Reclaiming Stillness

Janelle Kwok & Kenneth Kwan & Yi Feng Khoo

When was the last time you experienced a true retreat? Not a strategy session disguised as rest. Not a remote working trip dressed up as a break. But a space where your body finally catches up with your soul.

As organisational consultants running a fast-paced business in Singapore, “SOLWORLD Retreat” often feels like a luxury we can’t afford. There are deadlines. Decisions. Deliverables.

But here’s the truth we’ve come to embrace:

A retreat isn’t a distraction—it’s a necessity. That’s what the recent SOLWorld Retreat at Land Aan Zee, in the coastal Netherlands, offered us.

For three gentle, unhurried days, we — a group of solution-focused practitioners and friends — stepped away from doing, and leaned into being. We traded hustle for healing. Deliverables for dialogue. Structure for silence.

Slowing Down with Purpose

The retreat wasn’t defined by any single activity, but rather a series of intentional pauses and shared moments that reminded us what it means to be present. We walked in silence along coastal paths in the early morning winds. With each footstep, a question seemed to arise from the path itself: Who has been your safe harbour? Who will walk with you next? There was no pressure to respond. Only permission to notice. Some found meaning in:

• A quiet walk with others.
• The laughter of spontaneous singing and dancing during review sessions.
• Tasting thoughtful vegan meals, crafted with care by the Land Aan and Zee team — where sustainability wasn’t just spoken about, but served on the plate.
• Sharing those meal times in the presence of everyone.
• Hearing about the vision for LaZ.
• Spontaneous chat in the kitchen while washing up.
• Exploring meaning of names during the introduction.
• Hugging.
• Reconnecting with people.
• The improvisation of poems around the campfire.
• Fulfilling wishes.
• Walking on the beach and dipping their toes in the wet sand.
• Cycling on traffic free paths.
• Planting wishes written on seed paper in the garden to flower.
• The lightness of co-creating the programme.
• For one person, it was hearing a real frog’s croak for the first time.
• For another, it was plunging into the 15°C pond with a breathless grin.
• For someone else, it was finding harmony in a choir.

For us, it was sitting under a crisp, clear night sky — a quiet wish for beauty, gently granted.

What Difference Did That Make?

In a solution-focused frame, we often ask: “What’s better?” or “What difference has that made?” At Land Aan Zee, better showed up not as answers, but as presence.

Around fires and in soulful circles, we heard each other’s hopes, jokes and read poetry together. And as each person voiced their version of meaning — no matter how small — the space itself shifted. People leaned in, not to fix, but to listen.

Someone said quietly one night, “This is what I needed.”

I simply nodded — not out of agreement, but from recognition.

We had touched something vital.

Rest as a Resource, Not a Reward

The retreat was not about escape. It was about returning — to clarity, to courage, to connection. In organisational settings, the idea of “slowing down” is often seen as indulgent or inefficient. But in solution-focused work, we know that slowing down is often where noticing begins.

In resting, new questions arise. In stillness, forgotten resources resurface. In community, the next small steps emerge more naturally.

We left Land Aan Zee not just refreshed, but reminded — of how powerful it is to pause, to witness, to wish out loud.

When will you give yourself permission to rest — not because you’ve earned it, but because you need it?

Maybe the next SOLWORLD retreat is something to consider.

Yi-Feng’s testimony of a first SOLWORLD experience

Set against the peaceful backdrop of Lisolette’s thoughtfully curated resort at Land aan Zee, the SOLWorld Retreat was a rejuvenating pause — with homemade meals, forest hike, beach walk, open space activities and the best kind of company.

Beyond the chill, resides quiet richness. As SF practitioners, we know that sparkling moments are like butterflies — fleeting unless photographed. Inviting retreat-goers to join a flip-chart “brain dump” to gather our favourite retreat takeaways, we created a gift not just to ourselves, but to those who couldn’t be there — a tangible “Here’s What We Did” from our time together. We reflected on Alex Steele’s soulful jazz improv, Annie and Ania’s powerful Hope & Fear weaving, and the laughter and lightness that punctuated every conversation.

Facilitator-led ‘rituals’ like co-creating our Retreat best hopes in flowing art-scroll, ‘secret Santa’ surprise and planting our best hopes meaningfully brought me to the present and Participant-led sessions from Tai Chi to yoga to Si Le Le singing to poetry-recital beside the campfire to topical discussions. they refreshed me physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The retreat was a restful reminder that stillness is fertile ground for growth and deep connection — with ourselves, with nature, and with one another — creates the wellspring of meaningful practice.

In chilling together (at our own pace, in our chosen space(s)), we let our SF broth simmer and thicken. We are ready to serve the goodness …

Thank you, John, Annie, Eva and retreatants, for co-curating space.