Emergence
A 3-day sabbatical for those entering the creative, expansive second half of life.
Imagine
Stepping away briefly, from the identity that has been working in you for decades.
The achiever, the solver, the one who holds it all together.
Imagine setting that identity down, and noticing what remains.
Not emptiness, not uncertainty. But presence. A clearer pulse of who you are now.
Imagine a steadier center. A lighter way of moving. A quieter form of conviction.
The next chapter doesn’t need to be built. It needs to be recognized. Lived into.
This is emergence — already rising.
A space where the next chapter can be felt before it is named.
Midlife’s arc of emergence.
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1. The signal beneath the noise
A subtle shift begins.
The role still fits, but no longer defines you.
What once fueled you now feels too small.
Something quieter is asking for space.
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2. Seeing what you’ve avoided seeing
Without effort, the unseen becomes visible.
Patterns, habits, identities that once felt necessary begin to loosen on their own.
Not as loss — as truth.
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3. Setting down what no longer carries you
You release the identity that held everything together.
Not with drama. Not with collapse.
Just a simple, honest recognition: This no longer feels alive.
What remains is not emptiness — but clarity.
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4. Loosening the grip on how things must be
Action becomes lighter.
Control softens into trust.
Presence replaces effort.
You begin to move from a deeper center — one that does not need to prove anything.
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5. Stepping into the life that is already forming
You return with a different tempo.
More spacious. More certain. More true.
The next chapter does not need to be built.
It only needs to be lived into.
The Emergence Manifesto.
“Traveler, there is no path.
The path is made by walking.”
— Antonio Machado
Aneace and Fabrice—Your Guides for the Journey Ahead.
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Aneace Haddad
Executive coach, former tech CEO, author of The Eagle That Drank Hummingbird Nectar and Soaring Beyond Midlife.
Aneace spent the first half of his career building a global payments software company in the south of France, serving banks in over 30 countries.
After selling the business in his late 40s, he discovered he liked people more than computers, and began a different kind of leadership journey—one rooted less in scale and speed, and more in presence, clarity, and what endures.
Today, he works with senior executives and C-suite teams navigating their own pivotal transitions, helping them unlock a quieter, more powerful form of leadership.
His approach blends strategic depth with a deeply personal understanding of what it means to begin again, late in life—with wisdom.
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Fabrice Desmarescaux (Guest Facilitator)
McKinsey partner, author of The Art of Retreats, and leadership guide.
Fabrice brings over two decades of experience at the intersection of global leadership and inner transformation.
He has guided CEOs, boards, and senior teams across sectors, while also immersing himself in meditation, somatic practices, and archetypal psychology.
His retreats are known for their rare blend of structure and spaciousness—inviting leaders to reconnect with what’s essential, shed what no longer fits, and lead from a deeper, more integrated place.
Fabrice’s presence offers a unique mix of gravitas, stillness, and renewal.
Before You Arrive.
There’s no preparation required—no goals to set or intentions to declare.
Instead, we invite something quieter—and more powerful: to carry a question.
Not one to solve, but one to live with.
A different kind of readiness.
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“Knowledge is a love affair with answers.
Wisdom is a love affair with questions.”
—Julio OlallaThere’s no performance to deliver. No expectations to meet.
Just a question.Not the kind that demands an answer.
But the kind that opens space inside you.A question that’s been quietly walking beside you—
or one that meets you freshly now.You don’t need to speak it aloud.
You don’t even need to understand it yet.The retreat will unfold around this question.
Not to solve it,
but to live in its presence.What question might accompany you in?
Let it come. Let it stay. Let it change form.
That is its work.
What You’ll Experience.
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Unfolding
Not through effort.
Not through insight.
Simply by slowing enough to notice what has been waiting beneath the pace of your life.
What emerges here does so gently — in its own time, in its own shape.
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Stillness
Not silence as absence, but as a presence of its own.
Room to hear yourself think — and feel — without interruption.
Space where the mind softens, the breath settles, and what is essential becomes clear.
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Presence
To be with others who do not need anything from you.
To be seen without the identity that has carried you.
To meet yourself again — without performance, without striving, without proving.
This is where insight becomes integration.
Where clarity becomes embodied.
Where the next chapter begins to live inside you.
After You Leave.
There’s no forced follow-up program, no checklist, no expected deliverables.
Instead, we offer something rarer: nothing.
Not absence, but space.
A different kind of support.
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Nothing follows this retreat by design.
No session to review what happened.
No invitation to stay connected.
No effort to convert insight into action.The work continues—without effort, without prompting.
Because what changed wasn’t your plan. It was you.You may notice it weeks later.
In a conversation that catches you off guard.
In a choice that feels lighter than expected.
Or in something you no longer need.There’s no pressure to track it.
No need to capture or explain.The retreat ends, but the journey continues — quietly, organically..
Kind Words from Leaders Who Have Worked with Us in the Past.
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"A deeply felt experience—examining how you are living, and how to define a purposeful path ahead."
Ray Ferguson, Chairman, Singlife Group
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"Wisdom naturally emerges from people in the room and helps them connect, create, and inspire one another. An art to be 'Here and Now.’"
Audrey Ricard, Group Head Executive Development, Prudential
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"It is transformative. Not an epiphany. A subtle discernment."
Mathilde Swierczynska, Managing Director, Head of Compliance, UBP - Union Bancaire Privée
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"Even though it was a tough few days, the results were transformational and set us on a path which has been successful and which is still working very well for us 18 months later."
Bill Maldonado, CEO, Eastspring Investments
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"Helps uncover blind spots, improve self-awareness, and see more clearly how others respond to you."
Julien Callard, Group Chief Actuary, AXA
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"Inspires and empowers individuals to discover their best selves."
Alexandre Macaire, Group CFO, Techcombank
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"Cultivates in individuals and teams a lasting sense of empowerment, resilience and confidence."
Aarti Ramaswami, Dean, ESSEC Business School, Asia-Pacific
A Setting Apart, in Bali.
The Emergence Retreat unfolds in a setting chosen not just for its beauty, but for what it makes possible. Tucked in one of Bali’s hidden corners, it offers rare conditions—quiet, privacy, and spaciousness—for something new to stir. This isn’t a resort. It’s a threshold. A place where the next chapter begins to take shape.
This is an intimate gathering of 10 to 12 senior executives.
We’ll spend five days and four nights together, from Wednesday, 5 November at 4PM to Sunday, 9 November at 12 PM (noon). Fully booked
You’ll stay in a private ensuite room. Meals are freshly prepared onsite. Airport transfers to and from Denpasar (DPS) will be arranged for your arrival and departure.
Investment: US$6,400 per person.
This inaugural cohort rate is a significant reduction from the standard US$11,000 fee. Includes private room, all meals, transfers, and full retreat program. (Airfare not included.)
Feeling a quiet yes?
If this retreat speaks to something in you, leave your details below. We’ll be in touch personally for next steps.