Letters from the Founder

November 10, 2025

Created with zero AI. It is not perfect. Written by a mother and founder of a one-woman startup, who had three cups of coffee by 8:30 am on a Monday.

How can we talk about group travel for women at a time like this?

 Here’s why.

The ‘x’ we solve for is not profit. The ‘x’ we solve for is social wellness. Social Wellness is the #1 influential factor on living better and living longer.

I believe to have a good business, you must first– do. good.  Anything less is just a shallow cash grab.

The Self Care Travel Club™ was created honestly by an observation I had and an energy I was feeling. More and more articles that popped up were about women and burnout and digital isolation.

I couldn't just stand by.  Having a couple degrees (albeit, dusty) that pertain to the subject, I  knew the research existed. I knew that with tenacity I could create something that addressed the factors in play regarding loneliness and burnout. I also knew there were more factors involved emotionally for women than the research quantified. And here is how it went:

I  created an industry-disrupting pricing model and business plan and entered a business plan competition sponsored by a tech incubator.  You could say it quickly became an obsession with the mantra “not on my watch, sister” etched on my mind.  Women needed this to be created and I was the woman called to do so. I learned everything I needed to learn about writing business plans from library books.  

I did it scared.

 I did it feeling like a fake.

 I did it anyway.

My business plan made it all the way to the finals. *Cue the tears*. I knew I was on to something when techpreneurs and leading tourism and energy experts were incredibly interested in investing in human capital through science. Yes, the data all lined up but there was more to the story.  The fact is that on a human level, this was something that felt really good, and human beings are an altruistic species.  We want to do good and we want to feel good. 

The Self Care Travel Club is the only one on the market today that reverse engineered the outcome for social wellness as a holistic construct.  

I took into account the leading research from Harvard, UCLA, University of Illinois, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard Business School among many, many others.  Clear as day they identified the factors that have the most lasting impact on social wellness. This gave me the key ingredients. 

Now, it’s important to mention, I am not brazen enough to think that I can solve the loneliness epidemic or burnout, for that matter.  I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice.  Seek help. Cool kids go to therapy.

I do, however, know that small hinges swing big doors.  

Wellness travel is about to take over the marketplace and we will be marketed every life-enhancing treatment and retreat known to humankind.  I fully support and encourage this movement and…. I also dare to question the status quo and to say the unspoken. 

As a society, we are all so digitally connected 24/7 and aware of worldwide events at the click of a button. Pop-ups jump out at us on our computer and notification bars and headlines roll across the bottom of our screens uninvited. 

We hear of tragedies and heartbreaking events globally every few minutes.

It is not therefore enough for us as a company to exclusively offer luxury price goods to an affluent customer base.  

It is not enough to be okay with one c-suite executive to be rejuvenated with the latest resort offerings and med spa advancements.  

It is becoming clear that what was once coveted ‘excess or exclusivity’ sold as luxury, now seems to fall short and feel empty to the modern consumer.  

If I am going to encourage women to invest in themselves through the weekends I built to support and restore them, I know it has to impact far more than themselves.  

If I dare ask women to find childcare, get support, arrange for their absence- It must benefit others, it must be bigger than them.   

 The Self Care Travel Club is built for a more socially conscious guest.

We know,  from data, that women with the means to do so, are looking for ways to invest in their best selves and we are here to support her on that journey.  We offer the best in class luxury wellness travel with an emphasis on the most impactful factor on her health vitality and longevity:  social wellness.

The old adage that “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” has never been more relevant. 

That is why each ticket financially supports the things that women care the most:

• raising capital for women owned start-up businesses 

• food security and abundance for families 

• financial and business education for girls

It is easy to stay isolated in our quest in this life with technology and remote work being the norm.  It takes conscious and inconvenient effort to connect with other humans in real life.

The Self Care Travel Club is the culmination of all of these factors.  High achievers who have the most potential to do the most good for all of us, usually have packed calendars, are paralyzed with decision fatigue, feeling the flames of burnout so much so that planning restoration they need for themselves, let alone with other women, is as probable as a weekend trip to Mars.

We solved for her.  We solved for you.

It is not enough for us to stay alone in our silos, we must go out beyond our four walls and enjoy our lives.  We must adventure, swim, talk, laugh, play and travel.  Our creativity, bandwidth, mental health and the good of humanity depends on it.   But what's been missing until now is that now we know we must do it together and that the positive impact needs to extend beyond the participant.  

We are a social species and when women gather, it is the most unstoppable force on the planet. 

Therefore, I formally invite you to invest in your own wellness, vitality, and longevity with the Self Care Travel Club.  By doing so you are philanthropy in motion and your ticket price includes contribution to Feeding America, Female Founders, and Organic Lemonade University which is our girl-led youth entrepreneurship initiative.

 In a world of chaos our children are watching us.

 We need to show them that investing in ourselves is the

 equivalent of putting on your own oxygen mask, first. 

The world is in turmoil, and this feels like we are on the cusp of the most confusing holiday season yet.

How do we do this? 

How can I even justify offering group travel to women at a time like this?

Well, simple.  Because our lives depend on it.  We must protect and nourish each other. Women perform the most emotional labor and carry an invisible workload.  

Women donate the most money, lend the most helping hands, 

and make the most noise for causes that are near and dear to our hearts.  

We are the change agents. 

If you knew you had a data-backed solution to women feeling like vapor, wouldn't you yell it from the mountain tops?

I can cite endless sources stating data that healthy brains need healthy brains to have shared experience with. I invite you to rest, connect, and restore with The Self Care Travel Club.

We have a trip leaving from New York City to go to Mohonk Mountain House this Friday at 1:00 PM.  

You are three steps away from the perfect weekend getaway.

1.  Book your ticket. Choose your room: shared, private, Founders Level.

All-inclusive tickets on every tier: all luxury accommodations, philanthropy ground luxury round trip transportation, all farm-to-table meals, event programming included.  VIP upgrades available.

1. Pack a bag.  Mohonk is resort casual.  

Roughly a 90 minute commute from the city to New Paltz, NY.  You’ll need a swimsuit for the gorgeous pool and spa, some sneakers that can get dirty to enjoy the outdoor recreation, layers for the seasonality of New York, and something a little nicer to throw on for dinner.

1. Board the luxury coach.  

We offer round-trip ground luxury transportation with champagne and snacks so you can relax on the transfer.  Or meet us there, all the same!

I look forward to making the world lighter and brighter with you, one weekend at a time.

With love,

Stephanie, xo

October, 2025

Hey.

Let’s skip the hype: you already know life could feel better.

You’ve outgrown your old circles, but the new ones don’t feel real. We get it—so much of the world feels fake, and it’s hard to believe this is what life is really meant to be. You’re craving real connection, holistic success, and the quiet confidence of an old money lifestyle—reimagined for modern times. It starts to feel like anyone with real friends must just be lucky, fake—or living that 'must be nice' Instagram lifestyle that seems impossible to keep up with.

That’s why I built this.

The Harbor Method™ is structure with a soul and the technology behind The Self Care Travel Club™. A repeatable system to come back to again. And again.

It’s you on your calendar — but elevated.

You will make meet new, kind people, breathe deeply, hear yourself think and have fun. Guaranteed.

Elevated adventures already booked to look forward to.

We’re talking real-life connections, social circles that actually feel like a fit, and a luxury retreat that makes all of it click.

Because let’s be honest:

The funniest moments of your day shouldn’t come from IG reels or critiquing someone else’s girl’s trip in the group chat.

You deserve better stories. Better circles. Better memories. ‘Had to be there’ moments.

You’ll laugh harder than you have in years.

You’ll remember what it feels like to be part of something.

And you’ll do it with people who are funnier than the comments section — and far more valuable.

We’re not just engineering transformation and belonging.

We’re building core memories — with grown-up taste.

I’m not an influencer.

I don’t even personally have socials.

I do, however, make the best organic lemonade you’ve ever had, nerd out over neuroscience, know you are capable of living the exact life you want, and cannot wait to meet you to be your new hype-girl.

But I’m leveraging the platforms anyway — posting, refining, and eating my ego for breakfast everyday —using the algorithm to find you.

I hope you hear the siren call to The Self Care Travel Club.

Because we already saved you a seat. And we need you. You need you.

Kick off and wheels up November 2025.

You in?

— Stephanie

Founder, The Harbor Method™ The Self Care Travel Club™.

www.selfcaretravelclub.com

@selfcaretravelclub