Curation creates connection
Even before I was a matchmaker, I have always been someone who loves to gather and be gathered.
I grew up going to summer camp, where connection happens quickly and deeply. There is something about being placed in the right environment with the right people that creates a kind of magic. Everyone knows the best night of summer camp is that last night. You stay up until dawn, you eat too much candy, and the next day you cry. By the end, it feels like you’ve lived a lifetime together. This is what I try to emulate at retreats.
A good retreat is not just a vacation. It is a temporary ecosystem. It is a container where people can drop into connection faster than they normally would in their everyday lives. It doesn’t happen by accident – there are tangible ways to kindle the flame of the magic.
I recently ran a retreat in the Dominican Republic along with a matchmaker friend, Angelika. Last year I ran a pilot, and I learned a lot. This year, we ran it with a sponsor who offset the cost of the retreat. That changed everything. We were able to build the invited group around that sponsor, around their values and their needs. That person becomes the anchor, the center of gravity.
The sponsor became a departure point for every intentional choice – who was invited, what we did, where we focused our energy. We are able to subsidize participation for every guest. It is one of the most sustainable models for running retreats and it yields better outcomes. Everyone wins.
Kids coming to summer camp is one thing – whoever shows up, they become your people. But when you are bringing together adults, especially singles, the best way to help them open up is to place them in a group environment that is curated and intentional. We are not throwing darts at the wall. This is the magic. Curation creates connection. The care of curation was apparent, felt, and deeply appreciated by the guests. They understood they had received a sacred invitation and they did not take it for granted. They looked around and realized every person was there for a reason.
I have been a matchmaker for nearly a decade, primarily in my home city of Philadelphia. For as long as I can remember, I have had the dream to take my job on the road and to take my kids around the world, to connect them to different ways of living. Especially to Colombia, where I lived for four years and where my husband is from – but moreso to experience the shift that travel and exposure to other cultures creates in a child’s mind.
Last June, we embarked on a year of travel. We are building a life where gathering + family + work are integrated. In the Dominican Republic, we quickly found that rhythm, forming bonds right away. When it was time to run the retreat, my mom came down to help with the kids.
Because my children were cared for, my husband could be by my side at the retreat. He became an essential part of the retreat itself, handling logistics, supporting the flow, and showing up as a true partner. That is another piece of the secret sauce of a retreat that has an impact – having strong couples present creates a model. People want partnership, they want family, they want to see it in action. Seeing a tangible manifestation of their own hopes is part of forming the meaningful container.
And then, on the last night, just before I was about to lead the final activity, I got the call every mother dreads. My kids said there was an emergency. Their grandmother could not stand up and was not responding. They had not eaten dinner and they did not know what to do. My daughter said to my husband “papi, tengo miedo” – “dad, I’m scared”.
Knots were in my stomach. It was the worst possible timing, and also the only thing that mattered. This was a true emergency. I had to go. We called an ambulance. There is a particular kind of fear that comes with an emergency abroad, layered with the guilt of leaving something you are responsible for.
Thank god, everything worked out. My mom is okay. But I missed that magical last night of summer camp. I wasn’t there.
During my emergency, our temporary community of the Dominican showed up for us. People fed my kids dinner. They helped us navigate logistics, they worked with us to decode travel insurance.
In a way, I had my own last night of summer camp. Instead of sitting around a fire, I felt held by something just as real – people rallying, stepping in, taking care of one another. The same collective spirit, just expressed through action instead of ritual. It was the embodiment of everything I seek to build.
The retreat still ended beautifully. Angelika stepped in and carried the retreat forward without me. The group held itself. By the time I returned the next day, the group was more bonded.
My kids joined on that final day. My daughter lost a tooth and luckily, it turns out the tooth fairy also comes to the Dominican Republic. She handed the money to her grandmother and said, “Here, you are going to need this for the hospital bill.”
Running retreats, building community, traveling with my family… these are not separate paths. It is one integrated life. It is messy, unpredictable, and deeply meaningful.
The most powerful retreats are not about perfect programming. They are about creating the conditions for people to show up for one another. Clear curation, strong anchors and shared responsibility, all in the right environment, is a magic recipe.
That is what summer camp taught me.
You build the container. You gather the right people. And then, something bigger than you takes over.
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