Beyond the Budget Couples Retreat 2026
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Nov. 5-8, 2026
Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina
A retreat for couples building a life together — with intention
Why We Built This
We created the Beyond the Budget Couples Retreat because we kept seeing the same pattern: people doing the “right things” with money on paper, but still feeling disconnected from what they were building together in life.
As a couple, we’ve lived in the space where financial decisions, career demands, and relationship dynamics all overlap. We know how easy it is to stay in constant motion with planning, optimizing and achieving without ever creating space to actually step back and ask: Is this the life we want together?
As mental health clinicians, we also saw how rarely couples get the opportunity to slow down and explore both money and connection in the same room. Financial conversations often feel technical or stressful. Relationship work often stays separate from practical life decisions. But in reality, they are deeply intertwined.
This retreat is our way of bringing those conversations together in an intentional and thoughtful manner in a setting that allows space to breathe. Not as therapy, and not as financial advising, but as guided time to reflect, realign, and reconnect with what matters most.
Beyond the Budget Couples Retreat is for couples who are building something together and want to do it with more clarity, alignment, and intention attending to the financial, emotional and relational components.
We built this because we needed it too.
The Retreat
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We've identified a private retreat center in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina, just outside Asheville. Designed for rest, connection, and reflection, the property accommodates up to 15 couples plus retreat staff, with private bedrooms and bathrooms spread across five charming lodge buildings.
Wake each morning to mountain air, wooded views, and the sounds of nature. Spend time on covered decks, relax in a rocking chair with a cup of coffee, or take in the peaceful surroundings as you reconnect with yourself, your partner, and the life you're building together.
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The retreat is thoughtfully designed to balance connection, learning, and rest. You'll enjoy dedicated time with your partner, interactive workshops, and opportunities to connect with other couples who value intentional living and meaningful partnership.
Together, we'll explore topics including communication, emotional connection, shared financial goals, and the everyday habits that help couples build a strong and fulfilling life together.
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We are partnering with a private chef to provide locally sourced and seasonally harvested delicious, nourishing meals throughout the retreat. Your stay includes a welcome dinner on Thursday evening, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Friday and Saturday, and a farewell breakfast on Sunday before departure.
Our hope is that every meal becomes an opportunity to slow down, connect, and enjoy the experience together without having to think about planning, cooking, or cleanup.
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This retreat is designed to be more than a getaway, it’s an opportunity to slow down, reconnect, and have the conversations that are easy to postpone in everyday life.
We are carefully building every part of the experience, from the setting and meals to the facilitation and details that help couples feel supported. We’re finalizing pricing now with the intention of balancing accessibility with the quality of experience we want to provide.
We’re committed to being thoughtful stewards of your investment and creating a weekend that feels genuinely valuable for your relationship.
We anticipate pricing will reflect the intimate nature of this experience and will include everything you need for the weekend with no surprise add-ons.
Your Retreat Founders and Facilitators
Hi, we're Angela and Lisa.
We're a married couple, partners in life, and licensed mental health professionals who share a passion for helping couples build stronger, more intentional relationships.
Lisa Buning, M.A., Ed.S., is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Emotionally Focused Couples (EFCT) Trained Therapist who emphasizes the role of attachment in her work with clients.
Angela Koivula, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist, Financial Coach, and EFCT-trained clinician whose background includes behavioral health, trauma therapy, and burnout recovery and prevention.
Together, we've built a life grounded in many of the same principles we teach: emotional connection, open communication, shared values, and intentional partnership. We share two adult sons, a beloved dog, and a love of travel and new experiences.
Our work as clinicians, our own experience as partners, and our training in EFT inspired us to create this retreat. We’ve also spent years building solid processes around our financial goals and shared rich life and ultimately know that we are stronger together. We know that strong relationships require time, attention, and care and that stepping away from daily life can create space for meaningful connection. Our hope is that every couple leaves feeling more connected to each other and more intentional about the life they're building together.
Get on the List Now!
Thanks for your interest in our retreat! Our vision is to create a warm, meaningful weekend experience where couples can slow down, reconnect, learn new tools, and leave feeling more aligned in both their relationship and their future.
If this speaks to you, join the list to receive updates, early access, retreat details including pricing details, and location announcements.
Your Questions, Answered
As our retreat planning evolves so will your questions and our answers. Information here will likely be updated but we are collecting questions and will provide answers as we learn them.
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This retreat is designed for couples who want to strengthen their connection, improve communication, and be more intentional about the life they're building together. No specific relationship challenge is required to benefit.
Couples of all backgrounds, identities, and stages of relationship are encouraged to join us.
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No. While the retreat is informed by Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), you do not need any prior therapy experience to participate or benefit.
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No. This is a a purely educational and experiential retreat, not therapy. While there will be guided workshops and exercises, you will not be required to share personal details with the group and no “treatment” will be provided to any of the participants.
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Yes. The schedule is designed to balance learning, connection, and rest, with plenty of unstructured time to relax, explore the property, and enjoy your partner’s company.
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Your registration includes accommodations, all meals and snacks, retreat programming, workshop materials, and full access to the retreat property during your stay.
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Transportation to and from the retreat center and any personal expenses are not included.
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Yes. We strive to create a welcoming, inclusive space for all couples . If you have specific accessibility, dietary, or other needs, we’ll work with you to support your experience whenever possible.
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We will collect dietary preferences in advance and work with our chef to accommodate a wide range of needs whenever possible.
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This is a small-group retreat, intentionally limited to 15 couples to maintain an intimate and supportive environment.
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Comfortable, casual clothing is perfect. We’ll share a suggested packing list before the retreat.
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Yes. Every couple has a private bedroom and private bathroom.
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Yes. Some parts of the retreat include conversations and exercises around shared financial goals, values, and decision-making as a couple. These are always approached in a supportive and non-judgmental way.
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Yes. We welcome committed couples in all forms of partnership.
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That’s common. Many couples come with different levels of enthusiasm, and the retreat is designed to meet both partners where they are.
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No. The retreat is secular and focused on relationship skills, emotional connection, and intentional partnership.
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You’re welcome to join our waitlist to receive updates and future opportunities.
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This retreat is designed as an adults-only space, allowing couples uninterrupted time to focus fully on each other.
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Great question! We recognize everyone can benefit from the material we will cover but this particular retreat is geared toward two-person couples in a committed and romantic relationship.
We hope to offer future retreats and expand our scope of attendees. Subscribe above to be notified of when these retreats might happen and to receive updates and information about all we have to share about relationships and money.
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As a same-sex, interracial and neurodiverse couple ourselves we are committed to making sure everyone feels welcome, valued, and seen. One of the reasons we created this retreat was because we have struggled to find spaces that offered the inclusivity we yearn for. If you have particular concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out!
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We love dogs! But similar to children, pets are not invited to this retreat. Ours will also be staying behind so we can focus our attention on you all and you can focus on each other.