WHO WE ARE

We didn't stumble into this work. It found us.

Create Your Fate Retreats was built on a simple belief: that the most transformative journey you will ever take is the one inward — and that it's better traveled with others.

 

Founded by Meg Ellis and Jose Portillo, Create Your Fate Retreats brings together movement, mindset, and adventure to create retreat experiences that go far beyond a great trip. We build the conditions for real change — in breathtaking places, with people who quickly become lifelong friends.

Meet the Team
Signature Retreats
Flow Retreats
Embodied Retreats

OUR STORY

Two friends. One idea. A whole lot of passport stamps.

Meg and Jose met in the fitness world — bonded over a shared love of movement, travel, and genuinely helping people grow. The friendship came first. The business came from a conversation they kept having: why doesn't something like this exist?

They looked around and saw plenty of wellness retreats. What they didn't see was a space built around human connection — where you could travel somewhere extraordinary, do real inner work, and walk away with friendships that actually last. Where you didn't have to wait for the perfect partner or the perfect moment. Where fear didn't get to be the reason you stayed home.

So they built it themselves. Every detail handled. Every destination intentional. Every retreat designed so the only thing you have to do is show up.

Create Your Fate Retreats group connecting during an international wellness retreat

Voted a top wellness retreat for a reason: we help you reset, unplug, and reconnect — not alone, but alongside a group of like-minded people who become lifelong friends.

HOW WE GOT HERE

The journey that built this.

Meg Ellis and Jose Portillo — co-founders of Create Your Fate Retreats

THE FOUNDERS

Led by practitioners, not theorists.

Every retreat is co-led by Meg or Jose (and together, in Signature retreats!) — who between them bring decades of certified coaching, movement expertise, and international retreat experience.

Jose Portillo — Co-Founder and 500-HR E-RYT yoga teacher at Create Your Fate Retreats

Jose Portillo, Co-Founder, Yoga Teacher & Trainer

500-HR E-RYT

With certifications in vinyasa, meditation, trauma informed yoga and yin/restorative training, Jose has a passion for creating experiences and spaces for people to meet themselves through movement and breath.

For Jose, the yoga practice has given him the tools to live a life that is authentic, intuitive and powerfully connected to his purpose and his greatest desire through his teachings of the practice is for others to find the same. By connecting to that which gives us life, this practice of honoring the breath and the body by way of yoga asanas (postures) and pranayama (breath practice), we can find ourselves present to all the amazing things available to us here and now. More importantly, this practice offers us the freedom and the empowerment to seek our physical, mental and spiritual growth.

@all.in.jose

Meg Ellis — Co-Founder and Certified Conscious Life Coach at Create Your Fate Retreats

Meg Ellis, Conscious Life Coach, Founder of the Meg Ellis Method

CLC, NLP, Somatic Movement Practitioner, 200-HR E-RYT, Enneagram Practitioner

As a Certified Life Coach, NLP Practitioner, and Somatic Movement Facilitator, Meg brings a holistic approach to self-discovery and wellness. With certifications in meditation, Lagree, yoga, and group fitness, plus a decade of experience teaching indoor cycling, Meg seamlessly integrates movement, mindfulness, and mindset into her immersive wellness experiences.

With a background in anatomy, physiology, and biology, Meg understands the body’s deep connection to mental and emotional well-being. She thoroughly enjoys designing life-changing retreats to help people unlock their power and purpose, break self-limiting beliefs, and cultivate lasting fulfillment.

@megellismethod

THE TEAM

The guides behind every experience.

Depending on the retreat, you'll be joined by an exceptional lineup of facilitators, healers, and movement specialists — each bringing their own gifts to the container.

Candice Quino — 200-HR E-RYT yoga teacher and trainer at Create Your Fate Retreats

Candice Quino, Yoga Teacher & Trainer, YTT Co-Lead

200-HR E-RYT


With over a decade of teaching experience, Candice brings a mischievous, unconventional spirit to the mat. Her classes are challenging and thoughtful—a blend of traditional vinyasa and a yoga-meets-martial-arts edge. Known for coloring outside of the lines, she creates a space where students are encouraged to trust their inherent creativity, embrace their inner authority, and celebrate their own uniqueness.


Candice’s teaching is rooted in the union of opposites—inviting honest exploration, even of the parts we tend to withhold. Music plays a central role in her classes, helping set a tone that’s both immersive and unexpected. Forever a student herself, she holds multiple 200-hour certifications and continues to evolve her practice and teachings. Off the mat, you can find her enjoying raccoon memes, just about anything caffeinated, anime marathons, and expanding her beloved Sailor Moon collection.

@theonlyqyouknow

Gustavo Handam — Retreat Lead and movement facilitator at Create Your Fate Retreats

Gustavo Handam, Retreat Lead

Cycle/Strength/Fitness Instructor 

Gustavo Handam is a wellness coach and movement facilitator with over four years of experience teaching indoor cycling, sculpt, and strength training. What began as a passion for fitness evolved into a deeper calling. Coaching people through movement while creating spaces where they feel safe, supported, and truly seen.

Now a full-time coach, Gustavo believes movement is more than physical, it’s a gateway to self-awareness, discovery, and connection. Through his classes and community, he has built environments where people don’t just work out, but reconnect with themselves and each other. Movement became the tool that helped him step into his own authenticity and a stronger and higher version of himself and it’s the same journey he’s passionate about sharing with others.

@gustavohandam

Tina Hines — Transformational breathwork guide and founder of Dragonfly Breathwork

Tina Hines, Breath Alchemist

Transformational Breathwork Guide

Tina spent decades as a high-level corporate consultant, decoding health plans, medical trends, and the hidden costs of disconnection. But no spreadsheet could explain why so many people were silently unraveling—and no benefit plan could touch the soul’s ache to feel again.

It wasn’t until a stormy Ayahuasca night in Costa Rica that the truth landed in her body: Healing isn’t something we chase. It’s something we breathe into.

Now the founder of Dragonfly Breathwork, Tina is a transformational breathwork guide devoted to helping others remember what it means to come home to themselves. Her sessions—equal parts science and sacred—gently repattern the nervous system, unravel buried grief, and awaken the voice beneath the noise.

@dragonflybreathwork

FIND YOUR PATH

Find the experience that's calling to you.

From movement-focused immersions to soul-centered healing retreats — each format is thoughtfully designed to meet you where you are and take you somewhere new.

Signature Retreats
Flow Retreats
Embodied Retreats

SIGNATURE RETREATS

Yoga, coaching & a little adventure.

The original Create Your Fate experience. Signature retreats blend soulful movement, conscious coaching, and curated cultural exploration into one seamless journey. Inclusive and welcoming to all — whether this is your first retreat or your tenth.

These are the retreats that started it all. Designed to help you reset, realign, and expand — in inspiring destinations around the world, surrounded by people who quickly become lifelong friends.

Signature retreat experience — yoga, coaching and cultural adventure at a Create Your Fate international retreat

WHAT'S INCLUDED

A complete experience — body, mind, and culture.

Every Signature retreat weaves together three pillars. Here's what you can expect across every destination.

Daily Yoga & Movement

Morning and evening sessions with Jose Portillo — vinyasa, yin, breathwork, and meditation tailored to the group.

Conscious Coaching

Group sessions with Meg Ellis exploring introspection, mindfulness, and intentional living — in a supportive, nonjudgmental space.

Cultural Excursions

Curated adventures that connect you to the destination — from nature hikes and local ceremonies to artisan markets and coastal experiences.

Signature Retreats Are For You If...

  • You're new to retreats

    The Signature format is the most accessible entry point into the Create Your Fate Retreats world — no yoga experience required, no prior coaching necessary. Just show up open.

  • You want the full experience

    Movement, mindset, adventure, and community — all in one trip. This is for those who want it all and aren't willing to compromise on any of it.

  • You're ready to travel solo

    Most people come alone. By day two, it never feels that way. The Signature retreat is community by design.

  • You want a reset — not just a vacation

    You're craving something more intentional. A trip that actually changes something. That's what this is.

FLOW RETREATS

For those who love to move.

Flow retreats center on movement as a pathway to mind-body connection. This format includes a variety of movement styles — beyond just yoga — ranging from energizing, strength-based flow to slower, restorative movement. Each session is designed to meet you where you are.

Unlike Signature retreats which blend coaching, movement, and adventure, Flow retreats are centered entirely around movement. You'll sweat, flow, breathe, and connect with others who share your passion for feeling good in their bodies.

YOGA • SCULPT • FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT • STRENGTH TRAINING • BREATHWORK • PILATES

Flow retreat movement session — yoga and sculpt at a Create Your Fate international retreat

THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FLOW

A complete experience — body, mind, and culture.

Before expanding into new movement modalities, our retreat experiences began with yoga. It remains the core of the Flow experience — here's what to expect.

Yoga Flow

From invigorating vinyasa flows to slow, supported yin — yoga is the foundation of every Flow retreat. Accessible to all levels, led by certified instructors who meet you exactly where you are.

VINYASA • YIN • YOGA NIDRA • RESTORATIVE

Sculpt & Strength

Strength, rhythm, and intention — sculpt sessions build physical power while creating the kind of mental focus that stays with you long after class ends. Expect to be challenged, supported, and surprised by what your body is capable of.

Meditation & Breathwork

Guided meditation and breathwork practices are woven throughout every Flow retreat to help you release tension, shift energy, and create real stillness between the movement. The inner work that makes the outer work land.

Flow Retreats Are For You If...

  • You're looking for like-minded movers

    Flow retreats are energizing and community-driven — bringing together people who love to move, sweat together, and genuinely connect through the shared experience.

  • You want to turn movement into a getaway

    Experience your favorite modality in an inspiring international setting — combining intentional daily practice with travel, culture, and adventure.

  • You want to move with instructors you love

    Flow retreats give you extended, immersive time with world-class movement facilitators in breathtaking destinations — not just a single class.

  • You're ready to deepen your practice

    Multiple sessions daily, focused workshops, and the time and space to actually go deeper — this is what a dedicated movement retreat makes possible.

EMBODIED RETREATS

Come home to your body. Come home to yourself.

Embodied retreats are designed for those ready to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with themselves through intentional movement, mindfulness, and meaningful inner work. These are soul-centered experiences that give you space to truly land in your body.

Through a blend of body-based healing, guided reflection, energy alignment, and deep self-inquiry, you'll experience powerful breakthroughs and soulful clarity — in a container that honors your journey exactly as it is.

SOMATIC MOVEMENT • LIFE COACHING • BREATHWORK • SOUND HEALING • MEDITATION • REIKI

Embodied retreat healing session — somatic and breathwork at a Create Your Fate wellness retreat

HEALING MODALITIES

Global healing, brought to you.

We partner with exceptional healers from around the world and bring them directly into the retreat experience — blending ancient wisdom with modern practices to support your transformation.

Somatic Healing

Your body holds more than you think — stress, grief, old patterns, unprocessed emotion. These practices work directly through the body to release what talk therapy and thinking alone can't always reach. No experience needed. Just a willingness to feel.

SOMATIC WORKOUTS • TAI CHI • YOGA NIDRA • INTUITIVE MOVEMENT

Sound & Energy Work

Everything is vibration — and sometimes the most powerful shift comes not from doing, but from receiving. Sound and energy practices create a deep state of rest and receptivity, clearing what no longer serves you and restoring your natural sense of balance and flow.

SOUND THERAPY • BREATHWORK • REIKI • ENERGY WORK

Conscious Inner Work

This is where you get quiet enough to hear yourself. Through guided meditation, reflection, and intentional practice, you reconnect to your own intuition, your own truth, and the deeper current of who you actually are beneath the noise of everyday life.

CONSCIOUS LIFE COACHING • GUIDED MEDITATION

Embodied Retreats Are For You If...

  • You want deep, lasting transformation

    You're ready to release what's been holding you back and align your mind, body, and spirit to create real, lasting change — not just insight, but shift.

  • You are emotionally and spiritually open

    You're grounded and committed to showing up fully for yourself — ready to engage with the deeper layers of your journey without needing to rush through them.

  • You're on your healing journey and ready for more

    You've done the work and are ready to deepen your growth, expand your practices, and explore what's possible on your path.

  • You want to be held in community

    Healing is deeper when we're witnessed. Embodied retreats create a safe, nonjudgmental container for shared growth and genuine human connection.

Embodied Mexico • Coming Soon

Sign up for our newsletter below to be the first to know when this retreat is live!

Get Our Newsletter

Join the Create Your Fate Retreats mailing list — be the first to know about upcoming retreats, exclusive offers, and priority booking.