THE GUEST ARTIST EXPERIENCE

An invitation to join an experience that rests the body, enriches the mind, and feeds the soul.

About Our Salons

GoodWorld Journeys are for those seeking a travel and retreat experience that rests the body, enriches the mind, and feeds the soul.

Our busy and hyper-connected lives leave many of us seeking quiet and transformative places to pause, reflect and learn anew along life’s path. Emerging and accomplished artists often need a place of restorative beauty to nourish and inspire the inner life of creation.

We offer lightly-programmed gatherings (typically of 50-60 people) on the isle of Patmos, Greece, and in the high desert town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Our well-curated Salons (participants selected by application) feature engaging conversations, generative learning, festive meals, and restorative wanderings on artistic craft and life’s journey.

Our Salon guest artists co-lead conversations on a range of topics, including storytelling (writing, poetry & music), creativity, social change, and wellness.

Who We Are

GoodWorld Journeys was born from a simple act of gathering: in 1989, Jenny Yancey and Dan Siegel invited friends and changemakers to meet on the Greek island of Patmos to share ideas, creativity, and purpose while being renewed in a radiant setting. That early circle became a 25-year tradition, and in 2014, evolved into GoodWorld Journeys — an organization devoted to meaningful conversation and human transformation.

Today, Jenny and Dan’s daughter, Weezie, co-leads the organization’s growth alongside Dan, supported by exceptional production teams in Greece and Mexico. The GoodWorld Journeys team works to ensure every program detail is thoughtfully curated and smoothly executed for guest artists & participants alike.

One of the most memorable teaching experiences of my life.

The deeply spiritual, beautiful, and gloriously under-touristed Greek island of Patmos seemed to both relax and inspire people (including Mary Karr and me). Our hosts, Jenny Yancey and Dan Siegel, have been doing this a long time and know just how to arrange things so that the artistic development of the participants is foregrounded. The format serves to give an aspiring artist a chance to really look at what might be obstructing her, and what real growth might look like and feel like—it’s something about the beauty and peacefulness of the setting and, if I can say it this way, the purity of intention that surrounds the Salon, which is designed for artists, by artists.

George Saunders

Booker Prize & MacArthur Genius Winner.
Author of Lincoln in the Bardo & Tenth of December.

This is an extraordinary program in an extraordinarily gorgeous and calming place

you are truly away from hurried, scheduled time and from travel as tourism. The ten days of Salon are structured spaciously — a wonderful mix of conversation and concentration and learning, and exploring and resting and play. The food and wine are fresh and lovely. The waters of the Aegean are indescribably lovely to gaze at and swim in. And the ancient speaks audibly to the present in the everyday — Greek mythology embodied and alive alongside the sacred Christian significance of the island.

Krista Tippett

Award-winning radio host.
Founder of the OnBeing podcast.

Among the best teaching experiences of my life.

My time leading the workshop for GoodWorld Journeys on the magical island of Patmos was among the best teaching experiences of my life. Gathering in a place of such beauty with so many open-hearted people heightened the already inspiring exploration of writing, storytelling, and creative expression. Patmos is famous for being a place of revelation and that history permeated everything my co-leaders, the workshop participants, and I did during our illuminating time together on the island.

Dan, Jenny, Satchel, and Weezie were the most gracious and helpful hosts, who made the experience a true pleasure and one I’ll never forget.

Cheryl Strayed

Bestselling writer & podcast host.
Author of Wild & Tiny Beautiful Things.

I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Seldom have I had a more creative time than during the three weeks I spent on the gorgeous, inspiring island of Patmos, Greece, including the ten days the Salon put me before so many curious, open-hearted students. The ability to teach in the morning and write in the afternoon, with a handful of Salons in the evenings made an artist’s paradise for all of us.

Jenny and Dan are masterful hosts and have created a mobile university in one of the planet’s most glorious landscapes. A lifetime highlight as a teaching experience and as a writer’s retreat.

Mary Karr

Award-winning poet & bestselling memoirist.
Author of The Liar’s Club and The Art of Memoir.

The Salon Experience

Hear from authors Mary Karr and George Saunders as they reflect on what it was like to be a guest artist at a GoodWorld Journeys Salon.

Benefits of Being a Guest Artist

Joining a GoodWorld Journey with other artists means stepping into a unique and deeply nourishing role — one that blends creative conversation, personal renewal, and meaningful connection.

Inspirational

Immerse yourself in a restorative and inspiring setting — from the mythic landscapes of Patmos, Greece, to the sun-soaked high desert of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Experiential

Shape the experience by co-designing sessions around conversation themes that reflect your passions, questions, and creative curiosities.

Engaging

Connect with an engaging circle of thoughtful, open-hearted participants — each carefully selected through an application process and drawn to your work and the Salon theme.

Restorative

Enjoy spaciousness for your own creative life — with ample time to read, write, reflect, and rest. Bring your loved ones, or come solo. Either way, you’ll have ample time to recharge and reconnect.

Memorable

Build lasting bonds with vibrant local communities and discover the hidden rhythms, flavors, and stories that make each place unforgettable.

Collaborative

Co-create with fellow artists, thinkers, and cultural visionaries — musicians, chefs, writers, designers — whose perspectives expand your own and spark unexpected, generative collaborations.

What to Expect

Our Salons typically feature 3-5 guest artists & creatives over 7-10 days. While the scope and involvement of each artist varies based on the Salon theme and location, you can expect the following:

Stunning Locations

Immerse yourself in a restorative and inspiring setting — from the mythic landscapes of Patmos, Greece, to the sun-soaked high desert of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Creative Input

We design each Salon in close collaboration with guest artists, weaving your creative vision and ideas into a thoughtfully paced and well-facilitated shared experience.

Personalized Support

Our team provides concierge-level assistance, helping with travel arrangements and local logistics to ensure a smooth, stress-free journey from start to finish.

Comfortable Stay

You and your guests will enjoy spacious, thoughtfully curated local accommodations, offering a comfortable and inspiring home base during your Salon experience.

Compensation

We cover all travel and accommodation expenses, provide a food stipend, and offer an honorarium based on the final number of featured artists and participants.

Program Promotion

We rely on each guest artist’s active participation in spreading the word through social media, newsletters, and other channels to help attract an engaging Salon group.

Our Destinations

Patmos, Greece

Since exploring the magic of Patmos during their honeymoon in 1987, GoodWorld Journeys founders Jenny and Dan have been inviting an ever-widening circle of friends and adventuresome travelers to join them in experiencing this serene Greek isle. They quickly discovered what Greece and its ancient and modern peoples have to teach us about living an examined and well-lived life.

Patmos is a special destination among the Greek islands. It is known as a sacred isle — the holy rock that inspired Saint John’s Book of Revelation in the bible — a truly uplifting and enlightened refuge to rest, play, and wander.

This so-called “Jerusalem of the Aegean” has a particular draw among writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, painters, and poets seeking faraway beauty and quiet inspiration.

Patmos offers scenic sanctuaries, quiet beaches, and charming tavernas in lovely landscapes and vistas. An ancient monastery crowns the island, surrounded by a whitewashed old town of carved stone buildings and winding pathways.

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

We’ve fallen in love with the heavenly desert light that falls daily upon this colonial mountain town, along with the welcoming warmth of the Mexican people.

San Miguel de Allende has been deemed a world heritage site and is the home of Mexico’s independence movement. A renowned international haven for expatriate and Mexican painters, musicians & writers (Frida Kahlo hosted Salons here), this historic town has maintained a vibrant Mexican culture — with traditional handicrafts, folk art, street processions & lively fiestas.

With its colorful architecture, beautiful rooftop gardens, cobblestone streets, and energetic spirit, San Miguel de Allende is a center of creative art-making and globally-minded living.

From its plentiful artisanal shops and art galleries, delicious restaurants and cafes, and charming live music venues, there’s never a shortage of engaging communal life in San Miguel.

Amid such festive splendors, San Miguel de Allende invites the soul to relax, ponder the present and reinvent the journey.

“Sometimes you do something totally beyond your zone of comfort and it leads to experiences that transform you wholly. The salon changed who I am as a person. It created a community that remains strong more than 5 years later.”

— Shamima Khan, salon participant

“What an amazing ten days filled with heartfelt inspiration, creativity, music, and friendship! Exceeded all expectations. Dan and Jenny are superb organizers. "

— Lori Horvitz, salon participant

“Spending time in the presence of great artists I admire - where else could something like that happen? You guys are really doing something good in the world! Thank you. "

— Michael Kauffman, salon participant

“Words alone cannot adequately describe the experience of participating in a GoodWorld Journey. These salons bring back to life every sense imaginable. I have experienced two GoodWorld salons in my lifetime and already thinking about attending a third.”

— Jennifer Margiotta, salon participant

“GoodWorld journeys provided me with a lifeline during a time of transition, unrest, and burnout in my life. The combination of luminous attendees and presenters, stunning landscape, and time for rest and delight nourished my soul.”

— Jacob Grant, salon participant

Get in Touch

We would be thrilled to explore your interest & ideas to be a guest artist on a future GoodWorld Journey!

Contact Dan Siegel below to arrange an exploratory conversation.