We Gave Ourselves Permission to Slow Down

Last November, I did something I don’t naturally do well.

I slowed down.

In hospitality, we are wired for motion. Fix it. Solve it. Keep going. Take care of everyone else first. Leadership often looks like holding the pace while everything around you moves fast.

But after a long season, I realized something mattered more than momentum.

Our people.

Traditionally, our General Manager takes the department heads offsite ~ a winery visit, an adventure outing, a luncheon. This time, I suggested we try something different. Not outward. Inward.

I organized a Managers’ Leadership Retreat with a simple intention: to pause.

The timing felt right. Our Wellness Centre had just launched in July ~ a space designed for hot and cold therapy, a Himalayan salt-walled yoga studio, a sauna, and a quiet room for restoration. It felt important that our leaders experience the space the way we hope our guests will someday: as a place to slow down, reset, and breathe.

We began in a circle. Breath came first.

BJ Tumanut from Flow with BJ guided us through gentle movement ~ Yoga, QiGong, and later, a sound bath. It wasn’t performative. It was regulating. At one point, I fell asleep … not out of fatigue, but because my body finally felt safe enough to rest. That felt meaningful … and also a little hilarious. BJ gently woke me a couple of times, and when I finally opened my eyes, my colleagues were laughing all around me. It was a moment of pure ease ~ and exactly what we needed.

Then we listened.

Anona Kampe led us through storytelling rooted in land and Indigenous wisdom. Her voice rose and softened as she carried us through stories of landforms ~ grounding us in place, history, and perspective. It was immersive in a way that reminded me that leadership, at its core, has always been about relationship: to land, to people, to story.

Before lunch, our hands went into the soil with Lynette and Kayla from Sahara Garden Art. We created Kokedama moss balls ~ slow, tactile, and surprisingly therapeutic. I wrapped my peace lily with care, decorating it with beads. It now sits in my office, quietly thriving. A daily reminder of what happens when something is tended to patiently.

Over a mindful lunch, conversation flowed differently. Less urgency. More presence.

In the afternoon, Christel Mitchell from Wild Mountain Counselling guided us through reflection and honest dialogue. Calm came first. Safety followed. And from there, clarity emerged. The word that stayed with me from that session was awareness ~ awareness of how we show up under pressure, how we make decisions in the busy, and how leadership shifts when we’re grounded instead of reactive.

What struck me most wasn’t what was said.

It was what softened.

Shoulders dropped. Laughter came easier. Conversations slowed and went deeper. The kind of space opened where people didn’t have to perform leadership … but simply be human.

And here’s the part we don’t say often enough: strong leaders still need care. They still carry weight. They still absorb pressure. They still need moments to reset, reflect, and remember why they do what they do.

Slowing down didn’t make us weaker.
It made us clearer.

Clearer in how we show up. Calmer in how we lead. More attuned to joy, even in the busy. A reminder that caring for ourselves allows us to care for others with intention.

One moment I keep coming back to was when BJ choreographed us through the trending Opalite dance. It was playful, expressive, and surprisingly freeing. After months of responsibility and pressure, moving together that way brought lightness back into the room. It reminded us that joy doesn’t disappear in the busy.

Wellness isn’t something we offer someday.
It’s how we choose to lead, right now.

I’m proud we gave ourselves that pause.
And I hope we keep choosing it … again and again.

Because the best leadership doesn’t rush past what matters. It protects it.

We’re looking forward to sharing experiences like this with more leadership teams … right here in our Wellness Centre. If this is something you can see your team needing after a full season, I’d love to explore it with you.

Take what resonates.
Leave what doesn’t.
And come back whenever you need a pause.