When Tosha Williams relocated to Nashville with her family in 2017, she had difficulty finding community in her new home. Both of her children were young at the time. She spent a lot of time talking to her then-four-year-old because she didn’t have many friends. As what seemed like a last resort, Williams sought out community online.
She began connecting with women across the country who had one thing in common – they loved fashion and clothes. A long-time customer of the Lilly Pulitzer clothing brand, Williams found a group of online Lilly lovers who shared her love for fashion. They’d do clothing swaps, ask for styling assistance, and continue finding new ways to connect through social media. Eventually, Williams started meditating on bringing all the women together to connect in person. Slowly, other women expressed interest in attending a community event, prompting Williams to host the first Pink Retreat in 2018.
“The Pink Retreat is allowing women to get out again and to start exploring again,” Williams tells Travel Noire. “The more we get out, the more we explore and see something outside of our own neighborhoods. That’s where we can grow better as a community.”
This year, the Pink Retreat is taking over Palm Beach, Florida on June 20-23 with hundreds of women in pink looking to live out loud and in color.
Creating A Legacy In Color
Williams wanted to incorporate her background as a color therapist into The Pink Retreat. While working in DC, she noticed how the bright outfits she wore under her hospital gowns would always brighten the patient’s day. Colorful clothing also lifted her mood.
“I made it a point every day to make sure that I wore something colorful, which also lifted my spirit,” she said. “But knowing that it lifted theirs made me want to do it even more.”
She wanted other women to enjoy the beauty of color in an incredible destination. Her visions for the Pink Retreat always included an array of bright pink hues. Williams knew the color pink had tranquilizing effects that stimulated positive energy and emotions. With so many women dealing with stress and pressures in life, she wanted them to join her on the beach to experience the power of pink.
“The Pink Retreat is the colorful girlfriends’ weekend getaway for women who love and believe in living out loud,” she said. “It’s about wearing that color to live our truth.”
Over 100 women registered for the first Pink Retreat in 2018. Five years later, registration has continued to grow and Williams is turning up the notch on activations, activities, and community engagement over the three-day event. Whether they’re seeking sisterhood and community or a getaway from their home life, Williams invites women from all walks of life to live in their truth and join her in Palm Beach.
“We fill everybody else’s cup,” she said. “But we’re not spending enough time refilling our own cups. That’s what I want women to do.”
Reinforcing Sisterhood
At this year’s Pink Retreat, Williams is encouraging women to return to their community and live life in color. Guests will enjoy many activations during the retreat including a tour of the Flagler Museum, croquet lessons, Afro-Latino dance classes, garden parties, and more. Despite the agenda, Williams invites guests to move at their own pace. There are spaces set up for alone time and women can come and go as they please to retreat festivities.
“I want people to just come in, let their hair down, and have a good time,” she said. “We don’t do enough of that.”
Since 2018, Williams has seen event attendees go on to form bonds beyond The Pink Retreat. They’ve been bridesmaids in each other’s weddings, attended baby showers, and developed real friendships that withstand time and distance.
Although The Pink Retreat was born from Williams’ love for Lilly Pulitzer clothing, the event is for every type of woman. It doesn’t matter what guests wear or what brand designed the clothing they’re dressed in. What matters most is women continuing to strive for a life where they can be their true, authentic selves and connect with the power of color and community.
