Enjoy a weekend of laughter, sharing, worship and fellowship at a Journey to Joy Women’s Retreat at Lake Junaluska. Led by Leigh Young, these retreats offer an opportunity to come together for spiritual renewal. Come on your own and make new friends, or come with members of your small group, women’s group, or friends and family – and friends and family in the faith – to grow closer together.
Journey to Joy Women’s Retreats are offered in partnership with Leigh Young. The retreats take place at Lake Junaluska in the mountains of Western North Carolina, just a short drive from Asheville. Our peaceful lakeside village’s stunning lake and mountain views, comfortable accommodations, and convenient amenities provide a welcoming and soothing setting for renewing old friendships, making new friends and deliberately seeking the godly life that makes our joy complete.
November 13-15, 2026 – Register Online
For assistance, contact the Lake Junaluska reservations team at [email protected] or 800-222-4930 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Invitation & Welcome
All women seeking joy are invited and welcome to come to Lake Junaluska for a Journey to Joy Women’s Retreat led by Leigh Young. Leigh will guide retreat participants to remember that God intends for us to lead lives filled with Joy. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
But these words are not just some cheery greeting card platitudes. God knows!
• He knows our pain.
• He knows our relationship challenges.
• He knows our financial setbacks. He knows the deep ache in our hearts.
Jesus assures that “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
So let’s go!
Let’s take a Journey to Joy.
MEET LEIGH YOUNG
The retreat facilitator is Leigh Young, an author, speaker and entrepreneur with a passion for helping women find joy through the Word of God and the God of the Word. Her latest book, Journey to Joy: A Seven-Week Path to the Joyous Life God Intended, takes the reader on a voyage to the “abundant life,” which Jesus promises. Leigh leads local women’s groups in a pre-journey retreat, Lingering at the Trailhead, and multi-week small group studies. For a free sample of the book, email [email protected]. For more information about Leigh, visit www.leighwyoung.com.
Upcoming Retreat Themes
If you are bringing a group, we suggest that you block rooms in advance. Please note that the content of each of these sessions changes each year. Retreats with the same theme from one year to the next will offer fresh and different experiences.
Journey to Joy: Blessed to Be a Blessing
November 13-15, 2026
Jesus invites us into an abundant life—a vibrant life marked by deep joy and lasting peace. One essential way we experience the fullness of that life is by sharing it with others.
Join us for a women’s spiritual renewal weekend as we intentionally turn our hearts toward Christ amid the busyness, heartache, and distractions of everyday life. Together, we will explore Scripture and discover how intentional choices and a renewed perspective can guide us on our Journey to Joy—living blessed lives that, in turn, become a blessing to others. Register Online.
SAMPLE RETREAT SCHEDULE
Friday
4 p.m. | Session I
5:30 p.m. | Reception
6 p.m. | Dinner
7:30 p.m. | Session II
9 p.m. | Reception
Saturday
Morning
8 a.m. | Breakfast and Quiet Time
9 a.m. | Session III
10:15 a.m. | Break
10:30 a.m. | Session IV
Noon | Lunch
Quiet Time with the Lord
Explore the Lake
Fellowship with Sisters
Saturday
Afternoon & Evening
3 p.m. | Session V
4:15 p.m. | Break
4:30 p.m | Session VI
5:30 p.m. | Reception
6 p.m. | Dinner
7:15 p.m. | Session VII
9 p.m. | Reception
Sunday
8 a.m. | Breakfast and Quiet Time
9 a.m. | Session VIII
11 a.m. | Closing
Accommodations & Pricing
Journey to Joy retreat packages include:
- All retreat sessions
- Two nights of lodging at historic Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska
- Five meals (from dinner on the first night through breakfast on the last morning
Testimonials
“Leigh is a true professional. She is a powerful speaker, engaging and warm. She is also filled with the joy of the Lord! She conveys Bible teachings with inspiration and humor. You will stretch and grow as you spend time in God’s presence with Leigh.” –Rev. Diane Knauf, First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island.
“We sooo enjoyed the weekend with you! I took home a new perspective on living above a circumstance in my life that isn’t going to change or at least veerryy slowly, but know nothing is impossible with God.”
–PL, 2022 retreat participant
“I also enjoyed the weekend so very much! I am so grateful for what I took from the retreat! You were amazing and so were the other women I encountered! Hearing their stories really put things in perspective for me.”
–BH, 2022 retreat participant
“You have the talent to tell a story using real-life examples with a flavor of humor. It Is like putting a puzzle together.”
–AK, 2022 retreat participant
“Prayer is the only answer. Every morning during my devotion I pray for you and your ministry. God is using you to touch women and bring back the Joy in their lives. l am blessed to be one of those women.”
–LA, 2022 retreat participant
“I am not a “churchy” person, but I have learned much from digging into the scripture. This study has changed my life.”
–Kerri, 2021 retreat participant
