“Being mothers, female entrepreneurs, and twins we have been fortunate to see the beauty of joining forces. We believe in collaboration over competition.”

If you pin Stadlandet (Norway) and Squamish (British Columbia, Canada) on the map, you’ll realize the distance. It will take you approximately 20 hours to travel the 3720 miles between the two coastal locations. Although living in two separate countries, Lindsey Sara and Rebecca Amber describe themselves as ‘inseparable’. “I think our underlying initiative behind Nordic Retreats was to keep us together,” the two identical twins say. “We joined forces early on and have used photography as a way to stay close together.”

“The coast line is dramatic, rugged, raw, and contrasting.” That’s the first words I heard from Lindsey Sara, currently based on the most western point of Norway. « Frost and ice cover the landscape, and northern lights creep in late hours of the nights. It’s cold, calm and very predictable in our village. »  Called Stadlandet, the Norwegian place is very isolated « but beyond breathtaking », Lindsey adds. « We were sitting on the side of a fjord looking down on the ocean when we conspired Nordic Retreats. This is where the seed for Nordic Retreats was planted a few years ago. » When I spoke to Lindsey, she had just come back from a full month in Hawaii so it took her some time to adapt to the polar climate. « Surf has been pumping here which keeps me on the shoreline bundled in layers with my camera and hot coffee in hand. » 

“Being close to water is a natural instinct, I could never survive living inland, the ocean gives me a pulse.”

Their love for the outdoors doesn’t come from nowhere as « the twins », as they’re always been referred to, spent most of their childhood playing outside with their friends and family of 6. “We grew up on an island on the west coast of Canada, surrounded by the ocean, mountains, old growth forests and a community of artists, fisherman, loggers, and health conscious hippies.” Thanks to a quality education based on the importance of values, Rebecca and Lindsey opened up a thoughtful dialogue on the power of nature early on in their lives. “As kids, we had morals and motivation but no real pressure to impress or become something or someone. We were always encouraged to be social, grateful, environmentally conscious and involved in sports.” Naturally the twins turned towards their surroundings and built a strong relationship with the ocean. “Being raised on an island, the ocean was everywhere for us. Within a 5 minute radius from our house, we had access to endless beaches. I feel like surfing is one of the only times we can completely disconnect. On land you have distractions, in the water we are completely connected to the ocean and ourselves. Being close to water is a natural instinct, I could never survive living inland, the ocean gives me a pulse.” And yet, before liquid water, there was snow. Growing up on the white slopes of British Columbia, the twins spent their childhood on boards, surfing powder and appreciating the mountains.  They both explain : “Our dad put us on snowboards when we were kids. Going from snowboarding to surfing was easy for us. Our first time on surfboards was 18 years ago in Mexico. Since then, we have travelled the world for surf — Bali, Mexico, Fiji, Australia, Costa Rica, California, Tofino, Hawaii, Nicaragua and Norway… to name a few. Coming from a small town, we were so eager to see the world.” 

 “25 girls with the desire to collaborate and connect is a recipe for creativity.”

Travels naturally brought photography, photography turned into a passion, and this passion became a profession. “Photography chose me. I never dreamt or aspired to be a photographer but rather it organically evolved into my life wanting to document my children and travels,” Rebecca says. “But I found it very intimidating and hard to find mentors who wanted to collaborate and share their photography journey and tools. It was like a big protective secret!” Instinctively introduced to photography, they had an unselfconscious will to share it and Nordic Retreats was born.  “We wanted to bring like-minded women and creatives together to create connections and come shoot, stretch and surf with us in the rural blank canvas of Norway.” That’s how the very first retreat came to life, 100% as a passion project based on friendship and connections. “25 girls with the desire to collaborate and connect is a recipe for creativity. Our students come to learn but leave us with more knowledge, drive, inspiration and fulfillment. We want to use the voice of our images to share the strength of collaboration, the beauty of women and the inspiration to step out of your comfort zone.” 

“We travel all the time, bring our kids, take risks, trust our intuition and do everything to fulfill our desire to live life to the absolute fullest and inspire others to do the same.”

And the twins know how to push themselves into unfamiliar places. Coming from a family of 6, travel was not really feasible as kids. “Travel became a priority for us as we grew our own independence.” Expected to live up to an impossible standard, the twins have sometimes been called crazy for the lifestyle and career paths they have chosen. “I have been told many times ‘you cant do that, that’s insane, that will never work.’ Doubt is fuel for me”, Lindsey says. “Today, we travel all the time, bring our kids, take risks, trust our intuition and do everything to fulfill our desire to live life to the absolute fullest and inspire others to do the same.”

“If you are starting out or shooting huge campaigns, we all go through our struggles and achievements, we are all creatives chasing our dreams and doing what we love.”

Connection, collaboration and creativity became key words for the twins who followed their inner voice, went against the grain in order to pursue their dream. As kids, Lindsey and Rebecca dressed exactly the same until they were 10 years old. They had the same friends and shared the same interests. “I feel like I will never be alone, no matter what, I have my twin and nothing will break that bond apart.” The feeling of sisterhood and this ‘unbreakable alliance’, as they call it, convinced the twins that they were able to build up bridges with other women around the world. “Together we can create so much more and we want to inspire others to do the same. Being a photographer doesn’t mean you have to be alone. We started these retreats as an outlet to share, collaborate and connect with others. We are all women no matter what level you’re at. If you are starting out or shooting huge campaigns, we all go through our struggles and achievements, we are all creatives chasing our dreams and doing what we love”, they explain. “The growth of our students is what drives us, and all of those who believe in us. To see the girls all together in the ocean is magic, it seamlessly strengthens the friendships and bonds in a different way than on land.”

“I am always nervous no one will come but so far, we have sold out all 7 retreats. There’s adrenaline in the unknown.”

Since they co-founded Nordic Retreats, supporting each other and collaborating with other women have been essential components of the project’s identity. At first, the idea was just about organizing one retreat but so far, they already worked on 7 retreats in only 18 months. “In the beginning, we just winged it and it worked. It all happened really fast so we went for it. The demand was there and we are in the midst of planning at least 4 more for 2020”, they explain. “It is definitely a lot of time, energy and logistical planning to produce something and at the same time sell it. I am always nervous no one will come but so far, we have sold out all 7 retreats. There’s adrenaline in the unknown.” Working hard on the retreats 7 days a week, although based in two separate countries, Rebecca and Lindsey managed to gather a whole community of women coming as students or mentors. Some of the members eventually became partners. “One of our retreat guests partnered with us after seeing the potential, she is my left and right hand in the pre production, I couldn’t do it without her. The friendships, connections and collaborations that transpire during a retreat is one of the biggest rewards. Seeing the friendships and connections that organically blossom out of these retreats are the roots and foundation for us. Together, we watch it grow.”

Over the course of the last 18 months, Lindsey and Rebecca travelled to remote destinations. Some of them still hold a precious place in their heart. “Hosting a retreat in Tofino on Vancouver Island was very special as the island is home for us,” they confess.  “It is the birthplace and roots of our creativity and shaped who we are today. Tofino has this magical energy where you feel you are on the edge of the world. It’s easier to listen to your heartbeat and creative pulse inside of you without all the distractions of the outside world. The ocean and mountains are so powerful and feed our soul, the sound, the vibration, the ebb and flow connect us all.” 

Like Tofino, there are places that embody a real escape, far from the overwhelming and today’s fast-paced society we live in. The cold Northwest Coast of Norway is another precious place for Lindsey who moved to Stadlandet with her 3-year-old daughter & partner five years ago. Today, although they live in a tiny little farming and surf community, Lindsey never really settled there. “I have a home here but don’t like the idea of a permanent address. Working for ourselves gives us freedom to work from anywhere at anytime. The biggest challenge is taking time from work for life. It’s hard to completely separate the two when you are freelance and focused,” she says. “I am currently balancing my family life on the farm, with my endless desire to travel and create in warmer and inspiring locations. It is nice to come back here and gather my thoughts, work on my next adventure and be in a peaceful space. It’s the yin to my yang. »

Shaping their passion for photography and travel into a profession, Lindsey and Rebecca managed to create a project able to advance the visibility of female photographers. “Being mothers, women entrepreneurs and twins, we have been fortunate to see the beauty of joining forces. We believe in collaboration over competition. These friendships have turned into partnerships, possibilities and endless potential. I believe in this project and am excited to see where it will take us. We are working on our plans for 2020, which will include Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Hawaii and maybe back to Bali! The best way to predict the future is to create it.” 

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