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Wisdom Retreats

Our retreat beach, right after dawn: Wrightsville Beach, NC - a place for relaxed philosophical conversation and fresh new light for the issues of your life.

Our retreat beach, right after dawn: Wrightsville Beach, NC - a place for relaxed philosophical conversation and fresh new light for the issues of your life.

Beach Retreats

Offered in 2025: Inquire by Email

The Extraordinary Life Retreat: On Success, Happiness, and Change

The Gift of Uncertainty Retreat

The Leadership Guidance and Guardrails Retreat

Limited Enrollment Wisdom/Work Retreats
Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington, NC
For Information, EMAIL Tom at TomVMorris@aol.com with Subject Title “Retreat”

On a Previous Retreat: "The Extraordinary Life Retreat is, indeed, extraordinary. To take some time to consider the most profound truth is to invest in your own achievement and your own happiness. And, if that's not enough, you're on a beautiful Atlantic beach under the tutelage of one of the most engaging, entertaining and wise people you'll ever meet. Please, don't miss it."
Jack W. Hayhow, Jr.
Author, Wisdom of the Flying Pig
Founder, Opus Communications, Kansas City

Mid day high tide at a narrow stretch of the beach, which overall is seven miles long and mainly very wide. Fences protect some of the white dunes.

Mid day high tide at a narrow stretch of the beach, which overall is seven miles long and mainly very wide. Fences protect some of the white dunes.

New from Tom

Friends! I just posted this across social media! I hope this is something that interests you!

Come Join Me at our New Beach Retreats!

Wisdom Weekend Retreats for early 2025. About 10 years ago, I did a number of retreats on Wrightsville Beach here near my home that bringing to the beach great people who had read one or more of my books or heard me speak to a corporate group or big convention and wanted a weekend rather than just an hour or two to ponder the insights of the ages on things that matter to us all. The retreats we held were really super experiences for everyone involved. Retreaters from around the country got along great, loved meeting fellow philosophers, and enlightened each another with amazing perspectives on the life wisdom we all need in our time.

It's been a while but I’m feeling the urge to start up those retreats again. If you love philosophy, or the path of practical wisdom, hearing new perspectives on life, and enjoy a great beach, I can now officially announce some retreat dates that will restart this experience in 2025, on the weekends of:

January 31-February 2,

March 14-16, and

April 4-6.

The first two weekends are scheduled to be new versions of “The Extraordinary Life Retreat,” the range of topics I did a decade ago focused on true success, real happiness, and the challenge of change in our lives, among other issues of personal wisdom and the role of virtue in our endeavors. The April Retreat will be EITHER a second personal topic retreat, likely on issues of courage, faith, hope, and love as they appear in a new book I’m writing called “The Gift of Uncertainty,” or it will be a focused leadership and life retreat based in some classics like Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and Frankenstein, and one or two others, soon to be chosen.

Each year, we hope to have a cycle of retreats for those wanting to come back, as happened ten years ago when we last hosted these amazing experiences. At the peak of his popularity Stephen Covey (The Seven Habits guy) and I co-hosted a weekend retreat at Notre Dame for 50 CEOs and their spouses. He insisted I start doing retreats of my own at the beach in North Carolina. And he was right. They’re needed and they’re immensely enriching for all of us. I hope you can come!

For more information, you are at the right place - read over what’s below - and email me any interest ASAP, as there will typically be only 15-20 spaces in each retreat, give or take, and we’re setting the retreat fee well below the norm this year. Our great resort hotel, recently renovated to have the aura of a high end beach house, Lumina on Wrightsville Beach, is offering crazy low water view room prices for all retreaters, and is a place you’ll love. We’re working to see if a couple of partial fellowships can be offered this year, so if that might be desired, let me know. Retreat fees will be $975 per person, rooms at the resort will be $129-149 a night, depending on sound view or ocean view (2 nights usually needed for those coming from afar) and food is reasonably priced and good. When the group is complete for each weekend, I’ll send you a link for hotel discounts and our registration, along with other details.

Retreats will start on the respective Friday evening at 6 or 6:30, will go to 8 or 9PM and will continue in sessions on Saturday 9AM to 12 Noon, and 2 PM to 5 PM, then reconvene for more informal conversations Saturday evening. And we’ll conclude with a session Sunday morning 9 AM to Noon or a bit earlier, then we all exchange contact information with our new favorite people, hug, and depart.

Wilmington International Airport (ILM) is about 10 miles from the hotel and there should be hotel van service available. We have direct flights many times a day with American, Delta, and United, among other domestic airlines. And of course, Myrtle Beach and RDU have airports within a 2-hour drive.

Come meet amazing people, enjoy deep dives into wisdom, and expand your community across space and time in a way that will support your growth for years to come. I’ll lead most sessions, joined by friends like my near neighbor Dr. Gary Bradt (global spokesman years ago for the famous book by his friend Spencer Johnson, Who Moved my Cheese?), and other luminaries on occasion like the great executive coach and all-round good guy, Jay Forte (The Greatness Zone), and one of my favorite fellow philosophers in the world, the Furman professor and still able rock drummer Aaron Simmons (Camping with Kierkegaard), plus other special guests. Shoot me an email through the contact page on my website, listed above, or just reply at the world’s oldest email address, TomVMorris@aol.com with subject RETREATS. I look forward to philosophizing together if your schedule allows!

And if I can’t entice you down here now, keep this in mind for the future! In any case, whether here or on social media (links on my “about” page), let’s keep philosophizing!  All Best! Tom

For the Fun 30 second Google Search Story of one retreat: Click Here.

From The Morris Institute for Human Values and Wisdom/Work Publishing:

If you've ever heard Tom Morris speak at a business meeting or a big convention, it's our hope that you've experienced an entertaining and energizing hour of ideas that you knew right away you could use. Many people who have first come across Tom's ideas and presentation style in such a context, and many who have read his books, have contacted us over the years asking for retreats where they could explore the greatest wisdom for life and work more extensively.

After fifteen years as a professor of philosophy at Notre Dame, and three decades of serving many of the world's most successful companies in closed, private sessions for their top executives and peak performers, Tom came to believe that now is the time to provide a number of personal, informal, intensive, and deeply enjoyable small retreats. Our need for powerful life wisdom has never been greater. Tom takes tremendous pleasure in bringing the best wisdom of the ages into people's lives in a practical and profound way.

We're pleased to announce that The Morris Institute for Human Values is now again hosting Wisdom Retreats on a variety of exciting topics, as dates become available on Tom's calendar. In each retreat, typically between ten and thirty participants will work intensively with Tom and each other, and sometimes with one of his nationally known wisdom friends, to explore life-changing insights that can be implemented in every facet of our lives. The retreat focus, across topics, will be on ideas that have stood the test of time and how they can best be used in the challenges we face today.

Come and Have a Great Time

Come to stimulate your mind in new ways with your colleagues or with people from across industries and around the nation, explore deep and practical wisdom, and walk along one of the most peaceful beaches on the east coast, as you talk over the truly important areas of your life and work with Tom. Dig deep, broaden your vision, and perhaps resolve some long-standing issues in your business or personal life. Plant the seeds of new ideas, and leave the beach refreshed. We’re sure you’ll want to come back again for another retreat and a new set of issues.

The view from a room. The packed sand at low tide allows for great walking and thinking.

The view from a room in our main retreat hotel. The packed sand at low tide allows for great walking and thinking.

To see the relaxing video on our location, click here (but ignore the old website url):

The Morris Institute Wisdom Retreat Beach and Hotel.

For a Washington Post essay on our beach, click here:

Our Beach for Philosophy.

A few Retreats Will Also Be Held on the River in Downtown Wilmington, Coming Soon!

Retreat Topics

Some retreat sessions will revolve around the simple but powerful philosophy of success and excellence developed from the world's great wisdom traditions by Tom, and first brought to public attention in such books as True Success, The Art of Achievement, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, The Stoic Art of Living, Plato’s Lemonade Stand, and If Harry Potter Ran General Electric. Other topics will involve looking at issues of excellence, leadership, personal growth, life transition, the challenge of change, happiness, and individual effectiveness, by consulting select ancient texts and modern insights that go far beyond the normal academic or business school curriculum. The joy and power of ideas will be experienced in every session. The goal of these retreats is to be transformative.

Over the long run, there will be a regular cycle of Morris Institute Wisdom Retreats involving 3-4 different topics, with special subject matter retreats added now and then on both professional and personal issues. At present, we offer three different retreats. There will be short, recommended pre-readings for some.


You don't have to be at the beach to be happy, but it sure helps. Come explore what it takes to live an extraordinary life, and gain new insights for riding the waves of change in our time.

You don't have to be at the beach to be happy, but it sure helps. Come explore what it takes to live an extraordinary life, and gain new insights for riding the waves of change in our time.

Classic Topics
The Extraordinary Life Retreat

This retreat will be built around the idea of what it is to create an extraordinary life of meaningful success and deep happiness. We'll ask about the sources of meaning in our work and our personal lives, and we'll seek to identify their contours as they apply to each of us. We'll explore how we understand personal success, what the great thinkers of the past have said about satisfying achievement, whether professional or personal, and how our goals and habits may change as we move through the different stages of life. We’ll tackle crucial topics about how we handle difficulty, resilience, and uncertainty.

We'll dig deep into Tom's most popular and practical framework of ideas, The 7 Cs of Success, and take a closer look at the hotly disputed topic of personal happiness. One goal will be to see how real success and enduring happiness can arise in times of great change.

We'll also broach issues on the psychology of happiness and positive thinking, and examine the nature of the 'flow' experience in sport, work, and life. Our goal is to see what some of the most profound and practical thinkers have had to say about creating an extraordinary life.

 

TESTIMONIALS FOR OUR MOST RECENT RETREAT

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for the opportunity and really the gift of time to talk, share and be. In our busy lives of work, two young kids, volunteering, etc. It was a true gift to be part of your amazing weekend in such a glorious spot. If my family was open, I could see myself picking up our home and bringing it to Wrightsville Beach!"
Janice Foley

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"I didn't know what to expect from the retreat, but I left with great insight and energy. It provided a venue to learn new ideas and process these with a diverse group of forward thinkers. The retreat challenged me and empowered me to be a better person, personally and professionally."
Lori Greer

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"Dr. Morris has the unique ability to make seemingly perfect sense of some of life's more complex questions. These 3 days were incredibly helpful for me in my personal and professional life as we processed through real ideas and feedback. I've found myself reflecting back on the conversations and using them in my everyday interactions. You can't leave this weekend and not be rejuvenated."
Matt Ham

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"What I really liked about the retreat was the small intimacy of the group. Both Mary and Tom were extremely hospitable and made everyone feel welcome immediately. Everyone was there because they wanted to be there to learn and share, which I believe made a huge difference. Everyone attending had something unique and interesting to share, which made for very engaging conversation the entire weekend.

The retreat really left me with many things to ponder. The topics truly challenged my way of thinking about my life, what my life has been up to this point, and how I am the only one who can decide where my life is going. It has really helped me put things into perspective.

It was an absolutely wonderful weekend and I would recommend it to anyone with a desire to look deep within to try to achieve an extraordinary life. Thank you so much!"
Kris Pollock

Some old books are worth reading and discussing anew. The Leadership Retreat tackles several classics.

Some old books are worth reading and discussing anew. The Leadership Retreat tackles several classics.

The Gift of Uncertainty Retreat

This retreat will explore what may be the greatest challenge of our time, the uncertainty that is coming at us from nearly all directions, from politics, climate, technology, the economy, and world affairs, as well as in our own personal lives, as we deal with issues of health, career, family, and our own flourishing as human beings. We’ll explore together what it might mean for uncertainty to be a spiritual gift to us all, and then how we might prepare ourselves to use it as such, to meet it well, and succeed as people in its enveloping environment. Tom will draw from ancient wisdom, modern insights, and even from the experiences of an American Astronaut in his many space walks in contact with the great beyond. We’ll dive deep into new insights about our comfort zones, which may be quite unexpected and revolutionary, and we’ll look closely at courage, curiosity, and creativity in their applications to the uncertainties of our lives. Finally, we’ll dig deep into the concepts of faith, hope, and love as they apply to us all.

The Leadership and Life Excellencea Retreat
The Perils and Possibilities of Talent, Skill, and Power

This retreat will revolve around reading and discussing several short, classic explorations of how top achievers and people in leadership positions can go wrong, with the purpose in mind of getting clear on what it takes to go right. The powerful cautionary tales for greatly talented and highly intelligent people that we'll explore include the oldest leadership story we have, the short and powerful Epic of Gilgamesh, as well as the Anglo-Saxon classic of Beowulf, and Mary Shelley's remarkable short novel, Frankenstein, which is perhaps the greatest cautionary tale for high achievers ever written, and possibly augmented by a short powerful essay on the life of a leader by Socrates' top practical student, the Greek military leader, Xenophon ('Zen-o-fon').

Gilgamesh.jpg

Supporting lessons will be drawn from such classic sources as Don Quixote, Moby Dick, Machiavelli’s book The Prince, and Xenophon's profound exploration of leadership in action, "The Education of Cyrus," a forgotten text that the modern pioneering management guru Peter Drucker once called "the greatest leadership book ever written."

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Corporate Retreats

Special topics are available for private corporate retreats. Contact TomVMorris@aol.com for more details.

 

Pricing and Schedules

All accepted applicants will be asked for an advance registration fee of $995 whose cost will cover the educational fee for all sessions, the opening dinner, and any break snacks. Attendees will make their own room arrangements at a special low price negotiated for the retreat (usually in the crazy low $129-$149 per night range), and will also be expected to cover the cost of other food on their own, onsite, after an opening dinner that’s provided. The Holiday Inn Lumina Resort on Wrightsville Beach, NC, an attractive, convenient, and very comfortable hotel on the beach run by a North Carolina hotelier, is offering us deeply specially discounted room rates for the standard two-night stay. All rooms have water views, either an ocean view, or a very nice bay view. Other retreats will be scheduled downtown on the Cape Fear River at a beautiful new hotel that you’ll also really love, and that’s within an easy walk of all Wilmington restaurants, bars, and shops. Plus, the stunning Cape Fear RiverWalk is just outside the doors. More information will be available soon.

Our Wrightsville Beach Resort Hotel

Our Wrightsville Beach Resort Hotel

A Beach Retreat Typical Schedule

Retreat attendees will be asked to arrive prior to an opening dinner (6:00 PM on the launch day) and a short welcome and orientation session. The next day, there will be morning and afternoon sessions, with some time over a long lunch break for walks on the beach or the riverside or other forms of exercise, relaxation, and reflection, with later informal discussions continuing into the evening. The following day, there will be morning sessions and a late morning send-off. Some retreats will be held on weekends, beginning with a Friday dinner and ending late Sunday morning.Others will be held during the week, on a Tuesday through Thursday schedule.

 

Our Next Retreat Dates

The next scheduled Wisdom Retreat dates will be posted soon. Come back later in December.

Our Primary Location

Most Wisdom Retreats in a coastal setting will be held on Wrightsville Beach, NC or in downtown Wilmington along the river. If you come with a spouse or guest, you might even want to spend an extra day or two to explore the quiet beaches, historic streets, harbors, museums, great restaurants, and charming shops of the lower Cape Fear River. Come join us at an ocean front resort with inspiring views from every room and enjoy a time of personal reflection and growth you’ll never forget.

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Getting Here By Car

Wrightsville Beach, just outside Wilmington, is located in the southeastern corner of North Carolina, at the eastern end of Interstate 40.

Getting Here By Air

Our airport (ILM) has commercial jet service from American Airlines many times a day nonstop from Charlotte and Philadelphia. There are also numerous jets daily from Atlanta on Delta. It's little more than a two-hour drive from RDU International Airport, and is about an hour and a half from the Myrtle Beach airport. New service has recently been added with United nonstops from the Washington DC area and seasonal service from Chicago. In addition, Wilmington is an active destination for corporate and private jets, served by Air Wilmington. The main resort for our retreats is located approximately ten miles from the airport, a drive of about twenty minutes. A complimentary shuttle service is provided for guests by the hotel. Taxi service and rental cars are also available.

 

Our Retreat Leader

Tom Morris - Host and main presenter at each retreat.

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Tom Morris will personally run each retreat. And other great thought leaders will also serve as guest presenters.

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The least important things, we think about and talk about the most; the most important things, we think about and talk about the least.  

- Socrates.

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Join us for a retreat soon, where we can think and talk about important things, and maybe even to the point where we “get it”!