THE COURSE
RIVER BEND
a forty-eight-hour retreat
Sometimes we need to get away from our lives to rediscover the deepest ideas giving shape to them. The Flow at Parlor is just that escape.
Parlor Hotel sits across the street from the Fox River. With 10,000 years of human history, it has served as a source of nourishment and navigation for the Meskwaki, Menominee, and Ho Chunk people. In the early days of French exploration, they introduced Father Marquette to the river as a means of connection between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. John Muir’s time growing up on this river inspired our National Park System.
We are excited to embark on a new chapter of this rich river history. The Fox has always been a starting point for exploration. Through new and more inclusive lenses, we are inviting any and all people to find themselves nourished here as they navigate the big ideas shaping their lives.
I was enchanted from the moment I stepped into the hotel. As a creative professional, Parlor Hotel was a perfect refresh and respite from anything ordinary.
Richard
The Rhythm of the River
We aren’t just near the river in this effort. We designed the Flow with the river as our guide. Our process learns from how water moves to help you find and stay moving through the deepest channels of your work.
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We get headwaters wrong. There is no single spring that starts a river. The biggest rivers draw water from all directions. This first day is about generative creativity, identifying as many starting points that might get you to your delta.
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The thalweg is the deepest channel of the river where the water flows the fastest. The second day is all about making those headwaters move through streams and creeks until they find each other and flow into something bigger. We want you in your deepest channel of work by the end of day two.
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The delta isn’t just the mouth of the river. It’s also the symbol we use to indicate change. This last morning will give you time back in that deep channel you found, but with the invitation to identify the big change you are moving toward and the next steps that will keep you moving as you reenter your life.
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3:00: Checking In
5:00: Intention Walk
6:00: Welcome Cocktail
7:00: Family Dinner
8:00: Work Time
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8:00 Coffee and Breakfast
9:00 Work Time
10:00 - 3:00: Flexible Lunch
3:00: Work Time
6:00 Celebratory Cocktail
7:00: Family Dinner
8:00
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8:00 Breakfast and Coffee
9:00 Work Time
10:00 - 3:00: Lunch at Horseradish
1:00 Work Time & Final Check In
3:00 Check Out
Coaching and conversation is on call throughout your time at Parlor. Check out our team bios to get a taste of the creativity expertise that will surround you! Participants also have access to private and social work environments to meet their changing needs. Our schedule intentionally balances structure and autonomy to let you make the decisions that meet your needs. And when you need a break, the greater Green Lake area is your playground.
Rates
Individual Retreat
two-night stay
two breakfasts, lunches & dinners
bottomless coffee & welcome m/cocktail
thalweg guided process
two coaching sessions
$800
share your room for +$200
Group Retreat
secures hotel for 2 nights for up to 8 people
two breakfasts, lunches & dinners
bottomless coffee & welcome m/cocktail
thalweg guided process
individual coaching/group facilitation sessions
$6000
additional people up to 16 +$200 ea.
We are able to support 48-hour flows whenever we have two days of availability in our lodging and enough of our team is in town. You can generally check that availability here. That said, we also have designated specific weekends in hopes of helping like-minded and like-project humans find one another. Check out our events calendar to find a specific flow weekend that aligns with your work.
Parlor Hotel is truly a very special destination with impeccable attention to detail, an incredibly warm and inclusive community and a relaxing, peaceful spirit. Staying here is something I wish for everyone to experience and we absolutely can’t wait to return again soon.
Katie
WHAT TO USE IT FOR…
Writing your novel.
Launching your business.
Exploring who you are.
Diving into a book or podcast.
Challenging a norm.
Inspiring a team.
Rethinking best practices.
Our Team
The secret sauce of both Parlor and Horseradish is the community that operates these spaces. Our collective experience and expertise allows us to dive in deep right along side you. We are here to help you find your best flow.
Matt Trotter
The design mind behind Parlor Hotel and Horseradish, Matt thinks of himself as an environmentalist—using art, plants, and music to make inviting spaces for people to gather, heal, and create. An art major and small business owner, Matt has plenty of lived experience to inform your journey and an eye for design you won’t find anywhere esle.
FounderGreg Wright
Our team often has nonlinear paths that brought them here. Greg has been an entrepreneur coach, a writing instructor, a director of an arts org, and consultant working with communities. Odds are high that he has already coached someone to success with a project just like yours.
Flow DirectorYou’ll find Rachel first in the kitchen, making your delicious meals, but you’ll learn quickly that her strengths extend well beyond food. She has a Ph. D. in biology and has run nonprofits working at the overlap of social justice and outdoor recreation. And she’s got an incredible mind for organization!
Food ManagerRachel Olzer
The warm, welcoming vibe and beautifully curated art + music elements in every room creates a space unlike any other. Books, splashes of color and creativity everywhere. Parlor Hotel is a place to explore, relax, unwind, create and chill.
Mary
OUR ALL-INCLUSIVE COMMITMENT
At Parlor Hotel, the phrase all-inclusive means much more to us than the food and beverage included in this package. We recognize the complicated history of who has been invited to explore and who got explored and exploited in that process. We also understand that rural spaces can feel unsafe still to many people. We are doing the work to challenge that narrative and to do our best provide access, empowerment, and joy for all guests who stay with us.
thalweg - n.
the deepest channel and the path of fastest water flow in a river
