Meet Your Facilitators
Melanie Parish, MCC, and Dr. Mel Rutherford, PCC, bring decades of combined experience helping leaders navigate complexity, build stronger organizations, and lead with greater confidence and authenticity.
Melanie is a Master Certified Coach (MCC), leadership educator, mentor coach, author, and founder of Experimental Leader Academy. For more than 20 years, she has partnered with executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders across industries to develop practical leadership skills grounded in curiosity, experimentation, and meaningful human connection. As host of The Experimental Leader Podcast and author of The Experimental Leader, Melanie is known for creating engaging learning experiences that challenge assumptions and inspire lasting growth.
Dr. Mel Rutherford is a professor of psychology, executive coach, and author of The Glass Cliff: One Trans Man's Leadership Odyssey. His work is rooted in values-based leadership, organizational resilience, and guiding teams through uncertainty. Having successfully led an academic department through a significant period of organizational change, Mel brings firsthand experience in crisis leadership, shared governance, and building cultures where people and organizations thrive.
Together, Melanie and Mel create a retreat experience that blends thoughtful reflection with practical application. Their complementary perspectives encourage honest conversations, fresh insights, and actionable leadership strategies that participants can immediately apply in their organizations.
This Isn't Another Leadership Conference
There won't be endless PowerPoint presentations.
No motivational speeches that sound great but disappear by Monday morning.
Instead, you'll spend two days in meaningful conversations with experienced leadership coaches and a small group of thoughtful leaders who are asking the same questions you are.
Together, we'll explore:
- Leading with clarity during uncertainty
- Building trust and accountability
- Navigating difficult conversations
- Delegating with confidence
- Managing competing priorities
- Understanding the leadership habits that either serve—or sabotage—you
- Creating practical strategies you can immediately apply at work
You'll leave with ideas, tools, and perspectives you can use long after the retreat ends.
What Makes This Retreat Different?
Small Group Experience
Meaningful discussions and personalized learning—not crowded conference rooms.
Practical Leadership Tools
Frameworks and strategies you can begin using immediately.
Honest Conversations
A space where leaders can ask real questions, share experiences, and learn from one another.
Time to Think
Leadership requires reflection. This retreat creates the space to slow down and gain perspective.
Beautiful Setting
Held in Dundas, Ontario, you'll step away from the noise of everyday work and focus on what matters most.
Before You Register...
We believe the best leadership development starts with a conversation.
That's why every participant begins with a complimentary Leadership Fit Conversation.
We'll explore:
- Where you are as a leader
- What challenges you're currently facing
- What you're hoping to gain
- Whether this retreat is the right fit for you
If it is, wonderful.
If it isn't, you'll still leave with new insights and practical ideas you can apply immediately.
Our Clients Include Amazing Leaders from These Organizations
Ready to Lead What's Next?
Leadership doesn't get easier as your responsibilities grow—but it can become more intentional.
Join Melanie Parish, MCC, and Dr. Mel Rutherford, PCC, for two days of reflection, practical learning, and meaningful conversations designed to help you become the leader your team needs.
Book Your Complimentary Leadership Fit Conversation
Let's explore whether the Leadership Essentials Retreat is the right next step for your leadership journey.