An Impromptu Athens Wellness Retreat Helped Me Redefine My Postpartum Identity

People often ask if my job means I travel a lot. Not weekly, but yes—usually quick trips to Paris or Venice to review hotels, always focused on gathering details, while trying to keep time away from my two young children minimal. At Cape Sounio, a work stop became something more personal.

Arriving tired through Athens airport, I reached a hotel within ancient archaeological grounds, overlooking the Temple of Poseidon. At the spa, Vicky Vlachonis, a wellness expert, osteopath, and author of The Body Doesn't Lie, asked me to set an intention. I panicked and said 'to reset.'

I was six months into a new role after maternity leave, three months past breastfeeding, and 18 months postpartum. My shoulders ached, my jaw was tight, and my mental load felt endless. Vlachonis guided a meditation that brought back childhood memories of building fairy castles on Australian beaches; I cried from release. I wrote intentions before bed and slept better than in two years.

Treatments included olive oil, a detoxifying scrub, a two-hour massage with abdominal and jaw work, wild greens and sea bream by the pool, then osteopathic and craniosacral therapy. Therapist Panos linked my right shoulder tension to the arm I carry my toddler in, adding that right-side shoulder pain can mean trapped anger or shouldering burdens.

That night, my lifelong best friend from Australia happened to be in Athens; we met at The Dolli's rooftop restaurant overlooking the Acropolis, sharing old jokes and a language from before marriages and babies. It was a treatment for my soul.

The next morning, I jumped into the sea, then joined former ballerina Elena Vakali for gentle somatic movement and breathwork, plus the five Tibetan rites and another visualization. The effect was calm and energized; I felt clear in my postpartum journey. My reset intention had truly landed—even my toenail looked better.