Finding the Heart of Cloud9
My reflections on our first Heartset Retreat in Zermatt
Our first Cloud9 Heartset Leadership Retreat in Zermatt became so much more than I had ever imagined. These are a few reflections on what surprised me most, what moved me deeply, what I have learnt and what I'll carry with me into every Cloud9 Experience in future.
When I started Cloud9 Experiences, I had one dream: to create spaces where people could slow down enough to reconnect with themselves and with each other, in my favourite place in the world: Zermatt. I imagined bringing together extraordinary people, beautiful surroundings and a thoughtfully designed programme that would give people permission to pause, reflect and simply be.
For months before the retreat, so many questions and doubts occupied my mind: Is the programme thoughtful enough? Will anyone sign up? Will professionals be open to something that includes music, emotions, and mountains? Will they think it isn't "leadership" enough? And perhaps, underneath all those questions, was the biggest one of all: Will I be enough?
It was a rollercoaster of excitement, doubt, creativity and countless iterations.
I naturally enjoy thinking through every detail and wanted EVERYTHING to feel intentional. Many hours were spent shaping the programme, questioning every exercise, transition and reflection, and further refining after a pilot. Each handwritten welcome, room allocation, meal, transfer and small surprise had a purpose. Making people feel genuinely cared for is simply part of who I am.
However, a few weeks before the retreat, I made a conscious decision. I had done everything possible to prepare, it was time to let go. Not because I cared any less, but because I realised I needed to stop trying to control every possible outcome. It was time to trust the process, trust the people around me, trust myself, and trust that the universe would take care of the rest. That decision changed the way I experienced the retreat just as much as it changed the experience for everyone else.
"This retreat does not teach you about leadership. It changes the instrument you lead with: yourself", wrote one participant after the retreat. I read that sentence over and over - their lived experience was so powerful. Their words, not ours. Not in the programme, nor website, nor in our promise. This was a significant 'aha moment' for me. My role is to create the conditions in which something meaningful can happen. The outcome belongs to them. And more often than not, it is far richer than anything I could have planned myself.
The thoughtful participant feedback has been one of the greatest gifts. Not because the retreat received an average recommendation score of 9.7 out of 10—although, of course, that made me incredibly happy - but I was touched by the words people chose. They didn't write about frameworks, productivity or becoming better managers.Instead, they spoke about feeling deeply seen, about listening differently, about choosing love over fear, about grounding themselves before difficult conversations, about asking for help, about being truly present and about reconnecting with themselves. It reminded me that everything starts with the relationship we have with ourselves. From there, it touches every part of our lives: how we listen, how we love, how we lead, how we navigate difficult conversations, and how deeply we are able to connect with the people around us.
So, was the retreat in its current format a success? I'm permitting myself to say “Yes”. Reading feedback where someone says, "I have never listened to music - or to people - with so much presence in my life." Seeing strangers hug goodbye like old friends. Watching guards come down and creating a weekend that continues long after everyone has gone home and where people describe themselves as feeling more connected, grounded, peaceful, inspired, and even enlightened.
This is what I want Cloud9 Experiences to be known for: Creating environments where people feel safe enough and courageous to just be themselves, to connect authentically and discover something they didn't expect to find. I feel grateful to have not only designed but also experienced this retreat. It was transformational, deeply meaningful and, in many ways, it has become the heart of what I hope all Cloud9 Experiences will feel like.
