Brushy Mountain Retreat was established by Judith Cabot in the summer of 1982, when she took over an empty Johnson Mountain College dormitory. She began to tell women that diets don’t work. She started a series intensive, one-week workshops to help women understand the fundamentals of building a long term weight management program. The initial workshops had only four participants. Brushy Mountain Retreat began as a summer retreat. As it grew in popularity, the program became more year-round.

Over the next nine years, Brushy Mountain Retreat expanded its program into a series of four sequential one-week workshops that can either be taken separately or in blocks. The program now boasts hundreds of alumni. The enrollment limit for program sessions has been raised to 20. The retreat now has a six-month waitlist.

Brushy Mountain Retreat, in response to program growth, will move into a brand new facility. The new home is an ex-corporate retreat located on a hill overlooking Johnson Ridge Golf Course and Johnson Valley Golf Course. These are some of the most sought after summer and winter resort areas in Connecticut. The lodge is situated on 16 acres of wooded land and offers informal classrooms, well equipped physical activity rooms, spacious dining rooms, and a comfortable common area.

The new facility will double the number of workshop participants in the program. A single or double room can accommodate 40 women.

The lease on the new facility is $80,000 annually.

The loan and personal financial investment made by Judith Cabot will fund the move to a brand new facility.

1.1 Mission

Brushy Mountain Retreat aims to give women a practical, livable and healthy lifestyle that allows them to lose weight and keep it off.

1.2 Keys for Success

These are the keys of success for the Brushy Mountain Retreat

• Change how women see food.
• Regular exercise can change the way women feel.
• You can change the way women view themselves.