The Leadership & Facilitator’s Program
Learn to Lead and Facilitate with Energy, Confidence, and Competence.
Is it time to take things to the next level?
Few skills are as crucial for holistic thinkers aiming to change the world as leadership and facilitation. The leader sets the tone for the group, organization, and community. A leader's flexibility, consciousness, compassion, decisiveness, systematic approach, and intuition are all critical. But mastering these skills in a rapidly changing world is challenging.
NEXT INTENSIVE: May 30th until June 6th 2025
Join the 2025 Leadership & Facilitator's Program
The 2025 Leadership & Facilitators Programme is designed to blend theory and practice, helping you lead and facilitate with confidence and competence. Using the proven Mette Institute approach, which has trained thousands in bodywork, personal development, and leadership, this program reveals all the behind-the-scenes processes and tools.
Learn from Mette Sorensen herself in an immersive experience at the beautiful High Spirits Retreat in the Noosa Hinterland, just 50 minutes from Noosa. Whether you run your own Wellness business or aspire to do so, this programme will push you out of your comfort zone in a psychologically safe environment.
You'll learn how to:
- Become a confident, empowered Leader & Facilitator
- Manage the entire journey for your participants—retreats, workshops, or conferences
- Set the tone and expectation before people arrive
- Foster a sense of safety and belonging
- Use play and space to shift the energy throughout the experience
- Utilise voice and body language for impact
- Spot the signs of storming and group challenges with grace
- Support people in having courageous conversations
- Collaborate effectively to create a sense of togetherness
- Design experiences that leave people, energised advocates
Above all, you'll have the opportunity to deepen your self-knowledge and self-belief in a highly supportive environment with like-minded peers, where everyone is encouraged to be themselves.
"The more you know yourself, the greater your influence in the world and your chosen path.” – Mette Sorensen
Move out of your comfort zone, into the learning zone!
Discover the inside secrets of running a successful group programme from Mette Sorensen herself who has run more than 420 retreats.
Now in its 10th year, this immersive and experiential learning programme combines practice-based exercises and theory to make leading and facilitating groups a straightforward exercise.
The program is ideal for you if:
1
You want to run groups to share your knowledge and skills and have a positive impact on others
2
You want to build additional revenue streams through running retreats or events
3
You believe in holistic living and work in the following capacities:
- Wellness Coach
- Health and Wellness Practitioner
- Bodyworker
- Meditation or Mindfulness Teacher
- Yoga teacher
- Personal Trainer
Curriculum at a Glance:
Before
- Holistic Marketing & Sales
During
- Group dynamics – theory and practice
- Creating atmosphere
- Gaining strength and energy to lead and facilitate
- Games/Ice Breakers
- Holistic strategies for leading/facilitating groups
- Maintaining overview and flow in a process
- Communication – speech and body language
- Presentation, planning, and time management
- Achieving student participation through a “yes” attitude
- Design and layout of training programs
Beyond
- Community and lasting legacy
You will go home with the confidence and embodied experience about how to work with individuals and groups and create a positive impact.
Hear from our previous students
”
I really felt like an extraordinary growth of myself... in spirit and confidence.
”
The training has prepared me for so many aspects of life...
Why Choose our Program:
- Design & Deliver with Confidence: Learn the foundations to design and deliver impactful training workshops, events, or retreats.
- Expand Professional Abilities: Elevate your professional leadership and facilitation skills in a safe and immersive environment.
- Diversify Revenue Streams: Gain the confidence and skills to offer workshop facilitation as a significant new revenue stream.
What You Will Learn:
- Lead and facilitate groups in an engaging and powerful way.
- Design and deliver your own group retreat or programme.
- Foster a sense of safety and belonging for participants to be their best.
- Enhance presentation skills using voice and body language.
- Collaborate effectively with others to create impactful experiences.
- Address group challenges with finesse and grace.
- Delight participants, leaving them satisfied and energized.
Go home feeling confident and inspired, ready to step in to lead, and share more of you as you do the work you know you are here to do.
Your Perfect Learning Environment
Allow yourself to leave the outside world behind and immerse yourself in this experiential learning environment.
The Leadership & Facilitators Program takes place at The High Spirits Retreat
Located in the beautiful Noosa Hinterland, Queensland, this is the perfect environment for you to grow both professionally and personally.
The High Spirits environment will enable you to unplug from the daily bustle and recharge your body, mind, and spirit with wholesome nutritious foods, daily saunas, and experiential instruction in leadership and facilitation practices.
Each day, the activities and exercises are designed to inspire your facilitation practice in fun, playful, powerful, and transformational ways.
What’s the Experience Like?
If you have never been to High Spirits before, we’ve created a short video to give you a sense of the experience from the 2024 Leadership & Facilitator's Intensive Week.
NEXT INTENSIVE: May 30th until June 6th 2025
Your Options:
This year, we are offering two specific opportunities:
- 8-Day Intensive Week
- Price: $3950
- Includes:
- Access to the Online Learning Portal
- 8 days of intensive tuition and hands-on practical learning at High Spirits Retreat
- Two one-to-one coaching calls to ensure you’re fully prepared
- One additional coaching call post the intensive week
- Study Group calls before and after the retreat week
- Wholesome, nutritious meals & snacks throughout the programme
- Onsite accommodation at High Spirits Retreat
- Exclusive use of retreat facilities, including sauna and swimming pool
- Guided nature adventures for personal and spiritual growth
- Membership in a post-grad community of practice network for ongoing support
- 7-Month Programme
- Price: $5950
- Includes:
- All of the above, plus
- 4-Day Adjourning Weekend
- 5 'Big Idea' Webinars
- 7 Study Groups to integrate the knowledge and dive deeper into the topics
- 7 one-to-one coaching sessions to support you on your journey
- The opportunity to lead and facilitate an online workshop
Subjects included:
- Group dynamics – theory and practice.
- How to create atmosphere.
- How to gain strength and energy to lead and facilitate.
- Games/Ice Breakers.
- Holistic strategies for leading/facilitating groups.
- How to maintain overview and flow in a process.
- Communication – speech and body language.
- Presentation, planning and time management.
- How to achieve student participation through a “yes” attitude.
- Design and layout of training programs.
- Holistic Marketing: How to build awareness and find customers.
Benefits of attending:
- Develop a clear understanding of your true purpose and potential in life.
- Become a confident, empowered leader/facilitator.
- Reduce frustration and save time and money through clear design, planning, and preparation.
- Design your own programs – live in/live out; short/long.
- Foster a sense of safety and belonging to allow people to be their best.
- Make learning interesting, fun, and effective.
- Make group work more engaging and dynamic.
- Support people to have courageous conversations, particularly when they are experiencing strong emotions.
- Experiential training – you are the facilitator from the moment you arrive.
- Train with a small group of like-minded people (12-18).
- Deal with constant challenges easily and with skill.
- Become a more effective collaborator in decision-making for greater ownership and impact.
- Work well with diversity, rank and power without shaming.
- Lifestyle management – earn money expressing your gifts.
- Create your dreams and participate in changing the world.
Meet your course Leader
Mette Sorensen
Business Leader, Retreat Facilitator, Author
Mette Sorensen, Principal & Owner at High Spirits Retreat, is a revered figure in the world of KaHuna bodywork and personal growth started teaching in 1979 in Denmark and for over 30 years, she’s shared her expertise, shaping more than 5,000 practitioners worldwide and nurturing a thriving community of graduates teaching Heartworks Lomi Lomi techniques across the globe.
Born in Denmark, Mette’s journey began amidst a community-driven upbringing steeped in spiritual practices from her grandparents. Her lifelong pursuit of knowledge encompasses a diverse array of healing modalities and extensive travels, honing her skills in adult education.
In 2003, she and her husband, Jorgen, established “High Spirits Retreat” in Australia, a sanctuary dedicated to personal and spiritual development. Mette’s commitment to facilitating transformative experiences shines through her contagious energy and unwavering dedication to nurturing individual growth.
Mette’s teachings emphasize responsible and professional methods, ensuring graduates leave with confidence and competence. Her institute’s graduates are making impactful contributions to leading health resorts, day spas, and clinics worldwide.
Guided by her belief in self-empowerment, Mette aspires to cultivate catalysts for personal growth, offering unique programs and retreats that empower individuals to reach their highest potential. Her unwavering commitment to teaching from the heart resonates through every transformative experience she facilitates.
Mette’s inspiring leadership and dedication have touched the lives of countless practitioners and continue to illuminate paths of self-discovery and transformation for those on their journey.
Recognized as a visionary teacher, Mette guides aspiring leaders, trainers, and facilitators. Her dedication to imparting profound wisdom and expertise has shaped over 150 practitioners through specialized train-the-trainer programs. Graduates have established their healing clinics and now actively teach Heartworks Lomi Lomi techniques across continents, exponentially spreading the positive influence of Mette’s transformative programs.
Mette’s approach is rooted in meticulous research and personalized education, fostering individual growth in each student. At High Spirits Retreat, she champions professional and ethical teaching methodologies, ensuring participants graduate with knowledge and unwavering confidence in their newfound skills. A holistic approach to leadership and Facilitation is an essential part of her approach.
An author of “Pass It On – Connection Games and Insights for Work, Home, and Community,” Mette extends her teachings beyond the retreat. Her recorded meditation products offer a gateway to tranquillity, reflecting her commitment to the global community’s wellness. Beyond borders, Mette’s dedication to community building and holistic healing resonates locally and overseas, fostering a collective spirit of well-being and harmony.
Meet your course Co-Facilitator
Lawrence Mitchell
Passionate about helping people leaders unlock their full potential, Lawrence’s journey has led him through diverse roles in large public corporations, medium-sized private enterprises, fast-growth startups, and small businesses across the UK, America, and Asia. He brings an entrepreneurial spirit to the table, relishing the opportunity to assist business owners and visionaries in turning their concepts into reality.
Lawrence was Chief Marketing Officer for 9 years for a division of the RELX Group and was part of the Leadership Team that saw the business transform from a declining, trade magazine business into a $4bn data, analytics, and software business. It was whilst working for the RELX Group in London that Lawrence developed an interest in holistic wellbeing, initially from a self leadership perspective, and then through a recognition that the only way to successfully and sustainably transform a business was by supporting people to build resilience to better cope with the inevitable pressures, challenges, and change.
In 2014, Lawrence took on the role of Chief Wellbeing Officer and developed the award-winning ‘Living Well Programme’ that has since gone on to impact the lives of 13k employees working in 50 locations around the world.
Since moving to Australia in 2016, Lawrence’s focus has been on three areas:
1. Wellbeing at Work World:
Guiding leaders to recognize and prioritize well-being as a strategic imperative in their organizations is at the heart of my mission. With a decade of experience in Workplace Wellbeing, he has spearheaded global projects and observed the evolving landscape. In a time of accelerating change and new legislation, his aim is to help build sustainable high-performance cultures and mitigate risks through large events, small gatherings, and tailored programmes.
2. Holistic Marketing:
Specializing in empowering business owners, especially those in purpose-driven organizations, Lawrence assists in crafting clear growth strategies. Drawing from my background in both public companies and startups, he offers a wealth of skills, knowledge, and behaviors to help manifest ideas, clearly define propositions and communicate those propositions to build volume.
3. Leadership Development:
Aiding leaders in evolving their skills and behaviors, equipping them with the tools and knowledge to navigate their own well-being and resilience during times of pressure, challenge, and change. Additionally, he provides support in developing the confidence and skills needed to lead teams effectively and engage in authentic one-on-one conversations with team members.
He is the host of the Finding EQUILIBRIUM Podcast, and the author of three books on wellbeing, including Success without Stress: How to Prevent Burnout and Build Resilience for Optimal Health and Performance.
Why with us?
Our emphasis on emotional resilience is a key point of difference in doing this deeper work with us. It helps you handle challenges much more effectively, to be ready to step in and stand by individuals, the group or yourself. It helps develop greater self-compassion – a springboard for the ability to hear and understand each other.
Mette’s Institute use their extensive experience and capacity to hold an environment where the dynamics of the group can flourish. This provides you with reflections and genuine feedback from your peers which, together with specific in-session coaching, can open up powerful new insights about how you operate.
Mette’s Institute trains you in more than technique: we support you to strengthen your courage to intervene and equalise power in the room, so your participants are free to focus on their goals, not the dynamics. We offer an enjoyable learning environment, with delicious meals, light-filled training rooms and leafy outdoor spaces. This is a well-supported emotional learning adventure, to rearrange your internal landscape – which is why we can say you’ll never be the same again.
Your investment
Course Schedule
What a day may look like:
Sunrise sauna and swim
7:00am to 8.00am
Nature experiences and exercises for Body Mind and Soul to prepare for the day
8.00am to 9.00am
Nutritious, wholesome breakfast
From here on we're on Island time and the day's activities will vary. Example activities could include:
- Demonstrations
- Group learning activities, including personality profiles and strengths assessment
- Lectures on group dynamics' theory and practice
- Practice of presentation skills, including instructions
- Creative play and connection games
- Team building activities
- Delivery of mini-workshops
- Group assessments and evaluations
- Reflect and relax in nature, including self-care time
6.00pm - 7.00pm
Delicious vegetarian dinner prepared with LOVE
7.00pm - 9.00pm
Relaxing and sharing time of learnings from the day
Imagine Your Transformation
Picture yourself as a confident leader and facilitator, having transformed your perceptions and invested in your personal and professional growth. Say yes to the journey that will ripple positive change into your world of work and personal life.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
"I don't know if I have enough practice experience to get the most out of this course"
"How do I justify taking time off work and spending money on this course given the recent upheavals?"
"So will this retreat be a heavy detox, where I'll have bad headaches and feel super lethargic?"
METTE’S INSTITUTE
High Spirits Retreat
297 Sister Tree Creek Rd Kin Kin QLD 4571
CONTACT US
Phone: 0407 651 600
International: +61 407 651 600
Email: [email protected]