Memorable out-of-office gatherings that ignite creativity, passion and productivity.
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Retreats provide a unique opportunity for teams to do great work together while growing, developing, learning, and having fun. Executed well, retreats:
Team retreats provide a transformative experience that ensures your employees feel valued and return to the workplace with renewed vitality and purpose.
We work with our clients to create solutions that meet their specific needs and reflect the unique systems and culture in which they operate.
We craft an agenda that balances meaningful work, teambuilding exercises and activities, learning and development opportunities, rest and relaxation, and social time.
We work with our clients in every step of retreat planning and execution, including agenda development, attendance recommendations, expectation setting, meeting facilitation, and event follow-up.
We help our clients choose an event space that promises to surprise and delight.
We ensure our clients emerge from their retreat with clear deliverables, milestones, completion dates and assignment accountability.
Team Retreatz balances meaningful work, team building, presenter-led workshops, R&R, and after-hours activities:
Find the right retreat balance by providing opportunities to rest and recharge. Popular activities include:
Whether you’re aiming for outdoorsy adventures or a pampered experience, location is key to an epic retreat. Here are some of our “California Collection” faves:
Click on an image to visit the recommended hotel’s external website.
Extraordinary settings help foster teamwork in a fun, relaxing environment while increasing camaraderie and productivity. Focusing on not just what needs to be achieved in your company, but rather on the value of the people who help achieve those goals, ensures your investment has a powerful and lasting impact.
Ian’s journey to Team Retreatz began in the late 1990s when he spent seven years running a 650-employee company that provided youth sports programming to a variety of professional sports organizations including Major League Soccer, the NFL and Jack Nickalus’ Golden Bear International.
After getting married in 2006, he traded the grind of 100,000+ flight miles a year for the short commute to a private Bay Area University, where he led several capital fundraising campaigns and saw the institution through its transition to NCAA Division II.
In 2009, seeking to break free from the constraints of academic bureaucracy, he launched a business development practice to pursue his true passion and purpose: helping business leaders plan more strategically, grow more reliably, and maximize the talent within their companies. His first business book, “Replacing the Rainmaker,” published in 2015, was an homage to six years spent in the trenches with an amazing collection of business visionaries.
Today, fusing three decades of executive and entrepreneurial experience, Ian helps entrepreneurs get more from every aspect of their businesses by facilitating memorable out-of-office gatherings that ignite creativity, passion and productivity, and coaching individuals to re-tool their career and live their best lives.
Ian holds an MBA in strategic leadership from Dominican University of California, and a bachelor’s degree in sports science from the University of Northumbria. His passions include exercise, golf, family, and travel. A native of England, he lives in Palm Desert, California, with his wife and teenage daughter.
Ian Tonks, MBA
74425 Zeppelin Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92211
Work: (415) 801-2661
Cell: (415) 847-2212
Email: ian@teamretreatz.com
Want to know more about other Ian Tonks Companies? Click here.
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A Christ-centered recovery program for overcoming hurts, habits, and hang-ups: https://www.celebraterecovery.com/.
A Christian-based financial planning course: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/financial-peace.
A resource for exploring Christianity and answering big faith questions: https://www.christianityexplored.org/.
A faith-based video library with Bible studies, leadership training, and spiritual growth content: https://www.rightnowmedia.org/.
A digital resource for accessing scripture, devotionals, and guided prayer: https://www.youversion.com/.
A faith-based community focused on spiritual renewal, healing, and discipleship through mentorship and support: https://www.rvbk.org/.
A structured Bible study program for individuals and groups: https://www.bsfinternational.org/.
A Christian retreat center offering camps and conferences designed to inspire spiritual growth and connection with God: http://foresthome.org/.
A retreat fostering faith, fellowship, and personal growth: https://maverickriver.com.
The church that played a pivotal role in my faith journey: https://www.harborpoint.church/.
A discipleship experience designed to deepen faith and connect participants with a church community: https://www.experiencerooted.com/.
A global program that introduces people to the basics of Christianity through a series of interactive sessions: https://www.alpha.org/.
Encouragement for the Journey Ahead: If you’ve ever felt like your faith isn’t growing quickly enough or that you’re falling short, take heart: God meets you exactly where you are, and His love isn’t tied to your progress. Every step, no matter how small, matters. As Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Faith is a process—a series of small, intentional actions that draw us closer to God. Each prayer, act of kindness, or moment of reflection is part of a larger journey, shaping us in ways we might not immediately see. Begin where you are. Explore new ways to connect with God, reflect on your journey so far, and consider where you’d like to grow. Faith is not about reaching a final destination but about walking each day with purpose, trusting that every step forward leads to a deeper connection with His love.
Faith as a Lifeline: Facing life’s challenges often feels like assembling IKEA furniture without instructions: confusing, frustrating, and occasionally rewarding when it all comes together. When trials arise, it’s natural to ask, Why do terrible things happen to good people? This age-old question remains one of the hardest aspects of faith to grapple with. No one is exempt from life’s hardships, and faith doesn’t promise a pain-free life. What it does offer is the assurance that we don’t face life’s storms alone. Over the past eighteen months, I’ve witnessed profound examples of resilience and hope in the face of unimaginable challenges. Three personal stories stand out, each showing the strength of enduring loss with love and faith.
Faith as a Lifeline: Facing life’s challenges often feels like assembling IKEA furniture without instructions: confusing, frustrating, and occasionally rewarding when it all comes together. When trials arise, it’s natural to ask, Why do terrible things happen to good people? This age-old question remains one of the hardest aspects of faith to grapple with. No one is exempt from life’s hardships, and faith doesn’t promise a pain-free life. What it does offer is the assurance that we don’t face life’s storms alone. Over the past eighteen months, I’ve witnessed profound examples of resilience and hope in the face of unimaginable challenges. Three personal stories stand out, each showing the strength of enduring loss with love and faith.
Everyday Faith in Action: Living out faith in daily life doesn’t require grand gestures. It’s about the little ways we reflect universal love through kindness, generosity, and service. For me, this journey began with small, deliberate choices—helping someone in need, being patient in a frustrating moment, or offering an encouraging word. These simple acts align our hearts with Christ and remind us of His constant presence. If I’m honest, this part of faith can be the most challenging. I feel deeply connected to Christ when I’m “painting within the lines of faith”—attending Sunday services, volunteering, or participating in programs like Alpha and Rooted. Yet, outside those “faith moments,” I sometimes slip into being “Just.ian.”
Why Community Matters: Community isn’t just a “nice to have;” it’s vital for spiritual growth. Shared experiences build trust, foster accountability, and create opportunities to live out our faith together. At Harbor Point, these gatherings are more than just events—they’re touchpoints where lives intersect, faith is strengthened, and friendships are formed. Whether we’re painting a playground, sharing conversations on the patio, or watching a movie together, these moments strengthen our bonds with one another and deepen our connection to Christ. A thriving community allows us to walk our faith journey with others, offering support, encouragement, and a tangible expression of God’s love.
Why Bible Study Matters: The beauty of Bible study lies in its ability to reveal God’s truth in ways that resonate deeply. Whether you’re delving into a single passage or drawing connections between multiple books, the lessons are always profound and practical. Week after week, I’ve been amazed by the insights that emerge from our discussions. Each session feels like a spiritual investment, yielding growth, clarity, and a closer connection to Christ. While attending weekly church services is vital, true spiritual growth often happens in the spaces beyond Sunday mornings. Bible study provides that consistent opportunity to dig deeper into God’s Word and explore how it applies to the challenges and joys of daily life. When you commit to a regular rhythm of study, you’re saying to God, “I want to know You more.” This recurring act of devotion becomes a spiritual habit, transforming your faith into an active, living relationship with Christ.
The Importance of Fellowship: Fellowship is a vital part of the Christian journey. While personal faith is foundational, it’s in community that we find encouragement, accountability, and strength. Men, in particular, often carry the weight of societal expectations that discourage emotional vulnerability and openness. Yet, when men come together in a shared space with a shared purpose, something remarkable happens. Barriers come down, hearts open, and bonds form in a way that reflects God’s design for unity and brotherhood. Man Camp embodies this principle of fellowship. It’s more than a retreat—it’s a pilgrimage of faith that invites men to rediscover their tribe: a group of men who will walk alongside them, pray for them, and encourage them in their journey with Christ.
Hidden Blessings: Service enriches your spirit, strengthens your faith, and provides moments of clarity and gratitude that are hard to find elsewhere. In the words of Peter Marshall, “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” Even the simplest act of service can have a ripple effect, touching lives in ways we may never fully understand. By serving others, we are serving Christ—planting seeds of love, joy, and faith that transform the world, one small act at a time.
The Greatest Gift: When we give, we experience a joy and fulfillment that transcends the material. Helping someone in need or brightening their day brings a sense of purpose and connection that reflects universal love in action. Whether it’s supporting a mission trip, contributing to a fundraiser, or simply offering a kind word, every act of generosity brings us closer to the heart of Christ. As Anne Frank so beautifully said, “No one has ever become poor by giving.” This profound truth captures the essence of generosity. Giving is not about loss—it’s about abundance. It enriches the giver in ways that are often intangible but deeply meaningful. Through giving, we experience God’s gifts both in what we give and what we receive.
Creating a Rhythm: Despite its simplicity, I found it surprisingly challenging to establish a daily prayer practice. It took effort, intentionality, and a willingness to push past unfamiliarity to make prayer a consistent part of my routine. Like brushing your teeth, it’s something that becomes automatic only with repetition. The key is to start small and remain persistent. Prayer doesn’t have to be perfect—it just needs to be honest. Over time, it shifts from feeling like a task to becoming a natural rhythm of life.
What Baptism Represents: Baptism, at its core, is an act of obedience and faith. It is a public proclamation of belief in Jesus Christ and a symbolic washing away of the old life to embrace the new. The water represents purification, the death of our sinful selves, and the resurrection into a renewed relationship with God. But baptism is not merely about the act itself; it is about the heart. It is a reflection of one’s decision to follow Christ fully, leaving behind a life dictated by self and embracing one led by a greater purpose. In this way, baptism is not the end of a spiritual journey, but the beginning of a life transformed by kindness and truth.
Breaking Free from Strongholds: The session on strongholds was particularly memorable. It was here that we confronted the personal barriers—the fears, doubts, and sins—that held us back from living a life fully devoted to God. In an environment of honesty and trust, we named these strongholds and began the process of breaking free. For the first time in years, I witnessed what a true “safe space” looked like—a place where judgment was absent, and kindness was abundant.
Exploring Life’s Big Questions: At its core, Alpha is a series of sessions designed to explore life’s big questions through the lens of faith. It’s built around shared meals—and in our case, an IPA (who knew faith and craft beer could make such a perfect pairing?). Each session features thought-provoking videos and open, judgment-free conversations, offering a safe space to ask questions, share doubts, and wrestle with faith alongside others. For me, Alpha became more than just a chance to deepen my understanding of faith—it was an opportunity to reflect on whether I was truly living the life God intended for me. As Steve Jobs once said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” That quote resonated as I thought about the freedom and clarity Alpha offers. It’s not about living according to others’ expectations but about discovering your faith authentically and allowing it to shape the life you’re meant to lead. Alpha allowed me to explore my spiritual identity in a way that was both honest and transformative.
Venturers are characterized by people who explore. These workers exceed in environments that push established boundaries. Strong-willed and goal-oriented, Venturers will stop at nothing to achieve their innovative objectives.
Balancing strategies occur when balancing innovation and process, or employee experience and results. An organization with a Balancing strategy between innovation and process seeks to promote experimentation and efficiency, which may be conflicting initiatives. More often than not, this happens when established companies effort to resolve issues with existing offerings while also competing with smaller, more flexible companies. An organization with a Balancing strategy between employee experience and results seeks to build staff engagement and acquire new customers. More often than not, this happens when organizations emphasize bottom line outcomes at all costs, leading to employee burnout, which they try to correct with a people-centric approach.
Organizations with an Adapting strategy may have an excessive amount on their plate due to lack of clear direction around what’s needed to succeed. While it’s possible to pursue a variety of strategic priorities, and it may even be necessary in some cases, moving in too many directions at once can lead to inefficient resource distribution, conflict around what to prioritize, and lack of clarity about what leadership and culture should look like.
Organizations with a Pathfinding strategy prioritize both exploring and producing activities. They’re moving to be more focused and organized around their most profitable or popular services. Innovation is common, but the focus is on building offers that will gain traction in the marketplace, while being careful not to disrupt existing customer relationships.
Organizations with a Producing strategy make a name for themselves by outshining the competition. They utilize tactics around pricing, quality, and delivery of products and services, and set processes to unify teams. They pursue innovations only if they add value to existing offers or help distinguish them from competition. Success is about market penetration and market share.
Organizations with an Executing strategy prioritize both stabilizing and producing activities. They implement structured company-wide systems to maintain consistency across customers, and innovate by leveraging existing resources. Uncomfortable with rolling the dice, they only take strategic risks to ensure stability for their customer base.
Organizations with a Stabilizing strategy determine how to improve or simplify internal procedures to minimize risk, trim organizational fat, lower customer retention costs, and scale-up rapidly. They standardize or automate processes, and pursue new innovations only after careful consideration. Success means achieving higher performance from existing offers, and addressing service gaps to retain clients.
Organizations with an Anchoring strategy prioritize both stabilizing and cultivating activities. They often have a well-defined market position, which allows them to refine existing services and focus more on their employees and being a good corporate citizen. They innovate around the employee experience, but are selective about which business innovations to pursue.
Organizations with a Cultivating strategy invest in employee development and in their reputation as a good corporate citizen. Their structure and processes are predictable and accommodating so employees know what to expect, and can avoid work and personal conflicts. Innovation efforts are internal, with success measured by engagement, maintaining of a legacy, and fostering of a positive workplace climate.
Organizations with a Bolstering strategy prioritize both exploring and cultivating activities. They work to retain their top talent and create a sense of staff identity as they continue to experiment with a variety of market-focused innovations and ventures. They define success both in terms of bringing unique products and services to market and maintaining high employee engagement.
Flexible and well-equipped for new or changing situations, Adapting teams self-organize and work together when they see value in combining individual strengths. They exchange information organically, and develop ‘how to work’ expectations over time. When conflict arises, they’re malleable enough to address it using whatever mediation strategy seems most appropriate at the time.
Fast-paced, goal-oriented, and competitive, Pathfinding teams are relentless. Conflict is frequent, with each person championing their point of view. They see conflict as valuable, as it forces opposing viewpoints and different lines of thinking. Poor communication can result when team members don’t take the time to coordinate with one another before acting.
Competitive and intense, Producing teams are task-oriented and keep their eye on the prize. They work together when it helps them to reach individual goals, though it has to be a win-win to do so. When exchanging resources, team members may expect something in return or use information to gain influence over others. Politics may play a part in how work gets done and by whom.
Disciplined, conscientious, and professional, Executing teams are no-nonsense, and collaborate when required. Addressing conflict logically and swiftly with a focus on facts versus feelings, they tend to work on their own tasks individually, with minimal resource exchange.
Structured, task-focused, organized, and practical, Stabilizing teams are risk-averse, work transactionally with clear expectations around who does what when, and are known for being “by the book.” They share information on a need-to-know basis and use defined structure and roles to avoid conflict. When conflict does occur, they may be slow to address it, prioritizing damage control over relationship repair.
Process-oriented, steady, and eager to help one another, Anchoring teams are organized and careful in planning work activities. Team members are highly in tune with what’s going on within the organization and are less externally focused. They establish procedures for addressing conflict to minimize determinantal outcomes.
Cooperative, supportive, and loyal, Cultivating Teams are friendly, accepting, and respect the process of consensus-building. For the most part, they avoid conflict, but when it occurs, address it in a constructive manner and use it to strengthen relationships.
Social, fun, and full of energy, Bolstering teams like to brainstorm in the name of innovation, and cheer each other on. With an informal communication style, they enjoy robust discussions, addressing conflict head-on, and building deeper, trusting relationships over time.
Daring, risk-tolerant, and imaginative, Exploring teams have an active desire to learn and try new things. Team members stand by their views but are willing to listen to others, allowing for constructive conflict, which helps the group to pressure-test or produce new ideas.
Scholars are reserved yet knowledgeable workers. These people are driven by a need for mastery in their areas of specialization. These workers value stability and consistency. Although they are solitary by nature, when you enter their space of expertise they are informative and authoritative.
Confident, analytical, and persistent, Individualists are strong-minded people who approach challenges with confidence. These workers are driven by a need to solve problems, constantly moving the organization forward. Expect these workers to present unconventional ideas with characteristically strong conviction.
These workers are like the gears of a well-oiled machine. They are reliable and relaxed individuals who are informal in their work, but rarely drop the ball. Operators are cooperative and patient, with the ability to remain calm in nearly any circumstance.
Guardians are formal workers that bring structure and precision into the workplace. These workers are conservative in nature, often reluctant to make risky decisions. Guardians are approachable and reliable when it comes to ensuring the durability of day-to-day operations, and are often steady and dependable perfectionists.
Turning to Faith in Crisis: Over the years, church became a place I turned to in times of crisis. A family loss, a career misstep, or the end of a relationship would nudge me back to a pew, but these visits were often fleeting. My faith was something I reached for in pain and drifted from in comfort. Faith, however, is often about stepping forward into uncertainty. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
The average company loses $2 million in productivity per year due to disengagement. The culprit is the four forces of disengagement–mismatches between your employee and their role, manager, culture, and team–resulting in employees who do the bare minimum to keep their job. What could you accomplish with a fully engaged team? The PI Employee Experience Survey™ allows managers to easily gauge employees and gather candid, confidential feedback on their work experience. The survey provides engagement trends at every level of your organization—whether that’s a team, a department, or your entire company. Insights will allow you to customize your actions to group strengths and needs, and improve engagement at micro and macro levels.
You can’t build a house without a foundation. Likewise, you can’t hire, manage, or organize your people without an agreed-upon business strategy. The PI Strategy Assessment measures leaders’ perceptions, agreement, and confidence in their business strategy, and their belief in the company’s ability to execute it. Having confidence in your ability to execute your business strategy starts with having the right senior leaders in place. The PI Behavioral Assessment™ maps leaders’ behavioral patterns to the chosen strategy, and uncovers gaps so you can plan appropriately, like where to tap into other aptitudes within the company to achieve your strategic goals.
Don’t let PI become your best kept secret. Build an award-winning culture by encouraging all your employees to take the six-minute free-choice PI Behavioral Assessment™, proudly share their findings, and learn what drives them and those around them. Doing so allows conversations to become easier, conflicts to be avoided, and decisions to be made faster. Build better managers. Leverage the Manager Development Chart to help your managers understand their strengths, caution areas, and areas for improvement. Then use the Management Strategy Guide to custom-tailor their management styles for each of their direct reports’ behavioral drives and needs to build strong reporting relationships.
Gut feel is not a good enough reason to hire someone. Neither is relying solely on past performance indicators like GPA, references, or a pedigreed resume. Instead, turn to hiring tools that incorporate behavioral and cognitive insights, and predict how a candidate will think and work. Know who you’re looking for before a candidate steps into your office for an interview. Start by defining job requirements, and use PI’s software to help you set behavioral and cognitive job targets. If you’re not sure where to begin, tap into the wisdom of thousands of hiring managers by using benchmarked data. Cut down on screening time through a match scoring system that sequentially orders the best suited and qualified candidates. Finally, interview with confidence. Bring structure to your interviews through a candidate-customized Interview Guide that shows you how a candidate’s behavioral drives and needs align to the job target you’ve set, and recommends questions to probe for gaps and confirm fit.
Hover over a tile to download your free guide and register for a 48-hour free trial or paid scorecard subscription.
To “spring clean” your life, you need to understand how and where your life is draining you. For many, that feeling of being overwhelmed comes from too many tasks, too many commitments, and being surrounded by people who don’t support or inspire you. In this limited time Spring Clean Your Life offering, you’ll establish a clear 90-day plan for living your life “on purpose.”
Session topics include:
Contact me to schedule a free 15-minute call to identify your needs and determine if we are a fit.
