Why Canceling a Retreat Might Be the Best Decision for Your Business

Highs and lows are an expected part of the journey for any business. No matter how established you are, or how successful you’ve been, something can always come up that forces you to take a step back.

Recently, my inbox served as a reminder of this reality. I received two very different messages from students in my Retreat Leader's Society coaching program. One woman had just sold the final spot in her upcoming retreat, which was an incredible milestone to have reached considering she had been struggling with declining registrations over the last few months. On the same day, another student emailed me to say that she’d made the difficult decision to cancel her February retreat in Mexico, both due to unexpected personal challenges and low enrolments. When viewed side-by-side, the obvious success in my first client’s story shines through. However, the second student’s decision to cancel is also a success in its own way.

As retreat leaders, it’s easy to equate success with a sold-out program. Anything less than this can cause feelings of inadequacy and disappointment to start creeping in; the idea of canceling altogether instantly makes us feel defeated. But the truth is, canceling a retreat doesn’t mean you’ve failed. In fact, in many cases canceling is the most strategic, responsible, and wise choice you could make for your business, your clients, and your own well-being. What makes the difference between a successful and unsuccessful outcome is not simply whether the retreat goes ahead; it’s whether you, as its leader, can understand when to go forward and when you need to step back.

Here are some reasons why canceling a retreat might be the right choice, setting you up for greater success in the long term.

1. When You Are Protecting Your Finances

The financial side of running a retreat is just as important as the transformational experience you offer. Running a retreat usually requires a significant financial investment, which always carries risks. Whether you’re dealing with vendor deposits or minimum spend requirements, the possibility of putting yourself under significant financial stress can be reason enough to reconsider going ahead with a retreat.

So, to avoid getting yourself into a situation where you’re running your retreat at a loss, it’s important to ensure you set specific financial goals right from the outset. Make sure you read and understand all your contracts so you know exactly what’s at risk, including any minimum spend requirements and the dates when your deposits become non-refundable. For example, if your deadline to commit is drawing near, and it looks like you'll have fewer registrants than expected, it may be best to put a pause on the retreat to avoid risking a larger financial loss later if the numbers don’t work out.

2. When the Timing Just Isn’t Right

As retreat leaders, we’re not immune to life’s challenges. Whether it’s stress, family crises, or overwhelming demands on your time, there are moments when the timing just isn’t right for you to hold space for others. If you’re not feeling at your best, physically or mentally, it can be extremely difficult to lead from a place of calm, presence, and clarity. Prioritizing your own well-being and mental health is essential, and a very good reason to take a step back from such an intense and heavily-involved leadership experience. Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

3. When External Circumstances Bring Change 

While we’re on the subject, sometimes the timing isn’t right for other reasons, too—external circumstances beyond your control. Maybe the time of year isn’t ideal, or your target audience isn’t in the right headspace to invest in a retreat. I typically recommend planning at least a year in advance for an international event, but even within that, external factors like holidays, major events, or global shifts can affect enrollment and interest. If the market conditions, the timing, or your personal life timeline aren’t right, it’s absolutely okay to hit pause and re-launch when the timing is better.

4. When Enrollment Is Too Low to Offer the Experience You've Promised

Your participants are trusting you with their time, energy, and resources, and they’re expecting a specific experience they’ve been promised. Depending on your goals or your promised outcomes, running a retreat with low numbers can also affect the energy, dynamics, and overall quality of the experience, which may leave both you and your guests feeling disappointed or underwhelmed. 

So if you’re getting deeper into the marketing period and enrollment is still lower than expected, to the extent that you may not be able to deliver on the promises you made, it might just be better to cancel and re-plan for a future date. 

5. When Your Vision Feels Misaligned

Finally, if the retreat you’re planning no longer feels aligned with your values, goals, or the direction of your business—for whatever reason—it’s a sure sign to reconsider. As you grow as a leader, your vision may evolve, and it’s essential to stay true to that. If something you’re putting out into the world feels off or forced, canceling might be a great way to reset, recalibrate, and ensure your next event reflects your true purpose and passion. Your future participants will benefit so much more as a result.

6. What Canceling Really Means

There are many valid reasons why you might need to rethink a retreat. The important thing to keep in mind is that canceling a retreat does not mean you’ve failed. It means you’re protecting your energy, your brand, and your participants’ experience. It shows you’re willing to make tough decisions that prioritize long-term success over short-term outcomes.

At the end of the day, we are all just humans who are learning and growing and doing our best. Being a successful retreat leader is not just about how many people you sign up, or how much revenue you’ve brought in. It’s about the intention, purpose, and quality of the experience you’re cultivating. Taking the opportunity to press pause and re-evaluate where needed is a powerful step forward that builds our capacity for a more meaningful and impactful career in retreat leadership.