The Web Copy That Helped This Surf Retreat Sell Out…Twice

---

How one neuroscience-loving therapist in Costa Rica launched a surf retreat that blended brainy insights with barefoot energy—and filled every spot in weeks

• Client: Kristin, founder of Emerge Surf + Somatic Therapy
• Project: Full website copy, including a brand-new Surf Therapy Retreat page
• Result: Sold out her first retreat in weeks. Then a second. Now planning a third—and custom retreats too.
• Why it worked: Copy that translated her neuroscience-brain into real-human language, without watering it down.

The Surf Retreat That Almost Stayed In Her Head

Kristin was already living the surf-therapist-in-Costa-Rica dream. But when it came to turning that into a retreat people would actually book? Her brain was too full of brilliant, slightly-too-heady thoughts to pin them all down in clear, human, compelling copy.

“I’m a neuroscience nerd about psychology and couldn’t figure out a way to deliver all of that knowledge in a less heady and more inviting way.”

Cue: her attempt to DIY the site—again. Hours. Weeks. Endless rewrites. And still, it wasn’t clicking.

Between her full client load and planning her first surf therapy retreat, the window to “get the website up” was closing fast. If she didn’t hand it off soon, it might not happen at all.

That’s when we connected on her podcast. One conversation later, she knew what a copywriter actually does, and hit “delegate” faster than you can say “prefrontal cortex.”

Outdated Copy, a New Surf Retreat, & No Time to Fix It

And the retreat? That copy didn’t even exist yet.

She wanted messaging that felt grounded and clear. Something that could hold her background in neuroscience and psychology without sounding academic. Copy that could connect with people who were therapy-curious but not necessarily fluent in mental health speak. But between a full client load and planning her first retreat, Kristin didn’t have the time or capacity to write an entire website from scratch.

She needed someone to step in before the retreat stayed in her head forever, and the rest of her site stayed stuck in the past.

“I was completely overwhelmed… Having the writing and messaging feel like my own words was really important to me and a little bit scary to hand over.”

Giving the Retreat a Page and the Rest a Reset

Once Kristin handed things off, the first step was getting clear on how she wanted to sound. Not academic. Not overly therapist-y. But still informed, grounded, and intentional.

We built her voice and messaging strategy around that tension—what it means to be “educated, not academic.” That line became the throughline for everything we wrote. Website copy that sounded like her, just sharper. More accessible. Easier to trust.

Then came the actual writing.

We rewrote her entire website—from her virtual therapy services to her new surf therapy retreat. Home page. About. Services. Retreat. All of it.

Every section had to walk that line between clinical credibility and real human connection. Between therapy that takes itself too seriously…and therapy that might involve a surfboard and a nervous system check-in.

“You took something clinical and therapeutic and made it super engaging… especially for folks who might not already engage in therapy.”

From Surf Therapy Idea to Sold Out (Twice)

After the site went live and Kristin announced the retreat, things didn’t just move—they moved fast.

Her first surf therapy retreat filled up within weeks. The second? Same story. 

Now she’s planning her third—and exploring custom retreats to meet even more of what her people are asking for.

But it wasn’t just about selling out. That part was great, obviously. But the bigger shift was in how Kristin was able to show up in her business. 

“You captured my style of writing but also pushed me in a good way. I think about that ‘educated not academic’ line all the time.”

The copy gave her clarity and a language she could reuse—on Instagram, on retreat pages, in everyday conversations about her work. It didn’t just help her launch something new. It made the whole thing easier to talk about, easier to write about, and easier to build on.

That’s the thing about good copy—it doesn’t just live on your website. It gives you a way to talk about what you do without rewriting it every time someone asks. 

And when your work is layered or niche or just not that easy to explain in one go, that kind of clarity makes everything else easier.

If you’re juggling client work and launch planning and still trying to write the words yourself—maybe don’t.

Kristin handed it off. Got the copy she needed. Sold out. Then did it again. 

Let’s do the same for you.