You're leading differently. And sometimes, it's lonely. You're trying to build a more collaborative, human organisation. You believe in empowerment, transparency, and shared leadership. You're committed to doing things differently.

But here's the thing nobody talks about: pioneering a new way of working is hard.

Especially when you're the one holding the vision. When your team is still learning to step up. When you're navigating questions that don't have easy answers, like:

• How do I give direction while encouraging people to own the vision? How will they take ownership if I'm always the source of clarity?

• How much should I share? I want us to be transparent with thoughts and feelings, but I also want to protect my team from my worries, doubts, and uncertainties.

• How do I stop problem-solving mode? I care so much about this work that my mind is constantly spinning. How can I create more space and presence for other parts of my life?

• Where's the line between kind and firm? How do I know when I'm being compassionate versus enabling behaviour that doesn't serve us?

  
  

Maybe you recognise some of these. Maybe you have other questions churning beneath the surface.

What you need is time. Space. And people who get it. That's what this retreat is for.

What This Is (And Isn't)

This isn't a training where we tell you how to lead.This isn't a conference where you collect tools and frameworks.

This is a space for senior leaders who are already doing the work - and who need support, reflection, and companionship to keep going.

Over 5 days at our home (and retreat centre) in the hills outside Barcelona, you'll:

✨ Connect with peers who share your struggles and values - other leaders navigating the messy, beautiful work of collaborative leadership

✨ Reflect deeply on your own leadership - What support do you need to grow? Where are you getting in your own way? What's your learning focus this year?

✨ Share honestly in a confidential, safe container - No performing. No pretending you have it all figured out. Just real talk with people who understand.

✨ Rest and recharge - Walks in nature. Good food. Laughter. Space to breathe before the year ahead.

The format is highly participatory and co-created. We'll structure the conversations and guide the process, but this is peer-to-peer support, not top-down teaching.

Before we gather, we'll have a group call to start building connections and hear what challenges you're facing. Then, during the retreat, we'll create space for both facilitated sessions and open, emergent conversations based on what the group needs.

The focal point is companionship. We want to introduce you to like-minded leaders who share your intentions, and your struggles. People you can be real with. People who can hold your questions without needing to fix them.

Who This Is For

This retreat is designed for senior leaders in organisations who are:

• Actively working to lead with more collaboration, empowerment, and humanity

• Feeling the weight of pioneering a different way of working

• Hungry for peer support and honest conversation

• Ready to slow down, reflect, and recharge

• Committed to their own growth as much as their organisation's

  
  

You might be an ED, a department head, a program director, or a founder. What matters is that you're trying to lead differently, and you could use some company on the journey.

The Experience

📍 Location: Casa Tilo on the Maresme coast, 40 minutes north of Barcelona. Nestled in a 15,000-hectare natural park in Arenys de Munt, with hiking trails right outside the door.

The space has 10 shared rooms, 2 cozy lounges, a big dining area, and plenty of outdoor space to soak up the sun. It's designed for connection and comfort.

🍽️ Food - All meals are included, lovingly prepared by a local chef using fresh, seasonal ingredients. We gather around the table, share stories, and slow down together.

🚶 Rhythm - We'll set the container and lead main sessions in the morning, in the afternoon there will also be participant led sessions through Open Space. Plus time for walks, rest, or deep conversations over coffee. The rhythm is intentional: enough structure to feel held, enough spaciousness to breathe.

Logistics

📅 Dates

• Arrive the afternoon of January 6, 2026

• Depart after brunch on January 10, 2026

  
  

🚆 Getting There

• From Barcelona city: Take a train to Arenys de Mar (we'll pick you up)

• From Barcelona El Prat airport: Take the train straight to Sant Celoni (we'll pick you up)

  
  

💰 Investment

Sliding scale: €1,650 - €2,470 (depending on your organisation's budget and the room you choose). All meals, accommodation, and facilitation are included.

👥 Group Size

We're keeping this intimate (maximum 16 participants) so everyone has space to be seen and heard.

If you want to bring other leaders from your organisation, we're happy to offer a discount. Just let us know.

Why Now?

Here's what we've learned after years of doing this work: You can't pour from an empty cup. And if you're leading change in your organisation, chances are your cup has been running low for a while.

January is the perfect time to pause before the year picks up momentum. To get clear on what you need. To remember why you're doing this work. To find your people.

This retreat is an investment in you, so you can keep showing up for the work that matters.

Ready to Join Us?

If this is calling to you, if you're nodding along thinking "yes, I need this", We'd love to have you here! fill out this short form and we'll be in touch shortly after 👉 Apply Here

Have questions? Want to chat before you commit? Reach out anytime: contact@thehum.org

Testimonials From Last Year Event

“I am grateful for the care taken in designing and hosting it by our facilitators, in caring for our needs as participants throughout, in creating spaces of trust and connection through conversation, walks in nature and music. The place mattered too (...) reinforced the message of space that so many of us took away: we need to make space in our lives for connection and reflection, we need to give space to others and take space when it’s called for. Running ourselves into the ground, pushing through alone, succumbing to the feeling of perpetual urgency, doesn’t make the world better.” - Alyna Smith, ED of PICUM

"In the next few weeks, I know I might start forgetting the exact learnings of the retreat, but I know what will stay: The lightness of having shared thoughts and views that I haven’t had the chance to share anywhere else. The power of seeing myself in others’ eyes, the support of peers and simply being held. The joy of good laughs, silliness, and some random dance moves. The resonance of authenticity, remembering how everyone “cut the bullshit” and was eager to speak from the ‘I’. The magic of putting a group of strangers into a space and leaving with a sense of community." - Esra Tat, ED of Zero Waste Europe

You can read the reflections from Romy Krämer, ED of Guerrilla Foundation here.