Wilderness Tonic 3: a recap of our October retreat
It’s been nearly a month since the third instalment of our third Wilderness Tonic retreat, and whenever I think about the day, I can’t help but grin.
I could try to play it cool and say it was a good day, but I can’t - for 2 reasons.
Playing cool isn’t my thing. I’m an enthusiast. When I love something or someone, it shows. (Fun fact, when we viewed our potential forever home for the second time I told my husband I was going to ‘play it cool’ with the estate agent as that’s what people do in TV shows ahead of negotiations. Instead I cried because I loved it so much. The agent was awkward but gracious at my outpouring of love and tears.)
The whole Wilderness Tonic experience was actually EPIC. I mean, look at my and Katya’s happy faces!
We were so lucky to have the wonderful Karen Staniland-Platt along for the day. Not only does she bring beautiful vibes, but she is an awesome talented photographer and captured the day perfectly! All the photos in this post were taken by Karen.
It’s worth noting that the October retreat was originally meant to take place early last year. We then toyed with another couple of dates as lockdowns eased and our optimism surged - I never thought we’d have 20 months between the second and third retreat! Our attendees were also super keen to finally come to The Gathering - in fact tickets for this retreat sold out in three days.
So when people started arriving at the beautiful Edale venue, energy was buzzing and people were ready!
Kicking off the Wilderness Tonic retreat
As often is the case with in-person events, we had to think on our feet when a hunting party was setting off into the hills just as we were preparing to start the day with a meditative walk to get grounded and set intentions for the day.
We adapted the schedule and kicked off while getting to know each other a bit better (in a very introvert-friendly way!). We were treated to some delicious homemade banana bread made by Katya’s other half Jamie, who was on hand to keep cups topped up and also cooked our lunch.
Soon after the introductions, which were SO inspiring, we headed into nature and take in the details of nature all around us. This silent, guided walk allowed us to connect with our surroundings and turn our focus to what we wanted from the day.
The grounds of the Gathering are really special, and no matter how many times I visit, I always notice something new. There is unbelievable power in changing your environment - even just for a day - to allow new ideas and inspiration to bubble up.
Let’s get down to business
Next it was time to connect with others and talk about our businesses. We split our group into two, and each person had the opportunity to bring a business challenge or idea to the smaller group for thoughts, feedback, brainstorming and general sharing.
This is my favourite bit of the retreat. I love being a witness to the birth of amazing new ideas or to see lightbulbs go off or when people see solutions and opportunities where previously there were only obstacles.
To keep the creative juices flowing and energy levels up, we actually do this across two sessions, broken up with lunch and a walk.
Connecting over curry
We have always set out to make this a nourishing day (in fact, we design the retreat so it’s a day that we would love to attend) and for me and Katya that means eating well! As with the previous retreats, lunch was Jamie’s butternut squash curry, and this time he cooked it from scratch during our morning sessions. It was, once again, a solid 10 out of 10.
Of course lunch is about more than nourishing our bodies with good food. It’s a great chance to get to know each other better - in real life! It really felt like such a special treat to hang out with other wonderful people in a relaxed, beautiful environment.
While Katya and I put a lot of thought into the prep and planning, the magic really happens on the day when people turn up and connect; learning from each other and supporting and encouraging each other. New friendships are the real takeaway for many of the people who come to our retreats.
And we consciously try not to cram too much in. Ultimately, we want people to leave feeling energised and refreshed! There are opportunities to chill out between sessions, grab a brew, flick through some of our favourite business books we brought with us, or pet a dog!
Walking at the Wilderness Tonic retreat
The afternoon walk is longer than the morning’s contemplative walk - and definitely much more chatty - but it is still a gentle walk in the foothills of Kinder. No getting out of puff or finding it difficult to have a conversation!
The afternoon walk is of course also a great opportunity to take some group photos, including the retreat classic where someone - this time Katya - balances on the gate!
Reflection and intention
Our final session of the day is an opportunity to reflect on the day through journaling. There were quite a few prolific journallers at the retreat, and it was interesting to get different people’s perspectives on how they approach journaling for their business.
It’s so important when you come on a day like this that you leave with more than good vibes - the idea really is that you will leave with some clear ideas of what you want to do as well as the motivation to take action towards those goals.
That’s why we write down what’s come up for us during the day, how we felt and what thoughts we had, as well as then commit to one action we will take in the coming month before our reunion (on Zoom, sadly!).
Before we said our goodbyes, we wrote down one thing that we were going to do before our reunion. When we all get together virtually, we will hold each other accountable and provide a much-needed injection of mojo to help make those intentions a reality. All hail the power of putting pen to whiteboard!
We don’t yet have a date for the next retreat, but we are thinking it will likely be towards the end of January. Are you coming? We’d love to have you! Sign up to my newsletter to be first to hear when we have a date!