Testimonials

Testimonials

Here’s what past participants had to say about Pink Pangea’s workshops and retreats:

“I came out of it a different person than I went in…[Jaclyn] made us linger in our discomfort long enough to compel us to make a change. In fact, she had to relinquish control in order for it to be a catalyst. That’s a mark of a great teacher.”

– Stephen Elliot (Read Stephen’s full review here.)

“I finally remembered what I really need, and who I really am.”

– Alex Pendleton, Barcelona Retreat

“The trip did everything for me. Planned by the amazing team behind Pink Pangea, I can officially say the trip changed my life for the better. I not only practiced my writing in ways that expanded my passion and skill, but I also made friends (and I’m talking friends, like soul sister shit) of all different ages from all over the world that after seven days I can consider some of the greatest people I’ve ever met.”

– Kathryn Cardin, Costa Rica Retreat

“There was just so much in one week–Talia Sutra’s amazing and energetic yoga classes and the interesting and sometimes emotional writing exercises  with Jaclyn. I learned so much! The local food, the beautiful villa and surroundings…. and of course the amazing people. Thank you for organizing such a wonderful week!”

– Maud Buijsman, Tuscany Retreat

“I met wonderful writers and had the chance to share stories with strangers who later became friends. By minimizing distractions and removing myself from my day-to-day schedule, I found that the creativity flowed.”

– Bobbie Traut, Swiss Alps Retreat

“I learned that if I continue to write daily and with determination becoming a travel writer is not so far fetched.”

– Michelle Atwell, Venice Retreat

“The Pink Pangea Travel Writing Intensive Course was a catalyst into a whole new world of writing possibilities for me. Before taking the course, I wrote for myself and to keep up with family and friends while overseas but never believed I could be published or write for a wider audience. Over the course of two weeks, under Jaclyn’s guidance, I found new direction for my writing and tackled topics that I haven’t been able to put down on paper until now. I shared my work and became part of a community of writers, whose feedback was invaluable to me. I dove into my fears and created new dreams for what I might do with my writing in the future. I cannot recommend this course highly enough. I’m already sad that it’s over.”

– Katie Kindle, Travel Writing Intensive

“Participating in an online workshop with Jaclyn Mishal, is the next best thing to being on a retreat in some exotic location with her. Sitting comfortably in my study wearing pajamas and slippers, I felt that I was almost in the same room with her, enjoying her challenging writing prompts and exercises.”

— Naomi Baum, Going Deeper Writing Workshop (Read Naomi’s full review here)

“The Fearless Living Workshop was so rejuvenating and clarifying. Thank you for the safe space and enlightenment!”

– Kelly Thiede, Fearless Living Workshop

“I signed up for the Fearless Living Writing Workshop to dip my toe into what Pink Pangea was offering and to see what I could learn from it. Working through the exercises alongside my fellow attendees and Jaclyn was an amazing experience. I dove head first into volunteering to share my answers with the class when prompted and felt a real connection to everyone there, the truth is we all have fears about things and the cool thing about exploring those big fears is what we can learn from them. Experiences, especially those that take us out of our comfort zone, teach us so much as long as we’re able to pay attention and glean the aspects that serve us best so we can move forward as better people and better writers. Thanks for doing this awesome workshop, Pink Pangea!”

– Christine Forde, Fearless Living Workshop

“We’d discovered the joy of finding people in the same boat as ourselves, as well as the pleasure of sharing our stories in a supportive environment. Above all, I had taken inspiration from this now familiar group of strangers, who shared my love of exploring and writing, and had grown in confidence before my eyes.”

Sara Chardin, Venice Retreat (Read Sara’s full review here)

“The workshop provided a safe and inspiring space to think about my own writing, and hear from other travelers and writers. I came away with some concrete tools, and an idea or two for future pieces!”

– Rachel Romesburg Rice,  Travel Writing Workshop

“How can we enable others to relive our thrilling travel experiences through writing? No easy task. Energy and encouragement from a community of women writers made this workshop a great one. Looking forward to the next workshop in a new locale!”

– Larissa Shulman, Travel Writing Workshop

“The first day is amazing. I am blown away by the talent of all of us. It’s so empowering and encouraging. I am in writing heaven. Another wonderful tribe to connect with makes my heart swell with happiness and joy. What an incredibly humbling experience.”

-Thia Beene, Costa Rica Retreat (Read Thia’s full review here)

“I love traveling. And I love writing. So when a friend told me about the Pink Pangea travel writing workshop, I went right away. And it opened a new sphere of writing for me.”

– Britta Kollberg,  Travel Writing Workshop

“Towards the end of sharing my story about my mother, I burst out in tears of joy and sadness. I could not believe that I had written words that possessed such raw emotion.It was incredible.  I have transferred so much of what I learned in Costa Rica into my daily life, enough to conquer the world with all I can offer. I just needed the right opportunity to discover my fearlessness.”

— Sophia Hyder, Costa Rica Retreat (Read Sophia’s full review here)

“Thank you for last night. My ‘oh shit moment’ was when I sat down and realized it wasn’t going to be a lecture. It NEVER occurred to me I was going there to write. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

– J.W., Travel Writing Workshop

“The Pink Pangea Travel Writing Workshop had me online until 3:00am several times last week, searching for flight deals! I was so inspired by the writing prompts and hearing other students share their experiences that I can’t wait to take another trip. But this time, I’ll be armed with some of the tips and tricks I learned about what it takes to be a great writer and how to get published.”

– April Hope, Travel Writing Workshop

“The Fearless Living workshop came to me at just the right moment. I had been struggling to write about certain fears that have recently entered my life, but the support and encouragement I received when prompted to put the words on the page allowed me to write honestly about my fears for the first time. Pink Pangea has created such a wonderful community for women writers, and it showed in this workshop. It was a powerful, heart-opening experience.”

– Ariela Rossberg, Fearless Living Workshop

“Thanks to Jaclyn for the awesome Fearless Living Webinar on Monday evening! It was wonderful to hear stories related to travel, writing, and our favorite enemy, self-doubt. So nice to be in the company of fearless women!”

– Anne Castagnaro, Fearless Living Workshop

“This retreat taught me to be confident about my writing; it taught me that if these 11 brilliant women were interested in what I had to say, other people might be as well.”

— Elayne Sanchez, Venice Retreat  (Read Elayne’s full review here)

“When I stumbled across the advertisement for Pink Pangea’s Travel Writing retreat in Venice, I knew immediately that this was the adventure and motivation I needed to jumpstart my writing practice. I had no way of anticipating how those few days would go beyond my expectations and impact me as a person. Jackie’s workshops not only challenged me to actually put pen to paper and create, but pushed me to explore myself, my goals, and my drive. I’m producing content I feel good about more regularly than I have in years and feeling more secure in who I am and where I’m going. The women I met on the retreat were so talented and inspiring – I love keeping in touch with them and seeing what they’re pursuing after our shared retreat experiences. I recommend the Pink Pangea travel writing retreat to any woman of any age who has a penchant for exploration and a willingness to try something new!”

-Morgan Fletcher, Venice Retreat

“Each woman in the room where we met each day described a physical and/or metaphysical trait that she saw as a fault or drawback about herself. Yet, as I found myself looking around that quaint room, I realized I was looking at works of art creating works of art.”

— Barbara Lord,  Barcelona Retreat  (Read Barbara’s full review here)

“Aside from falling absolutely in love with Venice, I appreciated meeting every woman in my group. We were all so different, coming from very different backgrounds and places, but we all shared our love of writing and traveling in common.”

— Elayne Sanchez, Venice Retreat

“After over a year of crippling writer’s block, impostor syndrome, and self-doubt, I’ve begun writing again. This was not a battle easily won, and every day is a new challenge. Last week I reached for my map, and found inspiration in Pink Pangea’s wonderful community of creatives.”

— Ariela Rossberg, Unleash Your Creativity (Read Ariela’s full review here)

“The blank page stares at me with curiosity. I glare back uneasily. Jaclyn begins the workshop and my doubts begin to dwindle. Her teaching style calm and assured, she graciously guides us through the exercises.”

— Jazmine Sangalang, Costa Rica Retreat (Read Jazmine’s full review here)

“If I can say anything about our writing course leader Jaclyn, she is an amazing facilitator. Not only did she encourage every single person from day one, but she discovered how to nurture our creativity and confidence.”

— Liz Sundin, Venice Retreat  (Read Liz’s full review here)

“The only reason I submitted an article and was accepted was because I went to the travel writing retreat in Venice and gained the confidence needed as a writer to think my writing was good enough to submit to a major online publication.”

— Shannon Whaley, Venice Retreat

“For my favorite prompt, we were asked to write a review of our unwritten memoirs, the best review we could possibly imagine from a reader. I smiled as I typed out the review that I’d like to get some day: ‘I felt like this was written about me. Every scene reminded me of something I’d experienced. Reading it made me feel like I can have hope, and like I’m not alone.'”

— Ilana Marcus, Memoir Workshop (Read Ilana’s full review here)

“Such an amazing and useful workshop from Pink Pangea – thank you for helping get the creative juices flowing again!

— Alana Simpson, Expressed Online Writing Workshop

“After finishing the workshop, I felt a sense of purpose and drive, as I knew the immediate steps I had to take to make my blog successful. A week later, that feeling has not faded in the slightest.”

— Sydney Paulsen, Amp Up Your Blog & Website Workshop (Read Sydney’s full review here)

“Hearing a whole group of women share their individual writing pieces has been really inspiring. It’s taught me that everyone has a story to share and it’s important that we have the courage and confidence in our own abilities to share it, because the world really needs to hear women’s stories.”

–Lauren Salisbury, Costa Rica Retreat (Watch Lauren’s full review here)

“It was passion. I was angry and the dents in my notebook where I pressed my pen so strongly showed it. The women around me understood in their own way and let me have that anger and transform it into a story that allowed me some closure.”

— Anna Lasker, Costa Rica Retreat (Read Anna’s full review here)

” The workshops helped me find my voice.  I went zip lining and rafting this week, two things I thought I would never do, and now I’m hooked.”

— Jazzmine Sangalang, Costa Rica Retreat  (Watch the full review here)

Our facilitator Jaclyn, one of the founders of Pink Pangea, managed to pull some amazing writing from each of us, I believe we all left Venice feeling as though we had reached a new depth in our ability to build a story from the ground up.”

— Anna Gretta, Venice Retreat (Read Anna’s full review here)

“The next two days were wonderfully intense: doing workshops, analyzing travel articles from online magazines, and discussing the business side of writing. We also took breaks to do stretches and breathing exercises. As the hours went on, we learned more about the group: our background, travels, writing and career goals, even our fears. It felt as if we’d spent more than a weekend together and it was hard to leave. At the same time, I was eager to apply what I’d learned to my writing routine.”

— Pola Henderson, Travel Writing Retreat in Connecticut (Read Pola’s full review here)

“I do yoga, a practice that I use to establish a connection between my mind and my body. Poses and breathing exercises help relax the muscles so that, as the body tension releases, the mind can trail back to a more peaceful state. This workshop was kind of a yoga practice for the creative brain.”

— Silvia Solis, Online Clarity Workshop (Read Silvia’s full review here)

“I am inspired. I am ready to write. Now, I have stories to tell. I really recommend writing retreats to all writers and most of all to those who are just beginning.”

— Carol Kubota, Costa Rica Retreat (Read Carol’s full review here)

“As I am on this intense but fulfilling journey of self-discovery, finding my soul’s purpose in life has led me to travel writing, as I am a life-long travel enthusiast. Fortunately, this journey has also led me to Pink Pangea. When I saw the information for the workshop titled “A Woman’s Worth”, I instantly knew I had to register.”

— Jen Lucas, A Woman’s Worth Writing Workshop (Read Jen’s full review here)

“This workshop helped me and lit an inner flame, especially as a writer whose passion lies in writing memoirs. Not only did I call both of my grandmothers after this workshop to ask them about life in their 20s, but I took an honest look at myself as my 20s are shortly coming to an end. Have I done enough, have I made my imprint on the world as a woman writer? Are there more stories I have to tell? Thank you, Pink Pangea, for another eye (and heart) opening writing workshop.”

— Raquel Reyes, A Woman’s Worth Writing Workshop &  Pink Pangea’s Writing Retreat in Venice, Italy

–– Lana, Writer’s Retreat in Tel Aviv

“And just like that, things I’d struggled to articulate started to flow out of me. Each day I wrote with these women, alongside them. I realized we were all holding each other up. We weren’t just sharing stories on the page; we were gifting each other pockets of our past.”

— Leonora Barton, Writer’s Retreat in Tel Aviv. Read Leonora’s full review here. 

–– Ann Kelly, Writer’s Retreat in Barcelona. Read Ann’s full review here. 

“We were a room full of women, mostly from the US, ranging from our 20s to our 60s, as diverse as can be. Different life choices, career paths and dispositions were represented. But that week in Barcelona, I really understood how universal the experience of being a woman is. The fears that plagued me at 26 were the same fears that plagued the nurse from the Midwest in her 40s.

Our experiences, while each unique, really showed that living is a team sport. We all love. We all hate. We all hurt. We each feel our feelings in our own way, but sharing them women who quickly became friends and a support system was extraordinary and eye opening. You don’t need years to forge friendships and solidify a bond.

The talent in the room was phenomenal. From funny anecdotes (me), to beautiful poetry, to true heartbreaking admissions of guilt and grief, the participants’ writing was amazing. But the openness of these women with each other was where the retreat’s real power lay.”

— Anna Lasker, writer’s retreat in Barcelona and Costa Rica. Read Anna’s full review here.

“The experience of being involved in a community of like-minded women is also invaluable to me, and Pink Pangea provides this. When I’m out traveling it’s nice to have a reference point to return to. Pink Pangea was that for me, and continues to be. I am so grateful to have had the experience of writing for Pink Pangea thus far, and being part of a female traveling community who share the same interests.”

— Stacy Dixon, Pink Pangea Writer. Read Stacy’s full review here.

“I don’t know why I was there if I was expecting people to tear each other apart, like in graduate school colloquiums or conferences, but I frankly didn’t know that sharing writing could be such a goddamn pleasant experience. We weren’t there to criticize–we were there to get inspired, to practice storytelling techniques, and to develop our writing voice, all while enjoying the breathtaking Mediterranean and channeling our inner Muses in their own birthplace. In between workshops, we explored the island and floated in the sea. Self-care: big, whopping check….”

— Julie A, Writer’s Retreat in Rhodes, Greece. Read Julie’s full review here.

“Thanks to the time in Greece, I gained confidence to tackle upcoming projects, even the most daring ones. I won’t let another eight years go by before I join another retreat – they keep my skills fresh, help me define writing goals, and are SO MUCH FUN”

– Pola Henderson, Writer’s Retreat in Rhodes, Greece

“We all had things to say, to write about, and felt safe to do so. We were led with ease and felt safe to open up and share our true selves. I usually keep things hidden, a secret just for me. Nice to feel okay to share. To give myself permission. And I’m proud of what I wrote. That was the best part.” 

– Sheila Kamuda, Writer’s Retreat in Rhodes, Greece. Read Sheila’s full review here. 

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To speak with past participants or receive additional testimonials contact [email protected].  We can’t wait to meet you!