LM Summer 2024

“I was a bit skeptical, but the retreat was more than I ever expected,” a participant said in their evaluation survey. “Taking care of me was really put into perspective. I have been making what would be considered a small commitment to working out, etc. The ideas I gathered from the retreat have lit a fire to push me to commit to doing more hard things.” Day 2 of the event began with an optional “Earn Your Sunrise” Fun Run led by Dan Cox and Mike Donatelli, two running enthusiasts who preached to our group to “Just Start” and challenged the group to “Do Hard Things.” Back at camp, professional photographer Jake Carr, of J7 Images, shared a powerful message of the meaning of our portrait and offered

professional headshots to our leaders. Dan then told his story of loss and triumph as he challenged the group to Do Hard Things by embracing a team-building event of a Ruck Hike at Starved Rock State Park. As the two-day event wrapped up, I shared a vision with the group for leadership accountability measures that continues post conference in an app-based platform for growth. We learned a lot from this first event and are already gearing up for a second retreat next summer. The goal is to hold the retreat on June 23rd and 24th in Starved Rock Country. More information will be posted at a later date at stressedleaders.com.

17 LM Summer 2024