Catching up with Philippa Myers & Al Updike
Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School alums are organizing Travel Recovery Retreats in Guatemala, offering a modern take on the Twelve Steps through a Mayan lens
When Philippa Myers decided she wanted to move from Guatemala to Minnesota to attend the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, her children— then 10 and 14 — were reluctant. So, the travel enthusiast and entrepreneur set about persuading them with a scouting trip and an offer to experience two things of their choosing while visiting the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
With tastes beyond his years, the teenage son chose: 1) see a concert by Roger Waters of the legendary band Pink Floyd, and 2) attend a comedy show. The first request was relatively easy to meet, but the second required a special plea to the people at Acme Comedy Club, where the minimum age is typically 18. Undeterred, Philippa made her unique appeal, and it worked! Her kids enjoyed their experiences, and she moved with them to Minnesota on a student visa in 2011, earning her degree from the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School in 2013.
“It all fell into place, and I absolutely loved the studies. I loved the internships. Graduate school was such a positive experience,” she says.
For a woman who, at 21, took a trip from home in the United Kingdom to Central America and “never came back” —eventually founding and managing several travel- and tourism-related businesses in Guatemala — the move to Minnesota was yet another adventure. Only this time, it was inspired by her recovery from substance use disorder which, after years of setbacks, had been fortified and finally sustained with the help of multiple Twelve Step retreats and self-guided stays at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s Dan Anderson Renewal Center. The renewal center is located next to the Graduate School and the nonprofit Foundation’s largest treatment center on a bucolic, shared campus near Center City, Minn. During one Renewal Center stay, retreat leader Will Hudson nudged Philippa by arranging an interview for her at the school.
“I had expressed interest in the Graduate School,” she says, “but didn’t think seriously about it until Will surprised me by saying he had set up the interview. I am grateful to him to this day.”
One of the first people Philippa got to know in Minnesota was Al Updike, a former chef/caterer and 2009 alum of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, who had started a new career as a counselor at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s renowned outpatient clinic in St. Paul. Al, a native of Mexico, was Philippa’s supervisor for her first clinical internship.
“He was a very skilled mentor,” Phillipa says, “and we both were multilingual, so that added to our connection.”
More than a dozen years later, the two are working together again at Antigua 12 — Sober Travel Retreats, Philippa’s exciting new entrepreneurial venture. The nonprofit organization provides restorative and transformative travel experiences to people in recovery while simultaneously serving and supporting the community of Antigua, Guatemala — with proceeds helping local Mayan kids go to school and other local residents access recovery resources.
“The ripples emanating from Hazelden Betty Ford and our Graduate School never cease to amaze,” says Kevin Doyle, EdD, president of the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School. “It’s inspiring to know that people will be traveling to renew their recovery and spirit in Guatemala, thanks to the enterprising efforts of Philippa and Al. We’re so proud of the work our alumni are doing around the world and the leadership they bring to organizations, communities and the entire universe of recovery-oriented professions.”
Antigua, in the central highlands of Guatemala, has cobblestone streets, Baroque architecture, many nearby volcanoes, and almost 61,000 residents — many descended from the ancient Maya civilization. Its local markets, deep-rooted spiritual traditions, and cuisine (a fusion of Mayan, Spanish, and African influences) add to the city’s unique allure.
Myers and Updike are planning three Antigua recovery retreats in the fall of 2025: one for anyone in recovery, one specifically for family members affected by a loved one’s addiction/recovery, and another for LGBTQ+ community members in recovery. A women’s retreat is also planned for early 2026.
The retreats are for people who have been in recovery for anywhere from six months to decades. Each retreat lasts seven nights and eight days, with participants staying at four beautiful villas that share a courtyard with a pool and hot tub. Activities integrate recovery teachings and fellowship; nourish the body, mind and spirit; and expose participants to various aspects of the joyous Mayan culture.
“Our retreats will offer a modern take on the Twelve Steps through travel, tourism and a Mayan lens,” Philippa says. “That includes workshops, yoga and meditation in the mornings and lots of eclectic trips and activities around Guatemala in the afternoons — all facilitated to tie into universal recovery principles, inspire gratitude, and recharge the spirit.”
Retreats are customized to best meet the needs and preferences of participants, and Phillipa has identified a wide variety of local activity options, including bike tours, walking tours, volcano sightseeing, orphanage visits, Mayan spiritual ceremonies, cooking classes, and workshops at unique businesses like a bunkbed maker, a bean-to-bar chocolate maker, a macadamia-nut processor, and a nonprofit that transforms donated bikes into pedal-powered machinery, among others.
“My husband James and I went to Guatemala for 10 days last October, and got to experience all of the local activities with Philippa ourselves. It was magical,” says Al, who is also in long-term recovery. “There is so much to learn and appreciate about the Mayan people and culture, and Philippa has done an amazing job combining her knowledge of both recovery and Antigua as a travel destination to identify amazing retreat experiences. When I was there, I couldn’t help but want everyone in recovery to get the same opportunity we had.”
“Our retreats are intentionally full — rich with recovery workshops, cultural experiences, and connection. But we also carve out space to pause, breathe, and let it all land,” Philippa says. “Because recovery isn’t only about doing the deep work — it’s also about finding joy, laughing with new friends, and realizing that ‘peaceful and playful’ are part of the healing.”
Outside of retreat dates, the villas are also available year-round to anyone in recovery, with Philippa happy to help organize travel trips for individuals or groups of any size.
After getting her master’s degree at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, Philippa spent four years working in the United States, first as a family counselor at Hazelden Betty Ford and then a therapist at the Aslan Institute. She suffered a small stroke in 2017, prompting her to move home to Brighton in the UK, where she fully recovered, launched a private counseling practice, and expanded her skills to be able to treat trauma with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. Today, Philippa lives half of the year in the UK, where her daughter and elderly parents live. She spends the other half of the year in Guatemala, where her son (the Pink Floyd and stand-up comedy fan) lives and where she has worked in the travel industry since 1992.
“I’m excited because all of my professional experience and personal passions have come together in the founding of Antigua 12,” Philippa says. “It’s inspired by the time I spent at Hazelden Betty Ford’s Renewal Center and powered by the expertise I developed founding and running a top 10 travel agency in Guatemala. It’s also a meaningful extension of the work I did as a therapist and the education I received at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School. To be able to pursue it with the help of Al, a friend and fellow Grad School alum and longtime Hazelden Betty Ford leader, is a dream scenario.”
For Al, like Philippa, it’s an opportunity to bring together many personal and professional experiences — in hospitality, in recovery support, as an organizational leader, and as a man in recovery whose life has been enriched by exposure to multiple cultures. A former collegiate tennis player, it also draws on his love for being outdoors and active.
Al worked for years as director of multiple Hazelden Betty Ford outpatient sites in the Twin Cities and also worked briefly as the CEO of The Pride Institute, a substance use treatment center serving members of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to his new retreat leader role, he is back at Hazelden Betty Ford working once again at its St. Paul site.
“I’m enjoying the opportunity to provide direct care again at Hazelden Betty Ford and excited to also be able to reach people in a new way as a retreat leader with Philippa,” Al says. “My work feels as meaningful as ever, and I’m grateful for that.”
Al and Philippa — who both speak Spanish and English (Philippa is also fluent in French) — are not the only Hazelden Betty Ford connections at Antigua 12 — Sober Travel Retreats. Kathleen McCauley, a spiritual care professional at Hazelden Betty Ford in Center City, will be leading retreats as well. And fellow Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School alum Don Thiry has agreed to facilitate a workshop on positive psychology at a retreat next year. Also contributing as an advisor to the venture is Melissa Fors Shackelford, former VP of marketing strategy at Hazelden Betty Ford.
“We have great people involved, and in the tradition of Hazelden Betty Ford and Twelve Step communities, are focused on the mission of empowering others to be well,” Al says. “I’m really grateful the Graduate School brought me and Philippa together all those years ago. And if any fellow alumni are interested in our retreats or customized trips, for themselves or clients, it would be really fun to have you.”
