What our Writers Thought
Lambay 2018
Minnesota, USA
On the retreat I worked with my co-author on a detailed outline for our next book together, which is still in progress. I continue to write my weekly blogs and am now writing a small book on leading living systems. I am more and more convinced that if we saw the life in our systems our behavior would shift as a result.
I am working on helping people change the narrative from seeing people and their organizations shift from an object / objectification to a living system / living human beings.
Julia Vaughan-Smith
Zen Vouga 2017
UK
Many thanks for your encouragement of my writing.
The writing I started at the Zen Vouga retreat resulted in a book ‘Coaching and Trauma’, published by Open University Press in September 2019. A photo of the book and the link to amazon is here.
The book has been very well reviewed in Coaching and Work and Coaching Today, the two main journals for coaching in the UK. It has also been well received in Norway.
I would love another writing retreat and look forward to later in the year when that might be possible. A favourite of mine is the Gladstone Library, a residential library, which is perfect for getting on with writing. They have been giving a reduced rate to members of the Society of Authors. The institution-like space holds the writing task well.
Nick Ross
Lambay 2018
Somerset, UK
At the Lambay writing retreat I wrote poems - here is one about my experience of the writing retreat itself:
Sarah Bailey
Lambay 2018
Exeter, UK
I worked on a chapter of my doctoral thesis “Social enterprise partnerships: exploring the experience of partnership for social enterprises in the UK” – subsequently completed and accessible at the University library here.
Amit Chaterjee
Zen Vouga 2017
India
Well, the piece I was struggling to get under control during the retreat in Portugal was a book I wanted to write on the ‘trajectory’ of a professional as one starts off as a young educated individual, becomes a Manager and then hopefully retire as a CEO or a Board Member. I hope that such a book may help budding managers to culminate their professional journey in a purposeful manner.
Here is an article - ‘A Purposeful Life’ - I wrote sometime back
Yori Kamphuis
Lambay 2018 & 2019
Amsterdam, Netherlands
After Lambay I did what I intended – to complete the first full draft of my book Walk With Me (about 100,000 words).
Then I I felt that some of the function of the writing had been achieved – the reflection, going through it. But wasn't yet a book. I didn’t find a publisher and set up a website to crowd-fund the publication. The people who signed up include a colleague who left full-time employment to become a writer – he went cold turkey! He gave me detailed feedback and I now pay him as an editor which is helping a lot.
I had wanted to write about recovery (from injuries) but through this editing process I have come to see that the book is about belonging. This has implications for the story arc and I’m enjoying re-thinking it. It feels like real progress.
Cynthia Cherry
Lambay 2018
USA
You can read Cynthia's paper here "Can Business Drive Performance and Social Impact?"
President & CEO International Leadership Association. You can find Cynthia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.