This past weekend I led a 2-day retreat for 15 people at a cozy little retreat center outside of Nashville. This was my first time leading a retreat so I don’t have anything to compare it to…but I’m gonna say it went well. Incredibly well actually. Like, better than I could’ve ever imagined.
Now before you think I’m just here to toot my own horn, I’ll say this: It was incredible because of the people that showed up. The men and women who signed up for this retreat were already aligned in many ways which is why they were there in the first place. They had a shared mission, which was to spend some quiet time in nature reflecting on the previous year, and getting very intentional about how they wanted to show up in 2026 - for themselves and the people around them.
I created the container for them to do that work, but they were the ones who showed up with vulnerability, transparency, and the humility to take a good look at themselves and admit what wasn’t working.
The crew made solid plans for the upcoming year. There were goals set for career, health, finances, relationships, and other elements of personal development. But it was the rigorous honesty that really took me by surprise. There were many in this crew who were willing to shine a light on their own behavior and name where they felt like they fall short in their relationships, self-care, and personal habits.
This was a high achieving group with equally high EQ. No one was having trouble with discipline or execution. But most of them were eager to do some deep inventory work, identify areas that needed some growth, and make commitments to leave behind what was holding them back and create experiments to see how they can move forward. It was inspiring to say the least.
Most of the retreatants don’t know this, but after everyone had departed on Saturday night and I’d cleaned up and was getting ready to leave, I started crying. Now, I don’t cry easily - I wish I did, but I get jammed up. But in that moment, I had finally slowed down for the first time in 48 hours and the emotions came rushing in. I was so grateful for the experience I’d just had. I was blown away by how quickly and easily everyone at this retreat connected with each other, which instantly led to supporting each other in doing their work. It was powerful to witness and I’m super grateful to have played a role in creating those deep connections.
You know, I don’t watch or read much news, but the headlines occasionally creep into my feeds and there’s heavy stuff going on in the world. The reason I don’t consume much news is because I don’t handle it well. It keeps me angry or sad and then I’m not much good to anyone. There was a lot of news last week that had me proper upset - but having the chance to watch this group of people come together on retreat reminded me that there are so many good people in this world trying to do good things. Wholesome things that can have a positive impact on themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. That feels like hope.