"a fearless adventure & spacious retreat"

The Courage to Belong 

A personal & professional journey in belonging, identity, & leadership 

14—17 May 2025

Morocco | In person 

 £997 — £2797

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This is an experiential, immersive, transformative in-person retreat in Essaouira, Morocco. 

The Courage to Belong is a powerful opportunity for you to pause and engage deeply with your authentic self and explore the questions that truly resonate with your hearts and minds:

—how can you belong and help others to do the same?

—how do you re-establish balance?

—how can you lead more authentically?

This pause is at the intersection of an fearless adventure and a relaxing retreat.

Dr Saiyyidah invites you to her personal retreat hide away, a place she has been visiting since 2016. She says "The nature of Essaouira is such that it is a place where you can rediscover your soul, the essence of who you are. it is a place that causes you to pause and find your place. I always return home with more balance, an increased sense of belonging, and clarity on who I am and what I do. Now it is time to share my process and place with you."

Join Dr Saiyyidah Zaidi, seasoned leadership advisor, adventurer, and expert in belonging, culture, and identity. In this retreat you will experience ideas on how to expand, restore, and develop identity and integrity. The retreat is influenced by a range of inputs including systemic, somatic, and developmental perspectives with project management and spirituality for a holistic approach. This unique intersection creates the space for grounding and growth. 

In this retreat you will explore belonging and balance to amplify your:

Identity — Starting with you and your relationship with yourself so you have increased self-awareness of your own sense of belonging.

&

Impact — Understanding your place in the systems you are in— family, community, work, or society—and other systems important for your sense of belonging.  

This intimate small group retreat has been thoughtfully designed to incorporate reverent and heartfelt elements, offering an experience that stands apart from other retreats.

As a potential participant, you will find this intimate small group retreat, limited to just 12 participants, offers a unique and heartfelt experience that sets it apart from other retreats.

You will appreciate that the inspiration behind the retreat is drawn from a diverse journey—transforming from an architect who designed living spaces who became a leadership advisor helping others to curate their own spaces to dwell within. This eclectic background, coupled with academic research in belonging, identity, and culture, culminates in the creation of "The Courage to Belong."

You can expect an approach that engages your mind, body, and intuition, tapping into all forms of intelligence within you. With the right guidance, you will expand your capacity for inner belonging and fulfillment. This journey is ideal for those committed to living an inspired, adventurous, and fulfilling life, and you will be eager to embrace it!

The program is carefully designed and curated to:

  • Provide you with an authentic break from the routines and pressures of daily life, so you can slow down and experience a true sense of renewal and regeneration.
  • Create the space for you to focus on just one thing at a time, cultivating mindfulness and presence in real time.
  • Encourage deep listening—both to oneself and to others, as well as to the natural world, our hopes, dreams, and visions for the future.
  • Offer essential time for silence and solitude, facilitating introspection and reflection.
  • Explore the intersection of mind and heart, where values align with your work and purpose.
  • Nurture a sense of identity and integrity, recognize and honor individual gifts, and discern authentic responses amidst external pressures and expectations.
  • Engage in meaningful conversations about purpose, calling, service, and the inner life.
  • Foster an environment for deep connection with others while honoring differences and unique perspectives.
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education — experience — evolution

What will we do?

 

Feedback from previous retreat attendees

 

Office & project manager

"This retreat offered me a valuable opportunity for personal reflection in a supportive group setting. Over the three days, I felt completely removed from the busyness of everyday life, allowing me to deeply engage in soul-searching and self-discovery. It has since taken me time to fully appreciate the positive changes I’m making and the acceptance I’m experiencing in my life. I am grateful for this transformative experience."

Board member & business leader

"The retreat provided me with some real insights and a-ha moments as to why I have such little sense of belonging and where that comes from and also what I can do to change that. That I can influence the sense of belonging I have or don't have was a new concept and is really refreshing as it gives back agency. I look forward to seeing what will emerge from this retreat and highly recommend it to anyone interested in belonging."

Leadership Facilitator

"You have beautiful pacing and a gentle tone and expression. I never felt rushed. A lovely way of moving from one thing to the next."

C-Suite Leader FTSE 150 Company

"This experience brought me incredible clarity, lightness, and cheerfulness. I felt a surge of positive energy that empowered me to embrace more of my authentic self. I am truly grateful for the courage it inspired in me."

Your Questions Answered...

 

There is no house like the house of belonging 

— David Whyte

Inclusions | Exclusions

 

What is included

  • Accommodation as booked (single, double, or junior suite) for three nights, 14-16 May 2025—we depart from the hotel on the morning of 17 May 2025. 
  • Breakfast, lunch, & dinner
  • Transfer from Essaouira Airport to retreat venue and back
  • Retreat experiences and associated materials

What is not included

  • Travel to Essaouira, Morocco
  • Visas (free on arrival in Morocco)
  • Travel insurance (compulsory)
  • Alcohol or any additional drinks with meals, any additional items ordered
  • Personal expenses & spending money
  • Optional tips
  • Anything not mentioned in the itinerary

Belonging isn't a given. It takes work, risk taking & courage

— Saiyyidah Zaidi

Meet Dr Saiyyidah

 

Saiyyidah has three strands to her practice: she is a Founding Partner with Altair and works with CEOs, senior leaders and their teams, as an advisor, mirror and sounding board; she trains senior leaders to become coaches with Meyler Campbell; and she is a Research Associate with the University of Oxford's Center for Culture and Religion. Saiyyidah has been described as a pioneer by academic Journal editors. Stemming from her research and lived experience Saiyyidah has a particular interest in helping individuals and organisations to enhance their leadership impact and influence through identity, culture, and belonging.

Saiyyidah is a qualified Architect, has two Masters degrees in Construction Economics and Management and Applied Positive Psychology, and a PhD in Practical Theology/Critical Studies She is a European Mentoring and Coaching Council Master Coach and Embodied Supervisor.

Outside work and home, Saiyyidah enjoys cinema, travel, and experiencing/learning new things.

Why I love Essaouira

 

I can't pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with Essaouira, but every arrival feels like a homecoming. After first visiting in 2016, my husband and I decided to move our family here for nine unforgettable months. Each memory is a treasure:

  • Magical sunrise runs along the beach with family. The soft morning light dancing on the waves while we watched camels and horses get ready for the day ahead.
  • Wandering around the enchanting old town, getting blissfully lost in its labyrinthine streets as I witnessed travelers from all corners of the globe embrace the city’s vibrancy.
  • Spontaneous, delightful conversations with strangers in cozy coffee shops—moments that fueled connection and joy, repeated time and again.

Beyond these experiences, I adore Essaouira for its rich culture, history, and the warmth of its people. The sense of wonder and discovery here is ever-present—an inspiring backdrop for introspection and creativity. In Essaouira, the extraordinary feels ordinary, and every moment invites you to explore and cherish life.

If you can’t find a place where you belong, create one

— Toni Morrison

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— The Courage to Belong Retreat — 

14—17 May 2025

Essaouira, Morocco

Shared room - Single bed

- £997

Single bed in a room with 1 or 2 others (not available with single supplement)

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Shared room - Double bed

- £1297

Double bed in a room with another single bed (contact for single supplement information)

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Superior room - Double bed

- £2497 for 2 places

This is a superior double room for two (contact for single supplement information)

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Junior Suite - Double bed

- £2797 for 2 places

This is a junior suite with your own living room (contact for single supplement information)

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What this is & isn't...

 

Articulating this particular way of working can be challenging in a way that resonates with our intellect. This difficulty in finding the right words often leads people to reference concepts they already know, attempting to define it through familiar personal or professional development methods.

While defining something by what it is not can be unhelpful, it can still be valuable to highlight some similarities and differences between this approach and others that may seem familiar but fail to fully capture its essence. Marcy Jackson, one of the co-founders of the Center for Courage & Renewal, has shared insights that we find particularly illuminating in this context:

This retreat is:
  • not team building, though with time and trust a strong sense of community naturally emerges;
  • not therapy, though this approach results in greater self-awareness and self-acceptance, sometimes accompanied by a sense of deep inner “healing”
  • not diversity work, though greater understanding of “otherness” in all its manifestations, and a deeper appreciation of the richness of differences, is a hallmark of most retreat groups
  • not a vision quest, though the journey of the inner life often leads to greater clarity of vision and purpose
  • not a meditation practice, though the practice of being together in silence fosters mindfulness and contemplation
  • not a spiritual smorgasbord—offering a chance to dabble in a range of spiritual/psychological practices—yet words of wisdom and inspiration from diverse wisdom and spiritual traditions enrich our communal dialogue on some of life’s most challenging questions
  • not creativity training, though the creative spirit is released when individuals begin to claim their gifts and act on what brings them joy
  • not leadership training per se, yet by offering multiple invitations and experiences for people to “author” their own lives individuals begin to take greater responsibility and leadership in their lives and work.
  • neither “sage on the stage” nor “guide on the side”, but rather something altogether different—a kind of “being” and “leading” that emerges from the inside out, that demands clear attention to boundaries and creating safe space within which people can take risks and be vulnerable, but also expect that no harm will be done to them in the process.
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I long, as does every human being, to be at home [to belong*] wherever I find myself 

— Maya Angelou  [*added by Saiyyidah]