Are you ready to reconnect with what matters most?
Life has a way of pulling us in a hundred different directions. The demands of work, family, leadership, and daily responsibilities often leave little time to pause, reflect, and ask whether we’re living the life we truly want to live.
Join a small group of like-minded travelers for an unforgettable week exploring the rugged coastline, granite peaks, peaceful forests, and breathtaking ocean vistas of Acadia National Park. This immersive retreat blends meaningful educational sessions with some of the most spectacular hiking in the United States, creating space to rediscover joy, strengthen relationships, and reconnect with your deepest values.
Each morning, we’ll gather for engaging, research-informed educational sessions inspired by Parker J. Palmer’s Courage & Renewal® approach, Brené Brown’s Daring Way™, and leading voices in resilience, leadership, burnout prevention, and wholehearted living. Through guided reflection, experiential exercises, journaling, and meaningful conversation, you’ll gain practical tools to cultivate greater authenticity, resilience, and purpose in both your personal and professional life.
Then we’ll head outside.
Because some of life’s greatest lessons aren’t learned in a classroom. They’re discovered while standing on a granite summit overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. While listening to waves crash against a rocky shoreline. While walking beside someone who asks you a question you’ve never considered before. Throughout the week, we’ll explore many of Acadia’s most iconic landscapes, including mountain summits, pristine lakes, dramatic coastlines, historic carriage roads, and quiet forest trails. Every hike becomes an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with nature, and experience the awe that reminds us how much larger life is than our daily to-do lists.
Whether your goal is recovering from burnout, becoming a more intentional leader, strengthening your relationships, or simply reconnecting with yourself, this retreat offers the time, space, and supportive community to make lasting change. You’ll return home with renewed energy, practical tools for everyday life, meaningful friendships, and a clearer vision for living with greater joy, purpose, and intention.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
CANCELLATION DETAILS
PLEASE NOTE
This itinerary may change slightly due to accommodation availability, rain, festivals and spontaneous side trips. This is not an endurance race, nor a competition. Please be respectful of all the different paces and walks of life that come together on this group trip.
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITSÂ
To claim CME/CEU credits, participants are required to purchase a $50 annual Learner+ membership. This one-time registration provides unlimited access for one year to claim credits through reflective activities, both from this retreat and other eligible experiences. Learner+ is an accredited activity portal designed for busy healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician associates, pharmacists, social workers, athletic trainers, case managers, dietitians, chaplains, and more. It allows you to capture reflections at the point of learning or care and convert them into continuing education credits. Reflections based on session content may be eligible for up to 30+ AMA PRA Category 1 Creditsâ„¢ per session. Learn more about CME/CEU eligibility for your specialty here.
 🌊 WADE IN EXPERIENCE
You’ve started exploring your inner life—maybe through a book, a podcast, therapy, or a few reflective conversations—and now you’re ready for more. This experience offers grounding tools, mindset shifts, and meaningful dialogue to support your next steps. It’s a great fit for those looking to reconnect with themselves and gain momentum in their growth journey
| 💧 Retreat Depth | Who It’s For | What to Expect |
|---|---|---|
| 💦 Dip Your Toes | Brand new to personal growth or retreat spaces | Gentle, welcoming, and low-pressure. A perfect introduction to self-reflection, connection, and emotional wellbeing—without overwhelm. |
| 🌊 Wade In | You’ve started exploring inner work or want to revisit the basics | Reflective practices, mindset shifts, and tools for resilience. Ideal for folks ready to grow, but not quite ready to cannonball. |
| 🌊🌊 Swim Out | You’ve done some personal work and are ready to go further | More depth, more vulnerability, and more challenge. You’ll explore identity, relationships, and what’s getting in your way. |
| 🌊🌊🌊 Go Deep | You’re experienced in inner work and craving transformation | Brave spaces, soulful inquiry, and a strong container for people navigating transitions, reinvention, or purpose. Designed for the seasoned soul. |
Joining Courage & Renewal facilitator Corey Martin, MD is David Freeman
David Freeman is currently the Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church of Little Rock. He has been in pastoral ministry since finishing seminary at Emory University in 2003. In an attempt to face his own bedevilments of perfectionism and people pleasing, he began studying the work of Brené Brown which continues to challenge and transform him. David became a Certified Daring Way Facilitator in 2017 and shares this work with other clergy and laity around the state of Arkansas mainly through retreats and workshops. He is married to Katie, who is a therapist, and together they are trying to show their two daughters as much of the world as possible before they leave for college in a few years. After many years of being an avid marathon runner, David’s joints asked him to slow down and spend more time hiking, which he loves. He also loves hanging out with his two best friends, Charlie and Slider.
7:00 – 7:30 AM | Breakfast at the hotel
7:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Inspirational Sessions
Engaging, research-backed discussions inspired by Brené Brown, Parker J. Palmer, and other thought leaders in burnout prevention, resilience, and personal growth.
12:00 – 5:00 PM | Hiking Maine and Acadia National Park’s Stunning Trails
Explore Maine’s breathtaking landscapes, using the journey as a metaphor for cultivating gratitude, hope, awe, and joy.
5:00 – 6:00 PM | Personal Renewal Time
Take this time to recharge in your own way: journal, meditate, swim, read, or simply soak in the beauty of Maine.
6:00 – 8:00 PM | Group Dinner
Share a nourishing meal while reflecting on the day’s insights and experiences.
8:00 – 9:30 PM | Evening Social & Reflection
Unwind with fellow travelers around the fire pit or during a casual social hour, deepening connections and integrating the day’s lessons.
 
Welcome to Maine! Arrive in Bangor at your leisure and settle into our conveniently located airport hotel. Spend the afternoon exploring Bangor’s charming downtown, enjoying a local meal, or simply relaxing after your travels. Tomorrow morning, our journey of reflection, resilience, and personal growth begins. Tonight we stay in Bangor.
Following breakfast, we’ll gather for our first morning of educational sessions, setting the foundation for the week ahead as we explore resilience, authenticity, and creating a life of greater joy, meaning, and purpose. After lunch, we’ll travel together by comfortable passenger van to our home for the week—the beautiful Alamoosook Lake Inn. Nestled on a peaceful lake just outside Acadia National Park, the inn has been reserved exclusively for our group, offering a true North Woods retreat experience. After settling in, we’ll gather for an afternoon session on gratitude, relationships and mindset, before enjoying dinner together at the inn. The evening is yours to unwind around the fire pit, paddle a canoe or kayak, take a swim in the lake, or simply relax beneath the Maine stars. Tonight we stay at the Alamoosook Lake Inn. Breakfast included.
Today’s sessions focus on the choices that shape our lives. Together we’ll explore values, healthy boundaries, integrity, and the practice of making generous assumptions—discovering how living in greater alignment creates more authentic relationships, stronger leadership, and deeper peace. This afternoon we’ll experience some of Acadia National Park’s most iconic scenery. Participants may choose between the relatively easy Ocean Path Trail, with spectacular views of the rugged Atlantic coastline, or the more adventurous Beehive Loop Trail, one of Acadia’s most famous hikes, offering breathtaking panoramic views for those comfortable with scrambling and heights. Following our hikes, we’ll head to Atlantic Brewing Company for dinner before returning to the inn for another peaceful evening by the lake. Tonight we stay at the Alamoosook Lake Inn. Breakfast included.
This morning we’ll explore the practices of empathy, compassion, and self-kindness, while examining how perfectionism often keeps us disconnected from ourselves and others. Together we’ll discover how nature can become one of our greatest teachers, inviting us to slow down, pay attention, and experience life with greater presence. Afterward, we’ll hike the beautiful Jordan Pond Loop, one of Acadia’s most beloved trails, with optional climbs of North Bubble or South Bubble for those wanting a little more adventure and sweeping views of the park. Guests may also choose to enjoy lunch at the historic Jordan Pond House, famous for its popovers and spectacular lakeside setting. This evening we’ll return to Bar Harbor for dinner and time to stroll through one of New England’s most charming coastal towns. Tonight we stay at the Alamoosook Lake Inn. Breakfast included.
Today’s educational sessions center on the healing power of deep listening. Together we’ll explore grief and forgiveness through guided reflection, creative exercises, and authentic conversation, creating space to release what no longer serves us and reconnect with what matters most. The afternoon is yours to experience Acadia in a different way. You will have free time explore Bar Harbor, browsing local shops, enjoying coffee or ice cream, or renting e-bikes to ride Acadia’s historic carriage roads through forests, lakes, and granite landscapes at your own pace. Our evening together features a classic Maine lobster dinner overlooking the harbor as we celebrate the friendships formed, the adventures shared, and the journey that still lies ahead. Tonight we stay at the Alamoosook Lake Inn. Breakfast included.
Early risers have the option to experience sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, one of the first places in the United States to greet the morning sun—a truly unforgettable way to begin our final day together. After returning to the inn, we’ll gather for our closing educational sessions. Our final full day is devoted to healing, hope, and new beginnings. We’ll reclaim the stories we want to live by, embrace the gift of Sabbath, and reflect on life’s inevitable transitions. The afternoon is intentionally unstructured. Paddle a kayak or canoe, swim in the clear waters of Alamoosook Lake, relax in an Adirondack chair with a good book, journal on the dock, or simply enjoy the peaceful beauty of Maine one last time before our farewell dinner together. Tonight we stay at the Alamoosook Lake Inn. Breakfast & Dinner included.
After one final breakfast together, we’ll say our goodbyes and travel by comfortable passenger van back to Bangor International Airport for flights home. We will have you at the Bangor Airport by 11am.
 
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