Compassionate Leadership Retreat

Date: Thursday 16 February, 2017

Compassion Lab is a new way for us to learn how to be more mindful, compassionate and insightful.

The next Compassionate Leadership Retreat will be held late August 2017 in Woodend, Victoria and early September 2017 in Adelaide. Join our mailing list so you don’t miss out.

The Idea

A small group of people (only 40 participants) committed to Compassionate Leadership coming together to learn. Plenty of time to experience new ideas, no ringing phones, no meetings and no interruptions.

The two days and two nights are grounded in evidence based understandings of how we can deliver our best in environments that are characterised by high stress levels, complexity and workload and where the possibilities for error are many.

The Place

Victoria

Set in a valley of 200 acres of lush greenery, Cammeray Waters is a hidden gem in the Macedon Ranges where we will leave the busy pace of city life for two days to expand our potential. You can check out some photos of the venue //www.cammeraywaters.com.au/gallery/

Adelaide

To be announced.

The Facilitator

Your Retreat facilitator is Mary Freer. You can read about her here. Mary is passionately aware of the need for more Compassionate Leaders. She spent 2 months traveling in Europe and the United States as a Westpac Bicentennial Social Change Fellow in 2016 preparing to run this retreat.

What can I expect?

You can anticipate that over the two days and two nights you will spend some time in mindful contemplation, you will turn your attention to your inner experience, you will learn more about neuroscience, enjoy a little space for creativity and connection and discover how your body and your brain work to influence each other. You will practice new skills that you can take into your work environment. You will also meet amazing leaders, who like you, are working from their purpose.

Your beautiful single room accommodation and delicious shared meals are all provided. We can arrange to collect you from the Woodend train station if you prefer to use public transport.

What is Compassionate Leadership?

Put simply a Compassionate Leader is anyone who seeing there is a need, steps forward and acts skillfully to alleviate the chaos, the anger and the confusion through a deeply empathic response. The world needs more of them right now and we need them stepping up everywhere. These are the people who will raise their hands to transform our health and social care systems, our public governance and our education systems and our communities. These are the leaders who bring creativity, wisdom and joy to the places where they work.

The Academy of Management Review dedicated an entire issue to the topic of Compassionate Leadership 37 (4 ) 2012.

The Commitment

There is a saying ” the way you do anything is the way you do everything”. This retreat is designed for leaders who want to develop a deeper understanding of the way their inner experience impacts on everything they do. This is a retreat for leaders who recognise that heroic leadership is no longer an option and command and control leadership only creates chaos and isolation.

If you’ve ever come home at the end of the day and thought “I could be a better leader”; if you’ve ever taken your body to a meeting or a conversation and found your mind wandering elsewhere; if you’re wondering how to sustain your joy and purpose, this is a retreat designed just for you.

Next Step

The Compassionate Leadership Retreat is only open to 40 participants. Please register your interest (see below) so you don’t miss out. Full dates and details will be announced in June 2017.

Reserve your place

Email Freerthinking

Meet Team Compassion

We’ve brought together an exquisite team of highly committed, compassionate leaders who will work closely with Mary Freer to build your retreat experience. We’ve thought very carefully about creativity, mindfulness, practice, theory, energy and delight.

Mary Freer

Mary’s focus is on building Compassionate Leadership that will nurture a more mindful, resilient and kind workforce. Over many years Mary has contributed to Australia’s national health and social care reform agenda through her work with state and commonwealth agencies. She has held leadership positions with national government and not for profit health care and social welfare services. Mary is a Westpac Bicentennial Social Change Fellow, a TEDx Speaker and an energetic facilitator. Mary is your Retreat Facilitator over the two days.

Dr Fiona Kerr

Fiona Kerr is a prominent thought leader in the fields of social cognitive neuroscience (SCN) and human connectivity. Bringing together the fields of SCN and complex systems dynamics, Fiona tackles large, wicked problems by distilling complex issues into useful, pragmatic ideas, and framing them in a way which entices people to get involved and help shape change. Fiona is a public speaker and science communicator, speaking on the neuroscience of leadership, collaboration and innovation. Her keynotes are thought provoking, precise and open people’s minds to a level of clarity that is critical to high performers.

Amy Milhinch

Amy Milhinch is Freerange Future’s lead creative brain. She cares about art and its symbolic meaning; and abstract conversations that the unconscious mind throws up. Amy is passionate about the expression of beauty and simplicity in all areas of our lives. Amy is infusing the retreat with creativity.

Geoff Coombe

Geoff Coombe is a Grief Therapist, Meditation Instructor and Social Worker. Geoff has over twenty years experience working with people to help them develop greater purpose and wellbeing. Geoff will very gently remind us to to stay in the present moment.

Abby Ward Takarabe

Abby Ward Takarabe is a Senior Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Australia. She understands that we all have a different accumulation of experiences in our body and our lives than anyone else and that our bodies and our brains are not separate but work in a bi-directional way informing and supporting each other. Abby will introduce us to the power of the breath to calm and energise us.