Transforming Lives One Meal, One Step, One Breathe, One Day at a Time.

Wellness does not occur overnight.  It is a process, a daily practice.  Are you ready to embark on your own adventure - exploring and discovering the right blend of essential ingredients to create the nourishing and delightful life that you deserve?  The sooner you get started, the sooner you will start supporting your body and mind's ability to balance and maintain itself for optimal health and happiness!

Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams!
Live the Life You’ve Imagined.
As you Simplify Your Life, the Universe will be Simpler.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Get-Togethers & Retreats

The Women's Wellness Adventures offer greener-living field trips, natural health workshops, outdoor programs and women's wellness adventures and retreats that support personal and planetary health and happiness. Individuals will gain a deeper understanding of how their personal health and sustainability is connected to that of our planet's and how we, as a a community, can help each other grow stronger, healthier and more empowered.
The Women's Outdoor Wellness Retreats are by far our team's favorites, as they encompass all that The Institute stands for and includes elements of the G.R.O.W. curriculum with aspects of sustainable living, resiliency, exploring the outdoors and of course, wellness and nourishing our bodies, minds and souls through nature! See a list of upcoming retreats below.
"An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching."
~ Mahatma Gandhi

Online Courses

The Living Lean Lessons are the Institute's "signature" course consisting of a series of lessons that introduces individuals to the most effective methods for creating a way of eating and living that supports their individual metabolic and biological balance by eating right for their type, eliminating environmental pollutants and internal toxins and creating a healthy and supportive environment, freeing individuals from the burdens of toxic food, thoughts and feelings, helping participants become friends again with food and their bodies.

The "On Demand" course will be available in May 2018, with the next guided group program starts June 7, 2018.

Custom Courses

Are you intrigued by our mission but interested in a specific objective for yourself, your friends, family or colleagues?

Let us help you plan a private professionally-facilitated course or retreat. Our custom courses are open to teens, adults, and mix-gender groups. Based upon your needs, our custom courses are flexible, but will also fall within our mission to create a more sustainable world while building courage, confidence, and leadership through experiential education.


EatGreen Evolution
An Experiential & Online Course

The EatGreen Evolution is a 12-week course that explores the industrial food system through readings, lectures, group discussions, workshops, personal experiences and field trips.  In this course, students learn the ins and outs of what sustainable eating is all about and why it matters to both their health and the health of our communities and environment.

The next "guided group course" starts January 31, 2018 and an "On Demand" option will be available in March 2018.
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
~ Anais Nin

Women's Outdoor Wellness Retreats

We offer a variety of several Spring and Summer retreats and workshops; including a personal food freedom retreat, adventure weekends (climbing/hiking/bike touring) and sustainable living workshops and classes.

Winter Retreat to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Ontonagon, MI

Summer W.O.W. Retreat at Devil's Lake State Park
Baraboo, Wisconsin

Fall W.O.W. Retreat to
Giant City State Park
Makanda, Illinois

For those that don't live in the Chicago area, the Institute offers retreats and outdoor wellness adventures throughout the country, with most taking place in the Midwest. Sign up to receive our newsletter for event announcements and "Like" our Facebook page!


Workshops & Special Events

The Institute often offers workshops, webinars and special get-togethers throughout the year. We also like to highlight when other like-minded organizations are hosting an event of interest or offering an educational workshop. The best way to stay informed of those events is by doing any or all of the following:

It is By Acts and Not By Ideas (or intentions) that People Live - Anatole France
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