Debra Stangl is the founder and guiding force behind Sedona Soul Adventures, known for creating fully customized, private retreats that help individuals and couples heal, reconnect, and transform with lasting impact.

From crisis to clarity

Debra’s path began with burnout after more than two decades in divorce law, which left her exhausted and spiritually depleted until a 1999 visit to Sedona catalyzed a profound inner shift. That experience led her to leave her legal practice and in the following years, she repeatedly returned to Sedona for intensive one-on-one work with expert practitioners, a model that later became the foundation of Sedona Soul Adventures. In 2001, she moved to Sedona and started Sedona Soul Adventures in 2002.

The founding insight

The core insight was simple and disruptive: transformation that lasts is best achieved through individualized, private sessions sequenced for a person’s exact needs rather than one-size-fits-all group programs. Debra shaped Sedona Soul Adventures around that principle by designing experiences that first identify blocks, then deploy targeted modalities to clear them, and finally provide tools for integration. The retreats were structured with a clear beginning, middle, and end, emphasizing outcomes that clients could feel in daily life long after they returned home.

Building the practitioner network

Sedona Soul Adventures evolved from a handful of trusted experts to a broad network of over fifty practitioners alongside a dedicated staff, enabling depth and range without sacrificing personalization. Practitioners are selected for mastery and alignment with core values such as integrity, compassion, and excellence, which inform the client experience. This scaling of talent allowed the company to maintain high-touch delivery while expanding capacity for individuals and couples worldwide.

Internally, the organization nurtures a culture in which team members engage their whole selves and are encouraged to experience the same sessions they recommend, reinforcing empathy and standards. Cross-functional collaboration and psychological safety are cultivated through appreciation practices and normalized learning from experiments, which strengthen innovation. Leadership models vulnerability and shared ownership, empowering autonomous, heart-centered decision-making across the team.

Innovation and R&D

R&D focuses on analyzing outcomes from each retreat to refine the most effective sequences for issues like trauma release, relationship repair, and spiritual awakening. The team studies intersections of meditation, sound, and energy practices with nervous system regulation to bridge intuition and evidence. Digital expansion supports pre-‑ and post-retreat continuity, while purpose-built systems coordinate complex, highly personalized journeys at scale.

The company faced headwinds during the 2008 recession when retreats were often cut from budgets, which prompted pragmatic measures such as payment plans without diluting standards. Debra emphasized education through books, a podcast, and tools to communicate the value of individualized transformation rather than competing on price. This focus on service over short-term profit shaped resilient growth and deepened client trust over time.

Recognition and reach

Sedona Soul Adventures has been profiled by major outlets and earned distinctions, including Best of Sedona for Retreats across multiple years, repeated recognition for marriage retreats, and Inc. 5000 listings. Public testimonials describe life-changing transformations and relationship breakthroughs that continue to drive referrals and a global client base. The brand’s presence extends through thought leadership and community engagement that position it as a destination for serious inner work.

The couple’s transformation

Couples retreats are a signature of the model, focusing on dissolving resentments, rediscovering connection, and restoring vibrancy through targeted private two-on-one sessions. The methodology pairs clearing core wounds with skills and practices couples can live with daily, which underpins longer-term stability. Many relationships on the brink have reported renewed partnership, which reflects both the custom design and the emphasis on integration tools.

Individual retreats run at least three full days and couples retreats at least four, with the option to complete the work in Sedona or online. The standardized minimums protect depth and pacing while allowing sequences to be expanded based on each case. Online delivery emerged as a parallel pathway that preserves the essence of the in-person experience for those unable to travel.

Women, intuition, and enterprise

Debra speaks directly to women building values-aligned ventures, arguing that strategy and intuition need not be at odds. She encourages addressing limiting beliefs that suppress pricing power and decisive action, reframing intuition as a competitive advantage. Mentorship and incubator initiatives extend that message, aiming to lift a wider circle of female founders in spiritually centered fields.

Personal transformation as proof of concept

Debra’s personal story mirrors the work’s thesis: profound internal shifts can catalyze breakthroughs in health, finances, and relationships. She has shared experiences of rapid weight loss and a financial turnaround after leaving the law, positioning her life as a case study in applied principles. Her book, The Journey to Happy, distills that philosophy and extends the brand’s educational mission.

International sacred travel

Beyond Sedona, programs include sacred journeys to places like Egypt, Peru, and Bali that complement the home base with amplified energetic contexts. These curated experiences integrate ceremony and practice with cultural immersion for deepened awakening. The expansion broadens access points while maintaining the personalized, intention-driven design of the retreats.

Three differentiators stand out: fully private customization, data-informed sequencing, and robust integration support that starts before arrival and continues after the retreat. That triad addresses why many group experiences fade on reentry by replacing inspiration only with transformation plus stabilization. It also offers couples a safe, focused space to unwind entrenched patterns in days rather than months, enabled by one-to-one intensity.

The mission ahead

The forward agenda focuses on scaling access while protecting the bespoke core through technology, training, and partnerships that replicate quality. A forthcoming book on conscious relationships (High-Vibe Relationship), co-authored with Debra’s husband, Richard Kepple, and expanded sacred travel, underlines a commitment to deep relational and spiritual work. The long-term aim is to act as a global catalyst for consciousness, carrying Sedona’s essence to those who cannot travel while preserving the sanctity of in-person transformation.

Sedona Soul Adventures represents a distinct category in transformative travel, replacing generic group formats with an orchestrated, private blueprint for durable change. Debra Stangl’s journey illustrates how a leader’s own healing can architect a company that systematizes breakthroughs for others with clarity and heart. By aligning ancient practices with modern rigor, her work keeps the focus where it belongs: on transformation that lasts