“I didn’t create the Compassion Collective just to host pretty events. I created it to provide healing experiences for successful, brilliant Black and Brown women who were silently struggling under the weight of all they carried. A place for women like me.”
Born from Esther Boykin’s two decades of clinical work with high-achieving Black women, the Compassion Collective creates culturally rooted, luxuriously restorative wellness spaces where women of color can set down their armor, rediscover joy, and return home to themselves.Blending clinical insight, communal care, and experiential luxury, we offer more than retreats—we offer sanctuary. Our signature retreats anchor the mission, while our virtual gatherings, Salons, and Soft Life Suppers extend access to curated wellness experiences throughout the year.Whether you join us for intimate, thoughtfully curated conversation at a Salon or savor sumptuous food and soul-centered dialogue at a Soft Life Supper, every Compassion Collective offering reflects our retreat ethos: radical self-compassion held within rich communal care.Soft Life Suppers
-
Soft Life Suppers are intimate dinners that weave nourishment, joy, and intentional conversation into an evening of community care. Designed to mirror the retreat experience, they offer a preview for those curious about our work—and a homecoming for those already part of the Collective.
With candlelight, good wine, laughter, and honesty, these evenings embody the heart of the Compassion Collective: luxury as a path to healing and connection as a way back to yourself.
Salons
-
Salons are curated in-person gatherings that blend intellectual exchange, emotional depth, and communal care. Inspired by the salons of Harlem and Paris—and the honest, soulful conversations found in Black hair salons across the globe—these spaces invite you to think, feel, and expand in good company.
Offered in Washington, DC and select cities, each themed Salon offers a uniquely intimate, accessible way to experience the depth and resonance of the Compassion Collective in community.
Retreats
-
Our flagship offering, retreats are multi-day immersive experiences that blend restoration, cultural attunement, and transformative care. With no more than eight women, each retreat offers true intimacy, spaciousness, and a deeply personalized experience.
This is where the real work happens—gently, intentionally, and held with reverence.
Virtual Gatherings
-
Our virtual gatherings are engaging, community-centered sessions that keep you connected to yourself, and to the Compassion Collective, between in-person experiences. Each month, we come together for guided conversations and practices that invite you to pause, reflect, and integrate our core frameworks, no matter where you are.
Offered monthly, these sessions turn episodic self-care into intentional self-compassion and consistent self-devotion.
Not sure which experience is right for you?
Take our Readiness Quiz to discover the offering that best aligns with where you are on your journey. Whether you’re seeking reflection, connection, or deep restoration, this quiz helps you identify the Retreat, Salon, or Supper that meets you where you are.
“What differentiates the Compassion Collective is the continued support. Knowing I have a supportive community and ongoing resources inspires me to dive deeper and commit more fully to my growth.”
Frequently Asked Questions
-
There were three big reasons. First, I wanted to create a space that allowed me to reach people in a more expansive way than just one-on-one sessions.
Second, I kept seeing the same pattern in my clients: Black women, especially the high-achieving ones, were hitting major career milestones… and feeling lonelier, more depleted, less seen. They’d done all the “right things” - therapy, coaching, personal development- and still something was missing.
And lastly, I saw a need for community. I would finish one session and think, “If only I could connect this woman to the one I just talked to.” The Compassion Collective was born from my longing to curate a space that could hold both success and softness, both healing and joy for the women who rarely get that.
-
Compassion Collective is intentionally designed to center and celebrate the lived experiences of Black women and women of color, offering a space where you can fully be yourself without explanation or performance. That said, if our mission resonates deeply with you, you're welcome to apply and attend regardless of race.
-
This was literally designed for women who’ve done all the things- and still felt like it wasn’t enough. The women who join the Compassion Collective are not new to self-help. They are women who are ready for more. Our programs are created for women who already have deep self-awareness and need a transformative space that goes beyond strategies and techniques. A place to build community and truly experience care.
-
That’s completely understandable, and you won't have to if you don’t want to. Compassion Collective is about honoring exactly who you are. There's no expectation for you to perform vulnerability or emotion. Many women are surprised to find that trust naturally emerges in a group that truly “gets it,” but your experience and boundaries are always respected first.
-
With over 20 years as a licensed therapist, I carefully curate experiences that balance deep emotional safety with meaningful connection. You'll be gently supported through complex emotions while learning practical ways to integrate these insights into your daily life, making this more than just a retreat, it's a lasting transformation.