I'd become the kind of adult my younger self would have pitied. A weeklong Arctic retreat helped me find my way back.

• Stephanie Pensa, 44, was starting to lose interest in both work and everyday life. • A hiking retreat in the Arctic helped her reconnect with purpose after years of feeling lost. • The personal growth came through nature, and a group of strangers who weren't afraid to be vulnerable.

Reading "The Alchemist" in seventh grade shifted something in my psyche.

Paulo Coelho's book, about a young shepherd who follows his dream in search of treasure and discovers his true purpose along the way, had such a profound effect that it guided me for the next 20 years.

It solidified my desire to travel the world and seek adventure, leading me to live in Rome and Rio de Janeiro. My dreams dictated my life decisions.

Later, after a divorce and a temporarily crippling disease, I moved back to the su