Retreat & Rise Up: The Story So Far
Update
Set in the wilds of Cabilla, Cornwall, Retreat & Rise Up offers a unique experience for those dedicated to innovating and challenging the status quo. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, the programme combines a mix of wellness retreats and workshops designed to help build and scale your venture ideas or support your professional development as a leader.
Creating new brands demands resilience. For founders and marketing leaders, stepping back from the relentlessness of the day-to-day challenges is essential. Retreat & Rise Up is where individuals can take a break and unwind, allowing space for fresh ideas and to forge new collaborations.
Brand Scaling in the Wild
At the core of Retreat & Rise Up is the opportunity to take ourselves and our brands to the next level. In line with And Rising's mission to help build the future's favourite brands, it's our way of providing a physical setting where new and better ideas can flourish.
Our inaugural Retreat & Rise Up took place in September 2023, attended by a select group of founders, marketers and thought leaders. They each have a transformational journey, and each in their way, emerging more committed and better equipped to achieve what they've always wanted.
We wanted to quickly trace the beginnings of Retreat & Rise Up and our development plans over the coming years. We hope you'll join us and stay ahead of this initiative, one we hope will become an inflexion point for many on their journey to greatness.
From Root to Rise
Wildness to Wellness
In 2021, at the end of the lockdowns, we questioned whether there was a better way to bring together founders, leaders and marketers beyond the traditional networking or educational event.
The digital landscape is overflowing with information on scaling brands, and while accelerators, networking events and conferences offer value, their impact is fleeting. Having spent so much time the previous 18 months using Zoom to connect, our initial thought was to create a programme like the digital age. Zoom had never been invented - pondering how we could gather in person to foster our best selves.
We aimed to provide founders, innovators and leaders a haven to step away from their daily routines and reconnect with what truly matters. We envisaged a two-night retreat that merged wellness with opportunities for reflection, inspiration, big-picture thinking, collaboration and more.
Our journey led us to Cabilla, Cornwall, nestled within a 4,000-year-old temperate rainforest that boasted the perfect setting for nurturing ideas like ours. At the time, Cabilla had partially completed its purpose-built venue while And Rising was preparing to launch its inaugural Retreat the subsequent year. Thus, Retreat & Rise Up was born over two years in the making.
A Retreat for the Risers
We carefully curate our groups, focussing on founders and brand builders raising their game. But we welcome anyone making a positive impact in their chosen field. Our attendees included founders from recognised startup brands and marketers from well-known brands, some of whom were transitioning roles. The mix extended to investors, life coaches, fashion designers and more. Regarding the journey, some founders were starting out; others were at pivotal funding moments. Indeed, one founder successfully sold their company just five months after completing Retreat & Rise Up! The mix of varied experiences is what we found fostered new collaborations and support networks. While places are always limited, if this message resonates with you and you're interested in joining a retreat, the answer is a welcoming yes.
Breathe. Build. Brand.
Having found a place to stage Retreat & Rise Up, we developed a schedule to support those participating. We knew people would be busy, and travelling the distance to Cabilla would be a committed journey for most. Two nights are long enough to force an interruption in routines but without having to miss an entire week at work. In any case, Cabilla has wifi connectivity, so in the worst case, people can stay online if needed, much as we encourage a break.
Co-founder Katie Hind spent the Summer and Christmas holidays of 2022 experiencing different Retreats as part of her journey to becoming a yoga instructor. We knew then the answer was simple: take the most impactful parts of a Retreat and fuse them with time spent working together on personal, business and brand plans. The results of our first Retreat were startling in that people quickly found new answers, having only spent a few hours grounding in nature.
A Snapshot of the Two-Day Retreat
Structured and Spontaneous
From sunrise in light-filled wood cabins to reflective evenings around the fire pit, each moment of the Retreat is designed to encourage relaxation and creativity. Participants start their day with simple yoga and breathwork, aligning mind, body and intent. Expert-facilitated workshops offer insights into personal, business and brand development. Afternoons unfold with activities like wild bathing and saunas, hiking by sunset and a sound bath promoting deep reflection, inspiration and connection with what matters to you most.
Everything's an Invitation
Nothing on the Retreat & Rise Up schedule is mandatory or forced. Inevitably, most benefit from nearly all the aspects Retreat & Rise Up offers, but each experience is individual. Participants are encouraged to engage in a way that best supports their goals and well-being, making each experience uniquely fulfilling. People find the time away worth just as much as the value they get developing plans, themselves or finding new collaborations.
Trust the Vibes
Embraced by Nature's Splendor
We owe much of the impact of our Retreats to the unique platform and surroundings offered by Cabilla Cornwall, with its thousand-year-old temperate forest, bespoke wooden Koyts complete with log burners and linens, warm Atlantic Blankets and Bramley toiletries, plus a dedicated yoga studio and opportunities for wild swimming and sauna. The Koyts are named after Cornish "Quoits" - a type of portal or spiritual chamber that dates from the Neolithic period. Each Koyt has huge triangle windows that bring nature inside and are a personal base to restore, rest, journal and sleep in amongst the wild magic of Cabilla.
Nourishing Collaborations
Delicious Food That Connects
The opportunity to break bread is an opportunity to connect further, so many critical conversations occur around food. On Retreat & Rise Up, mealtimes aren't just a chance to eat; they are an integral part of fuelling the body and mind whilst fostering those essential connections to self and others.
At Retreat & Rise Up, the culinary experience is curated by Kate Munro-Boot. She plays a pivotal role in creating the most amazing mealtimes and helping to foster focused work. Food is prepared to support our schedule, working with different chakras and making sure participants are well-nourished for the days of activities. The platters of wholesomeness Kate creates are a feast for the eyes and the soul.
The food on Retreat is vegan, but Kate works around all individual food needs, intolerances or preferences. Plenty of water, speciality drinks, tea, coffee and snacks are also on hand to keep the ideas flowing throughout the day.
A New Kind of Leadership
Listening to the Warm Embers of Your Gut
Creating something where there was nothing before is the most significant and most complex challenge anyone will face. And in a world emerging from the shadows of a global pandemic, the landscape of entrepreneurship and leadership has been irreversibly altered.
Likewise, the media and funding environments in which startups have to exist are more brutal than ever. The idolatry of innovators and hustle culture set the wrong tone for many hopeful ideas. This is more than just a Retreat; in many ways, it's an antidote to the noise and limiting narratives of startup culture, marketing and business in general.
Founder burnout is real and reaching new highs in the startup world. The chaotic nature of innovation and the volatility of markets can choke many a great venture. The financial pressures of raising capital, or cash flow, are acute for many. Those working in larger companies are mired in the machinery, struggling to innovate. Solopreneurs enjoy freedom but also isolation. Everyone's journey, while exciting, is a roller coaster of ups and downs.
We want to build groups that foster inspired and conscious leadership in a world that often rewards the opposite. Retreat & Rise Up is more than just a break from the grind. It reminds us that we are here to champion a new generation of leaders and build small, strong communities around them. With them, new and better ideas can flourish.
For Sunrise, Not Sunset Brands
Collaboration and Support Beyond the Retreat
One of the most remarkable outcomes of Retreat & Rise Up was the value created through the shared work and connections made. Participants didn't just say hello to one another, hang out and exchange LinkedIn requests; they formed What's App groups, collaborated on projects, and continued to inspire each other long after the program ended. Retreat & Rise Up is a platform that gets inherently more valuable as more people join. It's in their nature.
Kindness to Infinity
Commitment to Growth and Community
We're dedicated to thoughtfully growing Retreat & Rise Up over the next three years, having committed to four cohorts per year, with up to 15 people per cohort. Our goal is to watch 180 individuals thrive and succeed in their futures, having had the privilege of supporting them on Retreat.
Your Place Awaits You
Retreat & Rise Up promises to be the space and place where you can be yourself, build your ideas, connect with like-minded individuals, and find the peace to think and grow in ways you may not have considered previously possible. We hope to see you in the heart of Cornwall's wilderness, where together, we can reset, rise, and redefine what it means to be a change-maker in today's world.
> Link to Retreat & Rise Up here
