Cultivating Presence, Clarity & Transformative Impact
The Inner Architecture of Embodied Leadership
November 15–19, 2025 SouthWest Sanctuary, New Mexico
Where Executive Mastery Meets Embodied Leadership
A high-impact retreat for leaders ready to step into sustained clarity and authentic influence.
Begin your journey into embodied leadership with a glimpse of what this retreat holds
Leadership is a living architecture — built of awareness, energy, and embodied wisdom.
It is the inner framework that shapes how you stand in a room, how you respond under pressure, and how others experience your presence.
When this architecture is aligned, your leadership resonates. People feel trust in your steadiness, clarity in your vision, and inspiration in your actions. That resonance creates the conditions for teams, organizations, and communities to rise with you.
✨ This immersive retreat invites you to strengthen that resonance — cultivating the inner structures that allow your leadership to be both grounded and transformative.
Why This Retreat Matters
Leadership today demands more than drive. It requires the ability to lead with clarity, resilience, and influence even in complexity. This retreat equips you with the embodied frameworks and practices to strengthen your leadership from the inside out.
The World is Calling for Leaders Who Can:
- Stand steady in times of complexity and change.
- Create trust and belonging across diverse communities.
- Inspire creativity and courage in others.
- Translate vision into sustainable results with integrity.
Embodied leadership is more than a skillset — it is a way of being.
✨ When your inner architecture is strong, you naturally create and sustain environments where trust, clarity, and resilience flourish.
Clarity, resilience, influence — built into the way you lead every day.
The Four Lenses of Embodied Leadership
Leadership is multi-dimensional. The Embodied Leadership Framework™ gives you four lenses that bring clarity to how you lead yourself, your teams, and your vision. Each lens builds capacity, widens perspective, and equips you to navigate complexity with confidence.
Body Lens — Ground your leadership in presence, resilience, and authentic connection.
Heart Lens — Cultivate trust, compassion, and relationships that inspire loyalty.
Mind Lens — Sharpen decision-making, focus, and clarity of communication.
Vision Lens — Align strategy and purpose to create lasting impact.
The Unspoken Struggle: The Mask of Competence
Many leaders carry an invisible weight — the pressure to appear endlessly capable, even when stretched thin. This “Mask of Competence” creates distance, isolation, and burnout.
In this retreat, you will learn to set aside the mask and lead from an embodied presence that allows for authenticity, vulnerability, and deeper connection with others.
The Somatic Shift: Leadership from the Inside Out
True leadership is anchored in the energy and awareness you embody every day. All of this unfolds at the SouthWest Sanctuary, just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s a place of natural beauty and profound stillness, where the land itself supports healing and awakening.
What You’ll Practice:
- Grounding your nervous system so steadiness replaces reactivity.
- Expanding embodied awareness to stay centered under pressure.
- Engaging presence that inspires trust and creativity in others.
- Aligning intention and action so your leadership carries integrity at every level.
The Collaboration of Trinity
This retreat is held within the cradle of three interwoven trinities that form a living matrix of leadership:
- Mind, Body, and Energy — integrated as a source of clarity and vitality.
- Self, Relationship, and Community — harmonized as the ground of authentic influence.
- Vision, Action, and Impact — aligned to sustain results with compassion and integrity.
Together, these trinities create a powerful environment for deep exploration and embodied integration.
Hosted by Master Mingtong Gu at the SouthWest Sanctuary
All of this unfolds at the SouthWest Sanctuary, a place of natural beauty and profound stillness, where the land itself supports healing and awakening.
Hosted by Master Mingtong Gu, the Sanctuary provides both the grounding energy of Wisdom Healing Qigong and the expansive field of possibility for embodied leadership to gain traction.
Step into practices that will reshape your leadership from the inside out.
Meet Your Guides
Connie Pheiff, MPA
Executive Coach | Visionary Leader | Embodied Leadership Specialist
From cleaning houses to filling houses, Connie Pheiff is a masterful business leader and storyteller of her own journey, one that epitomizes transformation, resilience, and unshakable purpose. As a Philanthropist, Executive Mentor, Venture Capitalist, and Embodied Leadership Coach, Connie brings an unparalleled depth of wisdom, authenticity, and results-driven strategy to her work with top-level executives and emerging leaders alike.
A former corporate executive turned media industrialist, Connie founded the Pheiff Group, Inc. in 2006 and later the Talent Concierge® Artists Agency (TCAA). Today, she is a sought-after executive mentor for high-performing individuals looking to embody their leadership with clarity, courage, and compassion.
Her clients span Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, and entrepreneurial ventures. With her Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree and certifications in coaching, DISC assessment, and leadership development, Connie has curated a unique methodology grounded in neuroscience, somatic awareness, and executive performance, what she calls the Embodied Leadership Framework™. Her work empowers clients to access a deeper alignment of body, mind, and mission, unlocking their full presence, voice, and impact.
Master Mingtong Gu
Founder |Qigong Master | Wisdom Teacher | Transformational Leader
From profound personal healing to leading global movements, Master Mingtong Gu embodies the transformative power of ancient wisdom combined with modern science. A globally recognized Qigong Master, Wisdom Teacher, and Founder of The Chi Center and the Southwest Sanctuary for Embodied Wisdom, Master Gu guides individuals and organizations toward deep healing, sustained well-being, and empowered leadership.
Originally trained at China’s premier Qigong hospital under the tutelage of revered Grandmasters, Master Mingtong Gu has dedicated decades to refining and teaching the practices of Wisdom Healing Qigong. His students span corporate leaders, wellness pioneers, and spiritual seekers worldwide. With decades of worldwide online teaching and in-depth retreats, Master Gu has developed a unique framework that harmonizes somatic practice, neuroscience, and spiritual cultivation. His teachings unlock deeper health, clarity, resilience, and purpose, empowering leaders to lead from profound coherence and authentic power.
Jeff Pheiff, MBA
Chief Executive Officer | Strategic Operations Leader | Co-Founder TCAA | Embodied Leadership Coach
Jeff Pheiff is a rare breed of executive, an elite operator, visionary strategist, and transformational coach who leads with both mastery and embodiment. As the CEO of Talent Concierge® Artists Agency (TCAA) and executive of several high-impact ventures, Jeff brings over three decades of business experience building, scaling, and optimizing companies across multiple sectors.
He’s the powerhouse strategist behind the rigorous business approach with human-centered leadership at TCAA and the private equity groups he works with, making him a standout force in the world of executive coaching and embodied leadership development.
Learn directly from teachers who embody clarity, presence, and authentic influence.
Leaders Share Their Experience
Executives, entrepreneurs, and changemakers describe this work as the missing piece in their leadership journey. The feedback points to breakthroughs in how they lead, relate, and create impact.
“Unbelievable… Connie really gets it. She understands what people are thinking, what they need and want. She is brilliant. What an honor to work with her.”
“Learning from Master Mingtong has opened a new dimension of personal healing and awareness. I no longer get pulled into reactivity, fear, or anger. Now I can lead with clarity and compassion, grounded in energy practices that sustain both my work and my wellbeing.”
"Working with Jeff & Connie on our strategy was a game-changer. Never before has our clarity, execution, communication, and trust been better. They gently pushed us through-provoking questions that have changed everything for our business and taken us to our A-Game. You guys truly delivered."
“Practicing Wisdom Healing Qigong with Master Mingtong has given me energy and stability I never imagined possible. I can walk into high-stakes meetings with a sense of calm focus. My creativity flows more freely, and I can meet challenges with resilience and joy instead of depletion.”
“Connie’s workshop was excellent. She hit it out of the park! UPS employees were on the edge of their seats wanting to hear more.”
“Working with Master Mingtong has changed the way I show up in every part of my life. I feel more connected to my purpose, more present with the people I serve, and more confident in my ability to create positive impact.”
"Whether you’re a baby boomer or an octogenarian, Wisdom Healing Qigong is for anyone who wants to improve the quality of their own life and create, by example, a legacy for future generations to follow.”
“Connie is energetic and her style is enlightening, inspiring, and thought-provoking. Her amazing personality and thought leadership made the whole program fun and uplifting.”
Join the circle of leaders already stepping into new ways of leading and living.
The Unspoken Struggle: "The Mask of Competence”
Meet Jasmine and James. Both high achieving, publicly thriving leaders.
Privately? Burnt out. Disconnected. Haunted by the unrelenting need to appear strong.
Many high performers carry the burden of silent struggle:
- Holding space for everyone but themselves
- Feeling hollow behind the mask of success
- Living from the neck up in a body craving breath, meaning, and rest
This Masterclass is where the mask comes off—and real leadership begins.
All-Inclusive Retreat Packages
Flexible Options for Every Leader
✨ Spaces are limited to ensure intimacy and depth.
Space intentionally limited for intimacy and depth.
SAMPLE: Standard Occupancy
SAMPLE: Standard Occupancy
SAMPLE: Premium Occupancy
The Outcome: Lead with Clarity, Confidence, and Purpose
This retreat is designed to leave you beyond inspired and refreshed — you’ll gain embodied tools, peer support, and practices that translate directly into your leadership.
You’ll walk away with:
- Actionable Practices you can apply immediately in boardrooms, team settings, and daily decision-making.
- A Renewed Leadership Presence that others naturally trust and respond to.
- Peer Insights & Support from a curated circle of executives and change-makers facing challenges like yours.
- Clarity of Purpose that reconnects your leadership to what matters most.
- Sustainable Strategies for navigating complexity without burning out.
✨ The outcome is leadership that creates trust, mobilizes creativity, and sustains itself over time.
Anchor your leadership in clarity and soul before enrollment closes.
The Somatic Shift: Leadership from the Inside Out
“I don’t teach leadership from the outside in. I rewire it from the inside out.”
What You’ll Practice:
Movement, Sound and Meditation:
Tools for emotional coherence and embodied resilience
Somatic Visioning:
Receive intuitive direction from the body, not just the mind
Energetic Presence:
Learn to stabilize under pressure without disconnecting
Field-Based Leadership:
Understand how your presence shapes teams, rooms, and results
This is not “woo.” It’s regulation, integration, and science-backed energy leadership.
The Collaboration of Trinity
What makes it a powerful cradle for this leadership retreat, articulated in three interwoven trinities:
Trinity One: Three Teachers, One Unified Vision
- A Visionary CEO with lived experience rebuilding culture from burnout
- The Leadership Strategist with global influence and brand impact expertise
- The Qigong Master with decades of teaching worldwide online community and in depth retreats
Trinity Two: Strategy • Somatic Practice • Energetic Integration
- Strategy – intentional leadership recalibration, with frameworks for influence and scale.
- Somatic Practice – guided movement, sound and body awareness practices in the Kiva and outdoor spaces.
- Energetic Integration – subtle energy work and Qigong transmissions to anchor shifts at cellular and consciousness levels.
This triad ensures no fragmentation: head, heart, body, and spirit move together.
Trinity Three: Sacred Land • Stewardship • Community
- Sacred Land – adobe architecture, 500-year-old trees, and the Lotus Kiva hold and heighten sacred practice
- Hospitality – Navajo‑style suites, communal dining, scent‑free comfort, and high‑desert hospitality to support your transformation.
- Community – curated small‑group, true intimate support and bonding.
You’re supported in land, nourishment, and human connection.
Your Invitation
Bring your metrics, your fatigue, your ambition, and your ache.
We will meet you there—with precision, presence, and practice.
So you can return home—not just to your office, but to yourself.
Who This Is For
This experience is designed exclusively for:
- Founders and CEOs
- C-Suite Executives
- Visionary Investors
- High-level decision-makers seeking a deeper edge
If you’ve outgrown traditional leadership models and want to access sustainable power from within—this is your invitation.
FAQs
LOCATION & CONTACT
40 Camino Vista Clara, Galisteo, NM 87540; email tai@southwestsanctuary.org; call or text 505-470-1620
MEALS SERVED
Dinner September 23 through breakfast September 28.
SELF-SERVE
Tea, coffee and snacks available 24/7
FACILITIES
Exclusive access to the magical and historic lands including the meditative Koi Pond and the infinity deck, water-features, hiking trails, ancient cottonwood trees, petroglyphs, walking trails, and more.
GUEST ROOMS
Premium, deluxe, and standard room rates are available. You can choose from double occupancy (same gender match ups) or single occupancy rooms, depending upon availability. Each room is unique, and all rooms (except premiums) share comfortable bathrooms with between 1 and 3 other guests. More than half of our guest rooms are accessed by one flight of stairs.
BATHROOMS
All of our rooms have shared bathrooms so please bring a robe, slippers, and an easy bag to carry your toiletries from your room to the bath.
TERRAIN
The campus lies on 150 acres of somewhat hilly terrain. There is a gravel road as well as groomed walking trails between the rooms and the main lodge where meals are served. The road is lit at night for safe passage. It is approximately a 5-minute walk to and from most of the guest rooms and the main lodge. Please note if you have accessibility challenges on the checkout page.
SPECIAL NEEDS
We will do our best to accommodate persons with mobility and special dietary needs. (See the checkout form and/or contact tai@southwestsanctuary.org right away).
DIETARY OPTIONS
Options are:
- Standard organic meals, well balanced and include animal protein;
- Organic Vegan;
- Organic Gluten Free.
Please let us know your preferences at checkout.
EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
Yoga mats, back jacks, chairs, meditation cushions, all towels, bedding, sheets, blankets are included. Guest laundry facilities are available, too.
TRANSPORTATION FROM AIRPORTS
Transportation to The SouthWest Sanctuary is not included. There are no shuttles, Lyft is generally available, and we can provide recommendations for car services from ABQ airport (approx 84 miles) & the Santa Fe airport (approx 24 miles).
Where Inner Strength Meets Outer Impact
Leadership that endures is built on an inner architecture — awareness, energy, and embodied wisdom aligned with decisive action.
When these foundations are strong, your leadership resonates with clarity, steadiness, and influence.
This retreat is a rare opportunity to learn directly from leaders who bridge corporate strategy with embodied wisdom and compassionate presence.
Spaces are limited to ensure an intimate, high-impact experience.
Step into The Inner Architecture of Embodied Leadership and claim the alignment our times demand.
Take the first step toward a rare, intimate leadership experience.
© The SouthWest Sanctuary For Wisdom & Healing