The (Re)treat that Keeps on Giving
Thu Dec 04 2025
Dear Leaders,
Team retreats aren't just nice to have: they impact trust, bring people closer together, and give you space to solve problems in ways you can't when you're stuck in your normal routine.
I'm saying this as someone who facilitates team experiences for a living, and I'll be honest: I was discounting the value of our own team retreat. I was overthinking the time commitment, worrying about whether it was really necessary.
But after bringing our fully remote team to Columbia, Missouri for two days, I asked them for their honest reflections. What they shared completely shifted how I think about bringing people together.
In this episode, I share their actual feedback I got from my team, and give you your own team retreat agenda you can steal to host your own!
We'll talk about:
Why team retreats get a bad rap (looking at you, Michael Scott's beach day)The three things retreats give you: connection, shared language and purpose, and space to solve problemsHow retreats validate your team's importance without requiring direct ROIIf you're thinking "I don't have the budget for two days away," here's the truth: the location and duration doesn't matter. What matters is dedicating time to step away from normal work and focus on connection and dreaming together.
Love, Your People
Book Brandi to speak! spreecultureco.com/speaking-engagements
Download the leader guide for this episode here: https://spreecultureco.com/dear-leader-downloadable-leader-guides/
The leader guide includes retreat agendas you can steal: 2-hour, half-day, and full-day options.
More
Dear Leaders, Team retreats aren't just nice to have: they impact trust, bring people closer together, and give you space to solve problems in ways you can't when you're stuck in your normal routine. I'm saying this as someone who facilitates team experiences for a living, and I'll be honest: I was discounting the value of our own team retreat. I was overthinking the time commitment, worrying about whether it was really necessary. But after bringing our fully remote team to Columbia, Missouri for two days, I asked them for their honest reflections. What they shared completely shifted how I think about bringing people together. In this episode, I share their actual feedback I got from my team, and give you your own team retreat agenda you can steal to host your own! We'll talk about: Why team retreats get a bad rap (looking at you, Michael Scott's beach day)The three things retreats give you: connection, shared language and purpose, and space to solve problemsHow retreats validate your team's importance without requiring direct ROIIf you're thinking "I don't have the budget for two days away," here's the truth: the location and duration doesn't matter. What matters is dedicating time to step away from normal work and focus on connection and dreaming together. Love, Your People Book Brandi to speak! spreecultureco.com/speaking-engagements Download the leader guide for this episode here: https://spreecultureco.com/dear-leader-downloadable-leader-guides/ The leader guide includes retreat agendas you can steal: 2-hour, half-day, and full-day options.