*Please note: the original Run Escapes website is no longer publicly active, however the community and retreat content can still be viewed through the Run Escapes Instagram presence.*
Some projects naturally grow beyond the scope of what they were originally meant to be.
Working with Run Escapes started as a website build, but over time it evolved into one of the most immersive and creatively fulfilling experiences I’ve had the opportunity to be part of.
I first connected with Jacqui Bell after attending one of her retreats myself. What immediately stood out to me was that Run Escapes never felt like a traditional business venture. It felt like a genuine extension of Jacqui’s passion for movement, adventure, and human connection.
The retreats created space for people to step away from everyday life, challenge themselves physically, and build meaningful relationships through shared experiences in nature. Whether it was mixed retreats or all-female experiences, there was always an underlying sense of community that made the environment feel incredibly grounding and welcoming.
Originally, Jacqui approached me to redesign and rebuild the Run Escapes website.
At the time, the existing setup felt limiting operationally and creatively. The booking process was clunky, updates were difficult to manage, and the platform itself no longer reflected the energy and experience of the retreats.
We transitioned the website from WordPress to Squarespace, creating a far more streamlined and manageable system that allowed Jacqui to update retreats, manage bookings, and oversee the backend without unnecessary complexity.
Alongside the functional improvements, the visual direction of the site became a huge focus.
We wanted the experience to feel immersive and emotionally connected to the retreats themselves, using strong photography, earthy tones, movement-focused visuals, and storytelling elements that better reflected the feeling of being part of Run Escapes.
But what makes this project especially meaningful to me is that it didn’t stop at the website.
Over time, my role naturally evolved into ongoing website management before later becoming the retreat photographer across two separate experiences, and eventually stepping further into the brand as social media manager for an extended period of time.
What began as a digital collaboration slowly became a much deeper creative involvement within the community itself.
Being able to experience the retreats both as a participant and as someone documenting them behind the camera gave me a completely different perspective on storytelling. Capturing the small in-between moments, exhausted smiles after long trail runs, conversations around campfires, early morning starts, and the quiet sense of connection people found within these weekends became just as important as the larger hero moments.
Stepping into social media management also allowed me to help shape how the Run Escapes community was represented online beyond the retreats themselves. The focus was never simply on selling retreats, but on building a sense of belonging and connection through storytelling, shared experiences, and authentic community-focused content.
It also reinforced something I’ve come to value deeply within creative work.
The best projects often happen when you genuinely connect with the people behind them. The trust built throughout the process created opportunities that extended far beyond design and development alone, turning a website build into years of collaboration, creativity, travel, friendship, and shared experiences.
Run Escapes reminded me that great creative work isn’t always confined to one role. Sometimes the most rewarding projects are the ones that evolve organically over time, allowing you to step into spaces you never originally expected to be part of.
