Meet Eve Cook | Executive Director, Elohee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eve Cook and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eve, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
This quote by Brian Andreas of Story People really helped me while deciding to take the plunge into creating Elohee even though I had cancer and didn’t know what my future held. “Say yes. Whatever it is, say yes with your whole heart. As simple as that sounds, that’s all the excuse life needs to grab you by the hands and start to dance.” It was the letting go of the “what if’s?” and the “how to’s” that helped us get our footing so we could follow our hearts and just go for it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
By my early 30s I had established myself professionally as a Clinical Consultant for a functional medicine laboratory training medical doctors on how to use the testing to treat their patients.  It was a career that was fulfilling and I felt like I was truly helping others on their healing journey.  In 2009 I was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 33 and life took a turn.  I went on to try all the traditional cancer treatments and also many alternative treatments and continued to relapse. It was a really hard time and I had a conversation with my mom, who said “let’s focus on some happy things.” She asked me to think about if I could do anything in my life, what would I do?

I had always wanted to own a bed and breakfast or retreat center – somewhere people could come and be cared for. My parents were pioneers in the functional medicine testing laboratory industry and actually met through meditation in the 70’s. So healthcare, spirituality and mind, body, soul connection has always been a big part of my upbringing.

My husband and I talked about owning a retreat center as part of a 20 year plan, something to do after years of working professionally and saving money. But this question from my mom, and her urging me to focus on vision and manifestation instead of doom and gloom really lit the spark to start thinking seriously about starting a retreat center. We started looking at properties and found the property that is now Elohee. There was something about the land that seemed very different from the other properties that we viewed, it seemed almost unreal. At the time I was just about to go in for a bone marrow transplant to hope for a cure. But it was my dad that encouraged the family to go forward and buy the property. “If all it ever is is a place for our family to heal, then let’s go for it, and if it grows into something greater, then we will have the foundation” is what he said.

We started hosting small retreats in 2011 in our original property, Thanksgiving House. I would cook for the retreats and we started to get a name for ourselves. Those beginning days were sweet as I was learning the ways of retreat life. I would end the weekends feeling incredibly filled up! In 2013 my bone marrow transplant failed and a doctor told me to get my affairs in order.  I had a last-ditch radiation therapy treatment which was pretty rough, but I was finally declared cancer free! I’m grateful everyday for the doctor who didn’t give up on me and gave me hope when others didn’t.

During the time that we embarked on creating Elohee, I was living my life in three-month cycles of different cancer treatments, recovery and then getting a PET scan to see if the cancer was gone. During those three-month cycles, we would take another step toward creating Elohee whether that was creating the business plan or talking to landscape architects and builders, or going through the permitting process. This time was actually very uplifting. Elohee gave me something to live for and the creative process was very satisfying. It was only after we got through the process of building Elohee that we thought WOW, that was a lot of pieces. If we had known that then it might have been too overwhelming to start. Ignorance is bliss and that made it manageable.

Being in nature also helps, getting out in the woods, getting my feet dirty, watching bears go by. It’s such a healing place and we love sharing that healing with all of our retreat groups.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The property called to us, and we fell in love at first sight. We had no idea that the surrounding area was so incredible. Sautee Nacoochee is a gem here in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. While if you blink while you are passing through you might miss it, its small town boasts big energy. Guests often times arrive before check-in or want to extend their time before heading home. Sautee Nacoochee and surrounding areas offer a nice extension. Sweetwater Coffee House is a charming stop for a cuppa and a neighborly feeling. The Sautee Nacoochee Center has a Folk Pottery Museum and two gift shops that feature local artists. The Old Sautee Store is a Sautee institution that has been there since the 1800s. They serve sandwiches and ice cream, and have a bubble station for the kiddos. If you are looking for hiking there is Anna Ruby Falls in Unicoi State Park, Raven Cliffs about 30 minutes north, and Brasstown Bald, the highest peak in Georgia. And of course, you can’t help but mention Helen, the German-themed tourist town that embraces all you would imagine..funnel cakes, german beer, an alpine slide, tubing and putt putt.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people that have contributed to the creation and growth of Elohee. It truly was a community barn raising! My parents are mentors and partners along the way. Family and friends would spend weekends visioning and getting dirty making trails. Professionals would donate their time to help us with business development. It was, and is, truly a village of people that have worked to create what Elohee is today. And last but certainly not least, my husband Michael, has been instrumental in the visioning and daily activities of running Elohee.

Website: www.elohee.org

Instagram: @eloheeretreat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eloheeretreat/

Image Credits
Thu Tran/2T Photo Bonnie J. Heath Photography