How do the retreats support the method?
The Clarity Lab Method is deployed in dedicated retreat formats, alongside other modes like workshops and individual applications. There are three main types of retreats: the Isle of Mull (Scotland), Kielder Forest (England), and an Online retreat.
Location as a key element:
The retreat format fundamentally leverages the power of a specific place, immersing participants in nature.
The Isle of Mull is a remote Scottish island retreat for deep work and reconnection, hosted in a traditional croft. Kielder Forest is a secluded off-grid location. This deliberate removal from daily environments is intended to help participants strip away distractions and find clarity.
Integration of structured method with experiential learning:
The retreat blends the structured methodology of the Clarity Lab Method with immersive experiences. It uses a design-led approach to help navigate life’s big questions.
- Morning sessions: These are dedicated to rigorous, expert-led workshops that guide participants through structured reflection, challenge mapping, and future visioning, using design thinking. These sessions are where core Clarity Lab Method tools (like problem framing, exploring challenges, creating future visions) are directly applied in a guided setting.
- Afternoon activities: This time is dedicated to outdoor experiences like hiking and wild swimming (mentioned for Mull), forest solitude, night hikes (mentioned for Kielder), solo reflection, and hands-on collaboration with local craftspeople. These activities are designed to help to unlock new perspectives on problem-solving and allow participants to reconnect with nature and their hands. This isn’t just recreation; it’s framed as a way to complement the structured thinking with experiential learning and different modes of engagement.
- Evening Sessions: Evenings focus on slowing down, communal meals, fireside conversations, and deeper integration of insights gained during the day. This provides a space for informal reflection and connection, processing the structured learning and outdoor experiences.
Focus on problem framing and vision setting:
The retreats are explicitly structured to help participants reframe challenges using structured design tools, untangle challenges, explore challenges through design thinking and guided problem framing, and design a vision for their future. This aligns directly with the core phases of the Clarity Lab Method: Explore Together (problem framing) and Elaborate (vision crafting).
Why would a busy executive person want to come all the way to a tiny island in Scotland to get cold and wet and be made to engage in challenging exercises?
- Escaping noise and distraction: Busy daily life, especially for executives, is “noisy” and full of “clutter”. The retreat offers a chance to pause, strip away distractions, and enter a space designed specifically for clarity and deep thinking. Locations like remote islands or secluded forests provide this necessary removal.
- Counteracting reactivity: Busy individuals frequently find themselves moving from one thing to the next, reacting rather than choosing. The retreat format provides dedicated time and space to counteract this pattern and engage in more intentional, purpose-driven approaches.
- Blending structure and experience: Executives often deal with complexity through analytical or purely strategic frameworks. The retreat offers a different approach, blending the structured, design-led problem-solving method with immersive experiences in nature and crafts. This “Power of Place & People” and engaging with the raw beauty or wilderness is intended to unlock new perspectives and complement the analytical work.
- Finding direction at a crossroads: The retreats are specifically for those “at a crossroads” or feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about their next step. This is a common state for busy professionals navigating complex career or life decisions. The method and environment are designed to provide the clarity needed to define problems, challenge assumptions, design a future vision, and leave with a clear path forward with a personal roadmap.
- The “uncomfortable” aspect? The goal of the retreats is not explicitly to make participants uncomfortable. We describe the experiences as immersing ourselves in “raw beauty”, hiking along “rugged coastlines,” or “wild swimming in secret mountain pools” because it’s about engaging with nature in a way that can involve physical challenge and exposure to elements.
The intention is to help us break out of usual routines and comfort zones through connection with the elemental world (“elemental landscape”), which is conducive to deep thinking and gaining perspective. It’s a part of the transformative experience, not discomfort for its own sake:-)
TL;DR:
The structured blend of the Clarity Lab Method’s design-led workshops, immersive nature activities (including those that might lead to getting wet or being physically challenged, though not framed as intentional discomfort), and communal reflection.
For a mid-career executive who is feeling stuck, the rationale is clear: to provide necessary space away from distraction, apply a structured method to gain clarity on complex challenges, and leverage the unique environment and experiences to unlock new perspectives and build a plan for moving forward.