In Good Company x MOTHER Retreat at Flowers Winery

Events

Inside The In Good Company x MOTHER Retreat at Flowers Winery

Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano

Nov 21, 2024

It was all a dream (turned reality). Just one week before the election, we gathered with over 100 passionate, creative women and mothers for the In Good Company x MOTHER retreat at the stunning Flowers Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg, California. Our idyllic day kicked off with a panel featuring veteran business owners Catherine Bailey of Heath Ceramics, interiors guru Shavonda Gardner, and Amanda Nguyen of Butter&, moderated by yours truly.

In addition to our live conversation and curated small-group sessions, all day long we enjoyed shade-matching and beauty giveaways by Well People, wellness check-ins by Hey Freya, and wine by Flowers. We were fueled by delicious breakfast and lunch spreads by Chef Wilson McFarlin of Flowers, vegan cheese by SriMu, and drinks by Poppi.

Other highlights include a wide variety of delectable cakes served up by Butter& to mark MOTHER’s big 10-year-anniversary milestone, and a lush, DIY floral bar by Matilda’s Bloombox to close out our unforgettable event.

All guests were sent home with an abundance of gifts thanks to our incredibly generous partners, Brycie Prints, STATE Bags, Little Spoon, People I’ve Loved, Cookma, Falcon Enamelware, Candlewick Press, Lady Falcon Coffee Club, Jenny Pennywood, Guittard, Tubby Todd, Brodo, Koala Eco, Rivera’s Boulevard, Zenni, Cora, Amy’s, Heath Ceramics, and Icarian Photography.

A special thanks to The Madrona, who hosted our first-ever In Good Company sleepover and opening cocktail reception for our epic event.

Flip through our slideshow below to re-live the In Good Company x MOTHER retreat at Flowers with us!

: A first look at our stunning venue and host: Flowers Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg, California.

: Angela Reiner and Kendall Moriarty, both gorgeous in green.

: A splash of Flowers rosé to kick-off our event.

: Scooping up badges and notebooks at the registration tables.

: Notebooks, by Brycie Prints, to fill up with the day's inspiration and takeaways.

: Allie Summers, Eunice Ross, and Stephanie Tsang holding down the check-in desk—amongst many other tasks.

: Kirti Rao and Natasha Yuhjtman, all smiles as they get the morning started.

: Mimo Hale and Kalkidan Gebreyohannes-Royster share an embrace.

: Oakland mama friends Charmin Roundtree and Carissa Potter.

: A delicious breakfast spread by Flowers' Chef Wilson McFarlin greeted our guests upon arrival.

: The room quickly filled with lively chatter.

: Making new friends over coffee and bites.

: June Williams Glenn and Lea Sabado share a laugh.

: White hot Leslie Wang Su and Helen Yu.

: Our speaker line-up: Shavonda Gardner, Amanda Nguyen of Butter&, Catherine Bailey of Heath Ceramics, and yours truly, Katie Hintz-Zambrano.

: Under a beautiful oak tree, guests settled into their seats for our panel discussion.

: But before anything else—we asked our attendees to think about their intentions for the day, and write them down in their Brycie Prints journals.

: Next up: we asked our guests to introduce themselves to the other incredible women who surrounded them.

: This is an In Good Company tradition that we've done at every event since our first-ever conference in 2017!

: It's wonderful to see the sparks fly.

: Connection.

: Connection.

: And more connection.

: That's what it's all about.

: The most beautiful setting for a panel.

: Coffee in hand, and ready to soak up wisdom and inspiration.

: With stints as a business owner ranging from 8-years (Amanda) to 22-years (Cathy), one of our topics was about the keys to brand longevity.

: Aleza Ma and Karla Miranda, taking it all in.

: So many big questions, so little time.

: Antonia Vindel rocking her MOTHER hat.

: Amanda Nguyen of Butter& talked about burnout, running a bootstrapped cake business, and the process of shutting down a venture-backed food-tech company.

: The most seasoned of the bunch, with nearly 22 years of business ownership under her belt, Cathy Bailey of Heath Ceramics had many gems of wisdom to share.

: Interior design vet Shavonda Gardner also had gems to drop alongside plenty of chuckle-inducing humor.

: Notebooks open and getting filled with ideas.

: Interior designer Francesca Martin-Kelly.

: Shavonda covered everything from mothering older children to constant career pivots.

: So many great takeaways.

: That time Amanda Nguyen told us she was launching a Butter& cake-stand collaboration with Heath Ceramics.

: ...at least in her dreams.

: Subikksha Balaje of Gold Stories.

: Meliza Mokrani of WORTHY.

: We had the best time up there.

: And in the audience.

: All smiles.

: Our panel was a combination of laugh-out-loud good times, and frank statements about business, motherhood, creativity, mental health, and more.

: Soaking it up.

: One of the most beautiful settings we've ever had a panel, hands-down.

: After our panel, we spread out on the vast Flowers property, breaking out into curated pods for small group sessions.

: Each group had a unique space to gather in.

: Everyone enjoyed a list of deep, guided questions.

: We recommended guests privately journal their thoughts and then share with the larger group.

: We had such a blast curating these pods.

: Ideas brewing.

: Good vibes all around.

: Which pod setting would you pick?

: Each was perfectly peaceful.

: Our groups also took place in Flowers' gorgeous indoor rooms.

: All day long, our friends at Well People helped shade-match guests with their award-winning, clean makeup line.

: Guests could choose from Well People's 15 shades of its best-selling Supernatural Complexion Stick Foundation + Concealer.

: The wonderful ladies behind Well People.

: Lucky guests, lining up to try out products to take home.

: Well People is EWG certified, cruelty free, vegan makeup and skincare suitable for all skin types.

: Getting shade-matched in the most beautiful, sun-kissed setting.

: Charlene Carr taking some Well People goodies home.

: What a treat! Thank you, Well People!

: Meanwhile, Hey Freya set up in a beautiful nook to offer wellness counseling and more.

: Two of Hey Freya's signature products: Thrive (a Women's Daily + Stress Support) and Rest (Herbal Sleep Support).

: One of the mamas behind Hey Freya, Cecilia Tse.

: Serving up Hey Freya's signature Quench product—an answer to science-backed hydration, thanks to astaxanthin and vitamin c, which protect your cells, support the immune system, and enhance skin health.

: A powerful dose in each cup.

: Lea Sabado drinks up.

: The daily Quench product, a blend of powerful antioxidants with a critical ratio of salt, sugar, and other electrolytes to truly hydrate you.

: Getting hydrated—and educated.

: Just one of our hydration options for the all-day retreat.

: Cookies and Quench—a winning combo.

: Hey Freya's other signature products: Calm (Your Anti-Anxiety Wingwoman) and Nourish (Daily Nutrients).

: Lunch time! Jenny Frank of Daffodil Digital is ready to dive in.

: Flowers' Chef Wilson McFarlin created a mouth-watering vegetarian spread for all to enjoy.

: Yummy sandwiches, veg-heavy salads, and more.

: The mom-founded, modern soda company Poppi fueled our lunch, with refreshing drinks that combine agave inulin, apple cider vinegar, and fruit juice to give guests all the soda feels with 25 calories or less, 5g sugar or less, and prebiotics.

: A delicious dessert spread of cookies and vegan cheeses by SriMu.

: SriMu is a locally made, plant-based, vegan, artisanal, cashew cheese.

: As beautiful as they are tasty!

: Plus, Flowers' renowned wine was flowing all retreat long.

: Photographer Şenay Inanici getting a sip.

: Flowers Estate Director Jen Beloz and Marketing Director Liddy Parlato tell us the inspiring story behind the company and its wines.

: Cheers to our wonderful hosts!

: Dr. Joy Cooper and Mariama Jabbie catching up in the shade.

: Lunch with old and new friends.

: Danielle Cohen and sisters Derya and Senay Inanici.

: Ceramicist Erin Hupp and artist Jaime Lovejoy.

: The first of many drool-worthy Butter& cakes that were served to celebrate the gathering and give a nod to MOTHER's 10-year milestone birthday.

: A beautiful slice and gorgeous smile.

: So many flavors to choose from.

: Candice Lee settles on a fruity filling.

: Edible flowers continued our floral theme.

: Why stop at one flavor?

: Our friends at Matilda's Bloombox set up a lush DIY floral bar for all attendees to enjoy.

: Founded by a mother of 3, Matilda's Bloombox offers seasonal stems and easy-to-follow DIY instructions to create affordable, floral masterpieces at home.

: Just some of the wild, autumnal offerings from local farms.

: A relaxing setting to give ourselves our flowers.

: Florists unite! Natalie Brookshire and Emily Boschetto of Matilda's Bloombox work the bar.

: Natalie picking some favorites.

: Looking like sisters! (They're not).

: DIY florals and Flowers wine, a perfect pair.

: Mom of 3 and travel junkie Tarika Richter.

: Karla Miranda of Rivera's Boulevard.

: Frolicking friends Kathy Jaller and Bo Lu.

: Hospitality queens Christine Morairty and Jen Beloz.

: Lauren Podoll, Jaime Lovejoy, and Subikksha Balaje.

: Sangeeta Landau and Josselyn Eccleston.

: Just some of the goodies our guests left with.

: Mariama Jabbie, Juvilynn Arbuthnot, and Melissa Goldstein.

: Neutrals with a pop of color—Jeanne Chan, Therese Jacinto, Helen Yu, Katie Hintz-Zambrano, Francesca Martin-Kelly, and Michelle Davenport.

: Lauren Friis, Felicia Ferguson, and Elizabeth Welborn.

: Trying out all the Poppi flavors.

: Our wonderful trio of speakers.

: Flavia Udkow and Darina Neal of The Nurtured Seedling.

: Lauren Hurst, Anna Chiu, and Leslie Wang-Su.

: Katie Hintz-Zambrano and Antonia Vindel.

: Mariama Jabbie and Dr. Joy Cooper.

: Aimée Leifer checking out the take-home picture book options from Candlewick Press.

: How to choose just one?!

: Decisions, decisions...

: Leslie Wang-Su scooped up a classic: Maisy.

: Maisy Big, Maisy Small: A Book of Rhyming Opposites is a brand-new book which will be released in 2025!

: Our friends at Little Spoon had an entire gifting table, filled with bento boxes and snacks.

: Happy mama Mimo Hale tops off her bag with Little Spoon goodies.

: Each guest got to take home a limited edition Little Spoon x Jessica Woo bento box, designed by mom, social media star, and bento box queen Sulhee Jessica Woo.