Adapted from an original blog by Ben Scott-Brandt and Justine Johnson, Retreat Center Collaboration

Our friends at the Retreat Center Collaboration (RCC) hosted a recent community call with our friends at Retreat Guru that will inform our HCN Virtual Gathering in May. We invite you to contemplate the question posed to the retreat centers present; “If you were given a magic wand what would you wish for personally, for your center, and for the world at large?” It was an engaging way to harvest the needs and challenges in conversation, rather than via a survey, and we welcome your input too as we strengthen our collective work.

We’ve been exploring the resilience of centers in different ways over recent webinars; from pricing analysis of programming, to co-creating a care first world, and keeping an eye on the horizon and the bottom line in preparing to re-open.

There’s growing interest in financial literacy and the link with leadership and we’re delighted to welcome back Karen McAllister. Karen holds the unique position of being a founding member of Clear Sky Retreat Center, responsible for fund development, a Mindful Money coach and spiritual teacher. 

Mentored by Lynne Twist, global activist, fundraiser extraordinaire and author of the Soul of Money, and Deborah Price, founder of the Money Coaching Institute, Karen brings a lived experience of how this work can transform the culture of a holistic center. She offers money coaching internationally and will share real life examples of different behaviours that show up around leadership and money. 

With the rollout of vaccinations taking place around the world and people in different stages of lockdown, the opportunities for centers to re-open for in person guest programs varies vastly. This week’s webinar helps navigate the many considerations involved for both participants and staff. Come together as we explore the practical to the emotional. From being mostly at home it can be disorientating for staff to go back to work or for participants to attend a gathering again. We all need to feel safe and prepare ourselves for the long haul.

The dates are now set for our annual gathering and once again we’ll be meeting in the Virtual Space. Save the dates 3 – 6 May and know that heartfelt connection, soulful nourishment and thought provoking inspiration will fill the space. We look forward to meeting in person when that’s possible once more and right now embrace the opportunity for your entire staff and support community to participate in live sessions.

Building on the success of our first Virtual Gathering in May 2020, and weaving in feedback from the network, we’re excited to share the unfolding schedule with you over the coming weeks. Throughout the event sessions are designed for powerful interaction and intimate engagement in groups large and small, meeting and learning from peers in other centers, celebrating the spirit of collaboration and mutual support.

Following on from our recent webinar focused on Pricing Analysis of Holistic Programs, we deepen into the importance of meaning and money, mission and margin, vital for our centers to thrive in their role and relevance in the world.

Join us as we explore the shift from a Money First to a Care First attitude and its application across sectors to co-create positive change in the world. In Care First, money serves the well-being of people and the planet and is a unifying force.

Keeping a center going during these uncertain times often means fundamental operational changes, from what services we are able to offer, to how much they should cost. In this webinar, deepen your understanding of your center’s financial viability and discover tools and variables to use as you explore the sustainability of your current business model.

By Jenyng Wu

Friday, February 12, 2021 is the Lunar New Year.  In my home growing up it was the Chinese New Year.  We would spend the day saying things like ‘May the New Year be full of happiness,’ and ‘Congratulations and good fortune to you.’  Blessings are shared, gifts of food symbolic of health and prosperity are bestowed, and firecrackers pop as dragons dance to celebrate the ‘new.’

Chinese New Year is also commonly known in East Asian cultures as the Spring Festival, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring in the lunisolar calendar.  It’s only appropriate then that the Holistic Centers Network, an organization representing a network of international centers, will be piloting an initiative, “Act Local, Think Global” to celebrate the tradition of community, wellness, and hope. 

A half-day online program with Dr. Robin DiAngelo, author of the bestselling book
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People to Talk About Racism

Many white people who are committed to racial justice ask: How do we work through our personal barriers and create and carry out effective actions for change?

This half-day session is for white people who have a general understanding of whiteness and systemic racism and seek to deepen their anti-racist analysis and practice.