At Gathering Place Trading, a women-led organic spice and tea company based in Campbell River, we’re passionate about cultivating connection, with farmers, families, and within our own team.
When my dear friend Harmony invited us to beta test an alpine retreat she was developing for her leadership coaching business, we leapt at the chance.
Seven members of our team gathered in the Mount Washington parking lot late one September morning as rain lashed sideways across the pavement and wind rattled our packs. Confidence wavered. Ahead lay a hike into Strathcona Provincial Park and an overnight stay at Croteau Lake, a remote alpine basin dotted with cedar platforms and a single communal yurt.
We had come to “go deep” into the wilderness and into ourselves. Harmony Ziegler, our retreat leader, is a Comox Valley–based leadership coach and therapist who runs Akoya Coaching & Therapy.
The program we were on combines nature immersion with emotional intelligence and leadership development. Her colleague Renee Baron, an outdoor leadership guide and yoga teacher, supported the experience through meditation, breathwork, and communication exercises. The weather made it feel like a test of leadership before the journey even began.
“Each person carried a portion of the food for the group, symbolic of the shared responsibility we carry as co-workers.”
Preparing for the Strathcona Park journey
Four of our team couldn’t join the trip. At the trailhead, we asked for volunteers to carry their photos, which we tucked carefully into jacket pockets and pack lids so they could accompany us. It was a light-hearted reminder that leadership includes everyone, even from afar.
Hiking into Croteau Lake
In steady drizzle, nine of us, including two facilitators and two dogs, began the hike into Paradise Meadows. The path was slick with mud, but moments of alpine beauty revealed themselves between the clouds. Each person carried a portion of the food for the group, symbolic of the shared responsibility we carry as co-workers.
We reached camp just before the skies opened into a full downpour. Tents were pitched quickly with cold hands, and soon everyone was gathered in the yurt. Layered in wool and down, we could see our breath in the air. The photos of our missing teammates were placed on the dinner table where they could “observe” the evening’s activities.
Building connection
We shared a dinner of glory rice bowls with greens, carrots, beets, and cucumbers from the Gathering Place garden, then played communication games where everyone had a chance to lead. Managers, packers, and coordinators spoke and listened as equals. Authentic connection replaced the usual rhythms of workplace roles.
Morning calm and the journey home
We fell asleep in our tents to the sound of rain, but morning arrived bright and still. The forest mirrored itself perfectly in the glassy surface of Croteau Lake. Over steaming mugs of tea, we began the day with guided meditation and breathwork, followed by breakfast and reflection in the warm mountain light.
By afternoon, the sun was shining in full. We packed up camp and descended the trail, stopping for one last circle at the trailhead to express gratitude and closure.
Lasting impact: From retreat to daily practice
A week later, Harmony rejoined our full Gathering Place team for an integration session and discussion. One participant observed, “Breakdowns happen when we’re siloed and separated by walls.” Another noted how easy it had been to resolve communication challenges in the alpine setting.
Harmony shared her belief in what she calls the human bottom line: that businesses thrive when people understand themselves and one another deeply. This foundation of empathy and self-awareness supports a truly sustainable model of people, planet, and profit.
This resonated deeply with us. The experience highlighted our culture of curiosity and demonstrated how shared leadership can flourish through empathy and play.
“The deepest kind of leadership is born not from titles or roles, but from the courage to connect with nature, with each other, and with ourselves.”
After the retreat, we began a daily 9:15 a.m. morning stretch and check-in, a simple, lasting practice to carry the spirit of the mountain into everyday work. This ritual has continued, with noticeable benefits in our group’s synergy and communication.
From rain and uncertainty to sunlight and shared clarity, our journey to Croteau Lake became more than a retreat. It was a reminder that the deepest kind of leadership is born not from titles or roles, but from the courage to connect with nature, with each other, and with ourselves.
