Wild heart, clear mind

March 27, 2026
share

A discovery of the landscape within

There are moments in the wild when something quiet returns. It may arrive while watching elephants move across an open plain. Or sitting beside a fire long after the day has ended. This is when the mind slows. The constant calculations of modern life soften, and what felt urgent begins to gain perspective.

I have come to believe that clarity rarely arrives when we try to force it. It appears when we allow our attention to rest on something larger than ourselves. Africa’s landscapes ask us to slow down and to notice the simple act of being present in the world.

Several years ago, I began exploring this idea with David Whyte, renowned poet and philosopher. David has spent decades examining the deeper questions of identity, belonging and meaning through poetry and conversation. His work is born in the space between language and experience, helping people give voice to the things they often feel but struggle to articulate.

Together we created a gathering that allows these questions to unfold in the presence of the African wilderness.

Where the inner and outer landscape meet

The Wild Heart, Clear Mind retreat takes place at Segera Retreat in northern Kenya, from June 3–8, 2027, where just 20 guests will gather for five days of reflection, conversation and time in Africa’s wilderness.

Guests move between time in the wilderness and guided reflection with David, where poetry becomes a doorway into a deeper inquiry about self and our connection to the world. Game drives, walking, meditation and conversation create space for attention and perspective. This is gently supported by a small group of experienced wellness practitioners specializing in massage, yoga, energy and breath work, allowing the landscape to guide the full physical, mental and spiritual experience.

“Together, you brought me, and I suspect many others, into surprising conversations with the ever-present, but seldom perceived, unknown. That feeling of magic is now replenishing what had become wasteland in me, reawakening me to the mysterious workings and unseen threads that weave all of us— human and more-than human—into a web of interconnected being, the awareness of which is critical to creating the conditions that can foster new life. I said it in the closing circle on the last day, but I’ll say it again; the work you do is sacred. I am beyond grateful you do it.” - GUEST, RETURN TO THE WILD, 2024

Days end around the fire, where David’s words give form to what is so often difficult to express: our longing for beauty, presence and meaning in this life. The deep recognition that our inner lives are inseparable from the places we move through.

A conversation unfolding

This coming retreat marks our third gathering together. In many ways it feels less like a series of events and more like a conversation that continues to unfold. Each time we meet, new perspectives emerge through the people who join us and through the landscape itself.

“Thank you, Deborah, for the intelligence and intuition you brought to bear in curating the circumstances that gave us the opportunity to experience eternity in every moment of every day during our stay at Segera. As Alexia Chellun sang in the song you played during the closing circle, you and David, the ROAR AFRICA team, the divinely gifted healing practitioners, and all the radically hospitable Segera attendants, stewards and guides (human and otherwise) “created magic on us." - GUEST, RETURN TO THE WILD, 2024

Wild Heart Clear Mind takes place in Kenya, June 3-8, 2027. If you wish to be part of this transformative conversation with David Whyte and me, we would be honored to welcome you.

Subscribe  
TO RECEIVE THE LATEST UPDATES

By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.

ROAR AFRICA