Even the worst experiences we live through teach us lessons – about the world and about ourselves.

This week’s featured fierce woman, Inna Bell, has lived through many life-changing and character-defining challenges.

Inna immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union as a religious refugee as a child.  As an adult, she became a wife and a mother, and then struggled through domestic violence – ultimately deciding to leave and seek divorce.

Today, she “has a new lease on life” and has her own business, Sol y Mar Retreat Experiences, where she supports retreat leaders building powerful experiences for other women looking for what brings them joy – in one of her favorite countries, El Salvador.

Inna shared:

“Sometimes, the bad is actually the catalyst for reinventing yourself…being a survivor of domestic violence, and deciding that’s not what I wanted my children to grow up around… I made the decision, I made my exit plan, and then I executed. It has been so rewarding, and so beautiful.”

The Power of Your Story: Inna Bell

Living on Purpose

Reinvent Yourself Through Entrepreneurship

✨ Meet Inna ✨

Inna began her real estate career because she was looking for freedom in her schedule to travel more.

Her love for travel and surfing brought her to El Salvador, a place she fell in love with, and where she eventually invested in property. The country’s beautiful landscape, nourishing food, kind people, and amazing surf kept her traveling there multiple times a year. 

After years of supporting friends and family planning trips and sharing the beauty of El Salvador with others, she decided she wanted to create retreat experiences. Since then, she has partnered with local businesses in El Salvador to organize accommodations, logistics, food, and experiences to support retreat leaders in creating magical Sun and Sea (Sol y Mar) Retreat Experiences. 

Through Sol y Mar, she has built a community of like-minded retreat leaders to support in the execution of their vision. Inna sees this business path as a way for her to contribute to a greater purpose in supporting the local businesses in El Salvador, and by giving back through her non-profit vision.

Check out her stunning retreat experiences at solymar.org