Your partnership deserves more than survival.
It deserves legacy
A private, curated retreat in Costa Rica for couples who want to deepen intimacy, resolve conflict with skill, and co-create a vision that lasts generations. We engineer a pattern interruption: remove you from routine, settle your whole system in the jungle, teach practical tools, then integrate them on the Caribbean coast.
7 days. 2 coasts. 3 private flights. Up to 12 couples, each in their own private sanctuary.
Limited Circle. Spots are held instantly once your deposit is in.
Pre-Retreat Couples Portal opens February 16, 2026.
The dates that change your trajectory
You arrive a day early, you leave steady and clear.
Oct 14
Fly into San José for an easy overnight so travel feels spacious, not frantic. (accommodations included in VIP Package)
Oct 15–19
Private charter to Imiloa Institute in the rainforest for the Jungle Immersion.
Oct 19–21
Private charter to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side for Integration by the black-sand sea.
Imagine your week
Oct 15 — Arrival into the jungle
Coffee and fresh juice to your room. Lush paths, toucans and sloths in the canopy. A playful site scavenger hunt to orient your senses. Nourishing meals, relaxed welcome, firelight to mark the beginning, and a small circle of couples you will actually get to know.
Oct 16–18 — Your body finally exhales
Wake to yoga or gentle stretch. No notifications. No stacked calendar. Just oxygen and room to feel.
Morning couples lab to learn the tool of the day to help hold emotional safety. Long, unstructured windows to practice the new pattern together. Another intimate session in the afternoon. Bonfire debrief at night to release, laugh, and integrate in community.
Chef-prepared meals are flavorful and grounding. Each night you sleep a little deeper.
Oct 19 — From rainforest to rhythm
After breakfast, step onto your private charter for the short flight to Puerto Viejo. Coconut water in hand, toes in black sand, you feel the shift in tempo. Drums, sea, and salt air remind you that your relationship can carry a new rhythm too.
Lunch at a beloved Black-owned local restaurant. Check in, exhale, wander, talk, laugh. The noise of regular life becomes background.
Oct 20 — Integration on the coast
Yoga with panoramic ocean and canopy views. Breakfast where you choose.
A full beach day to test the tools in real life: touch, talk, flirt, pause, repair quickly and return to “us” without drama.
Final small-circle gathering, then a slow, memorable dinner at Michelin-recognized MonLi. Depth, humor, and a vision you both understand.
Oct 21 — Close with sweetness, depart with certainty
Slow morning. Bread & Chocolate for breakfast (yes, get the salted-caramel latte). Goodbyes that feel like beginnings. Private charter back to San José. You head home changed, not because of a lecture, but because your body now knows a different way to relate.
Your work starts before your plane ever leaves
Once your spot is confirmed, you and your partner are invited into a private Built On Us Couples Portal that opens February 16, 2026.
Inside, you’ll find:
Short audio reflections from us to start softening long-standing patterns
Prompts to help you name what you want from this retreat
A place to hold your questions and edges so we can shape the curriculum to the actual couples coming
You are not just dropping into a week and hoping for the best. You are entering a container that starts months before Costa Rica and carries you home after.
Why this works
When you change the environment, you change what your body believes is possible. In stillness, attention returns and micro-shifts become available. We use that window to teach what we wish we had on day one:
Start gently so both of you feel psychologically safe
Repair quickly so conflict does not calcify and become your story
Reconnection rituals that bring you back to “us” after the hard moments
Desire practices that make your body feel wanted, not just useful
A shared-vision cadence that quietly guides decisions at home and in business
This is not traditional therapy. It is a precise, experiential container for generally healthy couples who want depth, skill and staying power, held by a founder couple and supported by a licensed therapist on site.
What you usually get vs what you get here
Built On Us: The Partnership Pact
Typical Couples Intensive
Length
7 days, 6 nights in Costa Rica so your body actually has time to downshift
2–3 days squeezed into a weekend
Locations
Two locations: jungle mountains at Imiloa and Caribbean black-sand beach
One office, clinic, hotel or retreat center
Travel & Logistics
3 private charter flights within Costa Rica for both of you, plus all in-country transfers
You arrange all travel and logistics yourself
Space For Your Relationship
Every couple has their own private room chosen for rest, intimacy and decompression
Varies; often standard hotel rooms with little thought to the emotional work you’re doing
Meals
Chef-prepared meals on the jungle side plus 3 hosted, carefully chosen meals on the Caribbean side. Remaining meals are open so you can explore and follow your cravings together.
Some snacks or meals included; many meals are “figure it out yourselves”
Curriculum
A clear framework that flexes to the chemistry of this specific group. We adjust based on what the room needs.
A one-size-fits-most curriculum delivered the same way every time
Support Team
Hosted by Shalece and David, with a licensed therapist on site and a renowned photographer documenting your journey.
Usually one facilitator or therapist with minimal additional support
Integration & Takeaways
A personalized Partnership Pact, lived practice, and professional images that reflect who you are becoming together.
Notes, maybe a workbook, then back into the same environment
Group Size
Intimate circle of up to 12 couples, carefully vetted for safety and chemistry
Group size and fit vary widely
Investment
From $10,500 to $14,500 per couple, including private plane in-country flights and all listed hosted experiences
Often $6,000–$10,000 per couple before travel, lodging and most meals
You already invest in your health, home and business. This is where you invest in the relationship that holds all of it.
Our Story
We didn’t create this retreat from theory. We created it from our life. For over a decade, we’ve built businesses, raised a blended family of five, and navigated seasons that nearly broke us. We learned firsthand that love rarely collapses from lack of passion; it collapses under the weight of unspoken conflict, unresolved tension and unshared vision.
This retreat is the container we wished we had years ago. A place where couples like us, leaders and builders, can step away from the noise, confront the fractures, and walk out with a bond strong enough to carry a legacy.
We bring our lived experience, the tools that rebuilt us, and a licensed therapist to help hold the room so you can go where you need to go and feel safe doing it.
Who will be holding you
Shalece & David – Hosts and Lead Facilitators
We guide the core curriculum, conversations and rituals as a real couple who has done this work ourselves. You will see us teaching, sharing our own tools, and sitting beside you at the fire.
Licensed Therapist – Clinical Anchor
A licensed therapist is on site throughout the retreat to help hold emotional safety, support tender moments, and offer office-hour style check-ins. The curriculum is not therapy, but you have professional support available when deeper feelings surface.
Renowned Photographer – Visual Storyteller
Our photographer moves quietly through the week, capturing honest moments of connection and hosting your private couples shoot. You leave with images that reflect the version of you that showed up in Costa Rica.
What’s inside your week
Morning regulation: yoga or stretch to help your body arrive before your mouth does
Couples labs: guided, intimate practice instead of lectures you forget later
Integration windows: long pockets of unstructured time to test the tool of the day in real life
Bonfires: a gentle rhythm of reflection and release with your small circle
Blue-clay river ritual: a sensory reset in nature that marks this chapter as different
Couples photo session: a private shoot during the week, location chosen for the best light and feel
Private in-country flights and concierge support so logistics fade into the background
Chef-prepared meals in the jungle phase, plus select hosted meals on the coast that highlight the best of the Caribbean
Optional Legacy Track
Visit our Costa Rica property and meet our trusted local team. Learn how international real estate can work here, step-by-step. Not a sales pitch. Just information for couples who are dreaming about legacy beyond one country.
Before
Carrying the weight of business, family, and the conversation you keep avoiding.Carrying the weight of business, family and the conversation you keep avoiding.
After
Shared language, practical tools, rekindled desire and a Partnership Pact you actually use.
Deposit refundable within 24 hours of your Right Fit Discovery Meeting.
Before
Carrying the weight of business, family, and the conversation you keep avoiding.Carrying the weight of business, family and the conversation you keep avoiding.
After
Shared language, practical tools, rekindled desire and a Partnership Pact you actually use.
Deposit refundable within 24 hours of your Right Fit Discovery Meeting.
Who This Is For
Mostly solid couples ready to reignite intimacy and install simple rituals that last
Leaders, founders and visionaries who know the relationship sets the tone for family and business
Partnerships where at least one person is called to grow and the other is willing to try
Couples who value depth, clarity, desire and legacy more than quick fixes
Who This Is Not For
Couples in active crisis with abuse, untreated addiction or fresh betrayal as the main focus
Partners unwilling to be vulnerable or experiment with new ways of connecting
Anyone looking for a vacation only, without the work that transforms how you move at home
ROI you can feel
When your relationship is steady, everything compounds. Fewer flare-ups, clearer decisions, better sleep, more creative focus and a home that restores you instead of draining you.
For high-pressure humans, this is one of the highest-yield investments you can make.
Your investment as a couple
Tuition for Built On Us: The Partnership Pact starts at $10,500 per couple and ranges up to $14,500 per couple, depending on your chosen room. That is from $5,250 per person for a full week of hosted support, private flights inside Costa Rica and a carefully designed arc across two coasts.
Every reservation includes
7 days and 6 nights in Costa Rica across jungle and Caribbean coast
So your body has time to settle, not just “take a quick reset.”
Private accommodations for your couple only
Your own room, your own bathroom, your own space to process, reconnect and rest.
3 private charter flights within Costa Rica for both of you
So moving between locations is fast and calm instead of a long, draining travel day.
All ground transportation between official retreat locations
You land in San José and our team takes it from there.
Daily yoga or gentle movement
To help your body participate in the change, not just your mind.
Guided couples labs and conversations
Core curriculum led by us, with a licensed therapist on site to support emotional safety.
Chef-prepared meals during the jungle phase
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are handled so you can stay in the work and with each other.
3 hosted, carefully chosen meals on the Caribbean side
Including lunch at a Black-owned local favorite, a Bread & Chocolate send-off and dinner at Michelin-recognized MonLi.
Blue-clay river experience
A full-body ritual in nature to mark this as a turning point in your story.
Private couples photo session with a renowned photographer
So you leave with images that actually look and feel like you.
Personalized gift bag in your room on arrival
Curated items to support your rest, rituals and connection during the week and when you get home.
Bonfire circles during the jungle phase
To integrate the day with support, not in isolation.
Optional Legacy Track session
For couples who want to understand how international real estate and life in Costa Rica can work, responsibly.
A personalized Partnership Pact
Your custom blueprint to bring the retreat home.
All prices are per couple. One room. Two adults. We do not pair you with strangers or fill rooms to capacity.
Accommodations
Every couple has their own private room to sleep, talk, cry, laugh and reconnect without anyone else in your space. Shared work happens in community spaces. The growth continues behind closed doors where only the two of you go.
Sky Forest Suite – $14,500 (1 Available)
Your Private Paradise Estate
Elevate your transformation in our crown jewel: a 3,500 sq ft sanctuary where luxury meets the jungle canopy. Wake to sweeping ocean views from your king suite, cool off in your private infinity pool, and reconnect on the expansive outdoor terrace as howler monkeys provide the soundtrack. With three spacious bedroom suites, you’ll have room to breathe, integrate, and deepen into your couple’s journey in complete privacy.
For the couple who treats their relationship like their most valuable asset and wants a sanctuary that matches the level of their commitment.
Potoo Villa – $13,200 (1 Available)
Hand-Carved Elegance Above the Canopy
Experience authentic Balinese craftsmanship in this architectural masterpiece. Your king master suite opens to a wraparound sundeck with jaw-dropping ocean views, while your private plunge pool becomes your personal sanctuary for morning reflection or sunset connection. Every detail from the hand-carved teak to the jungle-view shower invites you deeper into presence with your partner.
For romance-forward couples who want to feel like they ran away together to a jungle art house.
Jogoloo Villa – $13,200 (1 Available)
Secluded Romance in the Rainforest
For couples seeking privacy and connection, Jogoloo delivers. Tucked into the jungle with ocean vistas, this hand-carved Balinese villa features a king suite, your own plunge pool, and an outdoor deck perfect for morning meditation or evening integration. The combination of seclusion and beauty creates the ideal container for deep relational work and romantic reconnection.
For couples who want to disappear from the world for a while and come back home to each other.
Jungle Domes – $11,200 (6 Available)
Modern Comfort Meets Rainforest Magic
These aren’t just rooms; they’re architectural experiences. Each climate-controlled dome offers a king bed with a private outdoor patio nestled in the jungle. Step into your rainforest-view shower and feel the boundary between inside and outside dissolve. Spacious, unique, and utterly memorable, the domes are where comfort meets adventure.
For couples who crave a full-body reset with standout design, AC and a story they’ll tell for years.
Bali Suites – $10,900 (3 Available)
Poolside Serenity with Panoramic Views
Prime location meets timeless design. Your king suite sits steps from the shared infinity pool, with stunning views of forest, mountain, and ocean. The perfect balance of community and privacy, these suites are ideal for couples who want easy access to connection spaces while maintaining their own intimate sanctuary.
For couples who like to glide between poolside connection and private pillow talk with zero effort.
Jungle Bungalows – $10,500 (6 Available)
Accessible Luxury in the Heart of It All
Your gateway to transformation. Located near the Heart (our communal dining area) and waterfall entrance, these king bungalows offer rainforest-view patios and private soaking tubs perfect for processing your daily breakthroughs together. Every essential luxury, zero pretension, maximum connection to nature and each other.
For couples who want to be near the heartbeat of the retreat and still soak together in quiet at night.
What's Included and What's Not
What's Included
7 days and 6 nights in Costa Rica across jungle and Caribbean coast
Private accommodations for your couple only
3 private charter flights within Costa Rica for both of you
All ground transportation between official retreat locations
Daily yoga or gentle movement
Guided couples labs and conversations
Chef-prepared meals during the jungle phase
3 hosted, carefully chosen meals on the Caribbean side
Blue-clay river experience
Private couples photo session with a renowned photographer
Personalized gift bag in your room on arrival
Bonfire circles during the jungle phase
Optional Legacy Track session
A personalized Partnership Pact
What's Not Included
International airfare to and from Costa Rica (fly into SJO)
San José overnight hotel on Oct 14
Alcoholic beverages
Spa treatments and private wellness services
Meals in Puerto Viejo that are not listed as hosted
Travel insurance
Passport or visa fees
Personal shopping and incidentals
Additional gratuities for outstanding service
Add-ons to Consider
Photo shoot upgrade with additional edited images
Partnership Pact keepsake package (except VIP Package)
Spa Packages during the retreat.
Privacy and confidentiality
We take your privacy seriously.
A mutual non-disclosure agreement is executed once your deposit is received so you can speak freely knowing your stories stay in the container.
Group sessions are not recorded.
We cap the room at up to 12 couples, each vetted through a Right Fit process so the energy is aligned.
FAQs
This retreat is held on two coasts of Costa Rica. You will arrive in San José, then spend the first four days on the central Pacific side. From there, you fly to the Caribbean coast for two days of integration in Puerto Viejo by the black-sand sea.
Your reservation includes 7 days and 6 nights in Costa Rica across jungle and Caribbean coast, private accommodations for your couple only, 3 private charter flights within Costa Rica, all in-country ground transportation between official retreat locations, daily yoga or gentle movement, guided couples labs and conversations, chef-prepared meals during the jungle phase, and 3 hosted, carefully chosen meals on the Caribbean side. You will also receive a blue-clay river experience, a private couples photo session with a renowned photographer, personalized gift bag on arrival, bonfire circles, an optional Legacy Track session, and a personalized Partnership Pact to bring home.
You also get access to the private Built On Us Couples Portal that opens February 16, 2026, so your work together begins before your plane ever leaves.
International flights to and from Costa Rica, your San José overnight, spa treatments, alcoholic beverages, unlisted meals in Puerto Viejo, travel insurance, and personal incidentals are not included.
For a full breakdown of inclusions and exclusions, see the What’s Included and What’s Not section below.
No. This is a facilitated, experiential container for generally healthy couples who want to deepen skills, desire and vision. We teach practical tools, create space to practice them and have a licensed therapist on site to help hold emotional safety. It is not a replacement for 1:1 or long-term therapy.
Yes, if they’re willing to try small experiments. We build safety first, then introduce short, doable practices. Many “skeptical” partners end up loving the structure and simplicity.
If you’re in active crisis, this isn’t the right container. Apply and we’ll share recommendations for therapeutic resources.
Most vacations keep your patterns intact. This is a precision pattern interruption with expert facilitation, a curated environment, a small vetted circle, and tools designed to last when you return.
The skills we teach—gentle start-ups, repair attempts, ritualized reconnection, and a shared-vision cadence—are the same behaviors associated in relationship research with improved satisfaction and lower conflict recurrence. The second phase on the Caribbean side is intentional integration to increase stickiness.
Consider the true cost of misalignment: recurring arguments, decision friction, stalled intimacy, reactive leadership at home and at work. One steady relationship habit can pay dividends daily.
Hosted and facilitated by us, a married founder couple who live this work. We are joined by a licensed therapist, a renowned photographer, local movement and culinary partners, and our trusted Costa Rican real estate team for the optional Legacy Track.
No. It’s for committed couples who are actively building a future together.
Either. If you’re ready, place a deposit to immediately hold your spot. We’ll meet for a Right Fit Discovery within 24 hours. If it isn’t a match, your deposit is fully refunded. If you want to talk first, apply and we’ll connect.
An optional session where we visit our property, share how international real estate can work in Costa Rica, and introduce vetted local professionals (attorneys, agents) so you can explore responsibly.
Your work begins well before Costa Rica. Once your spot is confirmed, you receive access to our private couples portal, opening January 15, 2026, with light pre-work and reflections to start shifting your patterns before you land.
We cap this cohort at up to 12 couples. That number is directly tied to the number of private rooms. Once they are filled, this group is closed.
Final invitation
Keep the spirit, sharpen slightly:
If you feel the pull, trust it.
We will hold your spot, meet with you quickly to confirm fit, and then walk beside you as you prepare for this week.
Your future together deserves this level of care.
Want to hear more of our story?
Haven’t taken the Couples Quiz yet?
“10+ years together”
“Blended family of 5”
“Hundreds of leaders coached”
“Multiple 7-figure businesses built”
What Our Clients Say About Working With Us
"I find you to be a very generous coach. You have an ability to ask questions that both deepen understanding of the issue I'm bringing to you and help identify action steps to advance my business."
Cicely Brathwaite, Ph.D
"Hi, this is desiree. We just got done with our coaching session and one thing that I am taking away is nervousness. Is my mind and body getting ready to birth something great."
Dessaray Seay
"She is amazing. She is very present and I think that is a really unique quality that a lot of people don't always have time for it. One thing I would say that is really special about her, that I felt from the beginning is that she seeks to understand she does not make assumptions."
Christina Kiffney
Rooted In Research
Backed by research on repair, conflict, and shared vision
Focused on behaviors shown to reduce conflict recurrence.
Designed as a pattern interruption so tools stick.
Conflict repair
Couples who repair after conflict stay together more.
Research from the Gottman Method and Harvard Business Review shows that intentional repair attempts after conflict are strongly linked to higher long-term stability and relationship satisfaction.
Gottman Method findings on repair attempts
Harvard Business Review – “Interpersonal Conflict Resolution: Beyond Conflict Avoidance”
Nervous system & vagus nerve
Your body has to feel safe before your relationship can.
Psychology Today’s coverage of vagus nerve research shows that activating the parasympathetic “rest-and-digest” system improves emotional regulation and social connection, which directly supports calmer, more connected communication between partners.
Psychology Today articles on the vagus nerve and parasympathetic activation
Desire in long-term relationships
Desire in long-term relationships is responsive, not random.
Relationship research on responsive desire finds that emotional connection, novelty, and intentional erotic engagement help couples sustain intimacy and deeper bonding over time.
Research summaries on responsive desire in long-term relationships (relationship science literature; often discussed in Psychology Today / sex & relationship research overviews)
Shared vision & agreements
Shared vision acts like relationship shock absorbers.
A scholarly article in PubMed Central shows that couples and partners who share a clear vision and explicit agreements manage conflict more constructively, cooperate better, and experience greater relational stability.
PMC / PubMed Central – “Unraveling the Role of Shared Vision and Trust in Constructive Conflict Management”
This Is Who We Designed This For
The Visionary
Couple
The Tired But Still In Love Couple
The Builders With No Shared Plan
Build a business that works for you, not because of you.
Lead in a way your nervous system can live with.