• 09 Oct 2025 - 29 Aug 2026
  • Hickory Corners, MIchigan, 49060 USA

Nurturing the Heart of the Leader, Seasonal Retreat Series 2025-2026

Nurturing the Heart of the Leader Retreats focus on exploring our personal seasons of selfhood, vocation, and life. We provide a gracious space to deeply listen to ourselves, to listen to others and to be listened to. We build our circle through community and laughter, solitude and silence, rest and journaling, art, poetry, and mindful immersion into nature at Gull Lake.

Our Leading from Within (Nurturing the Heart of the Leader) Retreat Series spans four seasons, beginning in Autumn of 2025, and ending in August 2026.  Each retreat runs from Thursday afternoon through Saturday noon.

Nurturing the Heart of the Leader Retreats focus on exploring our personal seasons of selfhood, vocation, and life. We provide a gracious space to deeply listen to ourselves, to listen to others and to be listened to. We build our circle through community and laughter, solitude and silence, rest and journaling, art, poetry, and mindful immersion into nature at Gull Lake.

Participants will have time for solitary and group work, walks in the beautiful Gull Lake environment, and rest, ensuring a balanced and enriching retreat experience.

Together we will explore soul and role, drawing upon the work of Parker J. Palmer in the retreat framework he originally created for Courage to Teach.  This Circle of Trust® retreat is the immersive experience offered in the Courage & Renewal® approach.

2025-2026 Retreat Dates:
October 9-11, 2025
February 19-21, 2026
April 27-29, 2026
August 27-29, 2026

Our retreats build community with communal meals, small and large group work, and walking together on the beautiful grounds of Kellogg Biological Station.  We begin on Thursday afternoon, with a meet and greet at the Manor House. Dinner follows at McCrary Hall, followed by large group, small group, and individual work. We use poetry, song, laughter,  journal writing, and prompts related to the poetry. The evening concludes around 9:30 PM.

Friday morning begins with optional Silence in Community, followed by communal breakfast, then the morning work begins. We build on the work begun Thursday evening.  We set the stage for the later evenings Clearness Committees.  Lunch is together, with the focus persons dining with Caren and Monique, to prep for the evenings Clearness Committee. We usually have 2-3 Clearness Committees on Friday night.  Friday continues with a period of rest after lunch for all. We meet at the Manor House around 3, and then enjoy a poem and a walk in nature around the grounds, an art project or writing concludes the afternoon.

Friday dinner is together. After dinner we meet at the Manor House and prepare for the Clearness Committees.  The Clearness Committee work takes about 2-2.5 hours.  Following this we again meet in the dining room of the Manor House for a soiree, with food, wine, laughter, and truly building our community.

Saturday begins again with optional Silence in Community, followed by breakfast.  Debriefing the Clearness Committees on Saturday morning is a powerful and loving experience.  After this we continue the work of the retreat, where we  explore our personal seasons of vocation, life, and love.

Our retreat concludes around noon on Saturday, where we sadly leave each other, with the promise to see each other again in the next season.

 

https://www.kbs.msu.edu/

$400 deposit, $ 500 per retreat = $2400 for 4 retreats.

You can also register for individual retreats if you can’t attend all four retreats contact Monique Beels: moniquebeels70@gmail.com or 313-404-0802

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