Gather your people.
Pause with purpose.

Fall has a way of pulling us quickly back into motion. The meetings return. The calendar fills. The priorities stack.

This one-day retreat is for teams, chosen circles, and purpose-driven groups who want to slow down before the fall pace picks up.

Together, you'll move through guided reflection, meaningful conversation, and shared connection—reconnecting with what matters, clearing what's in the way, and leaving with the focus and alignment to make this season count.

WHO THIS IS FOR

Who is your team?

For this retreat, your team does not have to fit a traditional definition. You get to decide who your people are.

The invitation in simple: gather people you want to be in meaningful conversation with.

  • Your workplace or leadership team

  • A board, committee, or project group

  • Your business partners or collaborators

  • A group of entrepreneurs you trust

  • A circle of peers navigating a similar season

  • A few people you would love to pause, reflect, and connect with

Most team retreats happen in private. This one is different.

Throughout the day, you’ll have space to reflect on your own, connect with your group, and learn alongside other teams who are also navigating change, growth, and uncertainty. That shared experience creates something a private retreat can’t.

THE VENUE

Otter Pointe Resort

TBD

THE EXPERIENCE

A day away, together

For one day, we step out of urgency and into intention.
We move beyond small talk and into meaningful conversation.
We let go of the pressure to perform competence and allow ourselves to be human.
We listen deeply; to ourselves, to one another, and to what this season is asking of us.

Together, you’ll move through guided reflection, meaningful conversation, and shared connection. Reconnecting with yourself, each other, and the purpose that helps you navigate change with [resilience and hope].

REFLECT

Look back at the season behind you — what you’ve been carrying, what has energized you, and what patterns are asking for your attention.

RECONNECT

Return to the deeper why behind your work and your people. Clarify what matters most as you step into the season ahead.

MOVE FORWARD

Leave with one clear, purposeful next step — and the shared momentum of a team that paused together with intention.

  • Full-day guided facilitation
    Led by Sarah Nicole Martin

  • Solo reflection time
    Quiet, structured space to think

  • Team connection
    Time for your group to reflect, reconnect, and align

  • Shared wisdom from the room
    Guided conversation with other teams

  • Lunch and refreshments
    Morning coffee and refreshments, a full lunch, and afternoon snacks

  • A copy of Purposeful Pause
    Sarah book — one for each person

What’s included & how the day flows.

“Transformation feels like an understatement.
We left feeling clear, connected and grounded.”

Carlos & Meredith Perez

“I returned home with a full heart, a clearer path, and a renewed sense of energy.”

Megan Dumais

“I can’t wait to go through these Purposeful Pause exercises again and again each year.”

Peggy Bell

INVESTMENT

This experience is designed for groups of six.

Bring your people and give them a day that is both restorative and practical. A professional development investment that creates space to breathe, think, and reconnect before the season asks so much of you.

Want to come, but don't have a group of six?

Your group doesn't have to be exactly six and you don't have to have a group at all.

Coming with three people? Eight? On your own? Reach out. I'll learn a little about what you're navigating and what you're hoping for from the day, and we'll figure out the right fit together.

Early Bird Pricing

TEAM TABLE

$1,000

+HST, up to 6 people
$166 per person

Reserved table for your group full-day facilitation.

  • Full-day guided facilitation

  • Private team reflection time

  • Shared gathering with all teams

  • Lunch and refreshments

  • Purposeful Pause book per person

  • Practical tools to carry the work forward

prices will increase after August 1

INDIVIDUAL SEAT

$200

+HST

Come on your own and be matched with a curated group of people navigating a similar season.

  • Full-day guided facilitation

  • Curated group placement

  • Lunch and refreshments

  • Purposeful Pause book

  • Practical tools to carry the work forward

Meet Sarah Nicole

I founded Optimal Affect with the belief that when individuals and teams pause with intention and reconnect to their purpose, they create lasting impact—not just in their organizations, but in their communities and beyond.

With a degree in Social Development Studies and over 15 years of experience in organizational development, I have helped hundreds of leaders and teams create clarity and alignment, resolve conflict, and navigate complexity with confidence.

My work spans government, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and global institutions. Highlights include facilitating strategic working sessions with UNICEF Global and at the United Nations General Assembly, as well as designing and leading retreats and development programs for leaders across industries.

Through cultivating thoughtful leadership, aligning culture with strategy, and guiding people to realign with what matters most, I help unlock human potential. This work isn’t just about productivity—it’s about fostering resilience, well-being, and meaningful change that ripples outward. When we slow down to realign, we accelerate what matters most.

Learn More