Jennifer Sullivan and Lisa Waltuch are looking forward to being your hosts.

Lisa and Jen have both undergone several personal and professional transformations which have informed their current work.

Jen’s first professional life was as an expert in the hospitality industry.  She specialized in luxury travel, having worked for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company for 20 years.  Jen thrives on creating memorable experiences for her friends and family.  She is passionate about travel and considers it a true honor to serve others.  

In 2017, as her family prepared to move to Costa Rica, Jen was diagnosed with cancer. She used her time in Costa Rica to heal and to envision a new entrepreneurial life.  During this time, she met and befriended Lisa and today, she is a proud cancer survivor, the owner of a boutique travel consultancy and co-founder of Encore Retreats.

Lisa’s professional career started as a creative director in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area, creating digital resources for organizations such as The Discovery Channel, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Walmart.

Over the last 14 years, as she raised her three kids, she transformed her professional life to work as an independent designer, a silk artist, a curator of storytelling, and an entrepreneur. In addition, she serves as a Commissioner of Public Art for Palo Alto, CA, and as co-founder of Encore Retreats. 

Having made the transition from the corporate world to an independent creative work life, Lisa  can empathize with the need to change and to find something meaningful to do.

Lisa and Jen’s friendship solidified as they went through a very difficult transition together - leaving Costa Rica, a country that they’d both grown to love, and relocating their families back to the United States; they fondly referred to themselves as the Reluctant Repats.  

As is so often the case, out of something difficult grew something beautiful - Encore Retreats.  We cannot wait to help you create your encore!