This past weekend, a small group of us gathered here in the mountains for our Enneagram & the Coach Retreat.
Some people arrived already knowing each other.
Others came not knowing anyone at all. And somehow, over just a few days, strangers became deeply connected.
Small Groups Create Real Connection
I’ve always loved small groups.
There’s something incredibly special about gathering a handful of people together in a meaningful space. Small groups create a more intimate and personal experience, where people can really relax, connect, and be themselves.
There’s always something hard to explain about these retreats.
On paper, it looks like a group of people gathering to learn about the Enneagram, coaching, relationships, patterns, and personal growth.
But what actually happens goes far deeper than information.
Something softens.
People exhale.
Walls come down.
There’s laughter around the table… quiet conversations on the porch… tears that were waiting to be felt… moments of insight that seem to arrive out of nowhere.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, people begin returning to themselves.
We spent time exploring the deeper drivers underneath our patterns. We talked about relationships, fears, longings, defenses, and the ways we learned to navigate life.
But honestly, the real transformation didn’t come from “learning more Enneagram.”
It came from presence.
From slowing down enough to really listen.
From being seen without needing to perform.
From sitting in nature.
From honest conversations.
From allowing ourselves to simply be human.
One friend sent me a message afterward that really stayed with me. She described the weekend as “expansive, grounding, peaceful, and hopeful.”
And honestly, I think that captures it beautifully.
She also reflected something back to me that I’ve been sitting with quietly this week: that transformation often happens through softness, kindness, wisdom, honesty, and love far more than through trying to have all the answers.
I think we forget that sometimes.
One participant later described the retreat as “beautiful and nurturing,” and that really touched me.
I think so many of us are longing for spaces where we can slow down, breathe, connect honestly, and simply be ourselves for a little while.
The mountains held us beautifully this weekend. There’s something about being surrounded by trees, fresh air, birdsong, wildlife, and stillness that gently reminds us who we are underneath all the noise.
Throughout the weekend, something softened in the room.
People relaxed.
Opened up.
Connected more deeply.
It was really beautiful to witness.
As I reflected after everyone left, I also realized something else quietly important to me:
This was my first retreat since losing my home in the September 2024 flood.
That realization stayed with me.
There was something deeply healing about once again gathering people in a space filled with connection, nature, laughter, honesty, reflection, hope, and meaningful conversation.
In some ways, this retreat felt like a return.
The theme of our retreat this weekend was Rooted. Resilient. Returning.
And afterward, I realized how deeply those words seemed to speak to all of us in different ways.
Returning to ourselves.
Returning to what matters.
Returning to connection, honesty, nature, presence, and community.
And perhaps remembering that resilience doesn’t always look like pushing harder.
Sometimes it looks like softening.
Resting.
Reconnecting.
Beginning again.
One of the things I love most about this work is that the Enneagram is never about putting people into boxes.
It’s about helping people understand the patterns they’ve unconsciously built around themselves… and gently helping them find their way back home.
That’s the work.
Not becoming someone else.
But becoming more fully yourself.
I left this weekend feeling incredibly grateful.
Grateful for every person who trusted the process.
Grateful for the openness in the room.
Grateful for the courage people showed.
Grateful for the laughter, the coaching, the conversations, the stillness, the wildlife outside the windows… and yes, even caring for two orphaned groundhogs in the middle of it all.
Because somehow, all of it belongs together.
These retreats always remind me of something important:
When people feel safe enough to be real… transformation happens naturally.
And honestly, I think we all need more spaces like that.
I don’t currently have another retreat planned yet, but I have a feeling there will be another one.
If reading this stirred something in you, and you’d like to hear about future retreats, feel free to reach out. I’d genuinely love to hear from you.
Lovely.
Thank you, Glenda 🙂