I came into the Emergent LEADForward retreat needing a reset, and I got something much more than I expected.

After six months in a new leadership role that has been both exhilarating and exhausting, I knew I needed a pause. Not a vacation,  a real step back to recharge, reflect, and reconnect. I didn’t need to be sold. Ralph Simone has been my coach, and I trusted him and Bill to create something meaningful. I signed up knowing it would be good.

But “good” is an understatement.

From the moment I shut off my phone and closed my laptop, I felt something shift. The quiet hit first; no noise, no urgency, just the sound of nature and the space to breathe. That alone would have made it worthwhile, but the real impact came in everything that followed.

I made deep, genuine connections, not just with people from my own company but with total strangers. And it didn’t feel like networking. It felt like being human, like we were all in different chapters of the same book, learning from each other and showing up fully. I know some of those relationships will last a lifetime.

Ralph and Bill led with intention and generosity. They gave everyone room to speak, reflect, and learn without pressure or performance. It wasn’t about fixing anyone; it was about finding what’s already there and bringing it forward.

And maybe the biggest gift? I reconnected with my own mission; the thing that’s easy to lose in the middle of big goals, fast moves, and constant decisions. It came back to me, clearly and quietly. I won’t forget it this time.

This retreat gave me exactly what I needed and more than I knew to ask for.