Jon StojanFree Spirited Wanderer, founded by yoga teacher and traveler Carole Keefer, has garnered national recognition for its transformative yoga retreats, curating immersive experiences that enmesh community, yoga, and lifestyle. Having led successful international retreats across stunning locations like Costa Rica, Peru, and Nepal, to name a few, Carole is now gearing up to offer more accessible pop-up retreats in 2025, aiming to bring the essence of global experiences to a broader audience.
Image credit: Free Spirited Wanderer
Free Spirited Wanderer’s international retreats have flourished over the past few years, now standing at a soon-to-increase count of 13 trips abroad. This rapid growth stands in contrast to its humble yet promising start in 2017. From a three-hour drive from Carole’s home to the Smoky Mountains to 13-hour flights to Italy and beyond, Free Spirited Wanderer leads more than a yoga retreat; it cultivates a strong community and lifestyle rooted in mindfulness, connection, and joy.
“Although each of our retreats has different themes, community, yoga, and lifestyle are the pillars supporting all of them,” Carole explains. “Community is about intentional connection where people feel a sense of belonging to the group, themselves, and the world at large. Yoga is about fostering physical and mental well-being through mindful practice, and lifestyle is about integrating ancient wisdom into modern living.”
Free Spirited Wanderer’s retreats aren’t just about yoga practice; they also encourage guests to engage in cultural activities and support the local economies of the regions they visit, resulting in a retreat that’s both personally enriching and globally conscious. The retreats offer twice-daily yoga sessions, workshops, pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation sessions, local excursions, and plenty of free time to relax and read a book by the beach, share conversation with new friends, and venture into town for souvenirs.
Offering both in-land and international retreats, Carole’s signature Smoky Mountains True Nature retreat in Tennessee has now run for seven years straight. And her Authentic Feminine Women’s retreat in Tulum, Mexico, has empowered women to find themselves in profound ways for five years. As one participant shared with Carole, “It took me 40 years to find a group of women that I connect with, but I found it here.”
Building on the ascent of her international retreats, Carole is excited to announce the launch of pop-up retreats in March 2025, to offer a more accessible option for her international experiences. The Free Spirited Wanderer pop-up retreats are designed to provide participants with an immersive ecosystem of community, yoga, and lifestyle within a single day.
A Free Spirited Wanderer Retreat, Photograph by Laura Klauser
The day retreats will provide an equally enriching experience, featuring the same elements of international retreats, with yoga sessions, workshops, and an ever-strong focus on community-building activities, ensuring that participants resonate with others in a meaningful way. “It’s a condensed version of our retreats intended to equip participants with the tools and experiences to allow them to connect with themselves and others,” Carole explains. The pop-up retreats aim to make the Free Spirited Wanderer experience more accessible to those who may not have the means to attend international retreats.
While pop-up retreats will initially be held in the vast and diverse landscapes of the United States, Carole plans to soon take them to Europe as well, with destinations like Holland, London, and Portugal. While her international retreats are already attended by wanderers from all over the US, globally-located pop-up events provide space for a broader community of wanderers. The goal with pop-up retreats is to expand the reach of the Free Spirited Wanderer community, giving more people the opportunity to experience the community and personal growth that comes with it, regardless of location.
To further realize her vision of a global community of joy, love, compassion, and presence through the power of yoga, Carole is now working on a community platform that will connect retreat alumni and newcomers and continue to build relationships, sharing their journeys and experiences long after retreats end. “The sense of community extends beyond the retreat itself,” Carole states. “It’s about creating a space where people can stay connected, inspire each other, and continue to grow.”
Through yoga classes, feminine leadership coaching, international retreats, and, now, pop-up events, Carole Keefer and Free Spirited Wanderer are dedicated to engendering an ecosystem that balances personal growth with worldwide belonging. As her vision continues to expand, the community that Free Spirited Wanderer is cultivating is ready to reach new heights in 2025 and beyond.