HISTORY

A Space to Be and Belong

History

How and why Providencia began...

Providencia was established in the Spring of 2023 as a community-based urban retreat space and nature sanctuary in Waco, TX.

It came out of a decade-long vision of homeowner Shannon Malburg, who, upon a Stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis in 2023, decided to say yes to a long-deferred vision to open her unique folk Victorian home and gardens in the center of Waco, Texas, to serve as an urban retreat space.

She transitioned in 2023 to a full-time holistic healing chapter, which included re-prioritizing her life and values. Seeing Providencia in her lifetime rose to the top, and she began volunteering as founder, host and caretaker of the Providencia experiment.

Early months were focused on partnering with some key community organizers. Their guidance and connections led to listening sessions within various sectors of the community. Many 1-1 tea and coffee visits, and garden walks graced the space.

As visions intersected, Fall 2023 welcomed the first official community event: A Plant Swap and Butterfly Garden Planting day. From there, facilitators began to trial their beautiful offerings in the space - from poetry workshops to community sound baths, from a monthly art group to backyard concerts, and from local artist exhibitions to nature-based retreats, and intimate, sharing circles around the seasonal changes of the year.

Many events were free to the public, and facilitator-led offerings had sliding scale options - so that a retreat-like experience could be accessible to all.

A web and social media presence were built, and Providencia began connecting to the larger Waco and global community.

The hope of Providencia has been that everyday folks can find easily accessible ways to reconnect with nature, their deeper selves, and to others in their community. To allow Providencia to be "a space to be and belong."

Pockets of peace are available everywhere - even in the center of the city, even in the center of busy lives, and busy days.

**Update 2026**:

The beautiful historic cottage and gardens that have served as Providencia, in Waco, TX, is currently on the market for sale as a single-family home.

At its launch in 2023, founder Shannon has invested her personal time & financial resources in this Providencia experiment.

The initial hope and vision was to trial 3-6 months utilizing personal savings while serving as a volunteer host & caretaker. In that time, she expected to gauge interest within the community for such a space, begin to build a network of facilitator and their own visions of possible community offerings, and pilot a few community offerings. And then, if there was community interest, transition to a longer-term sustainability model.

Those 3-6 months, turned into 2, then 3 years in this volunteer host and caretaker role. Promising sustainability partnerships came to light, and then fell away for a variety of unforeseen reasons.

After those partnerships fell through, and the costs of ongoing cancer care accumulated, Shannon unfortunately came to the end of personal resources to keep Providencia going in its current iteration as a physical space. And the need to sell her home that has served as the Providencia space became necessary.

(If you are interested in supporting Shannon's breast cancer journey, a GoFundMe page has been set up by two of her sweet friends here.)

These first 3 years has been a beautiful journey of personal healing for Shannon - getting to see a deferred vision come to fruition, and being given the opportunity to live into a personal calling and sense of purpose in the Waco community and beyond. Even if the experiment stops here, nothing has been wasted!

What's Next?

New dreams are forming for ways that the legacy and spirit of Providencia may live on - as a "pop-up" retreat space.

One possibility may be to offer mobile "spaces to be and belong" in the Waco, TX, Northern and Western Michigan, Atlanta, Georgia, and Boulder, Colorado communities, or other communities where Providencia may be invited to support communities in co-creating accessible spaces of welcome, deepening and connection.

To receive our Newsletter & keep up to date on future possibilities, join Our Email List.

Shannon is also pursuing certification in biodynamic craniosacral therapy and polarity therapy - which supports the nervous system & the body's innate ability to heal. These gentle, light-touch, fully-clothed, bodywork therapies pair beautifully with community retreats, holistic wellness events, and a variety of health and wellness modalities.

If you may be interested in a consultation to design your own personal or nature- community retreat experience for 1-20 people, or to invite Shannon to offer biodynamic and polarity therapy sessions as an on-site practitioner/vendor for your own community, Board, or personal circle's retreat or wellness event, please fill out the "Get in Touch" form, or email Shannon at info@providenciawaco.com.

If you would like to support Shannon in this work, to allow community retreats to remain affordable and accessible to all community members, click the "Donate" button.