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Signature Experiences

Act 2 at Alisal

Act 2 at Alisal

March 9-11, 2025

Tap into your superpowers at the ranch with our “Act 2 at Alisal” retreat 2025, designed to help women embrace the power of midlife. This is your time!

With your host Monica Corcoran Harel—founder of Pretty Ripe—we’ve curated a lively itinerary with special guests that includes learning, leaning in and lots of laughter: workshops around career pivots, bio-rejuvenation, better sex and style makeovers for women of all ages. Our thought leaders include celebrity dermatologist and entrepreneur Dr. Jessica Wu, award-winning fashion critic Booth Moore and esteemed gynecologist Dr. Manuela Maria Vazquez-Whitledge. Corcoran Harel will lead discussions and speak to the upsides of getting older. All of the wonderful Alisal Ranch offerings are still available during your stay, including horseback riding, golf, spa treatments, axe throwing, archery and air rifle.

Your nightly rate includes breakfast, dinner, drinks, all scheduled classes/seminars, 2 activities per night (horseback riding, golf, archery/air rifle, or axe throwing), and exclusive event swag bag.

*The 22 % Ranch Fee both helps offset the cost of various amenities made available to guests of the Alisal Ranch and funds additional compensation to the employees who provide service to our guests. The amenities provided include two branded water canteens, a bottle of wine in each room, Wi-Fi internet access, use of the fitness center, a shuttle to Solvang, bikes, scheduled and seasonal entertainment, tennis court use, fishing bait and tackle, use of non-motorized boats and aluminum boats at Alisal Lake, and various children’s activities, including the barnyard and kid’s arts and crafts. Part of the Ranch Fee is distributed to our service employees as additional compensation to eliminate the need for tipping at the Ranch.

 

Package Includes:

  • Breakfast, Dinner, Monday Lunch & Beverages
  • Choice of two activities per night per room from the following:
    • Golf at one of Alisal Ranch’s two championship courses
    • Horseback Riding
    • Air Rifle & Archery
  • All scheduled seminars/classes
  • Exclusive Swag Bag

Book this retreat

Call us directly and a Reservation Specialist will put together the perfect Alisal getaway for you!

Book by phone now

(800) 425-4725– This link opens your default phone application.

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Meet your host!

Monica Corcoran Harel is a journalist, screenwriter and the founder of Pretty Ripe, a multi-media platform for women (proudly) over 40. She has been called “the midlife midwife” by WWD and quoted in Time and InStyle. She also writes about beauty, fashion, midlife and the culture of modern women for The New York Times, New York Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter. She has moderated programming for South by Southwest (SXSW), The Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Soho House—and created award-winning content for companies like Estee Lauder and Morgan Stanley. Corcoran Harel’s first feature film about two middle-aged women who swap bodies with Gen Z influencers is set up at Netflix. She is currently adapting her magazine essay “My Mom Has No Friends” into a sitcom for actress Mandy Moore and Disney. She lives in L.A. with her family and really loves being an “older woman.”

Featured Speakers and Guests

Booth Moore
Executive Editor of Women’s Wear Daily

Booth Moore is an internationally revered fashion critic and the West Coast Executive Editor of Women’s Wear Daily. For over 20 years, she has covered the global runway shows—from New York to Paris to Milan—and spotlighted emerging designers in L.A. Booth has authored three books, including “The Glitter Plan: How We Started Juicy Couture with $200 and Turned It into a Global Brand,” and “American Runway: 75 Years of Fashion and the Front Row.” Booth joins us to talk about the current state of fashion and how the right style can make us feel unstoppable.

Dr. Manuela Maria Vazquez-Whitledge
Founder of LaMaria

Dr. Manuela Maria Vazquez-Whitledge is an OB/GYN and the founder of LaMaria, a luxury skin-care line for women going through hormonal changes. “There’s been such taboo and shame around aging. Thankfully, the beauty industry is shifting,” she says of the surge in products formulated for women of all ages. Her plant-based feminine moisturizer and facial hydrating cream, made with estrogen-based plant nutrients, have been featured in Vogue and The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Vazquez-Whitledge join us to talk about how to have better sex.

Dr. Jessica Wu
Clinical Dermatologist

Dr. Jessica Wu is a renowned L.A.-based cosmetic & clinical dermatologist in independent practice who makes house calls to Hollywood movie sets. She’s also the founder and CEO of Residen, a health technology company that uses AI and automation to make medical visits easier for physicians and patients. Dr. Wu, a Harvard grad, joins us to talk about smart skincare and bio-rejuvenation or harnessing our body’s own regenerative powers to heal, revive and possibly even rewind.

Act 2 Itinerary

Day 1 – Sunday

4 pm

Check-In

6-7 pm

Cocktail Hour

7 pm

Welcome Group Dinner

“Why we get smarter, sexier, and more secure with every birthday.”

 

Day 2 – Monday

7-11 am

Breakfast on own in Ranch Room

8-9 am

“Get Up & Flow” Yoga on Creekside

10-11 am

Chat with celebrity dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu: “What Happened to My Glow? How to Revive Your Skin and Hack Youthfulness.”

12 pm

Creekside chat with award-winning fashion critic Booth Moore: “How to Build a Forever Wardrobe–and Fall in Love with your Closet”.

Followed by lunch.

1-3 pm

Free time (Book a spa treatment, horseback ride, hike, etc)

3 pm

“Build a Board” charcuterie workshop with Life at the Dumpling author and lifestyle expert Trisha Cole.

4-5 pm

Vino with gynecologist and LaMaria-founder Dr. Manuela Maria Vazquez: “Let’s Talk About Sex—after 40! How to Boost Your Sex Drive and Pleasure.”

6-7 pm

Cocktail Hour

7 pm

Group Dinner with “Prompts for Provocative Conversations.”

9 pm

Line Dancing

 

Day 3 – Tuesday

7-10 am

Breakfast in the Ranch Room

9-10 am

Morning talk: “The Real Deal about Hormones and Your Body.”

Farewell by Monica

11 am

Check Out & Departure

 

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