Finding your people
Peter Wrinch
RCC Program Director
“I’m gonna swim for a week in
Warm American water with dear friends
Swimming high on a lea in an Eden
Running all of the leads you’ve been leaving
And in your rarified air I feel sunblind
I’m looking up at you there high in my mind”
As I approached the Watershed Center, the country roads got smaller and more beautiful - rolling hills of green, quaint towns, and lakes. Just over two hours from New York City, where my eleven year old daughter kept asking, "Dad, why does it smell like garbage everywhere?" the Watershed Center is a retreat and resource center for change makers. I was heading there (after two days in the City) for a retreat with five retreat center leaders that had become like family over the past five years. We started meeting on Zoom in 2020 as an antidote to the loneliness, fear, and confusion caused by leading land based centers during the pandemic…and we never stopped meeting. This was the first time that we were all meeting in person.
Over the days we were together, we talked about everything - from the nitty-gritty of team culture and financial sustainability to the deeper questions of how we center purpose, land, beauty, and ritual in our work. There's something magical about being with people who understand that you're not just running a business, but stewarding sacred space, facilitating transformation, and holding complexity.
When someone mentioned struggling with governance challenges or wrestling with how to build regenerative community, nobody needed context. When we explored questions about taking risks, maintaining right relationships with neighbors, or the delicate balance between professionalism and heart-centered leadership, we were met with knowing nods and smiles. It was wonderful.
This work can be lonely. Leading a retreat center requires a particular kind of wisdom - part entrepreneur, part earth steward, part community builder, part mystic. It is often hard to fully understand the unique blend of business acumen, awareness, and deep care for humanity required to hold these places together.
My experience at Watershed with my lovely cohort of fellow travelers got me thinking: what if RCC could play matchmaker? What if we could help create more of these intimate circles - groups of 4-6 leaders committed to showing up for each other's growth, challenges, and dreams?
If you're interested in joining or forming an ED peer group with other retreat center leaders, please connect with us, if we have enough people interested we will help bring people together.
