I used to think that hosting fun gatherings with my team was the best and most efficient way to connect and bond. We would host Christmas parties, summer parties, birthday parties, host them at our home for dinners, pool parties, yoga classes, community service, blood drives, earth day cleanups, movie nights, pumpkin carving, the list goes on. I am great at gathering people and hosting. There was one piece really missing, though—transformational work. Yes, the yoga classes were really helpful and emotional, and we even sent our leadership team to Tony Robbins: Unleash the Power Within, an event that changed my life, personally. However, there was something missing for my team—deep personal development and transformation. Sure, we can goal set all day and cross things off our lists, but what really builds company culture? A team of individuals committed to their own personal growth.
What I’ve learned is that teams really need their leaders to invest in themselves for a whole new level of understanding. This is what we call inner work. I thought I had done the inner work while I was running the Dutch Bros Coffee franchise with my husband, and I admit, I did do a lot of inner work through my tenure, but I could’ve offered more to my team for their own personal growth journeys.
Insert Kristen Schooler. Kristen has attended our past two retreats to Steamboat Springs, CO and Belize—both were phenomenal and life changing for many of our participants. I got to witness how much Kristen wanted to do her inner work so that she could show up and be there for her team. It’s inspiring to see a leader take the time out to truly invest in themselves to that capacity. Although it is much easier to take a trip or celebrate with your teammates, taking the time to reset the mind, body & spirit has profound effects on our lives and business longitudinally. Think of it as preventative medicine instead of a bandaid, a short-term solution.
Kristen hired us to do a similar, shorter retreat for her own leadership team and it was quite profound.
Here’s an example of the itinerary we developed together:
Monday:
Dinner at 6pm: Mindful eating practices & group gratitude theme for dinner.
7pm: Intention setting, evening yin yoga with Brit, sound healing meditation & group song. Integration & tea talks after! Jonah introduces Morning Pages.
Organic kale, spinach, mango, strawberry, banana smoothies with dōTERRA vanilla protein. Topped with coconut flakes, Golgi berries, cacao nibs & hemp seed.
Tuesday:
8am-9am: coffee, tea & smoothies. Morning pages.
9am-10:15: Embodiment Yoga Practice, Essential Oil offering & cacao with Brit
10:30: Brunch
12pm: Mindset Mastery Through Challenge workshop with Jonah
2pm: Lunch & integration talks & Jonah’s nature walk
5pm: Somatic Breathwork Ceremony
7:30pm: Dinner
8:30pm: Onesie Dance Party
Wednesday:
8-9am: coffee, tea & smoothies. Morning Pages.
9am-10:15: Embodiment Yoga Practice, essential oil offering & cacao with Brit
11am: Brunch
12:00pm: nature walk, despacho, closing integration and departure by 3pm
We learned a lot through this experience. Especially with all of the offerings, we could’ve had a little more downtime for additional rest and relaxation. We did so much in a short amount of time, but the goal was met—it was truly transformational. We talked about our hardships and challenges through the COVID-19 pandemic, both at work and at home. We moved our bodies (where our subconscious lives) to move stress out of the body. We breathed deeply to purify and detox the mind and body, and we held each other with compassion—the most important part. Leaving more clear, grounded and connected than before we arrived.
Here’s what one person shared about their experience:
“Breathwork blew my mind! So many tools given to use on the daily for a better life. And the love and grace all 3 of you showed us is a beautiful reminder to continue to do better, be better, serve and love better with work and life all around.”
Sure, we can host great parties and have surface level conversations any day of the week. However, what people are really craving, myself included, is connection. We need deep connection to ourselves and others. And leaders need to step off of their soap box and admit that they go through challenging times, too. We aren’t made of steel and we certainly aren’t robots. We are humans who have families, lives, bodies and heartache. I am that, too, and you are not alone in your struggles.
Are you and your team ready to transform into higher versions of yourselves?
We’d love to hear from you and host something for your leaders. Reply here!
Brittany
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