Coming Home to Yourself: A Conversation with Marjolein Theunissen of Costa del Soul

Explore why Costa del Soul is the perfect retreat environment. Marjolein shares how nature, authenticity, and nervous system safety create powerful conditions for transformation.

Costa del Soul has a quality you feel before you understand. It is calm, grounding, and immediately disarming. In my conversation with founder Marjolein Theunissen, I wanted to understand why. Her story begins with personal transformation. Moving to Spain reconnected her with her own truth, which eventually led to a deep soul search. She studied the psyche, the body, and the inner work required to discover who we really are. During her own retreats, she kept receiving the same message: create a place for others to do the same. That message became Costa del Soul. Marjolein’s intention is simple. She wants people to feel at home from the moment they arrive. Safety and welcome soften the nervous system, and softness creates openness. Without openness, transformation does not happen. Nature is the foundation of the space. She designs the land to feel natural rather than curated, because “we are nature” and environments that reflect that help people be themselves. She has watched guests arrive exhausted or burned out and leave with a lightness she describes as “butterflies.” Authenticity is her guiding principle. A retreat cannot be real unless the host is real. She shares her true self, both in person and online, hoping it gives others permission to drop their masks as well. Her beliefs are grounded in embodiment. Nature heals because it returns us to our senses. The body needs movement, good food, sunlight, and presence. She sees guests arrive “in their heads” and slowly return to their bodies simply by being here. What she loves about the Reverse Aging Challenge is the structure. Each day focuses on a different pillar, giving people practical tools they can bring home. Before we finished, she offered one piece of advice for anyone hosting a retreat. “Do what makes you happy. That joy becomes radiance.” Costa del Soul is proof of that truth.