The Reset Lab
Tulum
OCTOBER 23-27
2026
A sacred pause for frontline leaders and justice seekers who have been holding everything — and are ready to remember what it feels like to be held.
You didn't come this far by being fragile. But something in you is tired.
You are the one people call.
The one who shows up, figures it out, holds the line:
for your family,
your community,
your organization,
your cause,
for as long as you can remember.
And right now, the world is asking more of you than ever.
Maybe you're watching systems you believed in crack under the weight
of what they were never designed to hold.
Maybe the work of justice, healing, or care has started to feel less like a calling and more like a weight you can't put down.
Maybe you're in the middle of something... a career that no longer fits, a relationship that has run its course, a chapter closing before the next one has a name.
The uncertainty is exhausting in a way you can't fully explain to the people around you.
Or maybe you're simply full.
Full of grief that hasn't had anywhere to go.
Full of rage that has nowhere to land.
Full of information, images, urgency.
The non-stop noise of a world in polycrisis,
arriving in your body every single day,
and you with no good place to put any of it.
You are carrying something that was never meant to be carried alone.
And underneath the exhaustion, underneath the grief
and the fury and the quiet, persistent ache,
there is something else.
A sense that something in your life is asking to be rewritten,
and that you are the only one who can do the rewriting.
You don't need to escape the world.
You need spaciousness to pause long enough
to hear your higher self’s deepest wisdom and guidance.
You need a place to set it all down
and figure out what you want to pick back up.
I didn't just rest, I realigned.
I'm leaving more connected to my values and less apologetic about my boundaries.
Bonnie
What if the exhaustion isn't a sign that something is wrong with you, but a sign that something in you is ready to change?
The world you've been working to repair has real cracks in it,
...some of them generations old.
And in this moment, the structures you've been advocating toward are showing their limits more clearly than ever.
The Reset Lab is not a return to the way things were "before."
That world had its own set of challenges. We are not going back.
We're going toward something that hasn't fully been named yet: a way of living, leading, and being in community that is rooted in something deeper and wiser than our current systems
...a world many of us have been quietly midwifing in our work, our homes, and our relationships for a very long time.
The Reset Lab is for you if you're at that threshold and ready to step through.
It's where you get clear.
Where you transmute what you've been carrying...
the grief,
the rage,
the disillusionment
— into something clarifying and directional.
Where you find your role in the next chapter: not the one you've been assigned, or the one that looks good on paper, but the one that is actually yours, drawn from your specific lineage, your specific gifts, your specific moment in time.
I arrived on the brink of a major life transition, paralyzed by uncertainty. The Reset Lab didn't just offer rest — it gave me clarity, confidence, and the courage to embrace what's next.
Anissa
Here is what it feels like on the other side.
The noise that used to arrive in your body every day has somewhere to go now.
The grief you'd been carrying with nowhere to put it?
You set it down by the water, offered it to the fire, and the land took what it needed.
You stopped bracing. You didn't even notice the moment it happened; you just woke up one morning and your shoulders weren't up around your ears.
For the first time in longer than you can remember, you know the next step
...not because someone assigned it to you, but because it rose up from somewhere underneath the exhaustion and felt unmistakably like yours.
This is the difference
between a vacation and a reset. A vacation lets you forget.
A reset helps you remember.
“This was not only a valuable use of time and resources, it was a priceless, life-changing experience. A chance to learn the deepest truths about myself.”
Transformation + Purpose
“I arrived on the brink of a major life transition, paralyzed by uncertainty. The Reset Lab didn’t just offer rest, it gave me clarity, confidence, and the courage to embrace what’s next.”
“I’ve been in saunas and steam rooms before, but the temazcal was far beyond. I left feeling spiritually cleansed, cracked open, and whole.”
Ceremony + Healing
“The sacred ceremonies were profound. I released energy I didn’t know I was still carrying. I truly felt cleansed from the inside out.”
“Everything was intentional down to the cacao and the playlist. The group of women was powerful. I left feeling deeply seen and supported.”
Environment & Community
“August creates the kind of space where you feel instantly safe. From the questions before arrival to the ceremonies themselves, she’s attuned, grounded, and incredibly generous.”
“This retreat gave me something I didn’t even realize I’d lost, time. Time to breathe. To be. To listen to the birds, the earth, and myself.”
Rest & Reflection
“I didn’t just rest, I realigned. I’m leaving more connected to my values and less apologetic about my boundaries.”
“From chef-prepared meals to fireside conversations, every detail was curated with love. It was holistic, healing, and delicious.”
Care & Curation
“I’ve never felt so seen. Even with dietary restrictions, August made sure I was nourished and celebrated, body and spirit.”
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August M. Ball
Creator and Facilitator of
The Reset Lab and CEO of
Cream City Conservation
August M. Ball is the Founder of Cream City Conservation, Wisconsin's first Black-owned Certified B Corp, and a consultant, facilitator, and trainer working at the intersection of organizational development and environmental conservation.
Founded in Milwaukee and rooted in that community, Cream City Conservation partners with environmental organizations and outdoor education programs nationwide to build workforces that are diverse, skilled, and equipped to serve. August consults on hiring and retention strategy, and works directly with environmental and outdoor education staff as a facilitator and trainer, helping guides, educators, and program teams develop the cultural competency and facilitation grounding needed to do their work well.
After nine years of pro bono service to public lands, Cream City Conservation Corps sunset its programming in response to the shifting federal landscape. Cream City Conservation continues its stewardship commitment through 1% for the Planet membership and direct partnership with the Milwaukee Environmental Youth Collaborative.
With over 20 years of experience in youth program management, workforce development and a decade running her own firm, August has partnered with 100s of organizations including the U.S. Forest Service, the Wisconsin DNR, the Student Conservation Association, the YMCA, The American Conservation Experience, Alliance for the Climate Emergency and The Nature Conservancy and many more.
She has connected thousands of young people of the Global Majority to first-time employment, outdoor recreation, and meaningful service to the land.
August holds a BA in Sociology with a double minor in Race and Gender Studies along with graduate certificate in Community Education and a Masters in Nonprofit Management.
Her efforts to diversify the environmental industry and eliminate bias has earned her awards and recognition, including the YWCA Eliminating Racism Award, the United Way’s Philanthropic 5 Award, the Chicago Field Museum's Parker Gentry Award and the Wisconsin Association of Environmental Educators Eco Justice Award, to name a few. She also earned an appointment to Wisconsin Governor Tony Ever’s Climate Action Taskforce.
Though she now makes her home in the jungles of Quintana Roo, Mexico, August returns to the United States regularly and is available for engagements across the country. When she is not consulting or training, she hosts restorative retreats for burnt-out change-makers in Mexico and the Philippines. She speaks Visayan, Tagalog, and English fluently, and intermediate Spanish.
Whether she is teaching or traveling, she is always, in some form, a student of the world.
"Healing the world requires healing ourselves,
so we may truly hear and see one another
beyond the veil of our own wounding."
August M. Ball
The Reset lab includes:
4 Nights All-Inclusive Stay in an Eco-Luxury Villa with Private Pool
Daily Guided Rituals & Experiences to Support Nervous System Reset
Roundtrip Transportation from TQO Airport to the Villa &
In-Town Transportation
Personal Time in Nature, Massage Therapy and Somatic Movement
Daily Locally-sourced, Nourishing Plant Forward Meals by Concious Chefs Informed by Each Guest's Dietary Needs
Guided Preparation & Integration for Optional Plant Relative Ceremonies
*Medical Screening Required
flights not included
You Belong here if you..
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You are a changemaker, healer, justice seeker, or community leader who has been doing the work so long you've lost the thread back to yourself.
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You're in the middle of a transition, a career shift, a crossroads in your relationship, a health journey, or a chapter closing before the next one has a name...and you're ready to meet it with more than willpower and a to-do list.
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You feel the weight of a world in upheaval and you're ready to alchemize that energy into something that actually moves you forward.
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You sense you're being called toward something new, and you know clarity won't come from doing more — it will come from going deeper.
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You've always held space for others, and you're ready, finally, to be held.
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If your spirit is stirring, and you’re longing to catch your breath, come sit by the fire with me...
Only 8 Spots Available.
Space is Intentionally Limited to Protect Intimacy.
Frequently asked Questions:
What airport do I fly into?
Tulum Airport(TQO)-but you are welcome to fly into Cancun Airport (Cun). Though pick ups will only be from TQO and you will need to organize your own transport to the retreat site, TQO airport or the Tulum ADO Bus Terminal.
Are flights included?
No, flights are not included.
What can I expect after registration?
Registrants will have a 1:1 virtual meeting with August to ensure alignment with the experience and offer an opportunity to answer any additional questions or concerns the registrant may have. (Should the retreat not be the right fit at this time for the registrant, the $500 will be refunded.)
From there, the registrant will have a timeframe to submit their flight information to coordinate airport pickup/drop off and confirm dietary needs.
Everything else from arrival through departure is cared for by the host team. Should registrant/s wish to arrive early/stay later this can be supported with adequate notice during the 1:1 interview.
What if I have dietary restrictions?
While we strongly recommend adhering to a plant-forward, alcohol-free diet while at the retreat, we will accommodate any dietary restrictions/preferences. Please indicate in your registration form.
What is the refund/cancellation policy? (All sales are final.)
We put enormous care and resources into planning each retreat and many of our vendor commitments are made and paid months in advance. Because of this, we aren't able to offer refunds.
However, if something comes up, you may be able to transfer your spot to someone else who meets the eligibility requirements. Just get in touch and we'll walk you through it.
Why We Chose These Dates.
October 23-27th
The timing of this retreat is no accident. On October 23rd, the sun moves from Libra into Scorpio, and if you've ever felt something shift in the air as the calendar turns toward the end of October, that's exactly what you're noticing. Libra, the sign of balance, fairness, and collective harmony, gives way to Scorpio: the sign of deep transformation, honest reckoning, and release.
For people who spend their lives working toward a better world, this is a powerful threshold to cross together.
Scorpio season doesn't ask you to have it all figured out, it asks you to stop pretending you do.
The Full Moon falls on October 26th, right in the heart of our time together. The days leading into a Full Moon are among the most energetically charged of any month, emotions rise, things that have been quietly building finally come to the surface, and there's a natural call to reflect on the past and decide what you will take with you and what you will let go of before the new moon.
You'll arrive as the moon is swelling toward fullness, and we'll be sitting together — in the jungle, in ceremony — when she peaks. You don't need to speak the language of astrology to feel any of this. You just have to be willing to go a little deeper than usual. To relate to the land and the elements in a deeper way.
...And we believe, this is exactly why you're here.
Included in Your Retreat Package
As part of your Reset Lab experience, each guest will receive a personalized birth chart reading before arrival. This session is designed to help you enter the retreat with clarity, intention, and deeper self-awareness, so you can get the most out of your time in community and reflection.