The Power of the Mermaid

One of the questions I get all the time is “What is a mermaid retreat, and what it your connection to mermaids?”

I thought I would share my story about it here on my Blog so that I could just refer folks to this article instead of explaining myself over an over again.

A few years ago, a dear friend of mine Maren, had just been declared cancer-free, after her difficult journey with breast cancer. She was an outdoor enthusiast, always on a run, hike or bike ride with her family or friends. Cancer limited her ability to embrace that during her journey and so once she got the ok from her doctor in the beginning of 2022 she set herself a big, inspiring goal — to run an utra-marathon in September of 2022 . She invited her friends to join her in support. And although I had never done a race longer than a 5K I decided to do the half marathon alongside her. And so in preparation, I started looking for races that I could do throughout the year to prepare myself.

The very first race that popped up? A Mermaid 5K in Spokane WA in May 2022. And I was like, “Seriously a Mermaid Run? I’m In!"

Now, I’m not much of a runner, but I love creativity, dressing up, and just having fun. So I called up Maren and told her about it and we both signed up. And of course we both went all in — I bought a gorgeous aqua and purple wig, and we both dressed up like mermaids. It was the perfect day for a run/walk and we had so much fun laughing and talking and walking. It was a pure delight! ✨

Mermaid Run 2022 Spokane WA- Here we are posing by the Spokane River.

And that’s when something magical happened. As I moved along the course, I felt a little spark inside me — my inner little mermaid, Maria, wake up. She’s that playful, joyful, curious part of me that loves to dance, create, and just be. That day, she said, “I’m here Kristi. Let’s do more of this kind of thing. Let’s walk more and play more and take better care of ourselves!"

Walking in the Rain as Maria- 2022

Maria was the one who first inspired me to create my first mermaid retreat last year. I had signed up for the Mermaid run in 2024 and I heard her very clearly tell me to invite others to join in the magic and play of the run. She said, “Why not combine the run with a retreat an invite some of your favorite people to come together and play, and dive within to discover their own little mermaid?” And so I did. My first in-person retreat was last year, with 20 incredible women joining us. We walked along the river, danced, played, and shared two days of pure joy and transformation.

Mermaid Retreat 2024

That’s why I’ve continued hosting these retreats — because of her, my little mermaid, reminding me that we each have a sparkling, playful part of ourselves waiting to swim freely.

This past weekend, I hosted my second in-person retreat, and the magic was just as deep.

2nd Annual Mermaid Retreat: “Mermaids Under the Moon.”

And now, I’m so excited to host my first-ever virtual mermaid retreat this coming Saturday — my first time going online, and I can’t wait to see the connection, joy, and sparkle flow!

What I love about Mermaids is that they are creative and magical beings. They live in water, flow with the currents, dive deep, and embody the divine feminine — gentle, intuitive, graceful, and strong. They remind us to move with life, not against it, to honor our emotions, and to embrace our depth while shining our light. When we tap into mermaid energy, we reconnect with our playful, creative, joyful selves, and allow our inner sparkle to shine.

That’s why I love hosting retreats. I love creating space for women to meet their inner mermaids, to reconnect with their playful, joyful, sparkling selves, and to remember the light, creativity, and magic that already lives within them. For me Maria is my younger self fully expressed. She reminds me to smile more, play more and invite others to do the same.

In a world that is filled with so much trauma and difficult circumstances, being able to access this joyful and spiritual part of myself is essential to my ability to move through the world with hope and resilience. I know that I am a divine daughter of God and that accessing my little Maria helps me remember who I am and that informs how I choose to move through the very challenging parts of my life with grace and resilience. She gives me the courage to step more into my authentic and divine self.

I hope that you can spend some time playing more in your life so that you can wake up and access more of your little self. Maybe she too is a mermaid, or not? I hope you take the time to start listening to find her and lean into her wisdom, light and sparkle.

✨ Who is your little mermaid? What does she want to say to you today?

XOXOXO

Coach Kristi aka Maria the Mermaid

Step into the Joy and Sparkle of Your Younger Self