Karen LaFond is a visionary in women’s wellness, devoted to helping women reclaim radical agency over their bodies, health, and future. After a 20+ year career as a corporate executive in Fortune 100 companies, Karen experienced a profound personal transformation—stepping into her most vibrant self, mentally and physically.

Through her own journey, she discovered the power of blending modern longevity science with intuitive, soul-centered healing. This fusion became the foundation of Respiro Wellness—a movement devoted to empowering midlife women to design the next chapter of their lives as their best chapter.

Karen LaFond is the founder of Respiro Luxury Retreats and the heart behind Respiro Wellness—a space where midlife women come home to themselves through movement, breath, connection, and radical agency.

With over two decades of corporate leadership experience, Karen understands both high performance and burnout firsthand. After building a successful career in the corporate world, she made the bold decision to walk away in 2011—choosing alignment over achievement—and has never looked back.

Karen holds a BS in Recreation Management from Arizona State University and is a Certified Holistic Health & Wellness Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). Her work bridges strategy and soul, structure and softness, science and lived experience.

Her superpower? A natural connector, bringing people together and creating community—the kind that feels instantly familiar, deeply supportive, and profoundly transformational.

Inspired by traveling all over the world throughout her life Karen created this immersive adventure around her favorite place to visit, Italy. With a focus on longevity, and all things radical agency for midlife women, Karen creates immersive luxury retreats designed to help women reconnect with their bodies, reimagine their future, and step confidently into their next chapter.

This is an invitation.
To breathe deeper.
To live more fully.
To create what’s next—with Karen by your side.

Welcome to Respiro.