Demystifying Executive Presence for Women Leaders
August 24-30, 2026
Tula Vida, Costa Rica
Join us for an immersive leadership experience in Costa Rica for women leaders inside organizations ready to deepen their presence, influence, and impact. This 6 night retreat for women leaders includes application of the latest leadership principles, daily somatic practices, life-changing experiences with the horse herd, and intimate and lasting connection with other dynamic and passionate women. This week will not only anchor your executive presence but reconnect you to the purpose behind why you love to lead. Get ready to fall in love all over again!
Executive presence isn’t something you perform- it’s how you show up when it matters most.
“As I become more aware, curious and flexible, I become infinitely more powerful.”
This retreat is an immersive experience that helps participants “demystify” the concept of Executive Presence.
The experience is intentionally designed as a high-impact leadership immersion, creating space to step outside the pace of daily operational demands and engage in meaningful reflection, experiential practice, and peer learning alongside other accomplished women leaders.
Participants return to their organizations with renewed clarity about how they want to lead, a stronger and more grounded executive presence, and a deeper capacity to influence and lead effectively in complex, high-stakes environments.
Unlike traditional leadership programs that focus primarily on strategy and skill-building, this experience develops executive presence at the level where it actually lives—through the integration of mindset, emotion, and embodied awareness.
Cohort size is intentionally limited to ensure depth of experience, meaningful connection, and individualized insight.
Program Overview.
Demystifying Executive Presence for Women Leaders is an immersive leadership experience designed for a small, carefully curated group of women leaders who are ready to deepen their presence, influence, and impact.
Designed specifically for women leading inside organizations, this experience bridges the gap between traditional leadership development and the deeper work required to lead effectively in complex environments.
While many leadership programs focus on adding new tools or techniques, this experience explores the deeper foundations of leadership effectiveness—how leaders show up, how they influence the environments around them, and how alignment between mindset, emotion, and presence shapes their impact.
Through a blend of reflection, experiential learning, and equine-guided leadership experiences, participants develop deeper awareness of their leadership patterns and expand their capacity to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and authenticity.
Leadership Outcomes.
Participants leave with a stronger, more grounded executive presence—and the ability to lead with clarity, confidence, and influence in high-stakes environments.
Show up with greater composure and clarity in moments that require decisive leadership
Understand and intentionally shape their Person Effect and the impact they have on others
Navigate pressure, complexity, and uncertainty with greater resilience and steadiness
Build deeper trust through emotional intelligence and relational awareness
Read and respond to organizational dynamics and power signals more effectively
Communicate with clarity, intention, and executive-level presence
Set and maintain clear boundaries while leading with authenticity
Shape team and organizational environments that foster engagement, trust, and performance
The Experience.
This is a high-impact leadership immersion designed to take place outside the pace of your day-to-day environment.
Hosted in Costa Rica, the experience intentionally combines structured leadership sessions with experiential and restorative elements that support reflection, integration, and renewal.
Immersive leadership sessions
Experiential learning, including equine-guided work
Meaningful peer dialogue and connection
Time for reflection and integration
What is Executive Presence, Really?
Executive Presence Framework:
Executive presence is often misunderstood as confidence, charisma, or communication skill. In reality, it emerges from the integration of three core leadership capabilities.
Executive presence is developed through the alignment of internal clarity, relational intelligence, and leadership influence.
1. Internal Clarity – How a leader relates to themselves
Participants strengthen their ability to recognize patterns, regulate their state, clarify values, and cultivate resilience.
2. Relational Intelligence – How a leader relates to others
Participants deepen empathy, listening, and the ability to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics.
3. Leadership Influence – How a leader shapes the environment
Participants enhance their ability to communicate clearly, influence teams, and shape organizational climate.
When these dimensions align, leaders develop a more authentic and impactful executive presence.
A combination of personal qualities, communication skills, + behaviors that project confidence, authority, + leadership, allowing someone to inspire trust + motivate others.
Executive presence is often described as confidence, charisma, or communication skill.
But in today’s leadership environment, that definition falls short.
Executive presence is the ability to show up with clarity, steadiness, and influence—especially in the moments that matter most.
It is not something you perform. It is the result of how you think under pressure, regulate your internal state, relate to others in real time, and shape the environment around you.
In this sense, executive presence is not a single skill—it is an integrated leadership capability.
And it is often the difference between leaders who are effective and leaders who are truly impactful.
Your carefully crafted journey.
The experience is designed as a progressive leadership journey—from internal awareness to relational impact to organizational influence.
Each session builds on the last, guiding participants from understanding executive presence conceptually to embodying it in how they lead.
-
A modern exploration of executive presence as an internal leadership capability, not a performative skill.
The evolving definition of executive presence in modern organizations
Why presence drives trust, influence, and credibility
How leaders unintentionally undermine their own presence
Outcome: Leaders begin to see presence as something cultivated internally before it can be authentically expressed externally.
-
High-performing leaders often operate primarily from intellect. This session introduces a broader leadership model that integrates:
Cognitive clarity (Head)
Emotional intelligence (Heart)
Somatic awareness (Body)
Decision-making
Communication
Stress response
Leadership effectiveness
Outcome: Leaders develop a framework for more integrated and grounded leadership.
-
Every leader creates an invisible field that influences performance, trust, and collaboration.
This session explores:
The subtle signals leaders send through energy, tone, and presence
How teams respond to regulated vs. reactive leadership
The impact leaders have on psychological safety and engagement
Outcome: Leaders become more intentional about the leadership climate they create.
-
Women leaders often navigate competing expectations around authority, warmth, decisiveness, and authenticity.
Participants explore:
Cultural narratives that shape perceptions of women in leadership
How to lead with authority without losing authenticity
Expanding personal definitions of power and presence
Outcome: Leaders gain language and confidence to lead authentically within complex systems.
-
This experiential session leverages equine-guided leadership exercises to reveal how leaders communicate beyond words.
Participants experience:
Immediate feedback on non-verbal leadership signals
How presence impacts trust and followership
The connection between internal state and external influence
Outcome: Leaders deepen their awareness of how they show up under pressure and uncertainty.
-
The final session focuses on translating insights into sustainable leadership shifts.
Participants reflect on:
What leadership patterns are ready to evolve
What new leadership commitments they will carry forward
How to integrate these insights into their professional lives
Outcome: Leaders leave with clear leadership intentions and actionable commitments.
What you will gain.
-
Develop a sense of resilience and self-assurance.
-
Create an environment where others feel seen, heard, and valued. As a result, you do, too.
-
Practice empathy and the ability to see the perspectives of others. Listen more deeply so you can attune to what is said and what is not.
-
Use powerful communication and non-verbal skills to engage others and build trust. Maintain calmness and control under pressuer.
-
Set clear intentions, gain insights around your most effective leadership style, show up genuine and always true to yourself.
-
Understand your needs and boundaries, offer clear and impactful expression of ideas, and know when to listen and when to talk.
-
Catalyze your executive presence and understand how your Person Effect impacts others. You’ll deepen your awareness of your strengths and limitations so you can best work with both.
THIS RETREAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE and LEADERSHIP FOR THE BETTER!
Your personal leadership power and impact will not only finally make sense, you will leave knowing exactly how to harness it!
In a time when organizations need leaders who are both strategically capable and deeply self-aware, this kind of development is no longer optional—it is essential.
Why This Work Matters Now.
The demands on leaders today are unprecedented. Organizations are navigating constant change, increasing complexity, and heightened expectations around performance, culture, and well-being.
At the same time, many leaders—especially women—are operating at an unsustainable pace. The pressure to deliver results, lead teams through uncertainty, and manage competing priorities can create a leadership experience that feels reactive rather than intentional.
Traditional leadership development often focuses on adding more tools, frameworks, and strategies. While these are valuable, they do not always address the deeper question many leaders are asking:
How do I lead in a way that is both effective and sustainable? This experience creates space for that question.
By stepping outside daily operational demands, participants reconnect with themselves, reflect on how they want to lead, and develop the internal alignment that supports greater clarity, presence, and influence.
Why Horses?
Working with horses offers a unique and powerful way to understand leadership presence. Horses respond not to words, but to energy, intention, and congruence. They provide immediate, unbiased feedback on how a person is showing up—making visible what is often invisible in traditional leadership settings.
This is not about learning to work with horses. It is about using the interaction as a mirror for leadership. For many leaders, this becomes one of the most impactful and memorable aspects of the experience.
Horses are masterful teachers of executive presence.
They respond not to titles, resumes, or rehearsed words, but to the energy, clarity, and authenticity behind a leader’s presence. In the corporate world, women often receive conflicting messages—be confident but not too assertive, warm but not overly emotional.
Horses, however, operate beyond human biases.
With highly attuned nervous systems, they rely on connection, clarity, and trust to ensure the herd’s survival. They do not overanalyze, nor do they judge based on appearance or preconceptions—they simply respond to what they sense in the moment. This provides immediate, unbiased feedback on how you are truly showing up, offering a rare opportunity to refine your leadership presence in real time.
Build confidence and self-trust.
At Tula Vida, dynamic, experiential work with the herd allows you to build confidence, deepen self-trust, and refine nonverbal communication—essential elements of executive presence. This is leadership training at its most direct, visceral, and lasting—an experience that will not only transform how others perceive you but how you perceive yourself.
Connect with parts of yourself you’ve never before embraced.
As you sink into the rhythm of herd life, the horses guide you to parts of yourself you've glimpsed but never fully embraced. They show you what true balance feels like – in your body, your spirit, and your relationships. No experience with horses is needed – just bring your open heart and willingness to be transformed. You may arrive as a guest, but you'll leave as part of the herd – forever changed by these extraordinary teachers.
No prior experiences with horses is required!
Who This Experience is For.
Designed for senior leaders, executives, and high-potential women leaders seeking deeper alignment, presence, and impact in their leadership journey. This experience is best suited for women leaders at the director level and above, or high-potential leaders preparing for senior leadership roles.
Participants are typically responsible for leading teams, driving strategic initiatives, and influencing cross-functional stakeholders within complex organizational environments.
Who This Experience May Not Be For.
This experience is not designed for those seeking purely tactical, classroom-style training or fast-paced, content-heavy programs.
Application & Selection.
The program is intentionally designed for a small, carefully curated cohort. Participation is by application to ensure a high level of alignment, engagement, and depth across the group.
We look for women leaders who are operating at a high level of responsibility and are ready to invest in their continued growth—leaders who are open to reflection, willing to explore new dimensions of leadership, and committed to how they show up and lead others.
This intentional selection process allows us to create a powerful, trust-based environment where participants can fully engage, learn from one another, and maximize the impact of the experience—while also building meaningful connections that continue through The Integration Circle, an ongoing space for reflection, support, and continued leadership growth beyond the program.
What’s included:
-
Connect with the other participants and refine your intentions for attending.
-
You’ll travel from Liberia International Airport to Tula Vida Ranch and back (provided you arrive at the designated time and day with the group).
-
The ranch has a view of 3 stunning volcanoes, valley and sunset views, private nature paths, local flora and fauna, and natural springs, rivers, ponds, and butterflies.
-
All meals are prepared on site with love using local and organic produce.
-
You’ll have full access to 80 acres of property, miles of trails, waterfalls, valleys, sunset views, a spring fed pond, horses, wildlife and more.
-
Enjoy an all-day adventure that includes horseback riding and thermal baths.
-
Work 1:1 with Renée, including a pre-retreat call and a post-retreat coaching call 30 days after.
-
Enjoy multiple days of of transformational experiences with the horses, facilitated by Sally and Eric.
-
Energize the start of your day with movement and meditative practices.
-
Enjoy a dreamy bodywork session with a local therapist.
-
We’ll gather in the evenings to enjoy each other’s company and the beauty of the setting sun.
-
We’ll celebrate our journey and appreciate each other during a fun night out on the town!
AIR FARE TO AND FROM LIBERIA, COSTA RICA, AND ANY ACCOMMODATIONS BEFORE AND AFTER THE RETREAT ARE NOT INCLUDED.
About your facilitators:
-
Renée Dineen is an ICF PCC-accredited leadership and team coach, organizational psychologist, and experienced facilitator who works with leaders to deepen how they show up, lead, and create impact in complex environments.
After more than 20 years in global leadership roles across the high-tech and biotech industries, Renée made a deliberate shift toward work centered on meaning, alignment, and the deeper dimensions of leadership. Today, she leads a global practice based in California, with a particular focus on supporting women leaders inside organizations as they navigate complexity, growth, and transformation.
Her work focuses on executive presence at a deeper level—not as something performative, but as the integration of mindset, emotional awareness, and relational dynamics that shape how leaders influence others. She is known for helping leaders understand and shift their “Person Effect”—the often unseen ways they impact those around them through how they show up.
Renée brings a unique blend of organizational psychology, experiential learning, and embodied leadership practices to her work. Through immersive leadership environments, she creates space for leaders to step outside the pace of their day-to-day roles and gain real-time insight into how they lead and how their presence shapes their impact.
She is deeply committed to supporting women in stepping more fully into their role as change-makers—leaders who are grounded, self-aware, and aligned in how they lead. Her work invites leaders to integrate performance with purpose, and ambition with well-being, so they can lead with greater clarity, discernment, and impact.
Renée is a faculty member in leadership programs at Stanford University and IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has been teaching leadership for over two decades. She holds a Master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and has advanced training in somatic and trauma-informed approaches through The Embody Lab.
She is a TEDx speaker, published author, and has contributed to publications including Fortune, Financial Times, and Elephant Journal. She is also the creator of immersive leadership experiences hosted in Costa Rica in partnership with leading retreat centers.
-
A former London lawyer turned transformational coach and retreat leader, Sally Nilsson is a relentless pursuer of authenticity, balance, and personal growth. Her journey from corporate law to the heart of Costa Rica was guided by a deep connection with horses and a desire for a more meaningful, purpose-driven life.
Sally began her career as a lawyer at Clifford Chance in London and Hong Kong before moving in-house to a venture capital firm. She rose to General Counsel of a real estate investment firm, leading a global team of 12 lawyers. Yet, despite her professional success, she felt a calling for something more. A transformative experience on a horseback adventure in Costa Rica in 2013 ignited a profound shift—one that led her to train as an advanced certified facilitator in Equine Experiential Learning and dedicate her career to guiding others toward self-discovery and balance.
Today, Sally lives in Costa Rica, the perfect setting for deep personal growth work, and has co-created Tula Vida Ranch, an 80-acre off-the-grid retreat center nestled in the Costa Rican rainforest. Designed as a sanctuary for those seeking clarity, renewal, and alignment, Tula Vida bridges the gap between corporate comfort and personal aspiration. Through the wisdom of horses, nervous system regulation, and immersive experiences in nature, she helps leaders cultivate the discernment and resilience needed to step into their most authentic, purpose-driven selves.
Sally is certified with the Polyvagal Equine Institute, Eponaquest, My Horses My Healers, and the International Coaching Federation. She works with clients both online (coaching & training) and in-person at the Ranch, curating transformative experiences that empower individuals to lead with presence, confidence, and ease.
-
With a background in martial arts, yoga, and health & wellness consulting, Eric Kolesar has spent his career guiding individuals toward self-empowerment, balance, and personal growth. He integrates neuroscience, body awareness, mindfulness, and experiential learning to help high achievers reconnect with their authentic selves and share their gifts with the world.
Eric’s expertise spans multiple disciplines, including professional life coaching, energy work, and yoga (500-hour certified instructor). His journey took a transformative turn when he discovered the profound impact of working with horses as a catalyst for personal insight and rapid transformation. He went on to become an advanced certified facilitator in Equine Experiential Learning, as well as in modalities such as the Masterson Technique and Equine-Facilitated Sand Play.
As co-founder of Tula Vida Ranch, Eric creates deeply immersive experiences in leadership, mindfulness, and personal transformation, helping high-achievers break through limiting patterns and cultivate a life of greater freedom, confidence, and joy.
Through cutting-edge neuroscience-based practices and the intuitive wisdom of horses, Eric, Sally, and the Tula Vida herd offer a unique and powerful path to self-awareness and authentic leadership.
Eric and Sally also co-founded the Tula Vida Foundation, a registered charity with a mission to rescue and rehabilitate horses as well as to provide transformative retreat experiences for those without the economic means.
“As a woman in a leadership role I have had challenges with finding my voice, overcoming insecurities and advocating for myself. I sought out Renee to help me overcome these issues and have seen lasting impact. We worked together through a variety of situations where certain patterns kept showing up. Her insights were incredibly helpful in understanding myself better and if and where change was needed. After working with her I am better able to relate to others and confidently show up as a better version of myself!”
“ In the tech world, we move fast and operate under constant pressure. This experience gave me something I didn’t know I needed—the ability to slow down and see how I was actually showing up as a leader. The shift in my presence has changed how I lead my team, especially in high-stakes moments. I’m more intentional, more grounded, and ultimately more effective.”
— Vice President, Product, Technology Company
“What makes this experience so powerful is that it goes beyond traditional leadership development. The equine work and somatic awareness helped me see, in real time, how I show up under pressure. It was eye-opening. I walked away with a much stronger executive presence and a deeper ability to influence and connect with others.”
— Head of Operations, Life Sciences
We can’t wait to welcome you to Tula Vida & the Demystifying Executive Presence for Women retreat!
August 24-30, 2026
Please select your accommodation and payment option below.
You can select from a Pay-In-Full option and receive a ADDITIONAL FREE MASSAGE at the retreat (one is already included!), or you can split your payment into 2 easy payments.
Have questions? Need alternative payment plans? No problem! Click below to book a call:
To learn more about Renée and her work in the world, click here.
For more information about Sally and Eric, Tula Vida, and the accommodations, please click here.
What people say:
What is Executive Presence for Women?
“My time at Tula Vida was eye-opening in the perfect escape from every day life, responsibilities, and pressure. Sally and Eric were excellent teachers and shoulders to lean on for support. The most impactful part of the experience was working with the horses to help me identify my true potential. The horses were an incredible mirror, and they showed me how to be present, feel my emotions and how to move forward.”
For women, it is the ability to inspire confidence in themselves, and therefore to create confidence in others, even in uncertain situations. It involves optimizing their self-awareness, projecting self-assurance and demonstrating an executive mindset.
Presence is often the main thing people remember or value about someone. It’s an energy and a state of mind. It is more than what we say or what we do, it is about how we engage authentically and how we make people feel.
Unfortunately, how presence is modeled is meaningfully different between men and women. As a result, women have been given unclear feedback, have been asked to minimize their femininity and even after ‘trying the tricks suggested’, feedback revealed that their impact still does not match their intentions or efforts. This is where the horses come in!