Vicky Lynn Andritsch describes the moment Rooted Within Wellness was born as a dream that landed on her heart.
“I kept feeling this pull that something was missing for parents walking through medical challenges with their children,” she says. “It is often difficult to not only make room for, but find the right kind of support, resources and community while in crisis.”
Rooted Within Wellness emerged from that spark, creating a new organization that provides wellness retreats for parents and caregivers impacted by a child’s diagnosis. The first retreat, themed around rest, regeneration, mindfulness and connection, will take place from Feb. 20 to 22 at the historic Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County State Park.
For Andritsch, the idea is deeply personal. As a mother who has walked through multiple health crises with her own children, including cancer, brain injuries, seizures and mental illness, she knows the exhaustion and isolation that often come with caregiving.
“Each time I was in the middle of a health battle with one of my kids, I was clinging for help and support,” she says. “Even when the hospital social workers gave me tools and books, once I went home, I was back to just trying to hold on until the next appointment.”
Through every trial, Andritsch noticed the same gap: resources focused, rightly so, on the sick child, but little holistic care for the parents trying to stay strong for everyone else.
“As a mom, you’re worrying about your child who’s sick, as well as the healthy ones at home,” she says. “You’re trying to give to everyone, and in the process, you run on empty.”
That realization became the foundation for Rooted Within Wellness.
“This is an opportunity to walk alongside mothers, fathers and caregivers, and to give them tools for mindfulness, restoration and rejuvenation while they’re walking through a diagnosis with their child, or perhaps years later as they try to find their new normal after a diagnosis,” she says. “It’s about helping them find strength, breath and community.”
The February retreat in Brown County will set the tone for future gatherings. Designed as a two-day, nature-immersed experience, it will include mindfulness sessions, movement, sound healing, breath work and guided hikes led by a team of facilitators carefully chosen by Andritsch.
“I’ll have a pool of facilitators I draw from for different retreats,” she says. “Each will include mindfulness coaching, breath work, moving our body, and opportunities to reconnect with joy in the chaos.”
But unlike a busy conference weekend, these retreats are intentionally unhurried.
“I don’t want it to feel like running from one session to the next,” Andritsch says. “It’s about reflection, connection and tapping into tools that will support parents long after they go home.”
From the beginning, Andritsch has been intentional about removing obstacles to participation, especially financial ones. Thanks to a private donor who believes in her mission, transportation and a sliding scale for attendance will be available for those who need it.
“We never want cost to be a barrier,” she says. “If a woman needs help getting to the retreat, we’ll support her. Everyone deserves the chance to rest and heal, no matter their circumstances.”
The retreats initially focus on women, but Andritsch plans to expand the program to include men as well.
“This first one is just for mothers, but my hope is to offer evening events for fathers eventually,” she says.
While Rooted Within Wellness begins in Indiana, Andritsch envisions a nationwide network of retreats, each connected to major children’s hospitals and communities in need of caregiver support.
“It makes sense to start here at home,” she says. “This is where I spent so much of my time at Riley and Peyton Manning Children’s hospitals. But the need exists everywhere. My hope is to offer these retreats quarterly across the country, anywhere parents need that lifeline.”
Rooted Within Wellness is rooted in something more profound. Andritsch says it’s a transformation through empathy.
“When we can support the parents or caregivers, that healing ripples outward,” she says. “It strengthens families, and stronger families create stronger communities.”
She hopes that each participant leaves with one more nugget in their bucket, as she says — a small but lasting piece of strength or peace they didn’t have before.
“If a mother can step back into her life feeling more grounded, supported and connected, then that’s success,” she says. “That’s what Rooted Within Wellness is all about.”
For more information, visit rootedwithinwellnessllc.org/home/.
