That 2016 trend
Last month there was a viral trend on social media. Something like…show us where you were in 2016. We are admittedly a little late to the party on said trend, but 2016 was a pivotal year for us. This was before Boreal Bliss existed. We thought it was worth revisiting and sharing with you.
In 2016, we had lives of furbaby parenting. We were young professionals making our way in the world, with frequent visits to each other for fun weekends. Bryana lived in Longville, MN with her husband and Amanda lived in Duluth, MN with her husband. (we still do!)
To be clear, Amanda and Bryana have actually been friends since Kindergarten (photo evidence of childhood here!)
…but back to 2016.
Bryana was a School Social Worker and Amanda was working at the Maurices Corporate Office in Duluth. We connected personally through shared interests in yoga, a love of outdoor exploration, and chasing endorphins through running. We both taught yoga as a side pursuit in our respective communities.
Amanda also owned a paddleboard rental company in Duluth with her husband. Bryana was nominated and selected as School Social Work of the Year in Minnesota.
Amanda planned her final annual “Silver & Gold” party for her birthday, which was a fundraiser for Best Christmas Ever. Live band (how we met Sonja!), silent auction, dancing, and fun galore.
[INTERJECTION FROM AMANDA. LAST SILVER AND GOLD PARTY??? WHOA, WHOA, WHOA. EVERY YEAR I WANT TO BRING IT BACK, I JUST HAVEN’T…. YET…. BUT LIKE A PHOENIX, IT WILL RE-EMERGE]
Both attempted to train for the full Grandma’s Marathon and conceded to injuries before the final race. We opted to instead join the cheer squad for Amanda’s oldest sister. We had a lot of fun biking the backroads along the course and soaking in the energy of the race.
We spent a lot of time at “the river” and on Lake Superior in Duluth. Just two gals in our late 20s on adventures.
Throughout it all, we found that planning novel fun was a passion of ours. We were craving more opportunities that united both outdoor adventure and yoga. Without the ability to afford extravagant getaways, we were determined to create our own affordable yoga & nature retreat offering. One that we assumed would only be attended by a handful of our friends.
With the initial idea in mind, we had haphazardly created a pipe-dream. But then, Bryana went out to Deep Portage Learning Center in Hackensack, MN to teach the staff a yoga class for one of their staff training days. Suddenly she saw the venue in a new light: could this place be perfect for our yoga retreat dream?
After the class, Bryana went for a hike and called Amanda from a bench on Bass Pond: “Amanda… you know that yoga retreat idea? What if we did it at Deep Portage?”
We visited the venue together, Amanda fresh from surgery on crutches, to create our yoga retreat dream.
We proceeded to invite everyone we knew through a facebook event. And somehow that little facebook event had major reach. In February 2017, to our complete shock, 54 women came to that first retreat. And the rest is history.
10 years later, we can hardly believe how much has changed. How much we’ve grown and evolved. The beautiful people we’ve met. The quality memories we feel so fortunate to hold.
Through all the hard work, the roadblocks, the breakthroughs; we’ve had each other to lean on. I feel so grateful for our friendship and this dream we worked hard to build. Our families, our husbands, extended family, and friends have supported us every step of the way.
10 years, and something like 70+ retreats in total is quite a major milestone to celebrate. Will you join us?
Registration is closing on Friday, Feb 20th. Please come celebrate our March 6-8, 2026 Jubilee Winter Yoga Retreat with us! We’ve got so much fun and quality experiences in store for you.
