The Essence Of Leadership
– The Retreat –
Reconnect to what matters and lead from your truest self.
A 4-day immersive retreat in the South of France with a global circle of 20 leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from around the world.
This is a First. A Global Invitation to Leaders.
We believe the world needs a new kind of leadership.
Leadership that is rooted in presence, trust, and deep self-awareness.
Leadership that begins within and radiates outward , into teams, businesses, and the systems that surround us.
This retreat is a call.
To pause. To remember.
To rediscover nature and your true self.
This is about coming together with others who are also asking :
What kind of Leader do I want to be?
For myself? For others? For my purpose, and the world?
What is essential for me, what is next?
The Essence of Your Leadership
Each of us carries a scent. A presence. A way of showing up, shaping reality, and impacting others. This might be seen or perhaps it’s invisible. But it’s always present, like the scent of the flowers and wild herbs of Provence in summer.
But in the rush of doing, many of us lose touch with it.
This retreat is an invitation to return to that essence.
To smell, sense, and name your own leadership.
To explore what shifts when you lead not from pressure, but from alignment, truth, and quiet inner knowing.
Why This Now?
For decades, I’ve worked across borders, leading, facilitating, and building bridges between global teams.
Throughout my professional journey in US or Canadian Tech companies, I have remained deeply rooted in European ways of being.
My work has always been global. So have my questions.
Today, I feel called to bring these worlds together — not just through business, but through something more essential:
Deep human connection. With ourselves. With one another.
Across languages, places, and the roles we play.
The kind of connection that makes work more meaningful, and the world feel more alive.
I believe leadership is no longer just about outcomes.
It’s about remembering what matters, and creating spaces where people can lead from truth, presence, and trust.
For whom?
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, co-founder, CEO, partner, investor, or just because you are a human being ready to challenge your inner status quo, this retreat is for you.
You are navigating change, growth, or asking deep questions
You’re wondering: What’s next for my business, for myself, for the world?
You want to reconnect with your clarity and inner authority
You want to build trust, creativity, and courage in how you lead
You are drawn to an international community where shared values spark authentic global connections including future collaborations and impact-driven ventures
Together, we will uncover how to create environments where empowerment, trust, and dignity are more than words— they are lived every day. These values form the foundation for a society and workplaces that can truly thrive and evolve.
Planting Seeds for a Global Movement
This is the beginning of something larger, slower, and deeply human.
We are weaving together a global community of leaders, founders, and creators who are not just asking how to lead better, but how to be more fully alive in how they lead.
We explore individually and collectively :
Who am I, and what truly matters in how I lead?
How do I relate to others in freedom, trust, and responsibility?
How do I relate to the world; its systems, its future, its calls for change?
How can I integrate a new version of myself and make it real, every day?
The experience
This is a 4-day immersive retreat in the South of France, in the heart of Provence.
With a global circle of 20 leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from around the world.
You’ll experience:
• A daily rhythm of silence, playfulness, and real conversation
• Practices to unfold your beliefs, fears, and truths, your Zone of Genius
• Journaling, creative rituals, immersion in nature
• Coaching, peer circles, and feedback-based facilitation
The sensory dimension:
A guest artist and a surprise chef will help you to co-design a scent, object, or an edible memory that reflects the essence of your leadership.
What to Expect Each Day
We’ve designed this retreat with a rhythm that allows for both deep exploration and real rest. This is not a retreat where you’ll be rushed from one thing to the next. It’s a rhythm that supports presence, integration, and aliveness every step of the way.
Here’s how a typical day unfolds:
8:30 – 9:30 Start in silence, walk in nature, or gentle movement
9:30 – 12:30 Morning session: guided facilitation, self-inquiry, group work
12:30 – 3:30 Long lunch and rest break, time to reflect, journal, walk, or connect
3:30 – 6:00 Afternoon exploration: self awareness, sharing, feedback, embodiment, creativity
7:00 – 9:00 Evening ritual, storytelling, or sensory immersion
Day 1: Arrival from 4:00 pm · Welcome circle and dinner at 7:00 pm
Day 4: Morning closing circle · Depart around 12:00 pm
I’m not inviting you to become someone else.
I’m inviting you to return to the core of who you are, to the heart of your zone of genius.
To dare to inhabit it, not as an idea, but as a way of breathing, walking, and speaking.
My hope is that you leave with the scent of your truth still alive in your body.
The Journey in 4 Steps
Beneath the essence, the questions, and the experience, there is a deeper rhythm:
a leadership journey in four territories, inspired by the 15 commitments of Conscious Leadership and Toscane’s transformation.
Me : Who am I when I stop performing?
We begin by arriving.
Shedding roles. Slowing down.
Reconnecting with the essence of who we are underneath the doing.
This is a return to our true selves.
Me with Others : What happens when I show up in truth?
We explore how we relate in tension, in dialogue and in trust.
How we listen, confront, collaborate.
Leadership becomes visible and vulnerable.
Me with the World : What kind of future am I serving?
We expand the lens.
We step into systems, collective beliefs, and the world’s complexity.
We question what needs to be let go, and what wants to emerge.
Me, Coming Home : How do I walk forward with what I’ve become?
We integrate and we ground.
We shape the next steps with ritual, community, and clarity so that what you have learned doesn’t stay in the retreat, but lives in your life.
Me : Who am I when I stop performing?
You’ll walk away with the power to:
Know exactly when you’re performing and stop.
Make real decisions from your values, not pressure.
Lead with presence, not noise.
Show up as yourself not your role or title.
Lead with clarity and confidence even when things are uncertain.
Me with Others : What happens when I show up in truth?
You’ll walk away with the power to:
Say what’s true without fear or guilt.
Give feedback that builds trust, not tension.
Shift stuck dynamics without waiting for permission.
Create real connection, even in conflict.
Transform your relationships and your team culture from day one.
Me with the World : What kind of future am I serving?
You’ll walk away with the power to:
See the hidden patterns shaping your organization.
Say no to what no longer serves and mean it.
Align your actions with your deeper purpose.
Make bold, conscious choices that ripple out.
Lead with vision not just efficiency. Build what really matters.
Me, Coming Home : How do I walk forward with what I’ve become?
You’ll walk away with the power to:
Stay anchored in who you are, even amidst the chaos.
Take your transformation home and make it last.
Share your shift with courage and impact.
Lead your next chapter your way.
Come home clear, grounded, and ready to lead on your own terms.
About Capucine
I ‘ve spent 20 years helping leaders, teams, and organizations grow what truly matters; trust, clarity, and aliveness in how we work together.
I believe leadership is not about control but about presence, resonance, and creating the conditions for aliveness.
Aliveness that brings clarity, trust, and bold, grounded action — not from pressure, but from a place that’s deeply real and meaningful.
That’s where the most effective leadership lives.
I’m a leadership facilitator, coach, and transformation partner.
This retreat weaves together everything I’ve learned and everything I’m still discovering.
Based between France and the US, I accompany leaders and communities around the world.
Co-hosts
Caroline Champion | Sensory Philosopher & Experience Artist
Caroline is a philosopher, artist, and consultant whose work explores how the senses — especially taste and smell — shape our experience of the world. She weaves theory and practice into immersive experiences that invite us to slow down, sense deeply, and awaken new ways of knowing.
Her creations range from multi-sensory performances at the Musée Picasso and Théâtre du Châtelet, to thought-provoking lectures on aesthetics and the art of food. She is the author of several groundbreaking books on culinary art and the sensory imagination, and regularly appears in the media, universities, and cultural institutions.
In organizations, Caroline opens new pathways through bespoke events and workshops that spark creativity, reinvention, and sensory connection. She brings a unique lens to leadership and transformation — one that honors both the intellect and the intuition, the body and the collective.
→ More at caroline-champion.com
Capucine Ortoli
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I thought I couldn’t afford to pause. Turns out, I couldn’t afford not to.
Slowing down with Capucine didn’t disconnect me from my business.
It brought me back to it, with sharper clarity, stronger decisions, and a different presence altogether.
In four days, I stopped performing and started leading — for real.
Capucine creates a space where you don’t have to prove anything — and somehow, that’s where your power returns.
This retreat didn’t just shift how I see myself. It changed how I speak in meetings, how I listen to my team, how I make hard calls.
It’s not a wellness break. It’s a wake-up call. A quiet one. The kind that stays.
This wasn’t about becoming better. It was about becoming true. Capucine doesn’t teach tools. She creates an atmosphere where you remember what matters — and then make it real.
The week after the retreat, I let go of two things that were draining my energy and finally acted on something I’d been putting off for years. That’s the level of clarity we’re talking about.
What’s included
4 nights at Le Domaine du Mas de Pierre, 5-star resort in Provence
All retreat sessions, coaching, and materials
Daily meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner (vegetarian/gluten-free options included)
Artistic & sensory experiences with guest artist Caroline Champion
A personal object or scent that reflects your leadership essence
Group circles before and after the retreat
Transfers to and from Nice Airport
Pricing options
You are based In Americas
- €6,500 – Early Bird (approx. US $7,000)
- €7,000 – Standard (approx. US $7,600)
You are based In Europe
- €6,500 – Early Bird
- €7,000 – Standard
What is Incldued?
- Accommodation, meals, all retreat activities, and the full scent experience. Flights not included.
- Payment Terms : A 25% non-refundable deposit secures your seat. The remaining balance is due six weeks before the retreat.
- All payments are made in euros (€) via secure credit card or bank transfer.
- If you are outside the eurozone, your bank or card will automatically convert the amount at the daily exchange rate.
We’re happy to provide a USD estimate or assist with the payment process if needed.
“Capucine was an essential asset for our transformation in Engineering. Her background, her connections and even more important her mindset drives her to challenge the status quo and open peoples’s mind to new ideas and ways of working. Her ability to communicate with and embark teams and engineers was a critical enabler in our journey towards more empowered teams.”
Our clients
Waiting list
USA : + 1 (202) 699 3678
FR : + 33 (0)6 09 37 41 44
change@capucineortoli.com