Menla Mountain Retreat in the Catskills at dusk
For people who build things

The Reset

Still creating, but the joy's gone quiet?
Three days in the Catskills to find it again, with people who know exactly where you are.
Thursday Sept 17  to  Sunday Sept 20, 2026
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If this is you

You're still creating. The joy just went quiet.

It's not the kind of tired a weekend away fixes. It's the kind where the spark that made you want to create in the first place has gone missing. You still show up. You still hit the deadlines. You still deliver. But the play is gone, and you feel alone in it, because everyone around you looks like they're thriving.

The Reset is three days in the Catskills to find your room: a roomful of creative people facing the exact same thing, working through it side by side. The days are built from honest conversation, making things with your hands, and movement. One group. One room. Together.

It's not about outcomes. Not portfolio pieces, not something to show for when you get home. It's about reconnecting with creativity, joy, and play, in the company of others reaching for the same momentum.

Matthew LeBaron
Your guide

Matthew LeBaron

Founder, Much Creative · ICF P.C.C. · iPEC C.P.C.

Matthew has spent more than twenty years in the creative industry. Now, as a certified executive and creative leadership coach, he runs retreats that help people reconnect with their creativity, through conversation, movement, and community.

His signature method, Portraits of Becoming, has you work with your hands, shaping color and form into a portrait of who you're becoming, then into something you carry home. He's run it everywhere from intimate retreats to a room of thirty-two C-suite leaders.

Your weekend

The full arc of the weekend

It begins ten days before you arrive and runs a week past your goodbye. The whole arc, from first hello to reentry.

Ten days before

Welcome Zoom call

The whole group meets over Zoom to get acquainted and walk through what's coming, so no one arrives a stranger. You'll leave with a little homework, so you come ready.

Thursday

Arrival

A soft entry
Afternoon

Arrive & settle in

Check in, find your room, and get acquainted with the land at your own pace.

Evening
A meal together

Bonfire & conversation

Gather around the fire for easy, casual conversation. Nothing formal, just a gentle start.

Friday

The first full day

Morning

Movement inspired by yoga and Qi Gong, accessible to all

A gentle way to land in your body before the day begins.

Breakfast together

Solo reflection

One hour to yourself, to reflect and digest.

Late morning

Opening ceremony

We mark the true beginning of the weekend together.

Sacred silence hike

A walk into the valley held in shared silence.

Midday

What We're Carrying

A two-hour session, in breakout groups and together, to unearth what we carry that keeps us stuck.

Lunch
Afternoon

Solo reflection

Ninety minutes that are yours, to use however you like.

Creative coaching · Portraits of Becoming

We work with our hands, shaping abstract art as we explore who we're becoming, and the parts of ourselves worth growing.

Evening
Dinner

Felt bodywork meditation

A group session in the barn, then the evening is yours.

Saturday

Going deeper

Morning

Bringing your true self forward

What holds us back, and how to bring our true selves forward. We pair off in twos and threes for deep listening while Matthew works the room, then regroup for a fishbowl, and leave with an accountability partner.

Midday

A hike of noticing

Being truly present, with meditation and breath.

Lunch & journaling

Bookended with solo time and prompts for journaling.

Early evening

Coaching Deeper

Pulling at the threads and throughline of our work. Group and individual work.

Evening
Dinner

Game night & fireside

An optional game night, then a fireside chat, a literal one.

Sunday

Closing & reentry

Morning
Breakfast

Closing ceremony

Letters to ourselves, and preparing to carry it back into real life.

Departures after lunch

One week later

Group coaching check-in

The group reconvenes for a coaching check-in, with the option to keep going as an ongoing cohort.

Warm gathering space set for the group The group on a forest trail beneath prayer flags
Menla Mountain Retreat at dusk, lights glowing beneath a misty Catskill valley
Phoenicia, New York
The land

Menla Mountain Retreat

Tucked into a private Catskills valley, Menla spans more than 320 acres of forest, streams, and trails, ringed by national forest preserve. A project of Tibet House US, the Dalai Lama's cultural center in North America, it's part mountain retreat, part destination spa, and a rare place to truly unplug together.

320+ acres
Secluded Catskills valley
Farm to table
Organic, garden fresh meals
Gathering space
Held just for our group

Spa passes are $25 per guest, first-come, first-served and subject to availability.

Choose your stay

Where you will rest

Three ways to stay, from a private suite to a shared cabin. Pick what fits.

12 beds · 8 bedrooms · up to 12 guests
Deluxe King Suite with warm light and private bath
1 available

The Private Suite

A Deluxe King Suite that is entirely yours, with a private bathroom. The quietest, most restful option on the property.
Bed   1 King
Bath   Private, yours alone
Sharing   No one
$2,500per person, all-inclusive
Cozy single bedroom with a window overlooking the forest
2 available

A Room of Your Own

An Economy Premium Single at Nalanda: your own private bedroom, with a bathroom shared down the hall. Privacy without the suite price.
Bed   1, your own room
Bath   Shared down the hall
Sharing   Just a bathroom, no roommate
$2,000per person, all-inclusive
Bright cabin bedroom with wood stove and warm blankets
9 beds · the cabin

The Garuda Cabin

One cozy cabin with its own kitchen and living room, shared baths, and a mix of rooms. The social heart of the weekend.
Singles   3 rooms, own room each · $1,650 pp
Double   1 room, shared by 2 · $1,450 pp
Quad   1 room, shared by 4 · $1,300 pp
From $1,300per person, all-inclusive

Every rate includes three nights, all meals, the full retreat program, and all art supplies and facilitation.

From past retreats

What people carry home

“Independence feels doable now. 72 hours ago I was unsure, afraid, and didn’t think I had it in me. That’s not what happened.”

Jeff Nally · Founder, Nally Group

“It really felt like I was at a clubhouse with my friends and we were just playing with nature. In our professional roles, we still create with art, but the stakes are very high. This was a very different experience.”

Sarah Reyes · Founder, Exploredinary

“In a world that moves so fast, it’s just so nice to disconnect. As artists and freelancers we forget to recharge, going from one job to the next, stressed out. To have a multi-day recharge was just so refreshing.”

Daniel Driensky · Filmmaker

“The experience of having my phone taken from me was liberating. I kept reaching for it and it wasn’t there, and then that sensation went away. Now I can see the impulse more clearly without it.”

Chris Cort · Chief Operating Officer

“I was really surprised at the depth of connection revealed through the conversations, in the coaching sessions, the group sessions, and the downtime. That’s where it felt really real.”

Mai Truong · Founder, Bo & Mei
Forest at Menla
Twelve seats, by conversation

Let's see if it's your room

I keep this group small and the room intentional, so there's no instant sign-up. Every place starts with a short call, to make sure The Reset is right for you, and you for it.

Request your spot
Every rate is all-inclusive: three nights, all meals, the full program, coaching, movement, art supplies, and facilitation. Our gathering space is held just for the group, all weekend.