Gathering for Good 2025: A Weekend of Connection, Purpose & Impact

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In September, members of the Elevation Collective from the USA, South Africa, Ireland, Sweden and the UK came together at the beautiful Weston Manor Hotel near Bicester for our annual event this time titled ‘Gathering for Good’.

What unfolded was incredible event of deep connection, inspiration, and community – all centred on our shared mission of amplifying good in the world.

As members of the Elevation Collective, we work to amplify more good in the world.

Some of us lead major initiatives or inspire visions that touch many lives, while others support leaders and help them bring their dreams to life.

Together, we uplift one another while pursuing personally elevating and sustainable endeavours that ripple out to positively impact humanity and the planet.

We also strive to support one another especially in times of challenge.

We were also joined by the inspirational Leon Aarts, celebrity chef and humanitarian, who shared his incredible journey of serving 10,000 meals a day to help under nourished migrants in ‘the jungle’ in Calais and later cooking on a huge scale out of Wembley Stadium during Covid.

From Scotland, David Fox-Pitt MBE founder of charity Hopefull also joined us via Zoom, bringing learning from his team’s work on the Ukraine border where 600 volunteers have provided 5,000 meals a day for 3.5 years, support for veterans with PTSD, and hope in the darkest of times.

We explored themes such as the privilege of pressure, the importance of acting not hesitating, of knowing rather than hoping, of embracing setbacks as learning, of thinking big, starting small and acting fast.

We talked about letting purpose find us, spending time in our light, storytelling, resilience, scaling for legacy, forgetting about plan B to make plan A work and above all being authentic.

There was a shared recognition that fulfilment and legacy is a better route than the damage caused from maximising profit.

The venue itself is stunning – a medieval hotel with history dating back to 1066 oozing with character, great food, and hospitality. Evenings were magical.

On the second night those of us above became entertainers (this is voluntary), with poetry, music, fun stories and some surprise performances – including a yellow chicken with a preference for rude poetry.

John Jennings shared stories from his membership of the UK’s top barbershop band and I produced a louder rendition of Gary Moore’s Parisienne Walkways on guitar.

Over the weekend we moved between whole-group sessions and smaller “Seats of Magnificence,” where members support one another with their endeavours.

On the final evening we celebrated with a fun award ceremony that left us all feeling uplifted and deeply connected. Importantly, we left with the feeling that this is our Collective and as the leader not my Collective. The Collective is something we are shaping together.

One of the reasons the collective is so valuable is the experience and wisdom of our remarkable inner circle members. Can you imagine what it must be like to spend time in close proximity to these wise souls?

Shay Hoelscher, is the Founder and CEO of Privé Products, a multi-award-winning and clean, high-performance haircare brand rooted in the belief that Beauty is Kindness.  Shay is also a race car driver, blending her passion for speed and precision and has a beautiful collaboration with Sabre Cook, one of the world’s top female racing drivers.
Barnaby Wynter, UK based brand strategist, speaker, author including The Go-To Brand, philanthropist, and a committed white ally. Barnaby is the collectives brand advisor.
Tessa White, “The Job Doctor” with over a million followers on social media.Tessa has recently become chair of the board of trustees at Utah State University (35,000 students).
Jane Gunn, a top UK mediator, speaker and author including ‘The Mole and The Mountain’ who, as a Brit, has worked at both the White House and United Nations.
Sharon Jessop, world-record holding endurance runner and conservationist who is a leading authority on rhino protection from South Africa.
Paul Davis, business consultant, multiple author with a profound spiritual perspective who also helps people find hope when life feels too much from Ireland.
Elisabet Vinberg Hearn, award winning global leadership expert and four-times best-selling author originally from Sweden.
Libby Wagner, we call her the poet laureate of the Collective who has deep leadership wisdom and is author to 7 published books including five exceptional poetry books. Based in Seattle.
Judy Piatkus, iconic former London based publisher founder of Piatkus Books and now the leader of Conscious Café – raising consciousness one conversation at a time.
Molly Bedingfield, founder of inspirational charity Global Angels whom we visited in June and have since attracted major funding.
Zoe Holland MBE, CCO of Fletchers, lawyer, speaker and founder of a charity that produced and distributed 110,000 knitted hearts to support bereaved families across Europe.
John Jennings, a leadership expert and now climate change ambassador who also sings with the UK’s top barbershop singing troupe.
Hilary Wilson, executive coach and speaker who is one of the best-kept secrets in the boardrooms of FTSE 100 companies.
Leilani Rashida-Henry, coach, facilitator, clothing designer, whose husband makes the most exquisite kaleidoscopes.
Sara Beth Reynolds our fabulous event concierge.

Everyone contributed. Everyone left with a sense that we are building something of great beauty, value and sustainability – a collective that not only uplifts its members but encourages us to step up a do more good through our work in the wider world.

It was a gathering filled with beauty, fun, depth and love. Above all, it reminded us that when people come together with the shared purpose of amplifying good, something special happens.

Everyone contributed. Everyone left with a sense that we are building something of great beauty, value and sustainability – a collective that not only uplifts its members but amplifies good into the wider world.

We were so inspired by this Gathering for Good that we have decided to return to the same venue for our next annual in person event on 25th-28th September 2026.

If you think you have the experience and heart to be considered for our exceptional invitation only community then click below to find out more.

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