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Facilitators: Robert Mulhall
Topic: Listening to the Trees: What Nature Teaches Us About Leadership, Discernment, and the Course of Our Lives
Retreat centers are uniquely positioned at the intersection of land, spirit, and community. But how often do we allow the natural world itself to become our teacher?
In this reflective and experiential session, Robert Mulhall invites participants into the practice of "Listening to the Trees"—a contemplative approach to leadership that draws on the wisdom of nature to deepen discernment, reconnect with purpose, and navigate seasons of change. Through story, guided reflection, and time in relationship with the living landscape, participants will explore how trees and the natural world can become companions in understanding the unfolding course of their own lives and leadership.
Drawing from decades of experience in leadership development, contemplative practice, and retreat-center ministry, Robert will weave together insights from mindfulness, Celtic wisdom traditions, and his work accompanying individuals and organizations through transformation. Rather than offering techniques to master, this session invites a way of being—one that cultivates presence, deep listening, and trust in the wisdom that emerges when we slow down enough to hear.
Participants will leave with renewed practices for listening—to themselves, to the land they steward, and to the deeper invitations that are calling them forward in this season of their lives and leadership.
Bio for Robert Mulhall: Robert Mulhall is a facilitator of transformation whose work weaves leadership development, contemplative practice, and deep human insight. With over two decades of experience across public health, social impact, organizational consulting, and retreat‑center leadership — including serving as CEO and President of the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health — Robert supports individuals and communities in navigating change with clarity, courage, and connection.
His path integrates a wide range of modalities, from mindfulness and yoga to Celtic shamanic traditions, Akashic work, death‑doula training, and the Enneagram. Rooted in intuitive listening and a belief in the innate wisdom within each person, Robert creates spaces where growth, healing, and authentic presence can emerge. Originally from Ériú (Ireland), he lives in western Massachusetts with his son, on the ancestral lands of the Stockbridge‑Munsee Mohicans.