We offer Transition Lifeshops for veteran and soon-to-be-veteran women, and spouses of members of the military and RCMP community. With close to 100 women on waiting lists, each Lifeshop is led and facilitated by Sandra Perron. Each runs over two days and two nights at the Pepper Pod Retreat Centre and is packed with activities that create a safe space for participants to share their life experiences, challenges, hopes, ambitions and healing.

The participants are put through a series of exercises that will enable them to:

-Recognize how transitions challenge our sense of identity.
-Embrace transitions as a wonderful opportunity for growth.
-Remind participants why they chose to make the change.
-Learn to create mind-maps as a way forward to eliminate limiting beliefs.
-Identify and build a unique support system.
-Become vulnerable and connected to the other participants in the Lifeshop™.

The essential elements of this retreat was developed 50 years ago by Marcellin Perron in Dolbeau, Quebec. More than 5000 participants, both men and women, have attended the retreats which continue to be held to this day. The retreat uses neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) tools to tap into limiting beliefs, meta-programs, and to help identify stress triggers and patterns. It is an opportunity to connect with other participants at a very deep level, to develop profound friendships within only a few days, and to pull on resources that will enable participants to lean on one another through challenging transitions. Over the next year, Lifeshop facilitators will also travel out to other regions of the country and offer Lifeshops at the different military bases (e.g. Comox, Gagetown, Wainwright) to increase accessibility to our services.

The Lifeshops are part of the core programming at the Pepper Pod. In addition to this, we hold a number of other events including, retreat getwaways for Lifeshop graduates (“No Agenda Weekends”), networking events (cocktail evenings, Wonder Women Wednesdays, She-Shed sales events), skills and professional development training (coaching workshops, mind mapping workshops), and other networking events (seasonal parties, work parties) and more.

With 10-12 beds available, the Pepper Pod also offers 1-2 week stays for women veterans who need an immediate refuge, either due to burn-out or exhaustion, abusive relationships, or simply just to get through a tough time during their transition.

Having opened its doors in September 2021, the Pepper Pod will be celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Pepper Pod Gala “An Evening in the Forest”, on September 10, 2022 at the Canadian War Museum. More information and tickets are available at the Pepper Pod website.