The Shortlist Vol. 5
The all-inclusive resort for people who hate all-inclusive resorts
The one thing every high-achieving couple needs but rarely plans for?
An executive offsite.
Not the kind with boardrooms and slide decks. The kind where you step away from your life long enough to actually look at it.
This is our fourth year doing this, and we’ve officially made it a twice-a-year ritual. Every time, we leave the kids at home, turn down the noise, and zoom out on the next 4 to 6 months.
Now that my husband and I are deeply focused on scaling MNTSTUDIO, these offsites feel non-negotiable. The more life and work overlap, the more important it is to step out and realign.
Here’s what we actually do:
Reflect on what’s working and what’s not
Revisit our why
Plan the next 4 to 6 months in detail. Travel. Childcare. Birthdays. Date nights. Launches. The invisible logistics that make everything feel smoother.
Take care of our bodies. Daily uninterrupted workouts and spa time.
Protect time for fun. Pool hangs. Music. Board games. Pickleball. Long dinners.
If you’ve been thinking about trying Faye or Duckbill, this is the perfect place to build a thoughtful to-do list for them while you’re thinking strategically. You leave with clarity and they handle the follow-through.
And we do it at one place: Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos.
This Substack is not sponsored, nor have any of my stays here been. This was our sixth trip to this resort. Which should tell you everything.
If you want me to remove the hours of research and guesswork: go to Le Blanc Cabo. There’s also a Cancun location, but I’ve only done Cabo and it has never disappointed.
I love Cabo because it’s a quick trip from the West Coast, and for my friends in the midwest is only about a 4 hour direct flight. A short flight, means it can be an easy long weekend getaway, with warm temperatures year-round (in fact, I highly recommend going in the winter months for whale season where it feels like everyday is a National Geographic TV episode).
Le Blanc is the all-inclusive for people who think they hate all-inclusives… and since its adults-only, its the perfect spot for an exec offsite.
The infinity pool sits right on the beach, so you get the ocean view without actually being covered in sand. I stay completely horizontal for days. Sleeping well. Reading. Sauna. No one asking me for a snack.
The food is genuinely five-star. Italian, sushi, steakhouse, French, Turkish. There’s Toro on the sushi menu, the kind you pay $20 a piece for at home. They steep their cold brew for 24 hours. The bars are stocked with Hendricks, Grey Goose and Cristalino tequila. There’s a slow breakfast restaurant on the water and a wood-fired pizza oven. It rivals our favorite restaurants at home.
The gym is spacious with modern equipment and even a dedicated room perfect for your favorite Pilates app. There are pickleball courts. Daily live music from saxophonists to DJs to harpists. Almost every room has a water view.
Your butler, and yes… I said butler, unpacks your suitcase, draws a bubble bath before dinner, and texts you each morning with your reservations for the day. It sounds indulgent. What it really buys you is mental space.
If you plan your careers this intentionally, your relationship deserves the same care. And you deserve a getaway where you are not pulling out your Apple Wallet every five minutes or calculating gratuity. A place where you are simply taken care of.
The resort has a referral program, and I’m able to get you 20% off with a minimum five-night stay, plus:
2x 25 minute massages
2x mani/pedi
2x excursions
free roundtrip transportation
I can also extend the same offer at Le Blanc’s sister property, the family-friendly The Grand at Moon Palace Cancun (we’ve been several times).
If you’re ready to book, I’d love to help get you this deal. The hotel is a bit old-school with how referrals work, so I need to submit your dates directly before you book.
Your 2026 executive offsite starts with putting it on the calendar.
You built the life you wanted. Now what?
Last month I introduced a premium tier of my newsletter, to share the writing I originally planned for a book called The Fulfilled State.
The Fulfilled State is a book, but it’s also more than that.
Each chapter comes with prompts, reflection exercises, and tools you can actually use, not just read. And because it’s on Substack, you won’t be doing this quietly alone. The comments are part of the work, a space to ask questions, share what’s clicking, and build alongside other ambitious moms who want more alignment, intention, and choice.
The Preface is live now and Chapter 1 drops this week.
*Founding Member Rate! Join by the end of February for 25% off ($6/mo or $60/yr).
New Modern Mom Podcast Spotlight
What does it actually look like to build wealth as a couple when both of you are ambitious, busy, and wired differently around risk? In this Toolkit Series episode, Jason and I pull back the curtain on how we’ve diversified our income, made investment decisions as a team, and turned “money talks” into real action.
💡 How we think about disposable income, expenses, and risk tolerance before making any investment decision together
💼 The different ways we’ve diversified, from side income and passive investments to real estate and eventually buying a business
🏠 What owning an Airbnb in Tahoe really taught us about the myth of “passive” income
🏋️♀️ How acquiring our first Pilates studio reshaped the way we think about active investments and complementary skill sets
Drop a comment with your dream couple’s getaway destination or resort!
❤️ Leave a little love below if you found this valuable
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Thanks for joining me on this journey,
Barbara
Drop your dream destination for your own exec offsite! Maybe it will be my next!