Should I have a co-leader on my Yoga retreat?

One of the questions that come up when thinking about planning a retreat is: "Should I have a co-leader or co-teacher?"

Having someone there to help you plan, market, and lead your retreat can be very comforting. You get to bounce ideas off each other, divide tasks, and have an extra hand for all the responsibilities you'll have during the retreat.

It could seem like a no-brainer!

Especially if you're planning to travel abroad or lead a large group of students. Having someone to help you hold space can be a game-changer and give you some breathing room.

But before you decide to hire a co-leader, we want you to consider a few things.

I’ve learned many lessons from partnering and co-leading retreats (some were successful, and others not).

We know it’s not a decision to make on a whim.

Having a co-leader for your retreat is a decision you should make with lots of thought and intention.

Partnering doesn't always make things easier. Sometimes, it can make things difficult if you haven't thought through all the details and figured out your primary purpose for co-leading.

Before joining a yoga retreat with someone else, here are four things to consider to help you figure out if a partner is right for you.

1. Type of Partnering

First of all, you can use many different partnership models in co-leading a retreat. You can do a full or a half trade. You can partner 50/50 with someone and split all the responsibilities, expenses, and profit. And you can also pay a partner (as an employee or independent contractor) to help you for just a portion of your retreat. So consider your options for creating a partnership and think about what would be the best fit for you.

Because there are more than a few things to think about when it comes to co-leading a retreat, we created a free guide to help you figure this all out.

2. Personality + Complimentary Skills

What’s your personality type, AND what's the personality type of your potential partner?

This is probably one of the most important things to be aware of when co-leading a retreat.

The energy and flow of the entire retreat experience depend upon the teacher(s). If you're thinking of bringing in another person to help you lead the retreat, consider how this person might affect your energy positively or negatively.

We all know we have an easier time working with some personalities than others.

When considering a retreat partner, keep in mind your personality and who would complement your teaching & retreat leading skills in a positive way. Think about what skills, expertise, and strengths you'd want to bring in to complement your personality and experience.

Does your potential retreat partner teach a type of yoga that would complement your teaching style? Or, is the person you're thinking about great at marketing and would be able to help you promote your retreat? Does the teacher have a good/great student following? Or does she/he teach complementary healing practices like Reiki, Sound Healing, or massage?

Most importantly, do any of those additional skills fit in with the overall theme of the retreat and the retreat experience you are envisioning.

Tip: Know what retreat experience you want to create before choosing a partner. This will help you make decisions aligned with your vision & purpose.

3. Responsibilities & Expectations

When you decide to co-lead a retreat, be sure to have a clear idea of what you need help with from a co-teacher and communicate these expectations. This is crucial to the success of your yoga retreat.

Sometimes we make spontaneous decisions, like deciding on the fly to co-lead a retreat, only to notice later on that we hadn't thought through all the details and expectations. This can give way to lots of confusion, misunderstandings, and, in a worst-case scenario, even animosity.

We always recommend first asking yourself:

Why do you want to co-lead a retreat?
What parts of retreat planning do you want assistance with?
What parts of leading your retreat do you need the co-teacher to step into?
What role are you both playing in the entire retreat experience?
What retreat partnership model would work best for you?

Make a list of the things you want help and support with. Think about how involved you want your co-leader to be and what role he/she will play from start to finish.

Once you have that list, you can communicate those expectations to your potential partner. Be sure to sit down and have an honest and thorough convo about how things will flow.

We always recommend our students have a written contract with any retreat partner or co-leader so that you both are on the same page from the get-go.

4. Compensation

Once you bring a retreat partner into the mix, especially as an equal partner, know that you will have to split your profit. Talking about money when you partner with someone shouldn't be a tabu or awkward, but rather an important aspect to consider before you commit to co-leading your yoga retreat with someone.

Here is where having a super clear retreat budget FIRST will help you make an informed decision about partnering + be able to price your retreat accordingly.

You both want to make sure your efforts in planning and leading the retreat are met with fair compensation, right?

So, don’t decide to co-lead a retreat before you've sat down to map out your retreat budget and have a pretty good idea of what your profit will be. If you decide to bring in a retreat partner, you most likely want them to help you promote and sell out your retreat so that you can cover your expenses AND make a decent profit to compensate for your hard work.