Leaders from diverse industries gathered in the world-famous resort of Whistler, BC, for a two-day ELO Peer Advisory Group (PAG) retreat dedicated to mutual learning, shared wisdom, and faith-centered perspectives.
Despite representing varied sectors including technology, construction, education, real estate development, marketing, and consulting, participants demonstrated a powerful collective commitment to curiosity, ingenuity, innovation, and purposeful alignment rooted in faith. Sessions featured candid presentations of personal and professional insights, sparking deep conversations that extended into collaborative lunches and dinners.
Called to Flourish: A Christian Perspective
Dr. Richard (Rick) J. Goossen, President of the ELO Network, opened the program by exploring human flourishing. He outlined key components—happiness and life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships—emphasizing that for PAG members, faith and relationship with God form the center of these areas. Goossen challenged leaders to move beyond “What do you do?” to ask, “What gives you meaning?”
My “Thorn in the Flesh” Business Deal: The Dream-Deal That Turned into a Nightmare
One session offered transparent reflections on a major business venture that became a significant challenge despite initial success. The presentation highlighted how external factors, such as rising interest rates, over-leveraged buyers, health issues, and legal complications, can create unexpected headwinds. It stressed the importance of patience, strategic replanning, and seeking wise counsel amid circumstances beyond one’s control.
The Art of Finishing Well
A presentation focused on ending seasons of leadership and business with intentionality, poise, and character. It emphasized that true character is revealed when no one is watching and stressed the daily building of “muscle memory” through consistent choices.
The session encouraged the group that comebacks are always possible with deliberate effort, urging timely expressions of apology, gratitude, and love to family, employees, and others. The core message: it is not how we begin, but how we end that reveals our character.
Stewardship: Tending the Garden
The discussion introduced "hormetic stress" (beneficial and growth-producing) versus "chronic stress" (destructive), encouraging intentional pruning of overloaded commitments as referenced in John 15. Participants were challenged to evaluate when continuous improvement becomes avoidance and when revolution, completely new approaches, is required. A key reframing question was offered: “If we were to compete against ourselves, how would we do it?” This principle applies equally to businesses and personal reinvention.
The Human Edge: Why Spirit-Led Creativity Is Your Brand’s Greatest Competitive Advantage in an AI World
A timely session addressed the rise of artificial intelligence, outlining three guiding principles for Spirit-led stewardship: AI democratizes content creation, sameness is now the default threat, and the true differentiator remains the creator. It emphasized humanity’s creative capacity as image-bearers of God and positioned AI as an accelerator rather than an author.
Warnings were given against relying on AI for unique value propositions, as it tends to produce homogenized output. The presentation sparked lively discussion on responsibly adopting AI while protecting brand distinctiveness and competitive advantage.
The Beatitudes: God’s Process and Promise (Matthew 5:3-12)
One session invited participants to view the Beatitudes as both sequential steps and promises in God’s process of character development. Attributes such as poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, mercy, and purity were explored, with practical discussion on how these manifest themselves in business decisions, family relationships, and cultural challenges.
Walking Through the Lectio Divina: The Boy Jesus in the Temple
Another session used the story of the Boy Jesus in the Temple to demonstrate Lectio Divina, guiding the group through observation, questioning, reflection, and prayer. It connected Jesus’s submission, growth in wisdom, and foreshadowing of resurrection to personal leadership and life application across business, relationships, and significant events.
Crisis is the Mother of Transformation: My “Entrepreneurial Testimony”
The final presentation shared a personal entrepreneurial journey, highlighting fluctuating flourishing scores through seasons of both success and failure. It showed how past experiences shape character and current work, including practical challenges such as delivering value and selling without being a traditional salesperson. The group provided collaborative insights and counsel.
Over shared meals, PAG members collaborated, engaged, advised and discussed a rich array of meaningful and actionable content in hopes of further stewarding their businesses, faith, family, and communities.
The ELO Peer Advisory Group provides a unique environment for high-caliber leaders seeking authentic peer support grounded in Christian values. Those interested in learning more about joining a PAG are invited to connect with the ELO Network to explore potential fit.
