Renew’s mission is to help millions of individuals create healthier relationships. We do this through our bootcamp retreats, online events and courses and educational resources.

Renew was founded in February 2016, hosting the world’s first Breakup Bootcamp retreat. Since our inception, we’ve helped thousands of people create healthier relationship patterns. Some Renew alumni have since launched new careers in coaching, and many are now in loving, healthy relationships they never dreamed were possible. Some have even joined the Renew team, making it their mission to help others through heartbreak.

There’s a saying that goes, hurt people, hurt people. The opposite is also true, healed people, heal people. We believe that by healing the heart, there’s an automatic ripple effect of positive change.

Amy Chan is the author of UNSINGLE: How to Date Smarter and Create Love that Lasts—a fun, science-backed dating guide that interrupts the relationship patterns keeping love just out of reach and empowers readers with the tools to build lasting, healthy connections.

Dubbed the “scientific Carrie Bradshaw” by The Observer, Amy has been a trusted voice in modern relationships for nearly two decades. In 2016, she founded Renew Breakup Bootcamp, the world’s first heartbreak retreat. She also leads Dating Bootcamp and is on faculty at Esalen and The Omega Institute.

Her first book, Breakup Bootcamp: The Science of Rewiring Your Heart, was featured in The New York Times and optioned by a major streaming network. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The New Yorker, The Guardian, and USA Today.

Amy has been interviewed in over 100 podcasts, including NPR, The World’s First Podcast w/ Erin and Sara Foster, The Genius Life w/ Max Lugavere and Girls Gotta Eat.  

Before starting Renew, Amy was the Chief Marketing Officer of SPiN. Amy built her career in marketing and public relations, building brands and leading communication strategies for private and publicly traded companies. Combining her knowledge and expertise of climbing the corporate ladder and building her own personal brand, she facilitates leadership and communication workshops for companies like Google, Youtube, WordPress and has guest lectured at Columbia University.

Why I started the world’s first Breakup Bootcamp

Ten years ago, I was in a relationship with a man whom I thought I’d be spending the rest of my life with. He was my first love, and without realizing it, I had put much of my sense of identity into that relationship. When one day suddenly everything fell apart, I broke into pieces. Not only did I lose my partner, my best friend, but I lost my identity. I spiraled into a depression, broke out into panic attacks, and had thoughts of suicide.

During that time, I searched everywhere for a retreat or some safe place where I could go to get the healing that I needed. Unfortunately, there was nothing targeted specifically to the type of excruciating pain that comes along with separation. It took me almost two years to fully recover from that breakup and along the way, I learned critical tools for self-soothing and getting oneself back into equilibrium. I also count my blessings that I had such a great support system that helped me through the worst of the darkness.

The business idea for Renew came to me about a few years ago. I realized that most of the emails I get from readers of my blog were from people going through breakups and completely distraught on how to handle the pain. It was an AHA moment where everything came together, and I knew that I had to be the one to create a safe space for people to come and heal in a healthy way.

If you are going through a heartbreak, I promise you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are tools you can learn to process the pain of the past and move forward stronger and more empowered than ever before. This is an opportunity for you to learn about yourself, and change the direction of your life. The breakup may feel like the worst thing that’s ever happened to you, but it’s merely a bridge. This is one chapter in the overall storyline of your life. When your emotions take over and you feel like you’re going crazy, know that the feeling is temporary – it will pass. Know that you’re not alone. There are others who are also going through the same pain you are, and my goal is to create a community where we can support each other.can support each other.