You are not one, you are a thousand. Just light your lantern. ~ Rumi

  Nestled among the Monterey Pine and 100 year-old Eucalyptus trees, with sweeping views of the vibrant Bay, Golden Gate and Marin Headlands is our Casa al Mare, The Retreat: SF. Since 2020, this stunning light-filled space, steps away from the iconic Lands End trail and preserve once graced by the native Yelamu Ohlone, has become a beloved purpose-centered hub where historically marginalized leaders can retreat, renew, transform and connect. If these walls could speak, they would echo the deep breaths and mantras of hope, love, healing and peace; the vibrations of commitment to purpose and positive change; the joy and power of aligned connections made and the manifestations of collaboration; the energy fueling the amplification of our impact in our communities, societies, industries and throughout the planet.   Our journey has taken us on twists and turns, teaching us to flow and pivot, with purpose and impact as our compass. Pre-pandemic, we began gathering groups together for ‘Time to Purpose’ at Casa al Mare: impact-focused stakeholder meetings, investor salons, impact summits, non-profit fundraising events - from which emerged strong collaborations, three non-profit organizations with global scope and a powerful and committed community, the foundation for our Rugged Elegance … the soulful network of impact leaders, disruptors and change-makers. It was a beautiful way to test our model of convening leaders around core issues and topics, engage in valuable conversations and begin to design outcomes and solutions to amplify impact.   When COVID hit (and what a deeply challenging time for all), it caused us to pause, pivot and turn more deeply toward our own commitment to change and the core issues we want to focus in on in our work and collaboration with leaders: climate action, physical and mental health, racial and gender equity, and peace creation. For two years, we shifted away from the group-focused salons & soirées we had been hosting and re-envisioned a retreat for individual leaders designed to renew hearts, mind and spirit around purpose.   In so doing, a ‘Day to Breathe’ was born. We began with a pilot ‘Day to Breathe’ program in which we invited historically marginalized leaders to monthly impact themes reflecting our key pillars of service, including BIPOC leaders honoring Black History Month (February), women change-makers for Women’s History Month (March), climate champions for Earth Day/Month (April), and LGBTQ+ impact leaders in celebration of Pride month (June) — as five examples.   Each guest had the opportunity to experience a curated day, alone or with a partner under the same roof. We learned that we were able to provide a very powerful experience with a small team of curators: a leadership coach, our private vegan chef who has been with us since Day One crafting delicious and healing cuisine, and an intuitive energy healer.   Outdoor experiences were scheduled in on the Lands End trail and labyrinth, providing sacred moments to journal, meditate and connect with the deeply healing energy of nature. The feedback was profound, and reaffirmed for us how important it is to reach impact leaders one-on-one, creating experiences for them to recharge and reconnect with their purpose.   Only one thing changed after getting feedback from our first forty guests. Their response? “Less is more.” So we sought out one curator / facilitator / healer to be the day’s guide. Unexpectedly, as a result, our Penthouse Solarium bathtub became our second self-led healer / guide of the day.     Daisy Chang and Kwami Williams in the Solarium bathtub   As our program continued to grow and evolve, one thing became exceedingly clear: We were investing in people. We also realized that the historically marginalized leaders that we serve have been systematically excluded from vital forms of capital — financial, intellectual, cultural, political, soulful, and social — that our leaders needed if they were to achieve our stated goal of scaling their impact ten-fold.   These thoughts led to this question:  How could we bridge this gap between leaders and vital forms of capital they need to 10X their positive impact in the world?   Our answer:  Build an online portal and in-person community.   We had a business background in creating online communities. In 1995, we launched BioSpace.com which remains, to this day, the leading business portal for the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry. While technology has changed significantly in those intervening 28 years, the basics of online community building have not: People connect based on shared passions and shared purpose.   So more than a year ago, as we passed 100 impact leaders served, we began to design Rugged Elegance: the soulful network, an invitation-only online and in-person network for the leaders that we serve. The purpose of RE: the soulful network is to be a movement of change via our portal that incubates and amplifies leaders’ positive impact in the world.   Recently launched, RE: the soulful network is built on a model of giving and reciprocity. By giving more than we receive, we make the pie bigger for everyone. And by working together, we are catalyzing the flow of vital forms of capital — financial, cultural, intellectual, political, social, and, of course, soulful — to the members of the community which allows them the opportunity to 10X their positive impact in the world.   Daisy Chang and Kwami Williams on Lands End Trail near The Retreat: SF   A concrete and inspiring example of the transformative power of these initiatives is the story of Kwami Williams, the CEO of True Moringa. We were introduced to Kwami by Mwangi Mukami, a ‘Day to Breathe’ three-month curator / guide who grew up in Kenya. Kwami was born in Ghana and emigrated to the United States with his family when he was eight years-old. Kwami went on to get a degree in aerospace engineering from MIT. Ultimately, Kwami’s heartstrings were pulled to return to Ghana where he started a company called True Moringa, which works with marginalized groups within Ghana, mostly women, to grow and tend moringa trees which produce leaves that are processed into a superfood powder and pods that pressed for oil that is the basis of a line of organic beauty products. In July 2022, Kwami and his bride, Daisy Chang, were in the Bay Area, so that Daisy could participate in training for her new position at Rippleworks.   Kwami and Daisy’s ‘Day to Breathe’ was especially powerful because they had been recently blessed with a newborn child, and they were learning how to navigate their new responsibilities as parents with their full-time jobs. The ‘Day to Breathe’ clarified both their individual professional and philanthropic purposes and their shared purpose as the parents of a young child.   In February 2023, Kwami made a request on RE: the soulful network for a “warm introduction” to Grove Collective, a U.S.-based online retailer that carries a line of personal care products. Two members of RE: the soulful network responded and a “warm introduction” to the buying team at Grove Collective was made a few weeks later. Grove Collective is now considering adding True Moringa as a supplier in 2024. Introductions such as these are the lifeblood for young entrepreneurial companies such as True Moringa and this is a great example of social capital flowing through RE: the soulful network.   Speaking of capital, in the last two years over $5 million of financial capital has flowed to our change-making leaders through good old-fashioned word-of-mouth networking.   Now that RE: the soulful network has been launched, we expect to 10X that number!   Finally, our focus continues to grow. In 2023 we expanded our focus of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women leaders to include veterans and formerly incarcerated individuals, which has been incredibly powerful and inspiring work. We believe that diversity of thought, ideas, and perspectives is the best way to create a more just, resilient, and flourishing world. If our ‘place to purpose,’ our story and the people for whom we are dedicated resonates with you, we welcome you to connect directly with us.   With love, hope and gratitude, ~Jen & Tim Co-Creators Rugged Elegance Retreats Rugged Elegance Foundation   Jennifer Carolyn King and Timothy Fredel at their Barn in Maine