women who can't not: the comeback kid (all grown up)

You are going to love Theodora (aka Tenacious T) as much as we do. In this Q&A she shares what it’s like to return to skiing as an adult after growing up on the slopes. You know, old gear, new fears, and being a self-proclaimed fast grandma on the mountain. This one’s for anyone rediscovering something they used to love (and realizing they’ve still got it). Enjoy the conversation!

Charlotte: Okay, so we’re gonna start with just about you. What’s your name? Where do you live? And where do you usually like to ski?

Theodora: Hi! My name is Theodora Blanchfield, and I live in Los Angeles—technically, Santa Monica. I live across the street from the beach, so right now when I look away, I’m literally looking at the ocean, which is pretty sweet.

Charlotte: Life is hard!

Theodora: I know, right? What do I do? I’m a therapist—I work with a lot of grief and depression. I also work with clients using psychedelics. And I’m a freelance writer, writing about mental health stuff, both from personal experience and as an expert, interviewing others.

Charlotte: I love that. I saw a new piece from you on Substack recently, but I don’t think I saw anything before that.

Theodora: Yeah! People can check me out there.

Charlotte: Great. Okay and where do you usually ski?

Theodora: Oh, great question. I grew up skiing. My dad went to school in Montana—even though he’s from New Jersey—and became a total ski bum. So as soon as I was old enough to come out West, he was like, “Nope. We’re not skiing the East Coast.” As an adult, I finally understood why when I went to New Hampshire and was like, “Oh… that’s ice.”

So I skied a lot in Colorado at Breckenridge and Beaver Creek. But for most of my adult life, I didn’t ski much. This year I really started picking it back up. I was trolling Facebook groups looking for ski buddies when I found you!

My closest resort now is Big Bear, which is fine. But my favorite places I’ve ever skied are probably Breckenridge—and now Tahoe.

Charlotte: Gotta put Tahoe on the favorites list now!

Theodora: Oh, totally. And it’s not as far as Breckenridge from here, so that’s kinda nice.

Charlotte: Yeah. So what made you want to pick skiing back up this year?

Theodora: Great question. I’ve always wanted to as an adult—I liked skiing growing up, but I didn’t have many friends who skied. So anytime someone mentioned skiing, I’d be like, “YES.”

Especially living in Southern California—there’s proximity to Colorado, the West, California mountains. This year, someone in one of my surf group chats mentioned getting an Ikon Pass, and I was like, “Yeah, I can do that too.”

Charlotte: You were like, “Sure, done!”

Theodora: Done and done.

Charlotte: Did you have any fears or hesitations about getting back into skiing?

Theodora: Oh yeah. I had all the gear growing up, but most of it’s 20 years old now. I had to rebuy everything—gear, pass—so I was nervous I’d go out there and realize, “Wait... I don’t like this anymore.” That would suck.

That was my biggest fear. That and just getting older and wondering if my body could still handle it. But spoiler alert—it can.

Charlotte: Exactly! Were you nervous about keeping up with the group?

Theodora: Oh my god, yes. Like, 1,000,000%. I hadn’t skied regularly as an adult, so I assumed everyone else was going to be really, really good, and I’d be the slow one in the back. I think I even said that to you on our first call—like, “I’m going to ski like a grandma.”

Charlotte: You skied like a young grandma! A cool grandma.

Theodora: A 60-year-old grandma instead of a 90-year-old one. I actually ski pretty well. I do ski blacks, but I was totally sandbagging myself, expecting people to be ex-ski racers or something.

Charlotte: I mean, so much of it is mental, right?

Theodora: Yes! Totally.

Charlotte: Had you ever done anything like this before? A group travel experience?

Theodora: Yeah—I did a yoga retreat in the Galapagos a couple years ago. It was the coolest trip I’ve ever been on—and probably ever will be on. I love short, intense group trips like that.

I remember DMing you about the copy on your website. It said something like, “Because we all need the kind of person who thinks it’s fun to go hang out with strangers for a weekend,” and I was like, “Yep. These are my people.”

Charlotte: Totally! I’m glad those words resonated. Was there anything that almost stopped you from joining?

Theodora: Yeah—I can be impulsive and sometimes overcommit. I’ve lost money or annoyed people in the past because of that. So I wanted to make sure I was really in. I think I told you on a Sunday night I was thinking about it, and then signed up the next morning.

Charlotte: That was a good idea. Sleep on it, then go!

Theodora: Exactly.

Charlotte: Did you have any personal goals going into the retreat?

Theodora: Not necessarily ski-wise. But just to be myself, have fun, and not worry about whether people liked me or if I was “too much.” Same for skiing—I just wanted to enjoy it without stressing about whether I was good enough.

Also, it was right after the fires in LA, so I was just grateful to breathe clean air and get away. It helped put things in perspective—how lucky I was to be able to do something like this.

Charlotte: Totally. Do you remember your first impression when you arrived?

Theodora: Oh yeah—I came in like a hurricane. I had a client session in five minutes, so I was like, “Hi! Where’s the Wi-Fi? Where can I go?” But everyone seemed fun, and after my call, you made me feel included right away. Everyone was super welcoming.

Charlotte: It was a fun group.

Theodora: And driving in, I remember thinking, “Wait... this is a real place I get to go to?” It [the house] looked just like the pictures.

Charlotte: What were some of your favorite moments?

Theodora: Okay, I won’t spoil anything, but your morning ritual? My favorite moment was when I turned it around on you. That was so fun.

Also, making candles! I burned mine all the way down. And having Jen from Coalition Snow there—she was so cool. The demos were great too—I tried to buy the skis off her!

Charlotte: Was there anything that surprised you about the retreat?

Theodora: Your tagline—“for women who can’t sit still”—is SO accurate. Every moment was packed. It was awesome, but I also realized I needed to rest and recharge, so I gave myself permission to skip an activity or just sip my coffee quietly in the morning. I wanted to honor my own needs.

Charlotte: That’s totally allowed! It's your weekend to use however you want.

Theodora: I also really appreciated that you were mindful about having both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. I don’t drink much anymore, and I liked that it wasn’t all about partying. One night I didn’t drink, and the other night I had espresso martinis—balance!

Charlotte: Yes! That’s super important to me too. Anything else you want to share about the retreat?

Theodora: It was just a really good time. Worth every penny. All the women were so cool. You do a great job attracting people with similar vibes.

Charlotte: I try! I think the site and messaging help with that. And I love the diversity of the group—age, background, ski level—it makes it really dynamic.

After the retreat, did it shift anything for you mentally, emotionally, physically?

Theodora: That’s hard to answer because, as you know, my dog passed away a couple weeks after I got home. That consumed me for a while. But before that, I felt more empowered—both as a skier and a human.

Charlotte: Have you kept in touch with anyone?

Theodora: Not really—mostly because of everything that happened. I meant to connect with Wendy and maybe go to Colorado, but... life. Maybe next year.

Charlotte: Totally. These can be seasonal friendships too—like winter buddies.

Theodora: Yeah! When I met Wendy and she told me it was her third retreat, I was like, “Wait... is that weird? Is she a groupie?” But now I get it. I’d absolutely come back. Especially to a different location.

Charlotte: Amazing. Okay, a few rapid-fire questions. Ready?

Theodora: Let’s do it.

Charlotte: One word to describe The Ski Retreat?

Theodora: Fun.

Charlotte: What would you tell someone who’s thinking about joining?

Theodora: Stop thinking. Just go.

Charlotte: What’s your ski alter ego?

Theodora: Grandma.

Charlotte: A really fast grandma. Or tenacious T?

Theodora: Oh yeah, Tenacious T! That works too.

Charlotte: Anything else you want to share?

Theodora: Just that it was awesome. And FYI—Charlotte’s not paying me to say this!

Charlotte: Haha, thank you!