Motherful Healing Sanctuary for Women
A sacred space for women to rest, reconnect, heal, and remember who they are.
Motherful Healing Sanctuary is a women-centered retreat and residency space on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, created for women who are ready to step out of survival mode and return to themselves.
Here, healing is not rushed. Rest is honored. Nature is medicine. Community is part of the practice.
This sanctuary was created for the woman who has been carrying too much.
The mother. The healer. The visionary. The woman in transition. The woman rebuilding her life. The woman remembering her power.
At Motherful, we believe that when women are nourished, families heal. Communities heal. The Earth heals.
A Place to Come Home to Yourself
Motherful Healing Sanctuary offers a week-long stay rooted in rest, embodiment, sisterhood, and reconnection with nature, nestled where the Sierra Nevada meets the Caribbean Sea in Palomino.
Morning temple practice · Nourishing meals · Time in nature · Creative expression · Rest and reflection · Women's circles · Healing sessions · Community connection
This is not a luxury retreat built for escape.
This is a sanctuary for remembrance.
A place to breathe deeper. A place to soften. A place to be held. A place to listen to your body, your spirit, and the wisdom of the Earth.
Palomino: The Heart of the World
Where the mountains, the rivers, and the sea meet.
Motherful sits in Palomino, a small village on Colombia's Caribbean coast, cradled by the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the tallest coastal mountain range on Earth. The Sierra Nevada is known by its indigenous peoples, including the Kogi and the Wayuu, as the Heart of the World, a living, sacred territory they have protected and stewarded for generations.
Palomino itself is nestled between two rivers and the ocean, with the mountains rising just behind. It's a rare kind of place: jungle, river, sea, and peak all within reach of each other, and of you.
The house is a 15 minute walk to the ocean, and an 8 minute walk to the river. Both are part of the daily rhythm here, not an excursion you have to plan for.
The Weekly Stay
One week. One sacred rhythm. A full return to yourself.
Rooms
Three rooms, each named for an Orisha, the water and wind spirits that watch over this coast. Every room is $550/week, and any room can be shared by two women for an additional $250/week.
Yemayá Room
$550 / week (+$250 for a second guest)
Queen-size bed.
Oshún Room
$550 / week (+$250 for a second guest)
Queen-size bed.
Oyá Room
$550 / week (+$250 for a second guest)
Two twin beds. A good fit for a mother-daughter stay, close friends, or two solo guests.
A Day at Motherful
There's no rigid itinerary here. Structure holds the day, but the rhythm is yours to move through.
Healing Sessions
Beyond the rhythm of the sanctuary, guests may also arrange private healing sessions during their stay, offered separately and priced individually. Reach out before or during your stay to discuss what's right for you.
Sessions are arranged directly with Shanika.
Local Life
Guests have access to a curated list of trusted local practitioners and events happening during their stay, so you can shape your week around what calls to you, from cacao ceremonies to sound healing to local cultural gatherings.
Nature at your doorstep: the river, the beach, and the mountain trails of Palomino, all within reach.
Who This Space Is For
Motherful Healing Sanctuary is for women who are ready to:
- Rest without guilt
- Reconnect with their body and intuition
- Heal from burnout, grief, transition, or disconnection
- Be held in sisterhood
- Spend time in nature
- Create, write, pray, dream, and reset
- Remember their power outside of patriarchal systems
- Experience healing that is rooted, embodied, and community-centered
Our Vision
Motherful Healing Sanctuary was born from a simple but revolutionary truth:
Women are not meant to heal alone.
Mothers are not meant to carry the world without being held.
Healing is not only personal. It is cultural. It is ancestral. It is ecological.
Motherful is part of a larger vision to build spaces where women and mothers are resourced, supported, and restored so they can rise in their power and help birth a more beautiful world.
This is healing as remembrance. This is rest as resistance. This is sisterhood as medicine. This is Motherful.
Meet Shanika Malcolm
Motherful Healing Sanctuary was born from Shanika Malcolm's own path, a spiritual teacher, healer, and guide devoted to women's remembrance and the return to the sacred feminine.
Her work moves through soul-level guidance, embodiment, and ceremony, weaving ancient wisdom with lived experience. She has walked her own path of survival, transformation, and radical self-trust, most publicly tested on Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid, an experience that deepened her relationship with nature, resilience, and the body's innate wisdom.
Today, Shanika holds space for women to do the same, not through extremity, but through rest, ritual, and sisterhood. Motherful is the physical home for that work: a place where teaching, healing, and daily life weave into one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get there?
The closest airport is Santa Marta. A personal driver can be arranged to pick you up and bring you directly to the sanctuary door. Just let us know your flight details ahead of time.
What should I pack?
Palomino is warm and tropical year-round. Pack light, breathable clothing, swimwear, sandals, a light rain layer (afternoon showers are common), sunscreen, insect repellent, and any personal items for your practice or ceremony.
Can I come with a group of friends?
Yes! Groups are welcome. Reach out and we'll help coordinate rooms across your group. You can also rent the entire house for a private group retreat with friends. Reach out to discuss group rates and availability.
Can I bring a child?
Yes, a child can stay with you in the same room. There's an additional $150 fee to cover food.
What's included in my stay?
Your room, breakfast and lunch daily, optional morning temple practice, women's circles and community gatherings, and guidance connecting you to local culture and events.
Are healing sessions included?
Healing sessions (kambo, bodywork, plant medicine, coaching, readings) are offered separately and priced individually. We'll discuss what's right for you once you arrive or before your stay.
Do I need any experience with ceremony or healing work?
No experience is necessary. Everything is optional, and the pace is entirely yours to set.
What if I want to stay longer than a week?
Longer stays are available. Just reach out and let us know what you're envisioning, and we'll arrange it with you.
How do I book?
Fill out our interest form, and we'll follow up directly to confirm your dates and room.
Come Stay With Us
Whether you are seeking rest, healing, creative space, spiritual renewal, or deeper connection with women and nature, you are welcome here.
Motherful Healing Sanctuary is a place to pause, breathe, and return to yourself.
Come home to your body. Come home to the Earth. Come home to the woman you were always meant to be.