Today we’d like to introduce you to Peaceful Waters Retreat
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 1979, Bob and Trish met in a spiritual community on the east coast. All our lives since they were young, they’d both had a deep desire to give their lives over to serving a higher purpose. In Bob’s teen years, he’d even considered leaving home to become a monk! Over the years they’ve shared a consistent commitment to personal growth and a desire to return to a deeper relationship with the natural world.
In 2021 they bought 53 acres of land outside Austin and the vision began to form for a family-run regenerative farm and solar powered eco-retreat center, built from energy efficient earth block materials that are designed to stand for generations. It’s a place where people can retreat from their busy lives and come together to heal, learn, grow, celebrate, and remember their place in nature.
Peaceful Waters is family owned and operated. Son & daughter Robert and Thérèse handle the back-end operations, marketing, and sales, while cousin Andy came all the way out from Idaho to live onsite and be our Ranch Manager.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Holy cow, what hasn’t been challenging to overcome?! Learning how to run and manage a 53 acre farm, challenges with construction timelines and contractor disputes, barn fires burning our cute old 60 year barn to the ground, resolving conflicts between staff members…
Chinese Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “Accept difficulties as an opportunity. This is the surest way to end up with no difficulties at all” – and we agree!
We’ve done our best to keep our heads down and hearts open, and to keep moving forward as a family to realize the vision of Peaceful Waters.
We’d like to thank our amazing and indispensable ranch staff Andy, Jas, and Isaiah and our son and daughter Robert and Therese, who support the marketing and operations for the retreat center. We couldn’t have done this without the Peaceful Waters family coming together as a team.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our family has been blessed to gather multiple times every year for holidays, birthdays, weddings, and other special events. It’s woven into the fabric of who we are.
We know that guests come to Peaceful Waters for the stunning 53-acre natural setting, modern accommodations, and thoughtful amenities – but ultimately, all of that is in service to what truly matters: the time they share and the memories they create.
Maybe that sounds a little Hallmark-y, but honestly, it’s true.
We do our absolute best to provide top-notch hospitality and support so our guests can enjoy an unforgettable stay together.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Some of our most difficult moments have come from disagreements and disputes between critical members of our team. Resolving them hasn’t always been easy or pretty, and we’ve had to make some difficult choices along the way.
One thing that would have saved everyone a ton of grief would have been to ensure we had crystal clear agreements in place, and almost more importantly, to make sure we discussed them promptly when deviations began to occur.
It is 100% possible to be direct and hold boundaries, but also be compassionate. For many people including ourselves though, it sure takes practice to learn to do it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.peacefulwatersretreat.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacefulwatersretreat
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peacefulwatersretreat
