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The Good Hearts Club

A loner by trade, Matt begins begins his first day at Escape Room Austin, a local mom and pop that's in danger of being bought out by the Corporate Escape Room next door. Home to a tight-knit group of misfits, weirdos and gamers, this tenacious and hearty group hatch a plan to save Escape Room Austin from a corporate demise. Will they succeed in the face of adversity and extreme downfalls, or will they flounder and lose everything?

Escape Haven: A Bali Retreat Experience Like No Other

Take a break and discover what really matters at Escape Haven in Bali. Amanda Linnell finds a new sense of freedom at this award-winning women's retreat.

I think I might have just died and gone to frangipani heaven. Having battled Bali's immigration queues and hectic traffic, I have arrived at Escape Haven in Canggu and my "goddess-inspired luxury room" is a cool, spacious oasis overflowing with the flower considered sacred by locals.

From the pile of plump cushions on my giant bed where even my name is spelt with them, through to the glamorous turquoise tiled bathroom, every touchpoint has a golden blossom emanating its dreamy scent. I may never leave my room and I've only just arrived.

It's the details that count when you're travelling. The small treats and thoughtful touches that transform an experience from the ordinary to the extraordinary. And here, at Escape Haven, I am to discover, it's all quite extraordinary.

There is a team of people who effortlessly look after your every need, needs you didn't know you had until they present you with them – often on a woven tray carrying fresh fruit and a cooling lemongrass-scented facecloth.

After a dive in the pool, just steps from my room, I head to the dining room to meet Emilie, a trained osteopath from Norway and the resort leader for the week, and join my fellow guests around a giant square table decorated with more beautiful flowers.

I'm travelling on my own, relishing the solitude and time to meditate on where I am at in my life while knowing I am also making new friends from all over the globe. The women here are a mix of ages, from 18-74, from all over our planet – each with a different reason and motivation to be here.

Some are on the Detox package with its gentle mix of juices and nutrient-rich food, and a programme of lymphatic drainage massage and green tea scrubs, while others head off at dawn to surf, climb mountains and do HIIT workouts as part of their Fitness package.

Another group is ticking off unforgettable experiences in the Bucket List package: a traditional Bali blessing at Tirta Empul Water Temple, sound healing at the Pyramids of Chi, hiking to watch the sunrise from the top of the sacred Mt Batur.

What sets Escape Haven apart from other retreats is the flexibility and freedom to create your own experience. Whether you just want luxurious, lazy sleep-ins and massages or you want to use it as a base and go to one of the nearby hi-tech gyms to pump iron every day alongside the Aussie mineworkers who come to Bali on their weeks off (like one woman during our week did), the team can make it happen. Nothing is a problem.

The food here is exquisite and, thankfully, there is a "no hunger" policy which means everything is in abundance. This also means there is no guilt about going back for seconds, which you can't resist because everything is super tasty and you know it's good for you – even if it's just to enhance your sense of happiness.

The kitchen's philosophy is to include organic ingredients, avoid refined sugar, preservatives and additives and support local growers and producers for the freshest of flavours.

The menu constantly changes with a tantalising mix of European, Indonesian and Balinese food. Breakfast might be a Spanish omelette, smoothie bowls, corn fritters (the best ever) or bircher muesli. There are Vietnamese spring rolls, a detox salad full of greens and herbs, bone broth with turmeric, cumin and lemon, leek and spinach tart.

For lunch there's coconut rice, pepes ikan and sambal one day, roasted pepper and tomato soup, pulled pork taco and nori bowl, nasi goreng and mango chia pudding another. Dinner is made up of Escape Haven signature dishes: think Balinese gado dado, lentil, pumpkin and coconut curry, whole baked fish cooked in beautiful spices and sauce.

For my stay, I've chosen a mix of the Ayurvedic and Healing packages, which Escape Haven's Kiwi founder Janine Cottle created as a response to her own experience of corporate burnout (which led her to create Escape Haven more than 10 years ago) and the thousands of women who flock to her retreats looking for a place to focus on their wellbeing and let go of the daily responsibilities of life.

On the first morning, I join a small group on a nearby beach, surrounded by surfers out for a dawn surf, for a letting-go ceremony with a Balinese priest. We've been told it's good for anyone suffering from grief, transitioning through a change in their life, or for those who want to step into a new chapter of their life but are feeling stuck because of personal beliefs.

This is a good way to start the week. It is a reminder to let go of ego and to give myself up to the "go with the flow" vibes of Bali.

Another day, I learn to weave a small basket out of palm leaves and fill it with rice and flowers. These baskets are seen all over Bali, as offerings to the gods and a gesture of gratitude. We dress up in traditional Balinese kebaya tops and sarongs, and place our baskets in the shrine in the corner of the property and give thanks. For some it might feel contrived but I love that I am doing this; sitting in a circle with a group of women laughing and bonding over shared stories.

Another day, I find myself being driven far from the busy tourist roads of Canggu, through suburbs and farmland to the village of Srimayi to meet a Balinese healer. I walk alone down a lane and onto the compound where he lives with his family. The garden is full of statues of Buddha, Ganesha and Shiva.

I sit cross-legged in front of a fire while his daughter translates. He waves bundles of burning incense across the soles of my feet and pours cleansing water over my head. I leave with a mantra, a sense of appreciation for the good of humankind and a reminder of what is important in life.

One evening, all the guests head out together to a beach frequented by locals, not tourists, and sit around a fire for a cacao ceremony followed by a picnic. For some it's emotional and there are tears. For me, I laugh and give thanks. Here I am, outside my world of restrained expectation and pressure to conform. I'm eating delicious food, listening to the crashing waves, watching the burning sunset and feeling the most relaxed I have been in months.

It's not all enlightenment and self-discovery, however. Cottle's all-knowing retreats include movie nights, options to dine out at local restaurants or warungs – a great way to sample the myriad food options on this thriving island – and an excursion to one of the many seaside bars for one of the ubiquitous sunset sessions.

There's a DJ playing uplifting tunes, people in varying levels of dress – from swimsuits to flirty dresses – sprawling on daybeds, drinking cocktails, savouring the last heat of the day as the golden sky slowly fades and the fairy lights come out to play.

Another night, two friends who are staying at Escape Haven opt for a special dinner of their own in the garden and toast their friendship with a bottle of champagne.

At the heart of the Escape Haven complex is a garden with a tantalising cool turquoise-blue swimming pool. Guests relax on the striped cushions and chat, float gently in the cooling water or lie on loungers under tasselled umbrellas and read. The only interruption comes when one of the team arrives to tell you your practitioner is ready for your next treatment.

In between all the activities, my programme is packed with a series of not-to-be-missed pampering from the spa menu: manicures, pedicures, luxurious cream baths, 75-minute-long head massages, facials, dry skin-brushing, reflexology and a host of massages designed to target your body's different wants and needs. It is all seriously indulgent.

Escape Haven is the perfect place if you are a woman travelling on your own. There's a sense of comfort and ease that washes over you as you waft through each day, from the morning yin yoga class to your candlelit meditation before bed.

After a one-on-one yoga therapy session with Emilie, we talk about the importance of letting go of the control we all try to hold on to in life. And the importance of trust.

"It all goes back to the nervous system and stepping out of flight-or-fight in order to protect yourself," she explains. "Most of our guests are here to realign themselves – and it goes far beyond the physical. There are people who love all the flower-power hippy stuff and those who aren't into it at all, but ultimately it's about stepping out of that supposed comfort zone that is your daily life, with all its stresses and expectations, and reconnecting with who you truly are."

On my last afternoon, I jump on the back of an Uber scooter that ducks and weaves through the gridlocked traffic to take me to some local stores I want to check out. The team has armed me with a list of boutiques that have New Zealand-priced designer fashion along with the best markets to pick up shell jewellery and ikat throws.

I relish the freedom of wandering on my own and head to a bar by the beach for a cold beer, to watch the waves and embrace the sense of freedom Escape Haven has unleashed in me.

Where to rest, recharge and wander across the island holiday destination.

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Business Notes For The Week Of March 18

Appointed/elected

The Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable announced the election of four board members, including William "Bill" Murray, senior vice president of corporate affairs and communication at Dominion Energy; Towuanna Porter Brannon, president of Virginia Peninsula Community College; Matthew Swartz, executive director and chief of staff for U.S. Fleet Forces Command; and Stuart Henderson, director of Newport News-based Jefferson Lab. The roundtable formed from the merger of the Hampton Roads Business Roundtable and Reinvent Hampton Roads to enhance the region's economic development efforts and to align economic development organizations, strategies and initiatives.

Michael Kimball, Consociate Media partner and its chief brand strategist, was appointed as an associate director to the board of directors of the Virginia Wineries Association, a nonprofit that promotes viticulture and vintner practices that ensure the highest quality wine production among its member wineries.

Surgeon Wilford K. Gibson, a partner in Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists, a private practice covering southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, was appointed second vice president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' board of directors. His role is the first in a four-year term of volunteer service during which he will serve as president of the academy in 2026.

The Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Outer Banks Community Foundation on Feb. 13. The new location, which also houses the Outer Banks Center for Nonprofits, allows the foundation to better serve its donors, grantees and community partners through strategic grantmaking, scholarship programs and community initiatives. Pictured holding the scissors in the center is Chris Sawin, president and CEO of the foundation. (Courtesy of Biff Jennings) Awards and honors

Howard E. Gwynn, commonwealth's attorney for Newport News, was presented the Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Award by the Virginia State Bar Criminal Law Section for his "singular and unique contribution to the improvement of the criminal justice system." Gwynn, who has served in his position for 43 years, was born and raised in the city during segregation, graduating as the valedictorian of Carver High School before attending Dartmouth College and receiving his law degree from the University of Michigan.

The 33rd annual John T. Hanna Awards for Excellence in Traffic Safety were presented to individuals and organizations who demonstrated exceptional effort promoting and encouraging traffic safety within Hampton Roads on Feb. 29. Tammy McGee, president of Conner Gweedo Memorial Foundation, received the Martin H. Schlosser Award for Traffic Safety Activism. Officer Shannon Velez with the Chesapeake Police Department received the Impaired Driving Prevention Award. Master Police Officer Solomon D. Simmons III with the Virginia Beach Police Department received the Law Enforcement Initiatives Award. Brad Huffman, senior partner with Huffman & Huffman Brothers-in-Law, received the Legal Initiatives Award. Lance Koontz, a student at Tabb High School, received the Youth Traffic Safety Award. South Hill Volunteer Fire Department received the Fire/Emergency Medical Services Initiatives Award. James Bunker, an independent contractor to The Virginian-Pilot for all the national newspaper delivery in the Virginia Beach area, received the Honorable Mention for Traffic Safety Awareness Award.

PBMares, a top 100 accounting and business consulting firm, won the 2023 Best of Accounting Award for providing superior service to its clients. ClearlyRated's Best of Accounting Award winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based on client ratings.

Team Krave, a cocktail seltzer brand with founders Aliyah Newman, left,  Angel Hobbs and Rachel Ransom, not shown, won Old Dominion University's Strome College of Business Opportunity Discovery Competition on Feb. 29. Kenneth Kahn, dean of ODU's Strome College of Business, presents a check for the $2,000 prize. (Courtesy of Chuck Thomas/ODU) Grants and donations

ABNB Federal Credit Union donated $3,000 to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore as part of the grand opening celebration of its new Wards Corner branch located at 129 W. Little Creek Road in Norfolk.

Virginia Peninsula Community College received a $99,000 contribution from Sentara Health to establish the Gators Finish and Forward initiative. Its goal is to help low socioeconomic students overcome barriers to social mobility to achieve academic and career success. The funding will be used for tuition and fees, child care, food, transportation and other basic needs to help students explore educational and career goals and complete their studies.

Team Krave with founders Aliyah Newman, Angel Hobbs and Rachel Ransom won Old Dominion University's Strome College of Business Opportunity Discovery Competition on Feb. 29. Five student teams pitched business ideas or products to judges in a "Shark Tank"-style event. Team Krave, a Black-owned and woman-led cocktail seltzer brand, will use the $2,000 prize to help them finalize manufacturers and distributors to bring their 12-ounce, canned, lemon-drop flavored cocktail to market. Angel Faced Beauty, which creates quality beauty products that are sustainable, recyclable, eco-friendly and cruelty-free, won second place and $1,000. Goober's Grab & Go, a vending machine stock with parenting essentials like diapers, bottles, pacifiers and disposable bibs, came in third and won $500.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced more than $129 million in Affordable and Special Needs Housing loans for 78 projects across the commonwealth. The recommended projects will create and preserve 5,358 total units for low-income and extremely low-income households. The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development administers the loans with funding from four main sources: the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the federal National Housing Trust Fund, Housing Innovations in Energy Efficiency and the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. VHTF is funded by the state and supports financing for housing construction projects that create or preserve affordable housing units, reduce the cost of affordable housing and increase homeownership. The loans include $3.28 million to Taft-Mills Group for Hillpoint Trace in Suffolk, $6.1 million to Brinshore for Tidewater Gardens in Norfolk, $1.66 million to Surber Development and Consulting LLC for Grande Oak II in York County, $700,000 to Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg for a project in James City County, $500,000 to the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center for housing in Virginia Beach and $308,700 to Virginia Beach Community Development Corp. For Tranquility at the Lakes in Virginia Beach.

Opening

Breakout Games, a national escape room brand, opened the sequel to its most popular escape room experience, "The Kidnapping." "Kidnapping 2: Afraid of the Dark" takes players on a journey, challenging them to escape total darkness and an abandoned asylum before time runs out. The game is at the 3852 Virginia Beach Blvd. Location in Virginia Beach.

For more than 25 years, Raffaella De Vita made countless trips from Italy to explore the nature of matter at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News. What started as a curiosity for a master's thesis led to a lifetime of research contribution to CLAS and CLAS12, the previous and current large acceptance spectrometer in the lab's experimental Hall B. Her research included everything from hardware to software, physics and management but the CLAS12 experiment would remain her primary focus: De Vita served as the CLAS collaboration chair and currently serves as the CLAS12 software coordinator. She became a permanent staff scientist at the lab in 2023 and remains committed to CLAS12, primarily working with staff and users on software development for event simulation, reconstruction and analysis, and the CLAS12 high luminosity upgrade. (Courtesy of Jefferson Lab) Partnerships

Newport News-based ivWatch LLC, an IV safety company, received clearance to sell into federal government hospital systems through its partnership with Marathon Medical Corp., a medical supply distribution company. It is available through the Federal Supply Schedule, which awards multiple contracts for health care products such as ivWatch's patient monitoring technology. The addition to the schedule gives direct access to the Veterans Health Administration and Indian Health Service, among other government health care facilities.

Norfolk State University's Center for African American Public Policy and YWCA South Hampton Roads signed a memorandum of understanding to fortify the longstanding relationship between the two agencies in the advancement of the Hampton Roads community through advocacy, research, community education and engagement, and special events.

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