An Intentional Travel Experience
Flourish With Heart: Oaxaca Edition was created to bring artists together for a meaningful experience rooted in creativity, cultural learning, and thoughtful travel.
Flourish with Heart began as a shared dream between two friends, both passionate about creativity, culture, and the beauty of personal growth. One is an artist who brings her vision to life through a thriving studio, the other a Latin Americanist and educator who leads a language school and a cultural center at a university.
What brought us together was a simple but powerful desire to create spaces where people can slow down, reconnect, and flourish. We believe that travel, art, and culture have the power to open hearts, awaken creativity, and spark transformation.
Our retreats are soulful journeys that weave together creativity, wellness, and cultural immersion. Each experience is crafted with care and intention, inviting you to explore the world and yourself in new, meaningful ways.
Every journey is an invitation to flourish with heart.
Meet Your Hosts:
Carina Olaru
Carina’s journey has always been guided by curiosity, connection, and a deep love for culture. Born and raised in Chicago and shaped by her bicultural roots, she has traveled to more than eleven countries, each one leaving its mark on her heart and perspective.
Before becoming the director of a university cultural center, Carina was a professor of Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American literature, sharing her passion for language and storytelling with students from around the world. Her belief in the power of language to open worlds and connect people inspired her to found Amada Language School, a space dedicated to meaningful learning and cultural exchange.
Having studied and led programs abroad in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia, Carina brings a wealth of experience and a heartfelt understanding of what it means to truly immerse yourself in another culture. Through Flourish with Heart, she invites others to experience that same sense of wonder, growth, and connection that travel has always given her.
Amanda Kennedy
After years of teaching in schools, Amanda began to imagine something different. A space where creativity could unfold slowly, where people could explore, dream, and play without pressure or perfection. A place where adults could rediscover art as a form of wellness and self-expression, not performance. Unable to find a place like that, she built it.
What started as a small studio has grown into a community that values depth over volume, relationships over transactions, and intentional experiences over trends. Over the past 15 years, Amanda's experienced the impactful and transformative power of process art. Through Flourish with Heart, Amanda continues to share her belief that creativity is a pathway to connection, healing, and growth.
Amanda brings this philosophy to Flourish With Heart by designing workshops that blend cultural learning with process-focused creativity, allowing participants to explore new ideas, reflect on experiences, and translate inspiration into their own artistic practice.
Flourish With Heart retreat experiences extend that philosophy beyond the studio, creating opportunities for artists to immerse themselves in new environments, learn from cultural traditions, and integrate those experiences into their own creative practice.
Our Local Partnerships
This retreat is made possible through collaboration with a local Oaxacan guide, Toni with Oaxacan Conmigo, who brings deep knowledge of the region’s history, culture, and artisan communities.
Together, we have intentionally curated experiences that allow participants to learn directly from local artists, families, and craftspeople who carry forward generations of artistic tradition.
By working closely with local experts, we aim to ensure that each experience is authentic, respectful, and supportive of the communities who welcome us.
Mission Statement
At Flourish with Heart, we create soulful retreats that blend art, culture, and wellness to help people reconnect with themselves and the world around them. Through intentional travel and creative exploration, we invite you to slow down, open your heart, and rediscover the joy of flourishing with heart.
Connection
We believe in the power of human connection — across cultures, languages, and experiences. Every journey is an opportunity to build bridges and deepen understanding.
Creativity
Art is at the heart of what we do. We see creativity as a pathway to healing, self-expression, and transformation.
Intention
We design every experience with care and purpose, creating space for reflection, growth, and genuine presence.
Cultural Respect
We honour the places and people we encounter, engaging with local communities in ways that are ethical, respectful, and mutually enriching.
Wonder
We celebrate beauty, curiosity, and the simple joy of discovery.
Wellness
We nurture the whole self — mind, body, and spirit — through experiences that restore balance and inspire renewal.
Why We Created This Experience
Creative Culture
Oaxaca is widely recognized as one of the most vibrant artistic and cultural regions in the world. Its traditions in textiles, pottery, wood carving, food, and community celebration are deeply rooted in history and continue to evolve through the work of contemporary artisans. After Carina's most recent travel there, she knew it needed to be shared in a meaningful way.
This retreat was designed to create space for artists to experience these traditions thoughtfully while also allowing time to reflect, create, and integrate what they learn into their own artistic journeys.
Our hope is that participants leave not only inspired by Oaxaca’s creative spirit, but also with a renewed sense of curiosity, connection, and creative possibility.
Thoughtful Curation
Every aspect of this retreat has been intentionally designed, from the artisans we visit to the creative workshops we share together. We have thoughtfully curated experiences with local guides, artists, and families who generously share their knowledge, traditions, and stories with us. Reciprocity is an important part of how we travel. The people who host us are respected as experts in their craft and culture, and their time, work, and hospitality are honored through fair compensation and genuine appreciation.
We keep the group small so that conversations remain meaningful, experiences remain personal, and we can move through Oaxaca with care and awareness of the communities we encounter. Traveling this way allows us to slow down, listen, and engage with humility, remembering that we are guests in a place with deep cultural roots and living traditions. Our hope is that participants leave not only inspired creatively, but also with a deeper respect for the people and cultures that make Oaxaca such a vibrant and extraordinary place.
Intentional Process
Experiencing a place as rich as Oaxaca can be deeply inspiring, and sometimes overwhelming in the best way. Throughout the retreat we intentionally create space to pause, reflect, and integrate what we are learning through guided process art sessions. These workshops are not about replicating traditional crafts, but about responding creatively to what we see, feel, and experience. Process art allows participants to explore their own voice while honoring the cultural traditions that inspire us.
Join us in Oaxaca
If this experience resonates with you, we invite you to take the next step.
Spots are intentionally limited to preserve intimacy, care, and meaningful connection.
Travel with intention. Create with heart. Flourish from within.
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