The Other Side – A Women’s Retreat on Connection, Patterns & the Male Perspective
The Mentor of Men
We can understand our relationship patterns and still keep repeating them. The Other Side is a 2–3 day experiential retreat for women who want to explore what happens to them in relationship, intimacy and connection, particularly in their…
Retreat Overview
Retreat Description
We can understand our relationship patterns and still keep repeating them.
The Other Side is a 2–3 day experiential retreat for women who want to explore what happens to them in relationship, intimacy and connection, particularly in their interactions with men.
The retreat can be co-facilitated by Lisa Wade and Erik van Nieuwburg, founder of Mentor of Men and an experienced facilitator of men’s groups and retreats.
Lisa creates the foundation from which participants can explore their own experiences, patterns, boundaries, desires and vulnerability. Erik brings another element into that space: a grounded male presence with whom some of those patterns can be experienced rather than only discussed.
From talking about him to meeting him
Participants bring real situations in which they feel stuck.
Perhaps you repeatedly choose someone who is unavailable.
Perhaps you lose yourself when you fall in love.
Perhaps you start pleasing when you fear rejection.
Perhaps you become controlling when you feel uncertain.
Perhaps you withdraw before someone else can leave.
Perhaps you struggle to express what you actually want.
Or perhaps closeness itself becomes frightening once it is really available.
Instead of only analysing these patterns, participants have an opportunity to explore what happens in real interaction.
Through conversation, guided exercises and role-play, Erik can become the person opposite them.
What happens when a man does not respond in the way you hoped?
What happens when he comes closer?
When he sets a boundary?
When he disagrees?
When he stays?
When he really sees you?
Participants can slow these moments down, notice what happens in their bodies and behaviour, receive honest feedback about how the interaction is experienced from the other side and experiment with a different response.
The male perspective
Erik does not speak on behalf of all men, just as Lisa does not prescribe how women should behave.
He offers something simpler and potentially more valuable: his own honest experience as a man in the interaction.
What happens in him when someone withdraws, pleases, pushes, protects herself, stops saying what she needs or tries to control the connection?
This allows participants to explore the difference between what they intend to communicate and what another person may actually experience.
Staying with yourself in connection
Throughout the retreat, Lisa helps participants bring their attention back to themselves.
Can I remain connected to what I feel, want and need while being deeply connected to someone else?
Can I tolerate uncertainty without abandoning myself?
Can I allow someone else to have a boundary without experiencing it as rejection?
Can I express desire without demanding an outcome?
Can I stay present when intimacy activates old fears?
The aim is not to become better at attracting or keeping a partner.
It is to develop greater freedom inside connection.
Finding the opening
By combining women’s exploration with direct interaction across female and male perspectives, The Other Side creates an opportunity to discover not only where participants repeatedly get stuck, but where another response becomes possible.
The moment between the familiar pattern and what happens next.
The opening.
Other Focus / Benefits
Relationship patterns, self-awareness, intimacy, vulnerability, boundaries, authentic connection, staying connected to yourself in relationship, understanding intention versus impact, male-female dynamics, embodied learning, expressing needs and desires, navigating rejection and uncertainty, and discovering new ways of relating to yourself and others.
Focus Themes
Personal & RelationalGrowth & Development
Retreat Model
Programme only (client books venueyou provide programme/facilitation)
Logistics & Delivery
What’s Included
The full 2–3 day retreat programme and facilitation by two facilitators, including preparation and tailoring of the programme, group sessions, guided experiential exercises, individual explorations within the group, role-play, reflection and integration. Venue, accommodation, catering, travel and accommodation for facilitators are not included.
Minimum Planning Time (weeks)
4
Would Travel Elsewhere?
Yes
Languages
DutchEnglish
Commercial & Partnership
Past Clients
Lisa Wade has worked with organisations including Movies that Matter, War Child, Missing Chapter Foundation and the Anne Frank Stichting (International Youth Conference). Erik van Nieuwburg, founder of Mentor of Men, brings extensive experience facilitating men’s groups, retreats and personal development work. The Other Side is a new retreat concept bringing their complementary experience and perspectives together.
Partnership Model
commission-promotion
Corporate Experience
Yes
Industries
Other
Hosted by Lisa Wade
About the Host
Lisa Wade is a British-Dutch television presenter, journalist, programme maker, writer, director and facilitator with more than twenty years of experience in media, storytelling, education and live events. She became widely known in the Netherlands as a presenter of the iconic children’s television programme Het Klokhuis. She later presented Vroege Vogels on national radio and television and co-created and presented the award-winning historical series 13 in de Oorlog, which was nominated for an International Emmy Award. She holds a Master’s degree in Theatre Studies and Dramaturgy from the University of Amsterdam, where she graduated cum laude. Throughout her career, Lisa has worked at the intersection of storytelling, communication, education and human connection. Whether she is interviewing someone, presenting to an audience, directing, teaching a workshop or facilitating a conversation, she is interested in the same fundamental question: what allows people to become present enough to genuinely meet one another? She has worked with children, young people, media professionals, musicians and professionals from many different fields, helping them communicate with greater confidence, authenticity and connection. Her approach combines more than two decades of experience in front of the camera and on stage with her background in dramaturgy, journalism and directing. As a British-Dutch professional, Lisa works fluently in both Dutch and English and brings a naturally international perspective to her work. Her workshop Presenting Me grew out of the observation that people often become less convincing when they start trying to “present”. Instead of teaching participants to perform a polished version of themselves, Lisa helps them discover what happens when they stop performing and start connecting. Through practical exercises in presence, curiosity, listening, storytelling andnd interaction, participants develop a way of communicating that feels both more natural and more powerful.
Travel Locations
Worldwide. Based in the Netherlands and happy to travel internationally. Travel and accommodation costs are additional and depend on location.
Certifications & Credentials
MA in Theatre Studies/Dramaturgy, University of Amsterdam, graduated cum laude. More than 20 years of professional experience in television, presenting, journalism, directing, facilitation and education. Extensive experience delivering presentation, communication and storytelling workshops to young people and professionals. No specific professional certification is required for the workshops offered.
Client Requirements
A quiet, private room with enough space for participants to move around and work in pairs or small groups. Chairs that can easily be moved. For larger groups, a wireless or headset microphone. A screen/projector with HDMI connection can be useful but is not essential.
Past Clients
Anne Frank Stichting (International Youth Conference), Movies that Matter, Cinekid, War Child, Missing Chapter Foundation, NTR, VPRO, BNNVARA, Netherlands Film Festival, National Committee for 4 and 5 May, Dutch War Graves Foundation, Nederland Monumentenland and Utrecht University of Applied Sciences.
Focus Areas
Creative/CultureWell-being/HealthDevelopment/Coaching
Location
Culemborg, Netherlands
Languages
English, Dutch
Corporate Experience
Significant
Session Types Offered
Interactive & Passive
Past Experience Doing Sessions
Yes - Performing
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