BE CHILL CPD - A doctor's continuing professional development & well-being retreat on stress reduction and burnout prevention.

Do you need some help to complete your CPD?

Would you like to make your CPD fun, relaxing, useful & empowering?

In need of a weekend beachside escape?

Make this October a happy one with yoga, mindfulness, time to rest, ocean views, and plenty of CPD!

Come with friends, family or alone and make new ones!

Treat yourself and your career to a fresh new approach to continuing professional development

Join us Friday 24th-Sunday 26th October 2025

Caves Coastal, Caves Beach NSW

What to expect

A weekend of relaxation & restoration, laughter, smiles, connection, new friends & growth - enjoy learning from each other. Develop your skills for stress management and burnout prevention Hear from expert, passionate speakers on self-care in medicine and how to practice sustainably where you are able to give your heart and soul in a restorative way. These of professionalism, ethical practice and cultural safety will be incorporated into all CPD activities. Learn ways to manage and mitigate stress working as a doctor and how to avoid burnout. Enjoy conducting a professional conversation to review your performance as a doctor & complete or review your mandatory professional development plan. Conduct a burnout prevention audit to leverage your practice. Be professionally supported & coached to complete up to 12 hours of CPD with 5 hours of reviewing performance, a professional conversation, completion of your professional development plan, & 5 hours of measuring outcomes on burnout prevention Be inspired & leave knowing yourself that little bit more masterfully. All activities are optional offerings. So, if you find yourself llying on the beach listening to the soothing sounds of the waves, don't worry; you are most welcome to skip sessions to suit your needs. We want you to feel at ease & free to do as you need.

YOU WILL LEARN

Yoga for stress management and work as a doctor
Mindfulness skills for relaxation and stress reduction
How to identify & prevent burnout
The 2025 Medical Board of Australia CPD requirements for doctors and how to meet them.

INCLUSIONS

Talk on the 2025 CPD requirements, stress management skills & burnout.
Participate in group CPD sessions designed to empower, & equip you with take-home skills for well-being, stress management and burnout prevention.
Up to 12 hours CPD with 5 hours of reviewing performance, a professional conversation, completion of your professional development plan, & 5 hours of measuring outcomes.
Mindfulness and self-care sessions are incorporated into all group CPD sessions.
Delegate handouts with CPD templates to complete & upload into your CPD home, along with take-home skills & other resources.
Enjoy daily gentle yoga and stretching, daily yoga and relaxation, and mindfulness practice with one of Newcastle's best yoga teachers Melanie Dawson. If the weather permits we might do it on the grass outside or on the beach! Don't forget to bring your mat and comfy yoga gear.
Welcome afternoon tea
Friday evening drinks in the Pacific Deck room at 6pm.
Sit down bistro 2 course meal at Caves Bar and Bungalos 7pm Friday evening..
Morning and afternoon tea Saturday and Lunch saturday and Sunday provided by the bistro team.
3 course meal at Mawsons, Caves Beach Saturday evening 7pm.
Time to watch the sunrise and sunset over beautiful Caves Beach.
Please note accommodation, travel, parking & breakfasts are not included.

CPD

With attendance to the group CPD session & pre-reading/work, you will complete 12 hours total of CPD 5 hours of Reviewing Performance, including a professional conversation and the mandatory professional development plan, and 5 hours of Measuring Outcomes with a burnout prevention audit. All activities embed ethical practice, cultural safety and professional behaviours. Attendance to all group sessions makes the minimum CPD requirements easy to complete. We don't want you to stress, & we do want more for you than a tick-box experience. Following the retreat, you will be set up with self-directed CPD activities to complete your minimum requirements effortlessly yet purposefully. Give yourself the gift of making CPD easy, useful & joyful.

LOCATION

The stunning coastal town of Caves Beach is home to one of Australia's top ranked beaches. It secured 9th spot on the "Best Australian Beaches" list according to Tourism Australia. Come see for yourself what all the fuss is about. Bring your surfboard, swimmers and joggers. Explore all that the coast has to offer with walking tracks for days, beginner and advanced surf spots, caves to explore and a flat white sand beach to roam or simply lie down on and breathe. Caves Beach has a few lovely little cafes and dinning spots including Mawsons and Caves Bar and Bungalows. At just over an hour from Sydney and Newcastle airport Caves is ideally placed for a weekend escape. There are plenty of kid friendly activities around and playgrounds so you can extend the visit and even make it a family holiday. Caves is 40minutes from Newcastle making exploring town a fun option too! Other close and devine spots to investigate include Blacksmiths and Redhead beach, Catherine Hill Bay and Murrays Beach, Pelican and Naru. The Swansea Channel opens up into spectacular Warners Bay, so if you love Lake life then you will love this area.

VENUE

Caves Coastal is the go-to for a change of pace from city boardrooms. Located on the beach, the venue is framed by breathtaking beach views. This venue turns CPD meetings into something more than the usual. It’s the perfect blend of business and leisure. In a space where the ocean is your backdrop the beachside confrence halls offer a comfortable escape, encouraging a clear mind for refelction, peer review and self-care. The event space is filled with natural light and designed with simplicity in mind. With the bar and bistro next door it makes refueling easypeasy! This venue is chilled and humble. There is no pretention, just welcoming smiles and relaxed vibes. It is a family friendly venue with outdoor playground. There plenty of outdoor dinning and the deck is the ideal spot to unwind and enjoy great company, with live tunes and a relaxed, beachy atmosphere. Come and experience coastal hospitality at its best. With a spotlight on the freshest ingredients around the menu has something for everyone. The seasonal menus, ensures a cozy and memorable dining experience throughout the year. Discover the delights of modern Australian cuisine at Caves Coastal, served up with the stunning scenery of Caves Beach as your backdrop. Expect a laid-back and cozy few days.

Caves Coastal,offers a range of accommodation options onsite nestled in the dunes of Caves Beach. Whether you travel alone and soak up some much needed downtime, come as a couple or bring the whole family, Caves Coastal has cabins, bungalos and units to suit. Embrace the perfect combination of location, elegance, and comfort surrounded by the natural beauty of coastal greenery and expansive ocean views. This beachside haven offers white sandy beaches, a restaurant, and bar all just steps from your deck, providing the perfect backdrop for your getaway.

WHAT TO BRING

The dress code is easy and casual. You can even wear thongs. Don't forget your swimmers and hat, yoga mat and clothes. Bring along your laptop or other smart device with access to your CPD home. But most importantly bring self-comapssion and a willingness to permit yourself to rest, relax and have some fun.

PROGRAM (subject to change)

Friday 24th October

Join the optional well-being activities or head to the beach and do your own thing!

230 pm afternoon tea - meet your new friends over a bit of coffee & cake.
330 pm: Gentle yoga and relaxation
5 pm: Welcome circle and mindfulness skills practice
6 pm: Welcome drinks in the Pacific Deck room
7 pm: 2 course meal at Caves Bar and Bistro

Saturday 25th October - 4.5 hours Reviewing Performance

9 am: Optional yoga and stretch
10 am: Group CPD session: 2025 CPD requirements, Professional sharing and listening for reviewing performance
1115 am: Morning tea break
1130 am: Group CPD session: reviewing your performance and a professional conversation
1 pm: lunch provided by the Caves Coastal Bistro, take it away and sit on the beach if you prefer!
2 pm: Group CPD session: complete or review your professional development plan
4 pm: Optional yoga and relaxation
5 pm: Optional beachsunset walk
7 pm: 3 course dinner Mawsons, Caves Beach

Sunday 26th October - 4.5 hours Measuring Outcomes

8 am: Optional yoga and stretch
9 am: Group CPD session: burnout prevention audit
11 am: Morning tea break
1130 am: Group CPD session: burnout prevention audit
1 pm: lunch
2 pm: Close

GUEST SPEAKERS

HOST

Dr Susannah Ward is a Specialist Physician of Rehabilitation Medicine. She was awarded the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) fellowship Basmajian Prize in 2018. She has a special interest in wellbeing and is passionate about holistic health. She has been involved in research piloting wellness and mindfulness sessions in hospitals and was awarded the Advancement in Medicine Grant with Avant in 2018. She enjoys medical writing with several publications on health professional wellness and is a published author of the self-help book Mastering Real Wellness. In addition to her clinical work, she founded Ataraxia Collective, a health and wellness business offering doctor CPD & wellbeing retreats, well-being workshops and a blog. She is an accredited yoga teacher RYT200 with Yoga Alliance. She was a board director for the RACP 2016-2018 and is the Chair of the Member Health & Wellbeing Committee (RACP), Chair of RACP Wellbeing Advocates, & director for Mood Active a NFP that promotes exercise as a mental health intervention. Dr Ward hopes to encourage a compassionate and mindful medical culture that supports holistic health for patients and health professionals.

* PLEASE NOTE ATTENDANCE TO RETREAT ACTIVITIES ARE STRICTLY FOR DELEGATES ONLY. YOU ARE WELCOME TO TRAVEL & STAY WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS, BUT ALL RETREAT OFFERINGS ARE FOR THE GUEST DOCTORS ONLY. ALL ACTIVITIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE & OPTIONAL SO IF YOU PREFER TO SKIP A SESSION OR GROUP MEAL JUST LET US KNOW.

ANY QUESTIONS? FLICK US A MESSAGE HELLO@ATARAXIACOLLECTIVE.COM.AU