Stop chasing work.
Start choosing it.
The ROOT Method Workshop
An in-person, nature-based workshop that helps AEC professionals reconnect to their “why” and translate it into a clear, values-aligned business development strategy.
9am – Noon
Camp Whispering Cedars
In person, outdoors
A calm, candid, relationship-first approach to business development.
You can't think properly about your career in the ninety minutes between meetings. Reflect — the first stage of the ROOT Method and the one everything else grows from — needs space, and the office will never give you any.
So we go outside. A small group, a couple of hours, and real conversation about why you do this work and what you'd like more of. Then we turn that into something you can actually act on when you're back at your desk.
No slides. No breakout rooms. No one asking you to state your value proposition.
Why outside
Not a gimmick. Three practical reasons it works better than a conference room.
01
Nobody can reach you
No screens, no doorway questions, no “just a quick one”. It turns out that's most of what stops people thinking.
02
Walking changes the conversation
People say different things side by side than they do across a table. Honest ones, usually.
03
It's where we already think
You went into this profession because of places. Being in one is not a distraction from the work — it's the point of it.
How the time is spent
Two and a half hours, unhurried. Roughly like this.
First 20
Coffee, introductions, and a moment to actually stop. Most people need it.
Arrive and settle
Reflect
Out into it, in pairs, with a question to carry. This is where people start being honest.
Walk and talk
Middle hour
Guided prompts on why you do this work and what you want more of. Writing, sketching, thinking. Quiet.
Reflect, properly
Next 30
The Organize stage — shaping what came up into something simple enough to act on next week.
Turn it into a plan
Last 20
Each person names one thing they'll do. Said out loud, in front of others, which is the part that makes it happen.
Share and commit
What you leave with
A values-based point of view
Clarity on the work you want more of — and what you're done tolerating.
A focused
relationship strategy
Who to build with, why it matters, and how to prioritise.
Systems you can sustain
Simple rhythms for visibility, outreach, follow-up and stewardship — without turning your life into a CRM.
Where it happens
STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars
6010 Whispering Cedar Dr, Dallas, TX 75236 — about 20 minutes from downtown and genuinely in the trees.
Is the retreat for you?
Come if…
You're an emerging leader, project manager or principal who influences growth
You want to grow without losing yourself in the process
You want space to think more than you want techniques
A morning outside sounds like a relief
Maybe not if…
You want the full method end to end — the virtual workshop covers all four stages
You're after tactics and templates
You can't switch your phone off for two hours
You need something for your whole firm — team workshops are built for that
Upcoming retreats
May 12, year? · 9am – Noon
Camp Whispering Cedars, Dallas · $199
Next date
To be announced
A private retreat for your firm
The same afternoon, just your team. A good way to start a strategy day, or to close one.
Practical questions
-
To confirm — gentle and unhurried. If mobility is a concern, tell me when you book and I'll make sure it works for you
-
Shoes you can walk in and a jacket for the weather. Everything else — notebooks, prompts, coffee — is provided.
-
Not at all. The retreat focuses on the first stage, and you'll learn the rest as we go.
-
Yes — it's professional development. Invoicing details to confirm.
-
To confirm once the location is set. Just ask — I'd rather adapt the session than have anyone miss it.
-
To confirm — whether it runs regardless, moves under cover, or reschedules.
-
The workshop session with Emily, notebooks, pens and all materials, plus refreshments and snacks. Nothing else to buy.
Other ways to work together
Come and think for an afternoon
Small group, two and a half hours, somewhere green. Join the list and I'll tell you the next date.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up with your email address to stay in the know and to read my thoughts and insights.