clarity).

• Satsang’s secret sauce: immersion abroad + continuity at home (founder/director Charleen Stokes).

• Rusty’s “hot-or-cold” confession, Erica’s photographer’s eye, and the art of returning without shame.

The Aging Heroes Challenge:
Before you touch your phone tomorrow, take five slow breaths and sip your first drink with full attention. That’s it. Repeat if it feels good.

Perfect for anyone craving steadier mornings, kinder self-talk, and community that sticks around after the airport pickup.

Souvenir to keep: capacity—more breath in the body, more patience in the throat, more calm behind the eyes.

Explore Satsang retreats (destination + at-home): satsangproject.com/retreats

Hit play, take a breath, and start becoming the medicine—daily, imperfect, and very much alive.