Thank you to our guests who answered our call to share their experience with The Beauty of Imperfection, our Kintsugi-inspired wellness experience. Their reflections remind us that community is built through joy, as well as shared vulnerability, resilience, and the courage to mend.

I really didn’t want to destroy this beautiful bowl, so it took four times with a hammer to break it. It broke into four large pieces and several small ones. I put it back together leaving out the smaller pieces, and the space was a heart.

My heart had been ripped out when my husband died and I felt that this ‘new bowl’ represented that. 

Once I painted all the cracks and the edges of the heart, my ‘new bowl’ was a unique piece of art I will always treasure. The experience of creating this artwork was profoundly inspiring and very emotional. – Geri, Miraval Resorts Guest

I came to Miraval after losing my husband to suicide, carrying a weight I didn’t know how to set down. In “The Beauty of Imperfection” class, the art of Kintsugi—mending broken things with gold—spoke to something deep in me.

That moment of reflection became the spark that led me to create Project Unbroken, a nonprofit that supports children who’ve lost a parent to suicide. What began as a deeply personal experience has grown into a movement of healing and hope. We’ve now helped 46 families. Please visit www.projectunbroken.org—and if you’re moved, share us. Because of that class, countless kids now know their cracks don’t diminish them—they make them more beautiful and whole. – Trina, Miraval Austin Guest

I participated in The Beauty of Imperfection during my first visit to Miraval Arizona — the experience was profound and impactful. I kept the bowl I made on my nightstand, where I could see and be reminded of its meaning every day.

My husband and I sadly lost our home during the LA fires of January 2025, and while sifting through rubble a few weeks later, we came across a few large pieces of the bowl.

The pieces were among very few identifiable items and immediately took on a completely new meaning — while not in the form I had created during my time at Miraval Arizona, they reminded me of my own strength and resilience and that, like them, I am worthy and beautiful regardless of the state I am in.

The beauty of imperfection was personified in that moment, and the pieces of the bowl will forever be treasured memories that represent not only the lasting growth I experienced at Miraval but of the home I loved so dearly. – Alexa, Miraval Arizona Guest

It started with a question.

Years ago, in a quiet moment between meetings, my former boss Kelly looked at me and asked, “What’s your story?” Not the surface-level version—the job titles or accomplishments—but my real story. The one beneath the polished exterior. I remember fumbling for words, surprised by how hard it was to answer. That question stayed with me long after our conversation ended. It was the first time I truly considered the power of my own story—not just the parts I was proud of, but the struggles, the cracks, and the quiet ache for something more aligned.

Fast forward several years, and I found myself at Miraval, in a season of life where I was seeking more clarity, connection, and purpose. One session in particular focused on the Japanese art of Kintsugi—the practice of mending broken pottery with gold. It was more than a creative exercise; it was a revelation. Kintsugi doesn’t try to hide what’s been broken. Instead, it highlights the cracks, honoring the story of healing.

I saw myself in that golden-veined bowl—pieced together not in spite of my imperfections, but because of them. There was a whole where the bowl had broken into pieces that were too small to be put back. That moment was the moment that I realized I no longer had to hold onto the old stories and beliefs that had been holding me back. I felt lighter and was able to leave it all behind. That session at Miraval gave me the language for what I had been feeling for years. My transformation wasn’t about becoming someone new; it was about finally embracing all the parts of me that had been quietly shaping who I already was.

From that experience, my purpose crystallized.

When I visited Miraval Arizona, I was only a few months into my training to become a Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with that certification, but my experience, particularly the Kintsugi workshop, shaped my future. Today, I’m a Longevity Lifestyle Coach and the founder of Sabi, a coaching practice rooted in the belief that healing, growth, and beauty come from embracing imperfection. Inspired by the Wabi Sabi philosophy, Sabi is about helping women in midlife reconnect with themselves, rewrite their stories, and build habits that support a vibrant, intentional life.

My signature program, the Longevity Lifestyle Reset, combines the science of Lifestyle Medicine with the power of mindset work. I help women rewrite their next chapter and design the life they deserve by shifting out of survival mode and into sustainable, meaningful change—starting with the story they tell themselves.

Looking back, I can trace this journey to two transformative moments: a question that cracked me open, and a retreat that helped me put the pieces back together with intention and grace.

Miraval gave me the space to breathe, reflect, and reclaim my path. Now, through Sabi, I offer that same space to others—because when we learn to see the beauty in our own imperfections, that’s when true transformation begins. – Macon, Miraval Arizona Guest

Originally, the bowl breaking did not make sense until I did and painted it.

Now when I look at the finished work if the painted bowl, it has helped me view things differently, and in a better, more positive light. – A. Ewing, Miraval Austin Guest