Leadership Begins Within

GROW Retreat

COMING SOON

A 3-day in-person training for men who are ready for an awakening.

Get unstuck, reignite your purpose, and connect more deeply with the world around you. MELD's science-based skills will serve you for the rest of your life.

Explore your own uncharted territory.

The MELD Method is born from fifty years of research in how stress and trauma impact the body (physiology), and relational and attachment dynamics. From thirty years of applying and refining the research, we have created a no-nonsense process, rooted in science, and proven effective for making measurable improvements in the lives of men.

The GROW weekend retreat is a deep dive experiential training. Experience the MELD Method broken-down step by step, into digestible and embodied actions that you can take home with you. Because the system is based on your natural, inherent physiology and not someone’s theory (or ego), your body picks it up quickly, allowing your awareness to shift so that you leave with a sustainable, organic model to apply.

Guided by men who have developed and taught this approach for years, even a novice can end the weekend transformed, embodying the critical skills of the MELD Method.

The benefits don’t just make your life better — they change the world.

Beyond personal development, GROW is a commitment to collective improvement. Surrounding yourself with men dedicated to their authenticity, and leaning into the fuller version of who you really are, this causes a welcome ripple-effect in the world around you, for your family, and your community.

Decades of science, distilled into a hands-on practice.

After years of teaching the MELD Method, we've taken all we've learned and created a weekend that builds on our innate abilities. Men who arrive as strangers, leave connected to men who become lifelong friends. When the space is secure, and the practice proven over decades of research, application, and refinement, our natural ability to be assertive and authentic returns.

This weekend retreat is for men who want to:

Experience a visceral awakening using our MELD Method
Develop tools to manage stressful situations
Cultivate their natural leadership skills
Develop personal strength and confidence, even under duress
Guide other men through their own difficult experiences
Deepen relationships at home and work
Develop life-long bonds with other committed men, supporting each other in a shared journey.
Qualify for MELD’s certification program – the Integrated Training
Become part of a growing group of men utilizing this leading-edge technique

Testimonials

"Initially I was resistant and even angry with myself for making the commitment to participate for a weekend. Upon arriving and fully immersing myself in the process, led by facilitators and supported by a group of powerful men, I confronted past traumatic experiences and subsequently I was able to heal chronic physical pain that had manifested in my body. Thank you, Owen, for guiding me toward a better way of living. I highly recommend the training."

- B. L.

"The power is in its simplicity and how it impacts each man in a very unique way. To say I highly recommend it would be an understatement!"

- B. G.

"After the training I have more clarity in how I operate on a mental, physical, and emotional level. It has helped me to at least start to understand the process of living a healthy lifestyle and handling hardships in a good way. I understand that this will be a lifelong journey for me, but the two days got me on the right path."

- G. P.

Attention Therapists & Coaches

We know that men can be reluctant to fully engage with their own personal development. Many men don't have experience with feeling the kind of safety that is necessary for them to truly let their guard down and address what is going on underneath. Yet men regularly report moving more energy and making more progress in a weekend with us than they have in years of therapy. So why not learn to harness the MELD Method, an integrated somatic technique, and incorporate it into your practice?

MELD’s groups and programs complement professional therapy. We are not therapists; we are facilitators who create spaces for men to develop and practice new skills. Our method, grounded in the science of emotional physiology and attachment theory, promotes authentic connections and emotional resilience.

Based on the work of many researchers and therapy innovators, such as Peter Levine, Esther Perel, Stephen Porges, and Sue Johnson, we have crafted a new approach to working with men.

Esther Perel with MELD Co-Founder Owen Marcus

It's difficult to lead a man to a depth within himself that you yourself have not experienced. That's why all of our trainings are experiential, which means you will learn by doing, and by receiving. The GROW Retreat & Training is an opportunity to embody a new skill. Add the MELD Method, proven effective over decades practice, as a tool to your arsenal for working with with men.

Certification Opportunity: Qualify for MELD’s Integrated Training, a 6-month personal development and professional certification program for therapists and coaches.

A Time to Slow Down

Equally as important as the work we'll be doing is the time we'll spend slowing down. We will eat amazing food, and spend time unwinding in the awe-inspiring beauty of the redwood forests of California. We'll get plenty of sunshine, build bonds around evening fires, and be restored by the breezes of the Pacific Ocean.

Location to be announced soon...

Proven to Create Change in Men

Unlock a deeper level of growth at our transformative weekend retreat. GROW is designed for men who are ready to reclaim and advance their social skills and inner awareness far beyond the current societal norm, overcoming the most deeply-rooted blocks, forging powerful connections, and enhancing their leadership capabilities.

Dive Deep: Utilize the innovative MELD Method to explore and understand your inner workings.
Build Strength: Gain personal strength and confidence that resonates in every aspect of your life.
Beat Burnout: Align with your deepest calling and live life energized and brimming with purpose.
Lead Effectively: Learn essential skills to mentor and lead other men on their paths to growth.
Overcome Overwhelm: Free yourself from feeling overloaded by expectations.
Enhance Relationships: Improve your interactions by connecting from a place of authenticity.
Connect Deeply: Experience profound connections with the world around you and the people who matter most.
Join an Elite Group: Become part of a growing community with the training to make significant impacts in Men’s Work.

Grow Retreat Schedule

Friday

3:00 - 5:00PM – Arrival

6:00PM – Dinner

7:15PM – Session 1: Welcome + Deepening Presence – using a series of somatic exercises we strengthen the connection to our body’s signals and responses.

Saturday

7:00AM – Movement

8:00AM – Breakfast

9:15AM – Session 2: Slowing Down, The Autonomic Nervous System, Co-Regulation – learn to recognize our fight/flight/freeze responses and track the subtle non-verbal cues. See beyond what is being said.

12:30PM – Lunch

1:45PM – Session 3: Catalyze Deep Change – use somatic embodiment and parts work to dive deep into personal history, creating rapid awareness growth and transformation.

4:45PM – Rest & Recharge

6:00PM – Dinner

7:30PM – Session 4: Release & Enter New Awareness – with guidance, embody your block and awaken dissociated parts, completing cycles that had been interrupted, to reclaim your power and your purpose.

Sunday

7:00AM – Movement

8:00AM – Breakfast

9:15AM – Session 5: Affirm & Reframe – our experiences often have multiple meanings that we’re unaware of. Rewrite the felt story of an experience and bring once disconnected parts back into alignment with the whole.

12:30PM – Lunch

1:45PM – Session 6: Honor & Integration – honor your new experience, digest and integrate sustainable tools and resources to carry forward with you on your journey.

4:00PM – Departure

Have questions? Schedule a consultation with a member of our team below.

Join an adventure that will challenge you, change you, and give you a new perspective on your own manhood.

Have Questions -- Schedule a Call

We ask that you please do not "no show" to this call. We're a very small team of real people and we really do want to connect with you. If you're nervous or anxious, that's ok, bring those nerves and questions and we will help you get the answers you need.

Men’s Emotional Leadership Development

MELD utilizes the latest research on stress, trauma, polyvagal theory, and attachment theory to take advantage of an untapped asset: our physiology. Rather than ignore our physiological and emotional responses, we develop the skills that make them our allies.