FEMININE LEADERSHIP:

Finding and Embodying Your Voice

15 - 19th March 2026

The most extraordinary experience of your life

Four days in the foothills of the Pyrénées, with some of the most forward thinking artists, thought leaders and entrepreneurs, participating in an immersive and experiential learning journey that will bring healing to our world

Finding and Embodying Your Voice is an innovative leadership development workshop led by award-winning entrepreneur and global leader, Caroline Watson, with special guests Indian classical dancer Preeti Vasudevan and Grammy-nominated composer and singer Clarice Assad, who harness the power of the arts to untap your true voice and leadership presence.

Expanding beyond traditional leadership training methods, these unique women help you to find a deep balance between the power of embodied learning and rebalancing leadership in the 21st century.

The programme inspires greater authenticity and personal presence to support a nurturing balance between work and personal life, creating pathways for more women to lead on the global stage.

Setting the scene: Leadership Presence and Stepping Onto the World Stage

Our world is in crisis and we desperately need new models of leadership. For far too long, leadership has been the domain of men, singular in their approach of a top-down, domineering and often aggressive style, the winner takes all. It’s evidently not working. Our world is more and more polarised, with a fundamental lack of humanity and, extraordinarily, decisions being made with not an ounce of maturity or even basic intelligence.

It is time for women to rise as the leaders our world needs. Whilst we know men are theoretically capable of leading with more nuance, compassion, an ability to deal with complexity and common sense, these qualities are currently hugely lacking in our world today. We need more women to step up to the task of transforming our world and fundamentally shifting the paradigms that have lead to our current crises.

There has never been a more important time to understand the unique role you play as a feminine leader and to make the commitment to be part of the change our world so desperately needs.

Clos de Gaye

Extraordinary experiences where the world comes together for impact

Welcome to Clos de Gaye, a unique and special place in the far southwest of France, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, close to the border of Spain and the stunning Basque coast.

Clos de Gaye (pronounced ‘guy’) means ‘Place of Happiness’ and it is at once a private home, a residential retreat, a creative and artistic workspace, organic farm, community kitchen, restaurant and tea house, and a convening ground for global leaders, artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and all those charged with the care and governance of our planet. Think of it as the meeting point between the Bloomsbury set’s Charleston and Camp David. It is a place to stay, to play, to share and to transform our world.

The spirit of Clos de Gaye is one of contribution, generosity and accountability. Those that have a seat of the table have arrived there through hard work and a genuine desire to be of service to the world. Time spent here is for you to reflect on what has been achieved so far and to be a springboard into future leadership and the continued desire to be a force for good in the world.

Deep in the heart of the French countryside, embedded in the ‘old world’ rises a new way of thinking about the future. The best of European heritage, beauty and aesthetic, with interiors from all over the world, reflecting our founder’s upbringing in Asia, and bringing energy, dynamism and a sense of inclusion of the new world.

An opportunity to reclaim the very best of European culture and values, with a renewed way of thinking about its relationship with the rest of the world, restoring humanity to everyone.

All retreats and high-impact summits are lead by Caroline Watson, visionary founder of The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership, and the Global Arts Impact Agenda. An award-winning entrepreneur, Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum (Davos) and a talented performer herself, using the arts to effect large-scale social change across the world, Caroline is the owner of Clos de Gaye and a masterful hostess and creator of extraordinary experiences.

Caroline Watson, Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, Harvard, Yale, INSEAD, Oxford

Coach and leadership development expert to global heads of state, corporate executives and world leaders.

Unfolding your leadership potential

“Caroline is a wonderful events organizer, Her multifaceted skill sets, combining her talents as an actor and leadership expert, shines through in every detail she orchestrates. Caroline’s passion, strong sense of inclusion, impeccable organizational skills, and innate flair for hospitality ensure that every event is a seamless and rewarding experience……Caroline's events are expertly curated adventures that leave a lasting impact.”

— Shirley Liu, L’Oréal Paris

Caroline is joined by two special guests

Preeti Vasudevan

Award-winning choreographer and cultural storyteller Preeti Vasudevan's provocative theatrical works redefine individual identity, uniting artists and audiences alike. Her creations have been lauded as a refreshing collision of eastern and western aesthetics pushing for a new expression in art-making. Her unconventional storytelling challenges the status quo of dance-theater, bridging ancient traditions with the contemporary world.
Clarice Assad

Grammy Award-nominated Clarice Assad is a musical force that seamlessly bridges classical, world music, pop, and jazz. As a Brazilian-American composer, pianist, vocalist, and educator, she has earned international acclaim for her evocative compositions and dynamic performances.

Each retreat takes place against the backdrop of some of the most beautiful corners of south west France. Our 2-day extensions also allow you to visit the following places

The Pic du Midi d’Ossau
Stunning views from Clos de Gaye
Soothing effect of the ocean
Dramatic waves
Award-winning cuisine
Culture
Heritage
History
Elegance
Sophistication
Refinement

Accommodation will be provided on the Clos de Gaye estate, at nearby Clos Mirabel or at Secret Pyrénées nearby.

All meals are prepared using fresh, local, and often organic ingredients, sourced either from Fischer’s Farm itself or from local providers in the Béarn and Basque regions. We can accommodate halal dietary guidelines as needed.

Clos de Gaye is situated in the Jurancon wine region and there will be thoughtful pairings of wine and other non-alcoholic drinks with each meal.

Our spaces are unique, artistic and soulful.

Each retreat can also be offered as part of a year-long learning journey lead by Caroline herself that comes with an individual, one-to-one personal development leadership programme, as well as a group coaching Masterclass development programme, ‘The Art of Leadership’ , based on her own experience as an award-winning leader and entrepreneur.

Caroline is no ordinary coach. Departing from a very technical approach, that focuses on externally-driven directives, Caroline works at a deeper level with her coachees to support their spiritual growth and the emergence of much more refined thought about their leadership. Sought after by corporate executives, heads of state and leaders from across the world, a coaching experience with Caroline will uncover layers of beauty, authenticity and substance in both your personal and professional journey, to help you emerge as the transformational leader our world really needs.

“The first step is awareness …. to be aware of the power of the words …. the power of communication. I feel, I notice now, how people notice and express their ideas. If I go to meetings, I notice how people tell their stories. The power of presence. I am now more aware of how I sit, my breathing .... How to make leading ..... practical, it’s being rather than doing. I now understand my boss differently. I now lead as a queen”

Senior Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, UAE

When the show ends, what begins?

These retreats ask the big questions. They are part of a series of high-level retreats held on the Clos de Gaye estate each spring and autumn, lead by the founder of The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership, Caroline Watson.

They re-imagine our world.

Transformational experiences, they are an exploration into our deeper humanity.

They form the basis of our ground-breaking work in reimagining our systems and empowering the next generation of ‘higher order’ leaders.

We use the arts to unlock a deeper level of discussion, and then explore how the arts can also be applied to solving the greatest challenges of our time.

Tangible Outputs for Past Clients

Global Leadership

One of the key hallmarks of our work, based on our founder’s background is the concept of ‘globale’ leadership, learning to navigate what it means to be in and of ‘the world’, but also to develop a truly holistic way of understanding our global responsibilities as well as our local ones. We’ve helped leaders develop a truly nuanced understanding of other cultures, navigate the impact of the rise of China and the emerging world, and learn how to communicate and lead across cultures.

Fundraising and Investment

In working with corporate leaders and government clients, we have helped past participants secure investments for projects, get buy-in for major policy initiatives, and influence key decision-makers at the highest level

Innovation and New Project Ideas

We have helped multi-national clients develop ideas for new industries in emerging markets, advocate for policy changes and rethink both local and global strategies for large-scale initiatives

Improve Products and Services

We have developed more human-centered approaches to new product development and service provision, ensuring they are more deeply-rooted in what the user needs and effective in their delivery

Leadership and Communication

Empowered the personal leadership of countless global leaders across the world, enabling them to develop the courage and confidence to communicate effectively and lead both ‘upstream’ and ‘downstream’

Change Management, Company Culture and Values

Working with senior management to identify challenges in execution related to company culture and strategy, helping to seed new transformation initiatives and get support from stakeholders at all levels

Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

In working with foundations, philanthropists and change-makers across the world, we’ve helped them get under the skin of some of the most intractable problems our world is facing, learn to empathise with multiple perspectives and navigate how to lead with a strong sense of vision and purpose to bring about meaningful change in our world

These retreats are also the prelude for our ‘action summits’, held on the Clos de Gaye estate over the winter period, that invite deeper-level engagement from members of our community into solving the very real challenges we are facing in our world, through tangible projects incubated and executed through our impact lab, The Foundry.

Getting Here

From your home to Clos de Gaye

Clos de Gaye is situated less than 20 minutes away from both Pau airport and train station in south west France. We are also 50 minutes away from Tarbes/Lourdes airport. Biarritz, Bordeaux and Toulouse are all between 1 - 2 hours drive or train ride.

In keeping with our vision to have a positive impact on the world, all retreats start and end at Gare Montparnasse in Paris, so you can use train travel to ‘set the scene’ on your extraordinary journey and reduce your carbon footprint. We also kindly ask all international visitors to offset the carbon from their plane travel to Paris through a reputable carbon-offsetting scheme.

We suggest that you aim for a plane or train to arrive in Paris on the morning of the retreat date, and to take the 2pm train from Montparnasse to arrive in time for dinner. Transfers from the train station to Clos de Gaye can be arranged ahead of time and the transfer time takes less than 20 minutes.

Dates

Come together with some of the world’s foremost women leaders to take part in transformative workshops, discussions, performances and experiences that will change the world.

We run two open-enrollment retreats for individuals two times a year in the spring and autumn and are also able to offer bespoke retreats for companies and organisations wishing to do this as an offsite at a time to suit them.

Sunday 15 - Thursday 19th March 2026; 2 day extension until Saturday 21st March

9999 euros per person for 4-day retreat (Sunday to Thursday) ; 14999 euros for retreat plus 2 days sightseeing and fine dining at the Basque coast and the Pyrénées (Sunday to Saturday)

24,999 euros per person for the year-long programme, to include one-to-one coaching and leadership development course and membership of the ‘higher order’ leadership community (29,999 euros to include the 2 day sightseeing trip in addition to the retreat)

20% sales tax applies

The retreat can also be paid for through our US-based 501 (c) 3 as a charitable donation and offset against taxes if you wish to support a fellow woman leader to go through the programme

Investment

Included:

Retreat

All workshops, talks, dinners, and performances at the retreat in March
Your Accommodation on the Clos de Gaye estate or a similar property nearby
All your meals, including eating out
Your day trips to the Pyrénées and the Basque coast (for 2 day extension)

Year-long personal development programme

All the above plus:

Year-long one-to-one, tailored, leadership development programme for each individual
Group coaching and networking with rest of your cohort for the 12 month period
Additional learning content for the 12 months surrounding the retreat experience through a micro-learning app (Gnowbe)

As a socially-entrepreneurial for-profit company, choosing to work with The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership creates employment opportunities for artists and creatives, supports low-income and marginalised communities to also take part in extraordinary experiences at Clos de Gaye and elsewhere in the world, so your participation in this retreat also enables others to benefit from the life-transforming effects of our programmes.

Terms and Conditions

The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership reserves the right to change guest artists and facilitators should circumstances dictate.

All retreat fees are non-refundable. In the event of an unexpected event that is out of the Centre’s control, we will offer you a replacement offer of similar value.