Team Workshops & Retreats
For leaders navigating the human cost of building fast:
burnout, fractured communication, and teams running on empty.
IS THIS THE RIGHT SUPPORT FOR YOUR TEAM?
Your best people are burning out, the team cohesion is fraying, and retention is becoming harder to ignore. Most team workshops and retreats only address the surface. There might be insight, but very little change. This work gets to the roots.
This is right for your team if:
Your team is under sustained pressure and it is starting to show
You have tried culture initiatives and team days that were inspirational but not transformational
You want practical, science-backed tools your team can use immediately to handle stress and build resilience
You believe your team’s sustainability matters as much as their output
You believe psychological safety is not just a tick box; it is worth investing in so your team can genuinely build together
Are you ready to build a team that can sustain the pressure without breaking? Keep reading.
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Three ways to support your team, depending on what you need right now.
Team Workshops
Science-backed, facilitated sessions for startup teams navigating pressure, burnout, and the cost of building fast. Delivered in person or virtually.
Team Retreats
Immersive, custom-designed offsite experiences for teams ready to step outside the day-to-day and invest in something that shifts at the root.
Audio Toolkits
Private audio programs that put regulation tools and mental health education directly in your team’s hands, available any time, day or night.
team workshops
Science-backed, facilitated sessions for startup teams navigating pressure, burnout, and the cost of building fast. Delivered in person or virtually.
team retreats
Immersive, custom-designed offsite experiences for teams ready to step outside the day-to-day and invest in something that shifts at the root.
Audio Toolkits
Private audio programs that put regulation tools and mental health education directly in your team’s hands, available any time, day or night.
WHY THIS WORK IS DIFFERENT
Psychological safety is not a mindset, a goal, or an organisational policy. It is a nervous system state, something the body either registers or it doesn’t.
A team operating from chronic stress and threat response cannot think clearly, collaborate genuinely, or take the risks that innovation requires. That is not just a culture problem. It is also a biological one. And it cannot be solved by culture initiatives alone.
This work addresses the nervous system directly. Every session, every program, and every tool on this page is designed to build the biological foundation that makes psychological safety, genuine collaboration, and sustainable performance possible. Not as a concept. As a felt, practiced reality inside your team.
Startups operate under pressure that cannot simply be removed. These programs are designed with that reality in mind, sessions that fit inside a demanding schedule, tools your team can use in the middle of a busy day, and support that travels with them through the pace rather than asking them to step outside it.
~ A NOTE FOR AUSTRALIAN STARTUPS ~
Under current Work Health and Safety legislation, every Australian employer is legally required to proactively identify and manage psychosocial hazards, including chronic stress and poor psychological safety. Awareness training alone does not meet that obligation. This work addresses psychosocial safety at the biological level, which is both the most effective approach and the one most likely to produce the lasting change the legislation is asking for.
Sonya Stattmann did a workshop on Beating Burnout & Building Resilience for Mental Health Awareness Month. The whole process was smooth and easy. Sonya did an incredible job presenting to our team with science-backed insights, simple tools, and practical techniques
TEAM WORKSHOPS
When your team needs practical support they can use immediately
Each workshop is a 60 to 90-minute facilitated session, delivered in person or virtually, grounded in nervous system science and designed for the way startup teams actually work. Not a lecture. Not a passive wellness session. An interactive experience that gives your team practical tools they can use the same day.
Workshops can be delivered as a single session, a series, or integrated into an existing team development program. Every session is tailored to your team’s specific context and challenges.
This is right for your team if:
You need something practical that fits into a busy schedule
You want your team to leave with tools they can immediately use
You believe your team’s capacity to perform sustainably is worth investing in
You want science-backed content that addresses real pressure, not generic wellness
What’s included:
– 60 to 90-minute facilitated session, in person or virtual
– Custom design based on your team’s context and needs
– Practical regulation tools your team can use immediately
– Optional follow-up resources and audio support
Investment: Starting from $3,500 AUD. Pricing varies based on team size, number of sessions, and format. Book an Introductory Call to discuss your specific needs and receive a tailored proposal.
Signature Workshops
Each workshop is customisable to your team’s specific context and needs.
Wired for Safety
Psychological safety is not a culture initiative. It is a nervous system state. When psychological safety is performed rather than practiced, trust dissipates, and team cohesion collapses. This workshop gives your team the tools to build safety so they can work better together.
Regulate to Innovate
Chronic stress does not just exhaust your team; it erodes innovation. When you learn to put the brake on stress, you open the door to the biological conditions that make creative thinking possible. This workshop creates the conditions for your next breakthrough.
Mental Health Toolkit
This workshop is for the individuals that make up your team. It gives each person practical tools to protect their mental health under pressure, and the shared language to support each other when it counts. Because a mentally healthy team performs differently.
Surviving the Scale
Hypergrowth without burnout is not accidental; it requires deliberate investment in the humans fueling the ship. This workshop gives your team the science-backed tools to sustain the pace so you don’t lose people along the way. Scale fast but learn to stay well while doing it.
The Regulated Organisation
Some teams need a session. Others need a transformation.
The Regulated Organisation is a facilitated five-part program for startup teams ready to build regulation, psychological safety, and genuine cohesion into how they build together. This is not a workshop series, but a guided process with live facilitated sessions, coaching, and private audio support between each part. It is designed to shift how your team operates at the root.
Part one: Wired for Safety
Part two: The Regulated Leader
Part three: The Regulated Team
Part four: Cooling Conflict
Part five: Regulate to Innovate
Book an Introductory Call to discuss whether this program is right for your team.
Since Sonya’s talk, I have already used so many of the tools she shared. They have helped significantly. I feel like my resilience is already building.
team retreats
When your team needs more than a session
Some things cannot happen in 90 minutes. The kind of shift that changes how a team relates to each other, to their work, and to the pressure they are building inside requires time, space, and a designed experience that goes beyond education and tools.
A retreat asks your team to step outside the pace long enough to feel what is possible when they do. The insight, the connection, the genuine restoration that emerges when the pace shifts, these cannot be replicated inside the daily schedule.
Every retreat is designed in consultation with you and built specifically for your team. No standard program. A carefully sequenced experience that moves your team through education, facilitated coaching, embodied practices, genuine rest, and shared connection, in a ratio that reflects what your team needs most right now.
A typical retreat runs across a long weekend: Friday evening arrival through Sunday close. Saturday and Sunday move through workshops, coaching sessions, and restorative practices woven deliberately into the arc. A facilitated dinner builds genuine connection. A closing integration experience lets everything land before Monday morning.
I design and facilitate the full experience. Your team handles venue sourcing, accommodation, and logistics.
This is right for your team if:
You want an immersive experience that shifts something at the root, not just the surface
Your team has been through a significant period of pressure and needs genuine restoration alongside learning
You are ready to invest in something bespoke, designed specifically for where your team is right now
You are ready to measure the return in retention, cohesion, and renewed capacity, not just a great day out.
Investment: Priced per engagement based on group size, duration, and design. Book an Introductory Call to begin the conversation.
Audio toolkits
Regulation and mental health support, anywhere and any time
Not every team member can always make it to a workshop or retreat. And the moments when regulation matters most are often the moments when there is the least time to stop.
The Audio Toolkit is a private, white-label podcast program customised for your team, giving every person on-demand access to practical regulation tools and nervous system education they can use anywhere, any time. No scheduling required. No sessions to attend. Just the support they need, available when they need it most.
Every toolkit is built specifically for your team and what they are navigating. Book an Introductory Call to discuss how it could fit into your support plan and when it would be available to your team.
“Sonya delivered an outstanding team wellbeing presentation, which left our audience feeling inspired and informed. Her ability to captivate the crowd and deliver engaging content was impressive.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about services for your team
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How do I know which offer is right for my team?
—> Start with what your team needs most right now. Workshops are the most accessible starting point: practical, focused, and designed to fit inside a busy schedule.
A retreat is for teams ready to step outside the day-to-day and invest in something deeper and more immersive.
The Audio Toolkit is a company resource, purchased once and made available to your whole team, so individuals can access regulation tools and education on demand, without organising a team event.
The Regulated Organisation series is for teams ready to build something systemic rather than address a single pressure point.
If you are unsure, book an Introductory Call, and we can explore the best solution for your team.
How are workshops and retreats customised for our team?
—> Every engagement begins with a conversation about what your team is navigating and what you want to shift. From there, the format is designed to fit.
Where time and budget allow, workshops are fully tailored to your team’s specific context and challenges. When you need something sooner or have a tighter budget, there are signature workshops ready to deploy with minimal lead time.
Retreats are always bespoke: designed in full consultation with you, built around the arc, content, and experiences your team needs most right now.
Book an Introductory Call, and we can design a workshop or retreat that is right for your team.
Can you build a custom package combining multiple offers?
—> Yes, and some of the most effective engagements are custom-designed from the start. Adding an Audio Toolkit to a workshop extends the learning and gives your team practical tools to return to once a workshop is complete.
The Regulated Organisation series can be built around a retreat, combining the depth of an immersive experience with a long-term facilitated program that keeps that momentum going.
Individual founder coaching can run alongside team workshops for a more complete experience that addresses both the leader and the team simultaneously.
If you have something specific in mind or want to explore what is possible, bring it to the Introductory Call, and we will design something that fits.
Can you deliver workshops virtually or for teams outside Adelaide?
—> Yes. Workshops are delivered in person or virtually, so geography is not a barrier.
In-person delivery is available in Adelaide and across Australia, with travel expenses agreed in advance.
Virtual delivery works well for remote or hybrid teams and requires no compromise on quality or engagement.
Retreats are always in person and can be designed anywhere in Australia or internationally.
How long are workshops and retreats, and how many people can attend?
—> Each workshop runs for 60 to 90 minutes and is designed to work for startup teams at different stages and sizes. The format adapts based on your team’s headcount and what you need from the session.
Retreats typically run across a long weekend, arriving Friday evening and wrapping up Monday morning, though shorter or longer formats are possible depending on what your team needs. Retreats work best for teams that are ready to fully step outside the day-to-day, so the size and composition of the group matter more than the number.
If you have a specific team size, time constraint, or format in mind, raise it in the Introductory Call, and we will design accordingly.
What is your pricing?
—> Workshops start from AUD 3,500, with pricing varying based on team size, number of sessions, and format.
Retreats are priced per engagement based on group size, duration, and design.
The Audio Toolkit and The Regulated Organisation series are priced in the Introductory Call based on what is right for your team. All pricing is transparent and agreed upon before any commitment is made.
How far in advance should we book?
—> For workshops, at least a month of lead time is generally ideal, though earlier is always better as availability fills quickly during peak periods.
Peak periods include Stress Awareness Month in April, Mental Health Month in May (US) and October (Australia), and International Women’s Day in March, so if any of those windows are relevant to your team, booking well in advance is worth it.
For retreats, it depends on where you are in the planning process. If you are building a retreat from scratch, three to six months gives me enough time to design something genuinely right for your organization, and your team has time to source the right venue and experiences. If you already have a retreat booked and want facilitation built into it, a month of lead time is usually sufficient.
If something is urgent, raise it in the Introductory Call, and we will see what is possible.
What happens after a workshop or retreat? Can we access ongoing support?
—> A workshop or retreat is a genuine starting point, not a complete solution. Follow-up sessions, additional workshops, and access to the Audio Toolkit can all be arranged after an initial engagement.
For teams ready to go deeper, The Regulated Organisation series builds on workshop foundations into a complete facilitated program that shifts how your team operates over time.
Ongoing support is always available and always designed around what your team needs next.
What if we are not sure what our team needs yet?
—> That is exactly what the Introductory Call is for. You do not need to arrive with a clear brief. Bring what you are observing: what is showing up in your team, what you are worried about, what you want to change, and the conversation will clarify the right starting point.
The call is free, there is no obligation, and it is where the right engagement gets designed.
Hello! I am Sonya
I have been speaking, teaching, and facilitating for more than two decades. What started as speaking at conferences and industry meetings to generate leads for my first business became a body of work that now spans more than 500 workshops and facilitated sessions, delivered in person and virtually, across Australia and the United States.
I have been on the TEDx stage. I have published more than 280 podcast episodes. I have accumulated more than 10,000 hours of direct coaching and facilitation work with founders, business owners, and their teams. I am trauma-informed and have spent years studying how human beings actually function under pressure, not as a theory but as a lived practice.
What I bring to a workshop or retreat is not just content. It is the ability to read a room, hold a group through difficulty, and design an experience that leaves people with something they didn’t have when they walked in.
Ready to support your team?
The Introductory Call is a 30-minute conversation to explore what your team is navigating and which offer is the right fit. There is no obligation and nothing to prepare. Just an honest conversation about where your team is and whether I can genuinely help.