The Comeback

A queer retreat in Sedona

January 9 - 13 2027

Come back to your senses.
Come back to nature.
Come back to community.
Come back to play.
Come back to yourself.

Come back to life.

I'm already in!

It’s time to come home, babe.

The new year is the perfect moment to set the tone for your next chapter. To decide how you want to feel in the life you're living.

Not just what you want to accomplish, but what you want more of: connection, nature, play, pleasure, and feeling fully alive.

The Comeback is five days in Sedona to reconnect with yourself, the natural world, and other queer people.

We'll hike, explore, share good food, have real conversations, laugh, rest, and make room for whatever comes alive when we step outside our usual routines.

This isn’t another healing container.

You're not coming here because you're broken.

We're not going to spend five days analyzing your childhood or trying to fix every part of your life.

There will be depth. There will be honest conversations. There will be moments that move you.

But there will also be hiking, cold water, ridiculous conversations, good food, massages, games, fires, stars, and a lot of laughing.

The point isn't to become someone new.

It's to come back to the person who's already in there.

The energy

Fun. Sacred. Irreverent. Real.

Not serious but not shallow either.

This is the kind of space where something meaningful can happen in the middle of laughing your ass off.

I'll be there as your host and guide, holding the container, leading the experiences, and paying attention to what the group needs.

And Osito will be there too.

He's very good at his job - energy worker.

The journey

SUNDAY: ARRIVE

You land. The house is gorgeous. Just around golden hour and the light is divine.

Drop your bags and pour something delicious. Step outside and let the red rocks remind you that your problems are very, very small.

A chef prepared dinner is waiting for you. You didn't have to do a thing. That's the whole point. We sit together around the table for the first time. We open the container and we land together.

MONDAY: THE LAND

Coffee. Morning circle, movement and breath. Then we go to Oak Creek. Bare feet in cold water. The kind of reset that no amount of therapy can replicate. We hike. We plunge.

We let the land perform it’s alchemy.

Back to the house. Lunch. Rest. Then the massage therapist arrives. Bodywork because you deserve to be taken care of from every angle.

Evening circle. Dinner and stargazing. The real conversations start happening, the ones you didn't plan to have.

TUESDAY: THE VORTEX

We start slow. Morning circle. Breakfast. Then we go into the vortexes. If you've never experienced Sedona's energy on the land with intention, prepare yourself.

This isn't sightseeing. This is an activation. Our guide knows these lands intimately. She will take us on a meditative journey that tourists never get.

Back to the house. Rest. More massage time.

Evening, we go out for dinner. The whole crew. Good food, good laughs, real conversation. The kind of night that reminds you being alive is actually a privilege.

WEDNESDAY: THE DEPTH

We'll spend some time going deeper together with a Heart Circle and guided breath journey.

Afternoon - Lunch out together. A beautiful Sedona afternoon.

Come back to the house for an expertly guided sound journey that brings it all home. We rest, chill out… Then dinner, the fire, the stars and a perfect closing ceremony.

THURSDAY: THE COMEBACK

Morning coffee, our closing circle and breakfast together before our sweet goodbyes.

And then you head back into your life carrying whatever came alive while you were here.

This is for you if:

  • You want to spend a few days somewhere beautiful and actually be there.

  • You've been craving more nature, connection, play, or real conversation.

  • You're ready for something that feels alive rather than another self-improvement project.

  • You want to meet other queer people in a space where you can relax and be yourself.

  • You feel like it's time to come back to some part of yourself you've been missing.

You don't have to arrive with a problem to solve, you can just want the experience.

Schedule your application call

What’s included:

  • 4 nights lodging in a stunning private Sedona house

  • Chef prepared arrival dinner plus 4 additional chef meals - Daily breakfast and lunch

  • One group dinner out on the town

  • One group lunch out

  • Vortex tour and meditation journey with expert guide

  • Immersive sound journey with a potent channeler

  • Massage by in-house therapist

  • Surprise goodies

  • Virtual group connection call 1 week prior and group integration call 2 weeks after

  • All facilitated experiences with me - morning circles, coaching, heart circle, breathwork

  • Time on Sedona's land - Oak Creek, red rocks, silence, movement

  • Stargazing and fire nights

  • My dog, Osito, the energy worker

    NOT INCLUDED:

  • Flights

  • Transportation to and from Sedona (On our call I’ll recommend the shuttle service from the Phoenix airport - they will drop you directly at the house.)

ROOMS + INVESTMENT

All spots include four nights lodging, all meals, all retreat experiences, excursions, massage, and gift bag.

Payment plans available. Spots are limited and claimed in the order deposits are received.‍ ‍

VORTEX - Master King Private room. King bed. Two vanity en suite bathroom. Fireplace nook. Deck access. Early bird: $3,900 | Regular: $4,100

PORTAL - Lower King Private room. King bed. En suite shower bathroom. Direct patio access. Early bird: $3,700 | Regular: $3,900

MESA - Upper King Private room. King bed. Shared bathroom. Early bird: $3,000 | Regular: $3,200

CANYON - Upper Queen Private room. Queen bed. Shared bathroom. Early bird: $2,800 | Regular: $3,000

RED ROCK - Lower Queen Private room. Queen bed. Shared bathroom. Early bird: $2,800 | Regular: $3,000

DESERT MOON - Lower Twin Shared room. Two twin beds. En suite shower bathroom. Direct patio access. Early bird: $2,400 per person | Regular: $2,600 per person

OAK CREEK - Upper Twin Shared room. Two twin beds. Shared bathroom. Shared patio with master. Early bird: $2,200 per person | Regualr: $2,400 per person

The first three reservations receive early bird pricing of $200 off.

Payment plans available.

HOW TO JOIN

There are 9 spots available.

If you’re feeling this, let’s have a call and make sure it’s the right fit.

If it is - you’re in!

Schedule your call here

Testimonials from past retreats:

“Two months after our retreat, I've had the most amount of clarity that l've ever had in my life. There are habits that I never thought I would break that are broken. There are dreams that I never had the balls to dream that I'm actually living. God, things are fucking awesome!”

- Morgan R

“I'm not even sure how to put the power of this experience into words. This retreat came at an incredibly intense moment full of emotional life changes. I moved through things that I've carried with me nearly all of my adult life, with such grace and support from both Rio and my "new family". I literally feel like I can finally leave the shame and hurt behind me and truly have a fresh start.”

-Michael P

“Rio holds this work with a beautiful combination of experience, depth, and care. There’s a steadiness in how he leads. What stood out to me was how intentional, inclusive, and grounded the space was, while fully embracing the joy and complexity of being a gay man, with a sense of celebration woven throughout the experience alongside the deeper work. The container Rio created supported both individual reflection and a shared sense of brotherhood and deep connection rooted in our lived experiences as gay men. Every detail of the retreat was handled with thoughtfulness and respect, which made it easy to settle in and be fully present.”

-Jeff V

“This retreat honestly changed my life. To be in a space with other men who are also committed to getting uncomfortable, and supporting each other was profound. It was unlike any experience I have ever had in my healing journey, hands down. The energy that was shared was so sacred, profound, and something I didn’t realize I needed so much: Connection with other gay men! Connection that was rooted in deep sharing, vulnerability, and just pure joy. I felt my inner child playing with everyone else in this glorious gay metaphorical sand box so to speak. Alongside the playing, I also felt safe to confront some deep wounds that through the strength of our group I was able to build the capacity to heal. This was an investment in myself that completely changed the trajectory of my journey and I can’t recommend it enough.”

- Ryan C

Your host + guide

Hey. I'm Rio.

I'm a shame alchemist, a Sedona dweller, a Scorpio who loves go to the most real corners of a conversation with ease, a breathwork guide, and intuitive coach who leads with his gut.

I've been guiding folks back to themselves for 16 years. Not from a place of having it all figured out but from a place of having been through it.

Dark nights of the soul, bankruptcy, sexual shame, starting over. Moments of standing in the middle of my life not knowing who I was anymore.

All of it alchemized and turned into medicine.

All of it became part of the work.

What I love most is creating spaces where people can stop performing for a while and actually be themselves.

This retreat is an extension of that work but it's also bigger than the work.

It's being outside, laughing and sharing food.

It's having conversations you didn't expect to have.

It's Sedona and coming back to life.

I'll be holding the container, leading the circles, moving through the landscape with you, sitting by the fire, and making sure the experience is cared for from beginning to end.

And Osito will be there contributing his own brand of medicine.

FAQ’S

  • Yes. The January retreat is for queer people of all genders and identities.

    My previous retreats have primarily been for gay men, so I want to be clear that this one is intentionally broader. You might be a lesbian, a gay man, bi, trans, nonbinary, or identify somewhere else within the queer spectrum.

    What brings us together isn't having the same experience. It's having some shared understanding of what it means to move through the world as a queer person, while still having plenty of room to show up as the individual you are.

    The group will be small, intimate, and open to all genders.

  • Yes. You don't need any prior experience with retreats, breathwork, somatic work or any of it. You just need to be willing to show up honestly. Everything else I'll guide you through.

  • We'll be hiking and spending time outside, but this isn't an athletic retreat. We'll move at a pace that works for the group.

  • We'll have heart circles, movement, meditation, breathwork, guided experiences, time in nature, and plenty of space for conversation and reflection.

    The retreat has a structure, but it's not a fixed curriculum. I'll be paying attention and responding to what wants to emerge as we move through the experience together.

  • No. I'm not a therapist and this isn't therapy.

    This is an experiential retreat centered around connection, nature, embodiment, community, and coming back to life.

  • Mostly, yes. This is a sober-ish container - meaning alcohol isn't part of the experience at any point during the retreat including our dinners out.

    At the end of each day I will offer some CBD product for those who want them.

  • We'll have chef-prepared meals, communal breakfasts, and meals out together. Dietary needs and allergies can be accommodated.

  • Yes, payment plans are available. This can be discussed in our discovery call.

  • Due to the nature of planning and reservations, payments are non-refundable.

    If something comes up and you can't attend, your spot can be transferred to someone I approve.

Ready to come back to life?

Let's talk!