Elevate: Return to Yourself

Bali. 6 days. The tools to change everything

Welcome to ELEVATE Retreats. What happens when a group of likeminded women step away from the noise of everyday life and into the spiritual heart of Bali? Hosted at Soulshine — the barefoot luxury resort tucked among Ubud’s rice terraces and ancient temples — this was a week designed to strip things back and build things up. Led by strength and nervous system coach, Jānis Blums and Susanna Stang-Holm, with guest speaker and Australian model Natalie Roser, the ELEVATE Retreats Bali experience was equal parts sweat, soul, stillness, and sisterhood. Outfitted by P.E Nation, fuelled by JSHealth and The Beauty Chef, moving in ASICS, and recovering with BLACKROLL — this is what it looks like when wellness brands and real women come together.

Move. Learn. Restore.

Every day followed a rhythm designed to mirror the body — not fight it

Mornings began barefoot on the grass behind the villas. A silent walk through the rice fields — no phones, no conversation — ending at the rooftop shala for morning movement with Jānis.
Then, the reward. Soulshine’s breakfast buffet: freshly prepared warm dishes, salads, a make-your-own omelette bar, juices, raw food, and homemade almond milk for your coffee.
Mid-morning, back to the shala for the cornerstone of each day: Understanding Your Body. Jānis led workshops on female physiology — how our bodies operate, why we respond to training the way we do. An hour of questions and “ahaaa” moments of finally understanding ourselves.
Afternoons were free. Shuttle buses into Ubud, or — as most chose — the pool, a book, the in-house spa, lunch.
An optional strength session ran for those wanting more.
As the sun dropped, the group gathered for evening ceremony. A Balinese purification with a priest. Meditation. Flowers. Fire. Dance. Each night different. Each night a way of letting loose before dinner at Stay Human — a new continent’s cuisine every evening.
And always the best desserts.

“Life is like seasons, and it can’t always be summer.”

Natalie Roser has lived a career most people only see from the outside — magazine covers, a Times Square billboard, international campaigns, her own lingerie label, Bare Ones, and a photography-driven editorial project, SERIES. She started modelling at 13 in Newcastle, NSW, became a Miss Universe Australia finalist, survived spinal surgery from scoliosis, and — as of February 2025 — became a mum to daughter Aurelia with husband Harley Bonner.

At ELEVATE, Natalie wasn’t here as a cover girl. She was here as a woman with a story — and her talk to the group cut straight through the surface.
Her message was built around a metaphor that stayed with every woman in the room: life is like seasons, and it can’t always be summer. There are winters — periods of slowness, uncertainty, recovery, reinvention. And they’re not failures. They’re necessary. The pressure to always be thriving, always be “on,” always be in peak season is a lie we’ve been sold. Real growth happens in the quieter chapters.
For a group of women exploring what it means to work with their bodies rather than against them, the metaphor landed perfectly. The seasons of a career. The seasons of a cycle. The seasons of a life.
Her husband Harley Bonner — an Australian actor known for his roles on Neighbours and Home and Away — brought a different energy to the retreat, leading one of the evening meditation sessions. Where Natalie’s talk was raw and reflective, Harley’s meditation oUered stillness — a chance to sit quietly with everything the week had stirred up.

The Architects of Elevate

Jãnis Blums

Strength & Nervous System Coach | Delta X Coach

If you’ve trained at Sweaty Soul in Edgecliff, Sydney, you already know Jānis Blums. A strength and nervous system coach with tertiary qualifications spanning psychology, physiology, neuroscience, and strength and conditioning, Jānis doesn’t just make you stronger — he makes you smarter about how your body moves, behaves and adapts. His philosophy centres on two pillars: health and longevity. Everything else — aesthetics, fat loss, performance — follows. At the retreat, Jānis facilitated all movement sessions and led workshops grounded in the science of the nervous system. His approach — training with your nervous system, not against it — gave every woman in the group a new framework for how they think about exercise and life. His app, Delta X Coach, packages this same coaching methodology into programs, workouts, and educational content accessible from anywhere.

Susanna Stang-Holm

Founder, ELEVATE Retreats

If Two years ago, Susanna — a Norwegian model and entrepreneur — moved to Sydney on a one-way ticket, not knowing a single soul. ELEVATE was born from what she saw missing: a genuine understanding of female physiology. “I wanted a retreat that reflected that in every aspect. For women to understand themselves, to work with their bodies — and transform what we’ve been taught are our burdens into superpowers. Because we are incredible.”

“Some weeks you remember for what happened. This one, for how it felt.”

“Sweat that meant something. Stillness that changed something.”

Playground for Your Soul

Nestled on 2.2 hectares in the cultural heart of Ubud, Soulshine Bali is not your average resort. Founded by international recording artist Michael Franti and entrepreneur Sara Agah Franti, the 33-room property is Bali’s first sound and wellness resort — a place where music, movement, and mindfulness come together under one canopy of tropical green. Built on the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana: harmony between spirit, human connection, and nature. The property is a working organic farm, supplying its own Stay Human restaurant with daily-harvested produce. Every room comes equipped with a Marley turntable, Marshall speakers, and a selection of vinyl records — a detail that says everything about the ethos of this place. Three infinity pools overlook the jungle. The rooftop yoga shala opens to panoramic views. A full-service spa sits quietly among the gardens. And a river runs along the property edge, completing the sense that you’ve arrived somewhere that exists slightly outside of time. For the ELEVATE Retreats group, Soulshine was more than a venue — it was a container. A place where community formed naturally over family-style meals, post-yoga swims, and late-night conversations that none of us wanted to end. “I was looking for somewhere that understood that healing and joy aren’t opposites,” says Susanna. “Soulshine got that immediately. It’s built into everything they do.”

“The retreat begins when you get on the plane”

The theme was Return to Yourself. Not as a slogan — as a practice.
“The goal was always that the retreat begins when you get on the plane,” says Susanna. “We don’t want people to escape their life for a week and return as if nothing happened. We want to give them tangible tools they can take home to change their everyday life. Returning more empowered than ever.” That’s what happened. The morning routine that stuck. The understanding of your own cycle that shifted how you train. The breath work that changed how you handle a hard Tuesday. The nervous system knowledge that rewired how you approach stress. Not a holiday. A turning point.

Join us next time! ELEVATE RETREATS

@womensfitness_aus @elevateretreats_au susanna@womensfitnessmag.com.au

Recovery You Can Take Anywhere

Recovery isn’t what happens when the workout is over. It’s what makes the next workout possible

BLACKROLL® tools are low-cost, simple, and go wherever you do — which is exactly why they became part of the daily rhythm at ELEVATE. Everyone left the retreat with a set to take home: the pink mini foam roller, resistance bands, black massage balls, and a workout bag. Here’s the five-minute routine BLACKROLL® built for the group — designed to slot into any morning, anywhere. No gym required. Just you, the floor, and five minutes.

A simple daily routine from the retreat — designed by BLACKROLL®

Roll Out — Mini Foam Roller (90 seconds).
Sit down on the floor with extended legs with the mini roller under your calf. Slowly roll your calf starting above the ankle to the back of the knee and back. 45 seconds each leg. Slow, intentional pressure, breathe deep — let the fascia release.
Activate — Resistance Band (90 seconds).
Band around your thighs, just above the knees. Feet hip-width apart. 10 lateral steps left, 10 right, then 10 glute bridges — squeezing against the band at the top. Wake up the glutes and stabilisers before you move.
Release — Massage Ball (2 minutes).
Stand with the black ball between your upper back and a wall. Find a tight spot, hold, breathe. 60 seconds upper back. Then place the ball under one foot, roll slowly from heel to toe — 30 seconds each side. Unlock tension you didn’t know you were holding.
That’s it. Five minutes. Every morning. The habit everyone brought home from Bali.

Fuelled, Outfitted & Supported By

P.E Nation
Every participant dressed head to toe in P.E Nation — the Australian-born, B Corpcertified activewear brand by Pip Edwards and Claire Tregoning. Pieces from their newest collection provided the full retreat wardrobe. From the shala to the pool to dinner.
penation.com

The Beauty Chef
Carla Oates’ pioneering ingestible beauty brand. The morning ritual everyone looked forward to. Body Protein+ in vanilla and chocolate — bio-fermented plant protein, 23g per serve. Collagen Boost elixir. Collagen and Glow berry sachets. Plus two cookbooks for poolside reading. Beauty begins in the belly.
thebeautychef.com

JSHealth Vitamins
Targeted, science-backed formulas by nutritionist Jessica Sepel. At ELEVATE, three products powered the daily rhythm: Lean+ — a 3-in-1 creatine formula for women. Advanced Sleep+ Powder — passionflower, ashwagandha, and magnesium for deep rest. Berberine+ — metabolic support. Strength in the morning. Calm at night.
jshealthvitamins.com

ASICS
On their feet: the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 28 (valued at $280 AUD) — ASICS’ flagship cushioning shoe, now lighter than ever with PureGEL technology and an engineered knit upper. Everyone received a pair for the week. From rice field walks to training sessions.
asics.com