Our story
Reclaim Yourself was founded in 2005 by Jools Sampson.
Before starting the company, Jools worked in international development and spent five years living in Tanzania. During this time, she experienced burnout and made a significant shift in direction, beginning her own journey back to good health and exploring a more holistic approach to wellbeing.
She retrained in massage, discovered yoga, studied nutrition, and began to understand the importance of self-care in a much deeper, more practical way.
Living in such a rich and beautiful environment also meant spending time in wild, remote places, experiences that would go on to shape the retreats we create today. She began running small wellness weekends, and from there, Reclaim Yourself grew organically.
Living in Tanzania, she also saw first-hand the impact tourism can have, both positive and negative. When done well, tourism brought tangible benefits to local communities and environments. But when it bypassed local people, the effects were harder to witness, with places impacted and little benefit felt by those who lived there.
This experience shaped the foundations of Reclaim Yourself. From the beginning, the intention has been to operate in a way that is respectful and mindful of the places we work, the people we work with, and how we choose to operate.
Jools left Tanzania in 2004, and soon after, Reclaim Yourself was born.
At the time, wellness travel was still relatively unknown. There were yoga holidays and retreat centres, but nothing quite like this. From the outset, the aim was to create something more intentional, bringing together wellbeing, travel and a more responsible way of exploring the world.
Reclaim Yourself took a different approach, focusing on less-travelled destinations, working closely with local partners, and designing each retreat from the ground up. From the beginning, there was a clear commitment to quality, with exceptional teachers, carefully chosen locations, and a strong sense of care in how each retreat was created.
What began as a small number of retreats has grown steadily over the years. New destinations were explored, partnerships deepened, and the approach refined through experience.
Today, Reclaim Yourself runs around twenty five retreats each year in destinations around the world, built on over two decades of experience. We remain intentionally small, working with a close-knit team and a trusted network of retreat leaders, yoga teachers and local partners.
In 2023, we became a Certified B Corp, formalising our commitment to positive-impact travel and joining a small group of wellness travel companies working to lead the way in this space.
We’re proud to be part of a global community of businesses that balance profit with purpose, meeting high standards of social and environmental responsibility.
Our purpose is simple: every guest should leave our retreats feeling physically and mentally better. B Corp certification formalises how we operate, creating retreats that support both our guests’ wellbeing and the places we travel through.
We work with locally owned partners, design our trips with care, and remain conscious of the wider impact of tourism. Becoming a B Corp holds us accountable to these standards as we continue to grow.
