Aaron Rodgers' 'Enigmatic' Costa Rica Retreat: Exploring Netflix's New Docuseries

In December 2024, Netflix premiered its new series, Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, focusing on the famous quarterback’s unique story and mindset. While the docuseries covers the highs and the lows of Rodgers’ football career, it also dives into some lesser-discussed aspects of his life. One of the most distinguishing events of the series is Aaron Rodgers’ Costa Rica retreat, where he and some close friends partake in traditional ceremonies involving a psychedelic drug known as ayahuasca. The series highlights Rodgers’ eccentric dual identity as a sports legend and spiritualist, generating renewed discussion about him as a somewhat controversial figure.

Aaron Rodgers: Enigma is about three hours long, broken into three distinct episodes. As a deep dive into the quarterback’s legacy, the series covers a lot of content in a comparatively short amount of time. To make the episodes more digestible, we’ve compiled a quick overview of key takeaways from each.

Part One: Becoming

Part one of Enigma is an exploration of Rodgers’ early career and the trajectory that led him to win Super Bowl XLV in 2011. The episode, titled “Becoming,” also sets the stage by deepening our understanding of Aaron Rodgers as a person. Notably, we learn about the beginnings of his interest in spiritual practice and watch him reckon with a career-threatening Achilles injury.

“Becoming” jumps around in the timeline of Rodgers’ life perhaps the most of any episode. We see Rodgers discussing his high school football days, as well as his disappointment when not recruited by any Division I colleges for his freshman season. The episode also covers his first professional season, where he was drafted by the Packers, and his eventual Super Bowl win, all while checking in on Rodgers’ recovery from an injury he wouldn’t receive until 2023. It can be difficult to keep up with what order everything occurs in. Nonetheless, two distinct themes emerge which define Rodgers as a football player and a person.

Independence

Raised in what he perceived as a strict religious environment, Rodgers would eventually notice growing tension with his family as his own ideology began to shift. He credits this friction for pushing him towards a more “alternative” lifestyle. In turn, his exploration into a new kind of spirituality only deepened his instinct to question the ideas he was raised with.

Rodgers notes his own firm belief in the power of manifestation. “The miraculous doesn’t have to be… supernatural… A lot of times we say miracles are things that happen that have never happened before.” In other words, the impossible might be possible, it just hasn’t been achieved yet. This idea is reflected in his attitude towards his injury. He sets high expectations for his recovery which those around him perceive as unrealistic and even obsessive. In this and many other ways, Rodgers resists convention and strives to be his own person.

Determination

Aaron Rodgers is nothing if not determined in this episode. After tearing his Achilles tendon in April of 2023, an injury that typically takes between 8 and 12 months to recover, Rodgers insists on doing everything possible to get back on the field before the end of the season.

The episode reminds us that Rodgers has been defying expectations since the beginning of his career. His football ability was initially overlooked when he applied for college programs. He says people at the time thought he “wasn’t good enough to play D1 football.” However, he quickly established himself as a rising star.

Once he entered the NFL draft, he was humbled again when he was passed over by many of his top choices. However, the Green Bay Packers gave him a position, and Aaron Rodgers made the most of it. His reputation grew along with his success, culminating in the Packers’ 2011 Super Bowl win. Clearly, Rodgers refused to let others’ expectations keep him from his goal. But after achieving one of the most coveted victories in football, what could he set his eyes on next? This question hangs in the air as this episode closes.

Image: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Part Two: Awakening

The series’ second episode, “Awakening,” focuses on Aaron Rodgers’ ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica, where he takes part in ceremonies involving the traditional psychedelic beverage. Ayahuasca is known for intense effects that can potentially be dangerous, but in the controlled environment of ritual use, many have claimed it to provide a transformative healing experience. This trip acts not just as a relaxing vacation, but a way to further push his limits and find deeper healing.

Known for its breathtaking landscapes and holistic experiences, Costa Rica is the site of many spiritual retreat venues that cater to wellness seekers looking for experiences like this one. Home to natural wonders like the Diamante Waterfall, its picturesque landscape provides the perfect environment for wellness practices. The stunning natural views that surround Rodgers and his friends during their retreat help to create a feeling of safety and connection with the natural world.

While far from the first experience of its kind for Rodgers, it does provide an excellent opportunity for the series to further explore his alternative beliefs and how he puts them into practice.

Search for Identity

In the episode, Rodgers reflects on how his rise to fame drastically changed his life. After his Super Bowl win, he found himself struggling to find a sense of purpose. “At the time,” he says, “I... desperately wanted to be more than just a football player.”

Fame also increased the emotional distance between him and his family, leading him to desire further connection. Organizing a wellness retreat with his friends in Costa Rica provided just the opportunity he needed. Throughout the episode, he can be seen singing, dancing, and sharing earnest conversation with the group in a serene environment.

The retreat also gives Rodgers an opportunity for deep emotional healing. He claims there is a “feminine spirit” to ayahuasca that helped him to open up where he would normally repress his feelings. He actively pursues this openness, trying to heal what he perceives as a “stunted emotional intelligence.” This should come as no surprise — breaking from expectation appears second nature to him.

Image: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Search for New Limits

While Rodgers’ experience with ayahuasca brought him healing, it was not without its challenges. He describes how it brought some of his greatest insecurities to the forefront. However, instead of cracking under pressure, he took the opportunity to confront these negative feelings. Rather than accepting the idea that he is “unlovable,” he molded the experience into an opportunity to embrace self-love.

After a grueling ceremony in a sweat lodge called a temazcal, Rodgers explains why he continues to try such intense practices. “It’s finding your edge, what you can deal with, and making a new one,” he says. It seems breaking limits has become part of Rodger’s new sense of purpose. This ideal echoes his affinity for bucking convention, but also a commitment to establishing his legacy as time marches onward.

Part Three: Reckoning

Episode three of Enigma brings us back to the world of football and specifically demonstrates how Rodgers’ life has brought him new challenges to overcome in the late stages of his career. Within the span of a few short years, Rodgers faced growing public criticism, was traded to a new team, and tore his Achilles tendon, all with his age and the prospect of retirement looming over his head.

COVID Controversy

In this episode, the series explores one of Rodgers’ most controversial moments, in which he claimed to have been immunized against the COVID-19 virus, only for the public to discover that he hadn’t taken the vaccine. Even in the present, Rodgers takes a skeptical stance towards the vaccine, which has tarnished his image in the eyes of many.

As mentioned earlier, Rodgers has faced public criticism before, as far back as the beginning of his career. However, this time he doesn’t seem to feel he has anything to prove. Rodgers calls the present day an “age of outrage,” and says he “just [doesn’t] resonate with that.”

This segment is likely the most divisive in the series, with some seeing Rodger’s unwavering stance as inspirational, while others see it as irresponsible. Either way, his unflinching reaction to the backlash is hardly a surprise based on the Aaron Rodgers we’ve come to know over the past two episodes.

Accepting an Uncertain Future

As it draws to a close, this episode gives Rodgers an opportunity to reflect on the future of his career. Though watching his team from the sidelines after his injury was a harrowing experience for Rodgers, he also acknowledges that he can’t stay on the field forever.

He faces pressure from sports media, wondering if he can still play like he used to at his current age, but he no longer feels that he needs to prove himself with his achievements on the field. Instead, what matters is his determination, his character, and his relationships. “You’ll play your best sometimes and it’s not gonna be good enough. You’re gonna not play your best, and you might win,” he muses. “But that doesn’t mean that’s success, and the flipside doesn’t mean it’s failure.” Regardless of what others think of him, Rodgers seems happy with his legacy in football, and content to keep playing for however long he can.

Image: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Final Thoughts

We can’t get to truly know a person from just a three-hour docuseries. All the same, these three episodes reveal some of the most integral parts of his personality through crucial points in his life story. No matter what you think of Rodgers as a person, it is hard not to take an interest in such a thorough study of his character.

One of the most striking moments in the series occurs in Costa Rica, when Aaron Rodgers says he confronted himself and used what he saw as a way to move forward. Perhaps learning something about such a polarizing figure can also help us to learn something about ourselves.