Holistic Health Workshops: Who & What's Coming to Hutton Brickyards
By Craig Friedman
If anyone is a rock star in the health and wellness workshop world, it’s Carol Donahoe, a behind-the-scenes wizard of holistic healing programming in the Hudson Valley for more than 25 years.
Starting in 2026, she’s bringing an extraordinary curation of exceptional teachers (“faculty”) in mind-body-spirit interconnectedness to Hutton Brickyards riverfront hotel and venue.
These workshops move beyond traditional wellness diets and exercises - highlighting ways we can all benefit from balanced wellbeing in our daily lives. Below, Donahoe explains how the wellness space has evolved over the last few decades and who she’s signed up for the first winter and spring sessions of ”Hutton Health” classes at Hutton Brickyards.
How did you get involved in health and wellness programming?
I was running a women's spirituality center in New Windsor, New York. We offered yoga, meditation, and classes in the arts. The Center was focused on women. And at some point, I realized I wanted to serve a larger audience. I wanted to work with women and men and children. So I let the board know what I was considering and ended up interviewing at a couple of places. One of them was the Omega Institute.
That’s the influential, non-profit, educational retreat center in Rhinebeck, founded in 1977. What did they have that you wanted?
Omega focuses on holistic education. So it addresses the larger picture of what creates a healthy human. And it's not just the food you put into your body. Omega started in the 1970s and was really on the cutting edge. It was founded by a doctor and a midwife who wanted to marry western medicine with the ancient healing traditions of the east. So they started having yoga classes long before yoga was on every street corner, and a hundred people would show up for yoga programs.
Meditation, organic food, all of that was at the underpinning of Omega. Over time the question became "what is it that encompasses a holistic life?” Creative expression, relationships and family, sustainability, leadership, health and healing all became part of the curriculum.
How did you connect with Hutton Brickyards?
Owner Karl Slovin reached out to us prior to COVID, maybe 2018 or 2019, to see if there was a connection that Omega could have with the Hutton Brickyards. This was before they had all the cabins. And he was telling us his vision and trying to see if there was a way we could work together. COVID happened, so nothing moved forward. Then Karl reached out just as I was giving my notice to Omega, and things just fell into place.
When I originally talked to Karl, Hutton Health had done a few programs that were body-based. He said he was interested in looking at a fuller spectrum of programs.
How is Hutton Health doing things differently?
Everything we're doing is winter programming — January through April. [So we will] settle in with an inspiring teacher, at a beautiful location, amazing food, and have a winter getaway that sends you home transformed… All [classes] are either two nights or three nights and all-inclusive — food, housing, and tuition are all included. There are 7 programs to choose from this winter.
There are many components that make up a full life; that affect your health. If you’re eating all the right foods, but you have a very negative mindset, you can create ill-health. The programs we currently have take a much more circular view. They explore several aspects of your life.
What drew you to Hutton Brickyards?
There is something beautiful — and it doesn't matter what the time of year — being right alongside the Hudson River. There's something very powerful and beautiful about that. But what was equally impressive to me was Karl’s vision. He took the Brickyards, and rather than just demolishing all that was here and building a highrise condo complex, he kept the history of the place and incorporated it into this new campus. It’s great to see the melding of history with the creation of something new and vibrant.
While the cabins, and the rooms in Edgewood mansion are beautiful with modern luxury and amenities, it also manages to keep the best of the historical aspects, including the parlor with the piano, the bar, and the paintings that are kept on the walls in the mansion. Hutton Hall, a beautiful brick building, is the main classroom and is one of the original brickyard buildings. The carriage house (another classroom) is also part of the history. And then you have amazing food, and beautiful riverfront views. And even if it's snow-covered, you've got the coziness and the historic feeling.
The story of the Brickyards is incorporated throughout the campus, and you can learn about the history by simply walking around. The bricks from this brickyard helped to build many of the important buildings currently standing in New York City.
So I love that vision of bringing the two worlds together and thinking that it’s important and can create something beautiful. I really wanted to support that vision. I felt like there's something wonderful happening here.
How did you choose the teachers and workshops in the Hutton Health lineup? And can you briefly describe the teachers who will be coming?
They are all people I've known and worked with for a long time and I’ve seen their success. I felt like they have something to offer to Hutton Health.
Jan 15-18: Getting to Joy: Breaking Intergenerational Patterns of Disappointment with Suzi Tucker
Do you have everything, but are still dissatisfied? Do you make the same missteps over and over, though you “know better”? Suzi Tucker, a leading figure in Family Constellations, introduces a unique lens onto the lifelong patterns in which we often feel trapped — a three-dimensional experiential process and philosophy that uncovers how past experiences and events may be impacting the present.
Suzi Tucker is a systemic coach, essayist, and co-founder of the Bert Hellinger Institute, USA, who has spent over three decades bridging psychology and family constellation work in her teaching and writing, notably authoring Gather Enough Fireflies.
Feb 13-16: Creating a Meaningful Third Act: Reclaiming Your Authenticity, Wisdom and Joy with Karen Moon and Deborah Krumholz
Many women spend their lives focused on satisfying the needs of others in work, family, and relationships. Aging is an opportunity to move beyond these roles and demands. Utilizing guided meditations, journaling, and group discussions, we will reflect upon our past, present, and future. This workshop is intended for women at midlife and beyond who are seeking more meaning, authenticity, and connection in their third act of life.
Karen K. Moon, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and grief specialist with over 30 years’ experience, focusing on transitions like loss, divorce, and personal reinvention; she leads retreats for women and consults widely, drawing on mindfulness, family systems, and positive psychology.
Debra Krumholz, LMHC, MPH, is a psychotherapist, group facilitator, and trainer with over 35 years’ experience; she integrates Gestalt therapy, positive and Buddhist psychology to help people slow down, live more intentionally, and find authenticity and joy.
Feb 26-Mar 1: Poems of Longing with Padraig O'Tuama
What does it mean to desire something? We all know that desire can change once we get what we think we want. And what does it mean to lose desire? Join Pádraig Ó Tuama for a weekend of poetry reading and writing prompts exploring the strange world of longing, loss, desire, and satisfaction. Experienced poets and newcomers to writing are all welcome.
Pádraig Ó Tuama is an Irish poet, theologian, and conflict transformation practitioner, best known as the host of the Poetry Unbound podcast and former leader of the Corrymeela Community - Ireland's oldest peace and reconciliation organization. He writes and lectures widely on religion, language, conflict, and belonging.
Mar 20-22: Spring Renewal Healing Weekend with Brett Bevel
Step into a sacred space of energetic renewal, intuitive activation, and spiritual rebirth during this deeply restorative weekend of powerful group healings. This event is designed not as a training, but as a direct immersion into transformative healing energies.
Brett Bevell is a Reiki master (since 1995), energy healer, poet, and author of titles like The Wizard’s Guide to Energy Healing; he’s the founder of the Magical Awakening® Energy Healing System and teaches globally.
Apr 10-12: Relax & Write: Tapping Your Unconscious
For Life And Art with Maia Danziger
Most of us are writing using only a small part of the resources we have available. These resources—our intuition, creativity, and deeper knowing—are the foundations of good writing, and a fully realized life. Created by Maia Danziger, the Relax & Write method uses deep relaxation as a way to unlock the unconscious and tap that rich material for your creative work.
Maia Danziger is an Emmy-winning actress turned writing coach, creator of the “Relax & Write” process, and co-founder of the Actors Company Theatre; she has taught writing and creative workshops for artists and writers worldwide.
Apr 16-19: Feast of Qigong, a Rare Spring Retreat with Robert Peng
Qigong is a traditional Chinese mind-body-spirit practice involving slow, gentle movements, controlled breathing, and focused intent to cultivate and circulate vital life-force energy, or "Qi". This may help manage symptoms of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and COPD; improve balance and coordination; and support the immune system. Robert Peng has developed a unique way to teach qigong that anyone can easily follow while enjoying the real essence of this ancient Chinese healing art of wisdom, love, and vitality.
Robert Peng is a world-renowned Qigong master, healer, and author known for works like The Master Key and The Way of Virtue. His journey began at age 15 with a 100-day water fast in a secluded Chinese monastery, which initiated a radical spiritual transformation and awakened amazing healing powers. Over the years, he’s gone on to teach hundreds of thousands of students worldwide.
For more information about the Hutton Health winter programs, visit Huttonbrickyards.com.