Support Your Girlfriends retreat turns Barbados into a leadership and service platform

Support Your Girlfriends wrapped its 8th annual media and influencer retreat in Barbados on July 22, 2026, pairing wellness and leadership programming with community impact. The six-day event brought 30 women to the island and included a girls' empowerment workshop and a homeless feed initiative.

Why it matters: - Support Your Girlfriends used the retreat to link women’s leadership, wellness, tourism and philanthropy in one international setting. - The Barbados trip was designed to create longer-term impact, not just social content, by mixing community investment with cultural immersion and personal development. - The retreat also gave Barbados global visibility through stories shared by media professionals, entrepreneurs, physicians, advocates, authors, influencers and business leaders.

What happened: - Support Your Girlfriends concluded its 8th Annual Support Your Girlfriends Media & Influencer Retreat in partnership with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. on July 22, 2026. - The retreat brought together 30 accomplished women for six transformative days in Barbados. - Dr. Nikkia McClain, founder of Support Your Girlfriends and CEO of Tené Nícole Creative Agency, led the organization behind the event. - The retreat positioned Barbados as a classroom, healing space, networking hub and stage for authentic destination storytelling.

The details: - The agenda included: - The Future of Support with Dr. Nikkia McClain - Funding The Future with Sherkera Green - Building the Future We Deserve with civil rights leader Tamika D. Mallory - Nourishing the Future: Prioritizing Wellness & Purpose with Bershan Shaw - The Future of Friendship led by Sandra Garcia Green - Finally Free Sacred Circle, an intimate healing experience facilitated by Modupé Rouse - Dr. Nikkia McClain said the retreat is not meant to be a vacation, but a transformational experience that helps women strengthen relationships, invest in personal growth and become ambassadors for one another and for destinations such as Barbados. - Support Your Girlfriends partnered with local organizations to make the retreat beneficial to the surrounding community. - One major event was a girls' empowerment workshop for participants ages 13 to 21, led by entrepreneur, television personality, author and philanthropist Yandy Smith-Harris. - The workshop focused on confidence, purpose, leadership, self-worth and education. - The retreat also ended with a Feed the Homeless initiative on Saturday morning. - Volunteers prepared and distributed meals to people experiencing homelessness before leaving the island. - More information is available at the organization's website.

Between the lines: - The retreat reflects a broader shift in tourism toward experiences that promise measurable local value, not just visitor engagement. - Support Your Girlfriends is using its platform to turn influence into service, which can deepen credibility with both participants and host communities. - Barbados benefited not only from exposure, but from programming aimed at youth development and direct community assistance.

What's next: - Support Your Girlfriends is likely to keep building on its retreat model as it expands leadership, wellness and advocacy programming. - The organization is also positioning itself for more destination partnerships that combine travel with social impact. - Dr. Nikkia McClain is available for interviews through Olivia Bishop at olivia@tenenicole.com or 518-330-3835.

The bottom line: - Support Your Girlfriends turned an influencer retreat into a service-driven international platform, using Barbados to amplify women’s leadership and community impact.