I recently just returned back home from a four-day solo techless retreat.

It’s interesting seeing people's different reactions when I first tell them that I’m getting ready to head out for one.

Some have expressed curiosity and ask questions around what it entails. Others immediately notice a relaxing inside of their nervous systems as they may say something along the lines of “Wow, I could really use something like that myself.”

And I’d be lying if I didn’t include those who may outwardly say or think that I’m a little cray cray for doing such, as it’s not something that people often hear in casual day-to-day conversations.

Irregardless to which of these you may most resonate with regarding your own immediate response, I’d like to share even greater context around its set up.

I know the name is pretty self-explanatory but the retreat is for three nights and four days.

I rent either a house on the beach or a cabin in the mountains every four months (equal to three times a year).

I bring all of my own food, a couple of books, and a journal. That’s it.

Meaning I bring zero technology (as in my laptop or cell phone).

During this time I intentionally slow down, reflect, and connect deeper with nature and without any other human beings present with me from start to finish.

The very first time I created one of these for myself was back in 2019.

Back then it was out of sheer necessity as I was EXHAUSTED from overstretching myself for a period of time that led me to seeing with crystal clear clarity that both my mind and body needed an absolute reset.

Can you relate to this same feeling either in the past or maybe even in the present moment?

Shortly around that time I had just moved to a new city (shout out to Austin, Texas) and didn’t do the best job of adjusting “space” within my schedule, as I went on a bit of a professional networking binge in order to meet as many new people as I could within the city.

Incorporating that on top of some of my already ironclad scheduling commitments, was a great learning experience for me on the importance of creating more mini gaps of intentional space for myself throughout the course of a day.

Since then, I’ve experimented on some level with creating mini retreats at various periods throughout the year.

Last year and in 2023 I completed three solo retreats (one in April, August, and December).

And in 2022 I actually completed four - one every three months with the actual last one being while visiting in-laws in Finland during the month of December.

Here's a pic of the Radalla Resort in which I stayed in Finland.

Radalla Resort - Iitti, Finland. (It was 25 degrees Fahrenheit)

What once used to create a sense of uneasiness around the allocating of time to essentially do “nothing,” has evolved to one of the things I now enjoy the most (and proactively schedule on my caIendar several months in advance).

It’s no longer scheduled out of “necessity,” as it’s now just become a ritual of sorts that I show up for (irregardless of how I feel).

I’ve come to love these times of solitude and reflection, as I always leave them feeling even more energized, creative, and clear around different aspects that I’d like to newly implement or let go of, upon returning back home.

In my last one in December of 2024, I spent it at a cabin along the Pacific Ocean.

During it I had the clear insight that it would serve me to create a small Men’s Group again.

This is something I personally have both been a part of and benefited from at different periods over the past 7 years (I speak more about this in Why I Joined a Men’s Group).

In addition to that, in the past I also facilitated one myself for a year and half straight at one point too, at the beginning of 2020.

I think everything happens for a reason and it was no coincidence that I felt a huge inner nudge in November of 2019 to create one beginning that following calendar year.

Not even three months after starting it is when the COVID pandemic with lockdowns began.

Men from all over the US as well as Europe were a part of the group.

It proved to be a powerful space for men to authentically share some of both the challenges as well as potentials they were experiencing around the different uncertainties that were present within the world at that time.

As I said, I believe everything happens for a reason, and from that place, God genuinely nudged me to create my first men’s group then, without me having any awareness of what would occur on a global level shortly after launching it.

One man within the group proactively left a job that was no longer serving them to start their marketing agency, while another man proactively shifted positions within his organization in order to further elevate his knowledge and leadership skills in a different role. The latter gentleman ended up winning the Presidents Club Award at his company by year's end (which subsequently led to a promotion and 30% raise – in the middle of the pandemic).

Another man gave up a porn addiction that they had been silently struggling with for over 20 years. While another man repaired a four-year broken relationship with their father (to which they hadn’t spoken to once during that time). They are now super close and frequently travel to see one another (even though they live in different countries, spanning over 5,000 miles in between). One man who came into the group feeling burned out, learned how to better speak up for themselves. From that place, he both set and integrated boundaries of his time on a personal and professional level (leading to more inner peace and time for them to do activities outside of work they greatly enjoy – like salsa lessons and leading cooking classes where they showed other highly scheduled professionals how to prepare both delicious and nutritious meals at home).

If you are in a place where you’re tired of going at it alone and deep down know that you’re capable of more than how you are showing up in the world, I invite you to look into my upcoming Men’s Group. It’s for thoughtful, purpose-driven, and self led men who are desiring to bring forward even more presence, peace, and purpose within their lives (rather in their professional careers, relationships, health, or/and finances), in a highly accountable, nonjudgemental, and supportive space of other men who are committed to continuing the evolution of creating the same within their own lives.

In a world with AI and technology adding even more efficiency to how each human can live their lives, it can also create a hindrance too if utilized in an unconscious way.

I’m talking social media and instant scrolling on different apps, often leading to one becoming overstimulated and mentally overwhelmed. You can read more about my detox experience in What I Learned Giving Up Social Media for Three Months.

A techless retreat is something that breaks that pattern of going going going + doing doing doing, and offers an opportunity to really cultivate the space of “being.”

Some questions I often reflect on during them are:

1. What am I doing that Is currently working great?

2. What would it be useful for me to stop or let go of?

3. What is something new that I would love to start or implement, that by doing such would create a ripple effect that would positively impact multiple areas within my life?

On top of these I often reflect on my learnings since my previous retreat (in this case, nearly 4.5 months prior).

Those questions are:

1. What's been going well the past four months (since my last solo retreat)?

2. What accomplishments since the beginning of January 1st that I’m most proud of?

3. What have been my biggest challenges and learning experiences over this time?

4. What are my top intentions and goals for the next 120 days/four months (or until my next solo retreat)?

While out there I also journal each and every morning (which is and has been a practice of mine for nearly 10 years, solo retreat or not).

I find the practice of writing out the things I’m grateful for each day + how I’m genuinely feeling in the moment (without any limitations or judgement around it), to be a nice cleanser for me in starting my day.

I say all of this not to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, but only to share something that has been immensely helpful for me on my path.

What I typically see with others is that the more they grow professionally, the more their responsibilities and the amount of people who are vying for their time grows too.

They can often be so focused on what’s in front of them, that they don’t create a time to truly reflect and celebrate on the journey to where it is that they are at.

Having intentional reflection periods (outside of just once a year), is a way that I’ve found to personally celebrate more of the journey to wherever it is I am aiming, while at the same time identify potential growth opportunities more sooner than I have in the past.

Retreats are like a form of maintenance on a car.

You take your car in every 3,000 miles for an oil change (unless you obviously own an EV).

And you rotate the tires every 7,500 miles for alignment and less wear and tear.

Of course your car can still function if you go over the amount of miles recommended in between oil changes or tire rotations, however the more you “push” it beyond its limits, the more wear and tear it accumulates over time.

The more wear and tear experienced, the longer and more work it takes to get the car back to balance when aspects break down within it.

A solo techless retreat is the human version of the car, in that the more you maintain yourself and allow for periods of true disconnection (at times without being influenced by others), the more clearly you’ll see what's meant for you to see at a given time.

Going into the ocean, placing one's bare feet on the grass, or breathing in the fresh air from being out in the mountains – nature provides us an abundant amount of all of these, to which if we choose, we all have the opportunity to experience.

If this brought something up for you, please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts — I’m always open to hearing if others can relate to what I’m sharing.

With Love,

Brandon

P.S. - If you are a man who’s ready to answer the call within and bring a more authentic, present, and powerful version of yourself, anchored into your deepest purpose with no more playing small or hiding, I invite you to set up a Clarity Call to explore the possibility of joining the upcoming group.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” ~ African proverb

Airplane Mode for the Soul: Lessons From a 4-Day Solo Techless Retreat