Vacation or Retreat? A Reflection from the French Riviera

Following are notes from my personal diary, June 2026:

As I write this, I am sitting on the beach in Nice, France, with my family.

It sounds idyllic, doesn't it? The Mediterranean Sea, beautiful villages, long family dinners, and a schedule filled with sightseeing and experiences we have been planning for months.

And yet, I have a confession.

I am not entirely sure I like vacations.

Three days into a two-week trip, I find myself listening to podcasts about corporations and governance. I am checking market activity. I am scheduling meetings for when I return. Ideas for new ACE content are filling my notebook. I am thinking about the women we are currently training and the women we have yet to reach. I am wondering what is changing in the boardroom and what directors need to know next.

In short, I miss work.

For years, I assumed that was a problem to solve. Surely, when successful people retire, they learn how to stop thinking about work. They relax. They disconnect. They sit quietly on a beach without wondering about governance trends, board effectiveness, succession planning, or the next great idea.

If that is the definition of retirement, I may never retire.

The truth is that I love what I do. I love helping women prepare for corporate board service. I love serving on boards. I love learning. I love building things. I love seeing possibilities where others see obstacles.

What I am beginning to realize is that perhaps the goal is not to stop caring.

Perhaps the goal is to care about more things.

Over the last few years, I have participated in several retreats. Some were physically challenging, like hiking in the Dolomites. Others were focused on personal growth, spiritual reflection, or leadership development. Still others were business conferences where I returned energized with new ideas and relationships.

Each of those experiences had a purpose.

Maybe that is why they resonated with me.

I am beginning to understand that I do not need less purpose in my life. I need purpose in more areas of my life.

As I reflected on this during our trip, I noticed something interesting. Throughout all of my internal dialogue, I was thinking about business, boards, governance, leadership, and the future.

What was missing from the conversation?

My family.

Not because they are unimportant. In fact, they are among the most important people in my life.

But unlike my business responsibilities, my family wasn't demanding my attention. The trip was planned. The activities were scheduled. Everything was moving along smoothly.

Yet that realization stopped me.

If I am not intentional, work will always find its way to the front of the line.

That may be one of the greatest challenges for driven leaders.

We know how to create value. We know how to solve problems. We know how to build organizations, serve shareholders, and achieve ambitious goals.

What we don't always do as naturally is create space for presence.

So, I have made a decision.

I am going to stop thinking of this trip as a vacation.

Instead, I am going to think of it as a retreat.

A family retreat.

A retreat with a purpose.

The purpose is connection.

The purpose is presence.

The purpose is to create memories with the people I love while I have the opportunity to do so.

The board meetings will still be there when I return. The markets will still open every morning. Governance trends will continue to evolve. There will always be another project, another idea, another opportunity.

But these moments with family are every bit as valuable.

Perhaps more so.

Who knows?

I may even learn to enjoy vacation after all.

Enjoy!