A sprawling ranch once owned by furniture store magnate Bud Mathis is now a healing place where functioning adults can enjoy a free week-long mental health retreat.
Located at 8901 S Portland Ave. in Guthrie, the 415-acre ranch is home to the Green Shoe Foundation, a nonprofit organization that offers free five-day mental wellness retreats, guided by licensed therapists, for adults 21 and older.
The foundation is a passion project for Paycom founder and CEO Chad Richison, who has seen first-hand the benefits of therapy in an effort to reconcile childhood trauma and achieve a life of peace and maturity.
I went through the program myself at a location in Arizona, Richison said. It changed my life. I was going through a time where I had accomplished a lot and yet I was disturbed. I wasn’t as happy with myself as I thought I would be.
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The retreats are staffed by licensed therapists who work with groups of five at each retreat. To attend, visitors must pay $495 in advance which can be refunded once the retreat is over.
Every time someone comes through, it costs me $2,600, Richison said. This (the $495 deposit) ensures that they want to take it seriously.
How the facility plans to expand and offer a ‘profound type of healing’
More than 1,000 people have participated in these retreats since their launch in 2015.
People come from all over the world to attend the retreat, and most of our attendees are referrals from past attendees, Richison said. Many graduates recommend family members and friends after hearing people’s stories and learning how this program helped them overcome childhood trauma.
Stephany Cochran, executive director of the Green Shoe Foundation, said the ranch, once more therapists are hired, will be able to accommodate 50 percent more clients than at the old location.
Before, we were in a 4,000 square foot facility, and it was an indoor facility only, Cochran said. So we have about 10,000 square feet of interior space here and then 415 acres of exterior space that we didn’t have before.
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Richison personally searched for Green Shoe’s new home. He then spent more than a year overseeing the conversion of the ranch into a retreat. The house had been vacant for a few years, Richison said, and it needed updates and expansion to accommodate larger restrooms and offices.
Extensive landscaping has been added to the ranch, which includes a pond, trails, swings, a maze and guest cabins. Future plans include returning the horses to the stables.
It’s amazing how much the outdoor space actually helps participants connect with themselves, Cochran said. It’s so intense, this type of deep healing, and having that time to be able to get outside, whether it’s connecting to meditation or doing the Labyrinth or walking around the yard or going swinging, it’s nice to be able to just release that. It’s really amazing how much it helps them come back and continue the work we do here.
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