About the Maine Retreat for Georgetown Coaching Alumni and Faculty

Welcome to the Maine Retreat Info Page.  Here you'll find some of the basics to understanding the "who, what, when, where, why and how much" of our annual summer retreat on the coast of Maine.

If you have more questions, please contact me - suemcleod9@gmail.com - and I'll be happy to fill in any additional information you need.

What:

A three day retreat that includes social events (Lobster Bake, Boat Cruise), outdoor activities (Polar Plunge, yoga, walking in the woods, sleeping in hammocks), coaching workshops led by members of our community, and, of course, food and drink.

Core Competency CEUs are awarded for the coaching workshops.

We include free time and structured activities to enhance your learning and reflection.

Why:

The "founders' created this retreat so we could hang out with Georgetown coaches without having to travel to Washington DC.

We soon discovered there were many reasons to gather together on the coast of Maine, so decided to do this every year!

• We gather to laugh, to play, to take risks, and to find comfort among our peers.
• We gather to take a collective deep breath, to take time for a little rest & relaxation (R&R), and to experience something new.
• We gather together to reconnect with the magic of the Georgetown experience and to make connections with new graduates and faculty members.
• We gather to share what we're doing, what we're learning, what questions we're asking, what answers we've found. 

Who:

Alumni and Faculty of the Georgetown Leadership Coaching Certificate Program.
There is no other requirement. 

You don't have to be a practicing coach. You don't have to have an ICF credential. You don't have to live in New England. You don't have to know me personally. 

If you've completed the program or serve as a faculty member or staff (program staff, co-director, teaching faculty, learning circle advisor, assessor, etc.) you are welcomed!

Space is limited to 30 participants and we always have the perfect mix of cohorts, geography, and experience.

Where:

Newagen Seaside Inn. Southport Island, Maine (see more at NewagenSeasideInn.com). All meals and activities are held at the Inn.

The Inn is 90 minutes from Portland, near Boothbay Harbor, at the southern tip of an island, surrounded by rocks, trees, ocean waters, boats, seabirds, lawns and flower gardens.

It is New England quaint, cozy and comfortable. The staff are friendly and attentive and they LOVE having us as their guests. 

When:

August 25-27, 2020

This retreat is alway scheduled for Mid- to late-August, when the tourist season is winding down but the weather is till summer-like.  Sometimes there's sun, sometimes there's rain - but I can promise there won't be snow!

The retreat starts on Tuesday afternoon and finishes mid-day on Thursday.

How much:

Your total cost for room, food, retreat events, gratuities and taxes will be between $775 and $1250 (single occupancy) depending on your room choice. This is an all-inclusive package that includes room, food, activity fees, taxes and gratuities.

This doesn't include transportation to/from the Inn or optional purchases (which are primarily adult beverages, if we're honest).

Questions:

Contact Sue - suemcleod9@gmail.com - and I'll be happy to answer any additional questions you have.

Retreat Agenda - 2020

Here's what's in store for you at the Leadership Coaching Retreat.

Tuesday:

3:00 - 5:00 pm Arrival and Check In
5:00 - 6:30 pm Cocktail Party and Traditional Maine Lobster Bake

Wednesday

Yoga
Breakfast
Welcoming Ceremonies
Workshop Session 1: TBA
Workshop Session 2: TBA
Lunch
Free time
Dinner
Sunset Boat Cruise around Southport Island

Thursday

Polar Plunge
Breakfast

Workshop Session 3: TBA

Workshop Session 4: TBA

Closing Ceremonies

12 noon Close

Our experiential and interactive workshops are designed to offer Core Competency CEUs.
We strive to balance structured time and free time, and invite you to use your time at the retreat in the way that serves you.
All activities are held at the Inn.

2020 Retreat Room Options

You want to come to the retreat, but you're not sure which room to reserve?

photo by Susan Palmer

Here's what I recommend.

First - check out the Inn's website and take a look at the rooms and cottage choices. You'll find photos and descriptions of the rooms and amenities.

Second - think about whether you'd like to share a room or cottage with others to reduce your costs and increase your fun.  The Double Rooms and Suites are suited to sharing with another retreater. 

Third - consider your budget. Your room is the largest part of the total price and all of the rooms have ocean views and are very comfortable.


For the best choice - don't delay!  Space is limited and the less expensive rooms will be booked early.

Here's the all inclusive* package price for each room type.
Classic/Double:   $  775.00
Deluxe Rooms:    $  885.00
Suite:                    $  950.00
Little Inn:             $ 1240.00

The Inn reservation staff will be happy to answer any questions and help you find the perfect room.

Reservations needs to be made by phone (they do not use online reservations for groups).

Contact Debi Buscanera, Guest Services Manager at 800-654-5242 to reserve your room for the Georgetown Coaches Alumni Retreat.
A 50% deposit is due at registration.
Room rates are guaranteed until July 24, 2020.


PS - when space is available, the Inn may also extend our special rate to the night before or after the retreat. 

*The all-inclusive price includes your room, food, retreat fee, boat cruise and all taxes and gratuities. (Alcoholic beverages are not included).

Retreat 2019 -- August 20-22!

The dates are set and the rooms are reserved for the 2019 Georgetown Alumni and Faculty Retreat in Maine!

Mark your calendars and plan to join us on August 20 - 22 at the Newagen Seaside Inn on Southport Island  www.newagenseasideinn.com.

Who's invited?  Any graduate or faculty member of the Georgetown Leadership Coaching program in invited.  You don't need lots of coaching experience. You don't need an ICF credential. You don't need to pass any performance or achievement or relationship standard that you might be making up about this retreat.  If you've completed the program or joined the faculty, you are welcome to join us!

If you haven't attended before, you won't feel out of place. We recreate that Georgetown magic from the moment you arrive until you drive away. You will be welcomed and I promise you'll meet kindred spirits before you finish your first lobster.

The perfect people show up and you are perfect for this gathering!

Why attend?  The better question is "Why not?"

On Retreat in Maine 2017

At the end of August, I hosted a retreat for coaches here in Newagen, Maine (my summer home). It's a beautiful place with water, woods, rocky shore, lighthouses, wildlife and a lot of summer visitors. I'm blessed to be able to spend time here and delighted when my coaching community joins me.

Great Blue Heron along Maine's Rocky Coast

This year's retreat theme was Resilience, Renewal and Self-Care. We explored rituals and Brene Brown's "Rising Strong", and practiced using Visual Explorer cards to tap into emotions and passion. And we ate a lot of lobster and talked and walked through the woods and relaxed on hammocks and sang songs under the stars and talked some more!

I share this essay that I wrote as the retreat was unfolding with my observations about our topic - with an indirect, maybe tenuous, connection to the ICF Code of Ethics that asks us to be aware of what will impair, conflict with, or interfere with our coaching performance (#8).

Reflections on Retreat 2017

I’m sitting on the deck of my cottage with a steaming cup of coffee, getting ready for the coach’s retreat.

Gentle waves are lapping against the rocky shore. A watchful gull is nestled on a seaweed covered boulder. A lobster boat engine gurgles as it takes its circuitous path to check the traps.

The promised warm and sunny day arrived this morning cool and overcast.The sky is light gray, the islands a misty blue, and the ocean water somewhere in between. The ferns, pine trees and goldenrod along the shore are almost vibrant against this matte water-colored background. 

The theme for this retreat is Renewal, Resilience, and Self-Care. This seems to be a common quest this year. When my colleagues gather and share what is going on in their lives, there is a common thread of stress and hard work and feeling overwhelmed.

Some are feeling battered by a political environment that feels strange and surreal. Others are struggling to keep up their businesses, hustling to keep pace, be visible and connected, and reinventing themselves to stay relevant. Some are winding down into retirement facing the uncertainties of what the future will bring. Many are also juggling the responsibilities of growing families, managing ailments and diseases, and experiencing life transitions of marriages, births, and death. There’s comfort in sharing our burdens and knowing we’re not the only ones to be challenged. 

At this retreat, we give in to the yearning to pause, to take a few days away to be alone and to be in the company of coaches. We embrace the opportunity to better understand resilience, renewal and self-care - and step into the invitation to use this time and space as we please.

As September begins, I move into fall which is busy and demanding, and feel again the press of expectations, deadlines, and schedules. My world moves away from the vacation mindset into a performance mindset. I’m wondering if there is a way to bring the time and space of a retreat with me into this season of work.

How can I tap into my inner stores of resilience? Where can I take better care of myself? What can I make new again in my life - something that will sustain and support me?

And how can I give myself permission to use time and space to do as I please - every now and then, so I don't forget that "vacation" feeling?

Alumni & Faculty Retreat 2017

First - a little eye-candy from previous retreats

Make new connections

with alumni and faculty

from many cohorts

in an intimate gathering

on the rocky Maine coast.

Lose yourself

in the magnificence of the ocean

on a path through the cool green pines

sitting on a boulder

gathered around a fire

jumping into deep and cold water.

Find your way to the Newagen Seaside Inn this August for the Alumni/Faculty Retreat.

Contact Debi Buscanera, Guest Services Manager at 800-654-5242 to reserve your room for the Georgetown Coaches Alumni Retreat.

A 50% deposit is due at registration.
Room rates are guaranteed until June 30, 2017.

Extend Your Stay!

Take some time to decompress and relax before the retreat. Our special room rates are available for Monday August 28th, too!

Would you like to lead a workshop?
We're looking for a few good grads to lead fun and experiential workshops on the topics of Rituals and Resilience.
Experiment with something new or offer a tried-and-true favorite.
Interested? Contact Heidi Bellemente at Heidi.Bellamente@csra.com

Maine Retreat 5 is Complete!

I'll be posting more, I'm sure, but wanted to mark the completion of the 5th Cohort of the Maine retreat. We had 29 retreaters and a few guests who enjoyed almost perfect weather and truly perfect connection, conversation, and learning at the Newagen Seaside Inn on Southport Island.

• We had representatives from Cohort 1 through Cohort 45
• About 1/2 had been to a previous retreat, the other 1/2 were first-timers.
• We had three great workshops conducted by Roz Kay, Julie Salganik, Kirsten Olsen &Valerie Brown, and an experimental team project created by Heidi Bellamente and Sue McLeod.
• We had laughter and tears, hugging, meaningful conversations and joking around, singing, swimming, yoga-ing, walking, biking, napping, boating, drinking and eating, and s'mores.

Magic happened!

Let's do it again next year!