19th January to 26th January 2026

Back to the Source: A Leadership Retreat in Rural Senegal – January 2025

This immersive retreat is open to anyone ready for a meaningful reset — and is especially designed for executive coaches, business leaders, and high-level entrepreneurs seeking deeper clarity and renewed purpose.

Over seven powerful days in a remote Senegalese village, you’ll step out of your world and into another — one where growth comes not from theory, but from lived experience and genuine cultural exchange. Through shared meals, stories, music, and hands-on collaboration with the local community, you’ll gain perspective no boardroom or webinar can offer.

This isn’t a luxury escape. It’s a raw, grounding, human experience — rooted in presence, generosity, and mutual respect. In slowing down, you’ll rediscover clarity. In giving, you’ll reconnect with what matters. And in crossing cultures, you’ll be reminded of the values at the heart of great leadership: humility, humanity, and heart.

What emerges is lasting. Renewed focus. Genuine connection. A sense of being grounded, recharged, and ready to lead with more courage and clarity.

Not for everyone. But if it’s calling you, it may be exactly what you need.

By invitation only.

Pre-trip group call: Meet your guides and fellow adventurers in an interactive Zoom session 18.12.25, 18h to 19h30 CET.

All accommodations in Senegal.

All transportation in Senegal and The Gambia, as well as the visa for the Gambia.

Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner.

All tickets for activities and excursions.

Materials for 2 custom garments made in the village of Abene.

Follow up feedback and regroup call 5.2.26 at 18h to 19h30 CET

THE CO-AUTHORS AND YOUR GUIDES

Doug Manuel

Doug Manuel is a globally sought-after speaker, workshop leader, and performer, specializing in fostering engagement, collaboration, belonging, and togetherness. His dynamic keynotes and interactive experiences have been delivered to Fortune 500 companies, leading business schools, and global organizations, including Google, Microsoft, L’Oréal, Novartis, the World Economic Forum, and institutions such as IMD, CEIBS, and Harvard Business School. He has also performed at TED Global and with Oprah.

A Master Practitioner of NLP, a Transformational Breath trainer, and a Vocal Awareness certified practitioner, Doug actively practices the modalities he has studied, integrating them into his work to unlock potential and deepen human connection.

For over 25 years, Doug has lived, worked, and traveled extensively across Africa as a filmmaker and humanitarian, passionately exploring West African music and culture. An ex-BBC documentary producer, he created Do You Speak Djembe?, an award-nominated stage show, and is producing Beats As One, a documentary about the cure to the loneliness and isolation epidemic.

Through his nonprofit, Lighting Up Lives, he partners with rural West African communities, empowering local action to solve local problems.

Catherine Rusconi

Catherine Rusconi is a multilingual coach and breathwork facilitator with a strong foundation in corporate HR and health management. After several years working as an HR Specialist within large organizations, she chose to follow a more human-centered path—supporting individuals and companies in building resilience, reducing stress, and enhancing well-being through breathwork and mindset coaching.

With over a decade of experience as a Health Manager, Catherine has guided people through reintegration into the workplace, promoted mental health, and helped individuals regain focus, energy, and clarity during times of change.

Today, through Breathcoaching, she works with corporate teams and private clients to improve performance, presence, and emotional balance. Through MyHappyRetreats, she leads breathwork retreats and mindful holidays designed to help people slow down, reconnect, and rediscover joy and purpose.

Catherine is passionate about cultural exchange, personal growth, and the science of how we function as human beings. She works fluently in French, English, German, Spanish, and Italian.

Michel Heitzmann

Michel Heitzmann is a coach, strategist, and systems thinker. A former McKinsey consultant and senior executive, he brings over two decades of global leadership experience to his work at the intersection of sustainability, leadership, and organizational transformation.

He is the founder of Ignea, a boutique advisory firm for individuals and organizations seeking meaningful, values-driven growth, and the creator of The Quiet Frame, an AI- powered platform designed to foster clarity, reflection, and human connection in complex environments.

Michel partners with executives, founders, and change agents across sectors, supporting them to navigate uncertainty, realign with purpose, and lead with both intelligence and integrity. Fluent in multiple languages and cultural contexts, he bridges systems thinking with practical execution, helping leaders create impact without losing themselves in the process.

Back to the Source resonates with Michel as a return to what truly matters—leadership grounded in listening, humility, and a deeper sense of shared responsibility.

An overnight and day on the Island of Gorée with visits to the House of Children, The House of Slaves and its Door of No Return.

Genuine bonds—over shared meals and storytelling—with community members, fellow travellers, and those guiding the journey 

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Immersion into village life of rural Abéné where you will meet village elders and explore their values, visit spiritual sites, and engage in a traditional ritual.

Hands‑on humanitarian experiences—whether at the local school or health center—creating lasting impact and meaningful presence in the village

A scenic, overnight ferry journey from Dakar to Ziguinchor up the Casamance river.

Moving beyond familiar comforts into a landscape where joy, generosity, and simplicity reshape how you see yourself and your place in the world

*If you need to pay against an invoice, please complete the form below.

Abéne is the rural village where we will spend most of the retreat. It is the backdrop of Doug Manuel’s Beats as One documentary about the cure to the loneliness and isolation epidemic.

*There is a possibility that this retreat will be featured in the documentary.

Please contact Doug if you require more information.

We will take care of all travel/transportation within Senegal. You just need to book your flights to and from Dakar, Senegal.

Arrival in Dakar (DSS Airport) on Monday, 19th January 2026 no later than 17h30 local time

Depart from Banjul (BJL Airport) on Monday 26th January 2026 no earlier than 20h00 local time

We highly recommend you arriving and departing on Brussels Airlines. However depending on the port of your departure it is worth checking Transavia or Air Senegal.

Vaccinations are a personal choice. We encourage you to consult your healthcare provider for recommendations prior to traveling.

This insurance should cover medical emergencies, accidents, trip cancellations, and personal liability.

*If you need to pay against an invoice, please complete the form below.

*If you need to pay against an invoice, please complete the form below.

  • “A unique opportunity for me to reconsider my views of the world, to reassess my values and to question my own purpose. I came back deeply moved and better connected with our shared humanity.

    - Christian Petit, CEO

  • “The children there are desperate to learn, and I just found them magical.”

    - Lesley Angus, retreat participant

  • “I came back so happy. Despite all their hardships I came back full of energy as if I stayed in a 7* hotel!”

    – Ana Yudine, retreat participant

  • “The thing that I enjoyed the most about this trip was the sense of community. The people there were so welcoming, and we became a part of their lives so easily.”

    – Madelyne Shilliday