Evan Freed’s spiritual journey began a decade ago, not through self-interest or curiosity, but because of his mother’s ovarian cancer diagnosis.
“She started learning how to meditate and just took on spirituality,” he said. “She had done nothing of the sort before that point. So we saw her dive into this and my brother, my father and I all joined in.”
Her cancer diagnosis would prove fatal. Yet Freed said that the family’s meditation and togetherness during this time of adversity brought them closer together. It also laid the groundwork for a lifelong love of self-exploration.
These notions of affection and intimacy serve as the foundation of Freed’s business, The Family Journey.
“During COVID-19, my family went away on a retreat. We went away for the whole summer to Costa Rica to get away and do something fun and different,” he said. “That felt the closest that I had felt to what my family went through when my mom was passing away in connecting and bonding with my family. It was just incredible. I needed to bring this to people.”
The Family Journey bills itself as a transformational retreat for families that focuses on bonding, connection and radical self-care. Cultural immersion and deep self-growth experiences are included in separate, curated trips to Costa Rica, Mexico or Spain.
Each trip lasts one week. The cost per person is $4,500, which includes all accommodation, locally sourced food prepared by a private chef and activities for both children and adults. Each trip accommodates five families.
Freed, a Port Washington resident, recognizes the privilege he and many of his neighbors have in being able to live in such a community. Besides being aware, he said taking advantage of those opportunities that others may not have is important.
“We have the privilege to choose the direction that we want to live our lives and the people that we want to impact and how we want our family to live,” he said. “And by actually claiming that is insanely powerful and healing. It’s something that a lot of families don’t get to do in this world.”
Children can attend a nearby camp to learn to surf, horseback ride, play sports, hike and speak Spanish.
In the meantime, parents can meditate, hike and explore. Deep group discussions, breaking through growth edges while exploring hidden beaches and moving together through yoga, hiking, or fitness are all examples of this.
Freed said retreat attendees will leave with more self-love, patience and understanding of their partner’s and children’s desires.
“It’s like, what do I want? I want my kids to be happy,” he said. “But there’s so much stuff that life throws in between that happiness. As a parent, how do you help direct your child to figure that out and find their own way out? By healing all of your own trauma and not letting that get in the way.”
The Family Journey also hopes to provide the opportunity to learn about oneself and the world through service. Attendees will live and enjoy the locals’ lands while also spending time with them and serving their communities in whatever ways they need.
“Having my mom be so sick was a big, big push out of my comfort zone for our family,” said Freed. “I think it’s that. Being pushed out of your comfort zone, being in a different culture, different language, different place. Figuring it all out.”
If one is interested, they can visit www.familyjourney.co or contact evan@familyjourney.co for more information.
