Rooted in Wild Beauty: The Story Behind Maud’s Meadow

When people visit Maud’s Meadow, they often say it feels like the land is holding them — like the stillness, the birdsong, the breeze through the trees is somehow intentional. And in a way, it is.

This land has been nurtured not just with tools and timber, but with dreams, grief, grit, and a deep longing to create something true. Maud’s Meadow is more than a retreat space — it’s a living extension of who we are: Michaela and Alex, partners in love and vision, building a life that’s soulful, loving, and deeply rooted in nature.

Who We Are

I'm Michaela — French-American, now joyfully rooted in Scotland near Aberdeenshire, where my family is originally from. My background weaves together nonprofit work, mindfulness, creativity, and global studies. For years, I have worked in Account Management for geopolitical risk services, helping major corporations navigate an increasingly complex and turbulent world. While I believe in the value of that work, it also gave me a front-row seat to the toll of constant crisis — the burnout, the overwhelm, the weight of difficult news always at our fingertips. I’ve spent a lot time in sectors that were about doing good, but I have always craved something more tangible, more earthy — a way to bring people together in real physical and spiritual spaces, to breathe deeply, and to feel truly alive again and connected to what matters to them.

Alex is a quiet, grounded force. With a background in property and a practical, steady energy, he balances out my many ideas with care, kindness, and good humour. He’s the kind of person who’ll spend a whole weekend hand-building something just right — because to him, beauty and function are both worth taking time for.

He’s also a deep thinker, a lover of the open road, and someone who’s always sought out life beyond the expected. He once spent months motorcycling through South America, absorbing the wild landscapes and the generosity of strangers. That sense of adventure and appreciation for different ways of life continues to shape how we live and dream.

Through his work as an estate agent, Alex has seen firsthand how stressed and overwhelmed people are — whether it’s financial pressure, anxiety about the future, or a growing sense that our generation has been handed a system that no longer works. He brings that insight into every decision we make here: creating a space that helps people exhale, reconnect, and feel a little less alone in it all.

Together, we’re a mix of the imaginative and the intentional. We love wild spaces, fantasy stories (when we're not at Maud's Meadow you can catch us at a LARP event or Lord of Rings watch party), creative expression, long hikes, good wine, and meaningful conversations under the stars.

Alex and I met during the pandemic — a time of deep uncertainty, when the world seemed to turn upside down overnight. Like so many, we were each navigating our own challenges, but we found in one another a steady, grounding presence.

Together, we helped each other through some of the hardest chapters of our lives. Through that journey — and thanks to the love and support of our extraordinary community of friends — we’ve learned the importance of living life fully, loving with compassion, and flourishing even in the unknown.

We believe deeply in creating experiences that aren’t filtered through a screen or measured in likes. At Maud’s Meadow, we want to offer a space where people can step out of the noise — the comparison, the pressure, the burnout — and come back to something real. A place where we reconnect to who we are, to one another, and to the simple joy of creating and belonging.

Why We Created Maud’s Meadow

Like many stories, ours has been shaped by deep joy and deep challenge. We lost people we loved. We navigated burnout. We built and unbuilt parts of our lives until we found the courage to ask: What if we created the thing we always wished existed?

A place where:

• People feel safe to breathe out

• Community feels real, not performative

• Nature isn’t just a backdrop — it's a teacher

• Art, healing, and rest are essential, not extra

  
  

Maud’s Meadow grew from that question.

It’s not a luxury resort. It’s not about perfection. It’s a place for being human, for shedding layers, for sitting by the fire and remembering what really matters.

Our Ethos

Connection is at the heart of everything — to ourselves, each other, and the land.

We believe:

• Nature is medicine.

• Retreats can be transformative when they’re real, not over-curated.

• You don’t need to be “wellness-y” to belong here.

• There’s power in creativity, slowness, and community care.

• Accessibility matters — healing and joy shouldn’t be out of reach.

  
  

That’s why we offer affordable pricing, especially for non-profits and community groups, and are always exploring ways to make this space inclusive and welcoming.

A Living Vision

Maud’s Meadow isn’t finished — and that’s the beauty of it. We’re still growing, learning, and listening to the land. We host our own retreats rooted in creativity and connection, and we welcome facilitators from all walks of life who align with our values.

Whether you come for a retreat, to host one, or just to see what’s stirring here — you’re part of the story now too.

Thanks for walking this path with us.

Warmly,

Michaela & Alex