Make space, explore complexity, create change.
A retreat for women leaders to focus on their working lives.
New dates coming soon…..
Why
At the beginning of the pandemic Helen and Abi started their “Friday conversations”, meeting online to reflect and share preoccupations, thoughts and feelings as the world started to unravel. These have continued every Friday, almost without fail. From these conversations emerged their longer working retreats, three or four time a year starting in July 2021.
In person, away from home for three nights, many challenges were explored and resolved. This experience is now being offered to larger groups of women leaders to come together to make space, explore complexity and create change.
What
A three night retreat for eight women in senior and leadership roles. In an exploratory thinking space, we invite you to bring dilemmas, challenges, puzzles, aspirations, ideas for innovation arising from your working lives. You will think together, gain alternative perspectives and insights, and receive support and nourishment in this facilitated environment.
We have found the experience to bring hope, repair and support, building our resilience and tolerance of complex pressures and demands.
Who
You might be in a leadership role, in a senior or board position. You could be a coach or consultant. You are likely to work in the Public or Third sector with the attendant pressures and complexity that these systems and roles present.
You might have questions like those preoccupying us before our retreats.
“I need to stop taking responsibility for what isn’t mine – how can I change that behaviour?”.
“How do I sustain myself in my role?”
“What am I doing and why?!”
“Where do I want to be in three years time?”
“What kind of work do I want to do in the last period of my working life?”
What do you want to discuss?
How
We will facilitate a structured approach to individual and collective exploration of experiences for the duration of the retreat. We will work with the themes that arise in the whole group, pairs and quads. The agenda will be co-created, guided by our professional experience and what has worked so well for our own retreats.
There will be time for personal reflection, recreation and rest.
When
Arrival on Thursday 12th September between 5pm and 6pm and departure at 11am on Sunday 15th September.
We ask for commitment to the full length of the retreat to capitalise on the value of our temporary community and to build a secure and psychologically safe environment.
Where
We have located a venue that can accommodate everyone in comfort and seclusion close to the Suffolk coast. We will have a resident chef providing nourishing meals which we will eat together. Everyone will have their own room and there are gardens and a tennis court. For those not needing to rush away on the Sunday, we will complete the retreat with a coastal walk from Aldeburgh to Thorpeness, allowing for the wild swimmers amongst us to take a dip if weather permits.
