Neil Laughton is a former Royal Marine Commando and Special Forces Officer turned multi award-winning Business Coach and entrepreneur. He founded a group of company's which grew to £40m turnover and was then sold to a FTSE 100 company in 2011. Neil is passionate about adventure, and has led numerous expeditions on 7 Continents - by land, sea and air. He summited Mt Everest with Bear Grylls, circumnavigated the UK on a jet ski and piloted a flying car across the Sahara Desert. Neil is a recipient of the Ness Award for “inspirational leadership” from the Royal Geographical Society and works with clients around the world including B&Q, Virgin Atlantic and BP.
John and Neil are the founders of:
Salif Romano Niang is an agribusiness consultant and social entrepreneur based in Mali. He is a co-founder of Malô, a Malian social enterprise specialized in fortifying rice grown by smallholder farmers. Prior to returning to Mali in 2011, Salif was a PhD candidate in international relations at Purdue University where his research centered on the role of large youth cohorts on governance, conflict, and economic development. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Purdue University and was a member of the Clinton Global Initiative in 2012 and 2013.
He is a recipient of numerous international awards and prizes from business plan competitions as well as fellowships from organizations such as Echoing Green, the Aspen Institute and Singularity University. Salif is also a co-founder and co-director of Timbuktu Renaissance, a Malian nonprofit leveraging Mali’s rich culture and music to promote peace, tolerance, and social cohesion by countering violent extremism. He was born in Rome and spent his childhood and teenage years in Ethiopia and Cameroon.
Salif and John are currently developing ventures in both Lisbon and West Africa focused around providing opportunity for leaders to experience African creativity & community in a Retreat context.
Diane Allen is an established specialist in Change Leadership, and Organisational Development and was recently awarded an OBE for her contributions to organisational change within the Ministry of Defence.
Diane has considerable international experience in Leadership roles within government, MOD, charities, and the private sector. She is a highly successful executive and project lead, with a track record of sustained success in identifying and introducing effective change behaviour. She also holds a Master of Science (MSc) in marine and coastal environment issues and has a penchant for responsible global travel and encouraging personal growth through adventuring. Diane's book, on building and maintaining Leadership Capital, based on her own experiences with the MOD, was published in 2019.
John & Diane have co-facilitated retreats together at the Royal Artillery Company in London and continue to develop JRDA, a development programme for Leadership Capital based around awareness and integrity in the corporate sector.
Alex Dziri - a professional champion breakdancer in his 20s - founded the iconic breakdance world championships, Raw Circles, with over 2000 people live, 50 countries participating and more than 1 million YouTube views yearly.
Since then he has built, branded and launched digital courses for world-renowned interview podcasts, helping them grow from start-up level to multi-million dollar media companies, scaling to 2 million YouTube followers, 200+ million downloads on Itunes and 30+ employees.
Now he coaches various world-class top performers, from Olympic athletes and pharmacists to emotional healers and financial tech gurus.
In 2020, Alex and John co-founded Raw Potential, a retreat and creativity community based around free-diving and desert retreats in Africa and the Mediterranean for their CEO client base.
Fatma Ghedira is a facilitator, sound & movement practitioner, community builder and experience designer who supports organizations and community leaders in creating safe and impactful events and containers of transformation for their people. Containers that are purposefully designed to align with their values and intentions.
Fatma is a musician and a psychologist by education, and is currently Head of Community at ThinkHuman, creating conscious leadership spaces and conversations while also focusing on creating cocoons of safety around the world as an artist.
Fatma collaborates with John & Alex on our wild Sahara Retreats, bringing huge experience and expertise for our community.
Tsering comes from a family of professional Sherpa mountaineers from the Everest Region of Nepal. His late father Sirdar Azewa Sherpa lead many 8000 summit expeditions in the Himalayas until 1989. Graduating in 2005 from Prasadi Academy in Kathmandu, Tsering is fluent in Nepalese, Hindi, Sherpa, Tibetan and English. He is a trained medical interpreter and has been volunteering with the Acupuncture Relief Project since August 2010.
Tsering currently runs the office of SUSWASTHYA NEPAL (GOOD HEALTH NEPAL), a non-profit partnership with the Acupuncture Relief Project in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is also vice president of SKA Foundation and advisor to the Board of ARP. Through all his backgrounds, he is interested in running many charity treks, events to support the healthcare and education in rural Nepal and help Nepalese Government build an integrated healthcare centers in Rural parts of Nepal.
In December 2019, Tsering and John - alongside Nima Kancha Sherpa, a 7 time Everest Summiteer - delivered the first ever Sherpa led retreat in the Himalayas - in the towering landscape of Namche. In 2021 we returned for the second and will continue to develop these unique adventures in partnership with the Sherpa Community for many years to come. In addition we are currently developing Tiger, Rhino and Elephant Safaris in Pokhara which will also culminate in a Sherpa Led awareness and community retreat.
Karen Williams is a successful business woman with a long track record of establishing, restructuring and improving existing businesses. Karen is also a highly respected and active member within the networking community.
It is with the expertise garnered in these fields that Karen founded her charity “The Buddy Bag Foundation”, for which she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Years Honours List in 2021.
The charity was also awarded “The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services in June of 2022.
Karen's "can do" attitude life skills and unshakeable determination is the driving force that underpins the forward momentum that defines every opportunity she engages with. Karen and John are currently developing retreats in Italy, India and Bali, launching in Verona in 2024.
Brandon Cook is a coach and trainer and the Executive Director of Naming the Real. He specializes in supporting individuals and organizations to thrive and flourish through fierce conversations, honest feedback, discharging trauma, engaging grief, and embodiment work.
Originally from Alabama, he attended Wheaton College (IL) and studied internationally before graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University near Boston and has a Master’s degree from Oxford University.
Brandon worked as a professional storyteller and then as a pastor in Southern California for over 14 years, and now lives in Brevard, North Carolina with his wife Rebecca and their three children (and one dog).
You can read some of his writing and poetry at storyflight.com, view his photography at instagram.com/brandonalancook/, and learn more about his professional work at namingthereal.com.
John and Brandon are currently developing Leadership and Wilderness Retreats in the US, launching 2024.
Trish Masvosva was born in Zimbabwe and moved to the UK in her late twenties. She did voluntary youth work for a year at a youth centre working with vulnerable young women.
Whilst undertaking a degree in Social Work, Trish worked as a part-time support worker at: a women’s refuge, providing support to vulnerable women and their children fleeing domestic violence; in residential units across Sussex, providing supported living services for young vulnerable people aged 16 - 24; and in children’s homes, providing care to children and young people aged 7 - 16.
Since qualifying as a social worker in 2011, Trish has specialised in complex case work with a vast range of vulnerable children / young people and their families, mainly in the South of England. In her spare time, Trish is an obsessive adventurer and travels widely. She also regularly attends international Latin dance festivals and is a passionate Bachata and Salsa dancer.
John and Trish are currently developing Awareness and Salsa retreats on Guernsey, launching June 2024.
Colin Dingelstad is a formidable force to be reckoned with. He is a Global Leadership Coach for Fortune 1000 companies, an Angel Investor, Founder of The Coaching Nation, Co-founder of TMIC Global, and Founder and CEO of Using AI To Go Viral. He recently celebrated becoming a first-time dad.
John and Colin have been collaborating for several years and are currently developing unique CEO Retreats in Mexico based around Spirituality, Sustainability and Leadership.
Egils Boitmanis is a visionary entrepreneur and life coach from Riga, Latvia, with over 15 years of experience across tech and digital marketing sectors. Passionate about impactful technology ventures, Egils has led Infinitum Agency to significant growth while fostering team empowerment. His expertise spans digital strategy, PPC, SEO, and online advertising. Egils also dedicates himself to the personal and professional development of business leaders, embodying a commitment to self-improvement and Stoic philosophy through his community, StoicUnity.
Over the last few years, John and Egils have been working on a global community of mentors and elders from the business community to provide nurture towards the development of teenagers and young adults.