NOMIWOMAN SPOTLIGHT Meet Shea Petaja, Coach Shea Petaja is a strategic advisor, executive coach, storyteller and speaker who helps business owners find clarity and their voice! Each fall, Shea hosts her Women in Business Retreat just outside Traverse City, giving women the time and space to step back from the daily demands of running a business and focus on what’s next. I asked Shea to share why stepping away can lead to fresh perspective, new ideas, and meaningful breakthroughs. What are you working on right now that you’re excited about? Every fall I host a Women in Business Retreat, and it’s the highlight of my year. This year it’s November 19th – 22nd at Ottaway Landing just outside Traverse City. Women often put themselves last, even as business owners. We squeeze planning and strategy in between meetings, social commitments, and family. This retreat is a forced rest designed to spark clarity and creativity. I like to describe it as six months of coaching clarity in four days, with great food, talented women, and a beautiful property with pristine energy. There’s no reason to start 2027 feeling behind. As businesswomen, we often feel like we have to keep pushing. Why step away for four days instead of pushing harder? Because pushing harder isn’t working as well as we think. Research shows we can lose up to 40% of our productivity to task switching. Stepping away gives our brains room to solve problems, and walking alone can boost creative thinking by about 60% compared to sitting. So we get outside! The retreat is on 40 acres with the Boardman River running through it. It’s a truly unique property, with room to connect, a private room for each woman, and yes, a hot tub! Many women business owners think, “I should be able to figure this out myself.” How does coaching help? You can figure it out yourself. The better question is, how much time do you have? Hiring a coach isn’t about blindly trusting an expert. It’s about having someone with a trained eye see what you can’t. Some people have called me a business clairvoyant. I think it’s really 20 years of coaching business owners and learning to notice what’s just below the surface, then making it reality. How have you helped other business owners? Leisa Eckerle Hankins, 4th generation farmer and owner of Benjamin Twiggs asked me to help her get clarity about her business and bring the farmer story into her store and brand. Since then we’ve done a rebrand, started the Farmers Alliance, moved her downtown and she’s been quoted in multiple interviews, and featured on Good Morning America! I’m so proud of her and our partnership has been so rewarding! McKenzie Gallagher is a farmer, mother of five, and co-owner of Rove Winery. When she attended last year’s retreat, stepping away gave her the space to have the revelations she needed to shift her business, and to take personal risks that built her confidence and skills. In her words: “The retreat was a game changer for me and my business! I can’t say enough.” Kyla Schatz, a Chamber award-winning business owner, put it this way: “I traveled the world looking for guidance and found the best answers in my home state with Shea.” What makes this retreat different and who is it for? This is for women who own an established business, Executive Directors and Leaders who know they need to take a break to get a breakthrough. This isn’t a social gathering or a conference where you can get lost in the room. It’s limited to 8 women, so I can focus wholeheartedly on each attendee and accelerate her growth. The clarity will come quickly because I’ve taken my decades of experience and organized it into a process that pulls out what you need to see. Then I give you the tools to map your next steps. We also work on your messaging and positioning for the coming year, so you leave knowing what to do and how to talk about it. Plus, amazing connections! What should someone do if they’re on the fence? Reach out. If you’ve been feeling like you need time to think about your business and never get it, that’s your sign. The retreat includes lodging and meals, and there are limited spots. Register by November 8th, 2026 at sheapetaja.com or email me at shea@sheapetaja.com with any questions. Want to be featured in a NoMiWoman Spotlight? Email kerry@northernmichiganwoman.com |
