Exploring the Inner Courtship with Ted Cation, LPC and Kay Gardner, MS
There's a conversation happening inside you, whether you've named it or not. In yoga traditions, it's Ida and Pingala. In other languages, it's Yin and Yang, masculine and feminine.
In Internal Family Systems terms, it's an inner marriage — the ongoing courtship between different parts of you that don't always see eye to eye, but are, underneath everything, trying to find their way back to each other.
This gathering is an invitation to slow down and pay attention to that courtship. Not to fix it or finish it. Just to meet it with presence, with compassion, and with the support of a small group of people doing the same work.
5 days and 4 nights (residential)
What We Mean by "Inner Courtship"
Most of us live with a kind of internal fragmentation.
One part of us wants to go all in. Another part wants to protect us by holding back. One voice says yes. Another says no, for good reasons. We call these disagreements inner conflicts.
But what if they're not conflicts at all? What if they're just two parts of you speaking different languages, trying to find each other?
In Internal Family Systems language, we talk about this as an inner marriage: a courtship between the different aspects of yourself. Not all parts agree. Not all parts feel safe. But all of them are trying, in their own way, to take care of you.
This retreat is an invitation to shift how you relate to that internal conversation. Instead of fighting between the parts, or suppressing one to serve another, what if you could create a secure attachment from within? What if the parts of you that have been at odds could actually find their way back to each other?
Where This Comes From
Ted Cation and Kay Gardner have known each other for fifteen years. Their story begins in an IFS training where Kay was the lead trainer and Ted was a participant. Kay describes it like this:
"I met him for the first time and he was totally disarming to me. He would talk about things that no one else I knew talked about. That we are 'rays of light held between heaven and earth.' I knew about this, but never spoke about it to anyone. And yet here we were having an open conversation about it."
That conversation didn't stop. Ted later shared a meditation he'd learned from an energy healer. Kay recognized something in it immediately. An inner knowing that the two of them would create something together.
When COVID hit, Ted was grieving the loss of his dance community and the isolation of lockdown. Kay offered what she had: the meditation, and what it was teaching her about the chakras, about who we really are underneath the noise. They began meeting three times a week with a small group of close colleagues.
What they learned together became the seed of a mystery school called the Possibility of Awakening. Six programs later, they noticed a pattern emerging in the people who came through: a courtship forming between the different parts of themselves. That pattern, the inner marriage becoming real, alive, integrated, is what this gathering is about.
What You'll Experience
You'll engage in grief work, releasing the cultural and ancestral burdens that have split you off from yourself. And you'll do it in the presence of two facilitators who have spent decades learning how to hold space for this kind of deep transformation. You'll walk away with:
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Meet Your Facilitators
Kay is credited with creating ancestral unburdening work, a practice that explores the legacy and cultural burdens we carry in our bodies and systems. Her current work integrates the spiritual and energetic dimensions of IFS, particularly around the chakras and what she calls the "inner marriage" between parts.
Before IFS, Kay taught and practiced Hakomi Body-Centered Psychotherapy and was instrumental in bringing the body into the IFS model itself. She has co-facilitated the Women's Circle in Chicago and led workshops across the country on themes like Persephone's Journey, Men and Their Mothers, Women and Their Fathers, and Sacred Theatre for Couples. A student of yoga and meditation for 40 years, Kay brings an embodied, spiritual, and energetic presence to her work in a way of teaching that honors both the invisible and the visceral.
Instead of ending it, Ted had a different idea: go see the whole world first, and find out if life is worth living before deciding it isn't. He went. He found that it was. And that his existential agony needed presence and understanding, not resolution.
That search has carried him through decades of training in Hakomi, IFS, Tantra, and energy healing. It's been informed by teachers and writers like Joseph Campbell and Anthony de Mello. What he wants now, he says simply, is to be fully present with each and all of you, to witness your unfolding and your inner courtship with genuine care.
Enjoy The Beauty of Muskoka Lakes
Accommodation selections will be confirmed following your registration approval. If you'd like to request a specific room type or arrangement, please contact us at hello@thenestcollective.ca.
Pricing plan
We offer flexible payment options to make this accessible. A $500 deposit due upon registration to secure your spot.
Once your registration is approved, you're automatically enrolled, and the remaining balance is due according to the payment schedule above.
FAQs
Have a question? We've got you covered. If you have a question that isn't answered here, don't hesitate to reach out to us.
Your tuition includes:
- Tuition and facilitation by Kay Gardner and Ted Cation
- 4 nights of accommodation at Sherwood Inn
- All meals, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Five days of facilitated workshops and ritual
- Movement and meditation sessions
- Retreat materials and resources
- Access to the Sherwood Inn property and amenities
Accommodation options include single occupancy, double occupancy, and select cottage upgrades, subject to availability.
If you have questions about payment or accessibility, please contact us at hello@thenestcollective.ca.
A $500 CAD non-refundable deposit is due once your registration has been accepted. Your remaining balance will then be divided into three instalments. Please see payment schedule outlined above.
Please note that if we do not receive payment within two weeks of the due date, unless we have made prior arrangements, we may offer your spot to someone on the waitlist, and you may forfeit fees paid to date.
However, eligibility depends on your individual circumstances. We recommend checking with your accountant or tax professional to determine whether the retreat qualifies as a deductible business expense for you.
For questions about cancellations or transferring your registration, please contact us at hello@thenestcollective.ca as soon as possible.
Any transfer must be approved by The Nest Collective and may be subject to eligibility requirements.If The Nest Collective cancels the retreat, all tuition paid will be refunded. We are not responsible for any additional travel, accommodation, or other expenses incurred in connection with the retreat.
The $500 CAD deposit is non-refundable. If you need to cancel after your registration has been accepted, please contact us as soon as possible at hello@thenestcollective.ca to discuss your options.
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance that includes coverage for cancellation or interruption to help protect your investment.
– Travel to and from Port Carling
– Alcohol or specialty beverages
– Spa treatments
– Personal purchases or room extras
– Optional activities or excursions outside the retreat programming
Participants are expected to attend the full retreat from May 3–7, 2027.
If you are interested in sharing accommodation with another participant, please let us know when you apply. Double occupancy is available at a reduced rate, subject to confirmation. Cottage upgrades may also be available for groups or participants looking for additional space.
Accommodation options include:
– Standard Room: Private room for one participant
– Double Occupancy: Shared accommodation for two participants, subject to availability and variable rates
– Cottage Upgrades: Available in select configurations, subject to availability and variable rates
Your accommodation selection will be confirmed following approval of your registration. If you have a specific room or accommodation request, please contact us at hello@thenestcollective.ca.
If you have dietary restrictions or accessibility needs, please let us know during the registration process so we can do our best to support you.
Because the retreat takes place at a residential property, some accommodations may be subject to availability. If you have specific accessibility requirements, we encourage you to reach out before registering so we can discuss what is possible.
