Wisdom Retreats

Beach Retreats

Offered in 2025: Inquire by Emailing TomVMorris@aol.com

The Extraordinary Life Retreat: On Success, Happiness, and Change

The Gift of Uncertainty Retreat

The Leadership Guidance and Guardrails Retreat

Limited Enrollment Wisdom Weekend Retreats
Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington, NC
For Information, EMAIL Tom at TomVMorris@aol.com with Subject Title “Retreat”

On a Previous Retreat: "The Extraordinary Life Retreat is, indeed, extraordinary. To take some time to consider the most profound truth is to invest in your own achievement and your own happiness. And, if that's not enough, you're on a beautiful Atlantic beach under the tutelage of one of the most engaging, entertaining and wise people you'll ever meet. Please, don't miss it."
Jack W. Hayhow, Jr.
Author, Wisdom of the Flying Pig
Founder, Opus Communications, Kansas City

Wisdom Weekend Retreats for 2025. From Tom Morris:

15 years ago, I did retreats on Wrightsville Beach, NC near my home that brought to a comfortable resort great people who had read some of my books or heard me speak to a corporate group or big convention and wanted a weekend rather than just an hour or two to ponder the insights of the ages on things that matter. The retreats we held were great experiences for everyone involved, from Fortune 500 and 100 CEOs to students, Washington lawyers, medical doctors, retired folks, and business founders. Participants from around the country got along famously, loved meeting fellow seekers of wisdom, and enlightened each another with deeper insights on the life and work perspectives we all need.

I’ve just started up these retreats again. If you are interested in actionable philosophy and deep practical wisdom, hearing new ideas on life, and enjoying a great beach, I’d love to host you at a new Wisdom Weekend. We had our first retreat in this new cycle on January 31-February 2, The Extraordinary Life Retreat. We’ll repeat that retreat on March 14-16, and then on April 4-6, we’ll do The Gift of Uncertainty Retreat. March 14-16, like our first, will be focused on true success, real happiness, and transformative change in our lives. The April Retreat will be a deep dive on navigating all the uncertainty of our day, based in the wisdom of the great philosophers. Some sample testimonials from the first retreat are below.

We’ll be pondering life and leadership wisdom with many great people already registered, including CEOs, presidents, directors, authors, and lots of other fascinating people, including physicians, Morehead-Cain Scholars, and a prominent AI founder. If you’d like to come in March or April, email me ASAP at TomVMorris@aol.com, the world’s oldest email, as there will typically be only 15-25 spaces in each retreat, give or take. Our great resort hotel, recently renovated to have the aura of a high-end beach house, Lumina on Wrightsville Beach, is offering crazy low water view room prices for all attendees and is a place you’ll love. Retreat registration fees will be only $975 per person, rooms at the resort will be around $179 a night, depending on sound view or ocean view (2 nights needed for out-of-towners) and food is reasonable and very good. If you’d like to come, I’ll send information for hotel discounts and our registration, along with other details. And bring a spouse or a friend or colleague!

Retreats will start on the respective Friday evening at 6:30PM, will go to 8 or 8:30 and will continue in sessions on Saturday 9AM to 12 Noon, with a great beach time break and 2 PM to 5 PM, then reconvene for more informal conversations Saturday evening. We’ll conclude with a session Sunday morning 8 AM to 11, then we'll all exchange contact information with our new favorite people, hug, and depart. Wilmington International Airport (ILM) is about 10 miles from the hotel and Uber, Lift, and cabs are available in abundance. We have direct flights many times a day with American, Delta, and United, among other domestic airlines. And of course, Myrtle Beach and RDU have airports within a 2-hour drive. Come and meet amazing people, enjoy deep dives into wisdom, and expand your community across space and time in a way that will support your growth for years to come.

A Sample of Recent 2025 Testimonials From Jan 31-Feb 2, 2025

The first word that comes to mind when thinking about my experience at the “Extraordinary Life” retreat led by Tom Morris is WOW - truly an extraordinary weekend with a group of extraordinary people (and now, new friends). It’s not often enough that we allow ourselves time to focus on topics that are of the utmost importance – happiness, handling change, personal growth – this is the perfect opportunity to give yourself that gift. Tom’s passion and energy as he dives into each of these topics (and more) is infectious. I walked away from the weekend feeling energized and empowered. And as an added perk, it all takes place at Lumina on Wrightsville Beach, NC which is so beautiful and serene. I HIGHLY recommend treating yourself to this experience!

- Debbie Reilly, New Jersey CPA and wonderful person

The Wisdom Retreat was a rare opportunity to spend time with interesting, engaging people while discussing and learning about ancient and modern philosophers. Studying the concepts of wisdom and happiness over history gives perspective to a modern life and current challenges facing each of us. Tom is knowledgeable, filled with passion, and endlessly curious about melding the great Philosophers into everyday life. We will be repeat customers!

- Bob Reilly, Licensed Professional Counselor, former FBI Special Agent, former CPA, current outdoorsman, New Jersey

Tom Morris brings excitement and energy to one’s soul and heart by exploring age-old philosophies of wisdom, happiness, and true success in life.

- Mike Priddy, Former Superintendent in larger urban North Carolina school districts, Distinguished Alumnus, UNC-Chapel Hill, and recipient of the state’s highest honor, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

The Wisdom retreat was a tremendous success, led by Tom Morris. Tom is an excellent speaker who engages the audience while presenting deep knowledge to the attendees. The retreat was well worth the time to not only enjoy Tom's information, but having deep conversations during breaks, lunch, dinner, and later in the evening. The quality of the people who attended raised the collective consciousness of everyone. I wholeheartedly endorse these retreats for anyone who wants to dive deeper into philosophy, psychology, and personal growth.

- Bill Bruner, Former actor, current President, theatre and theatrical company, Colorado, and author of the multi-award-winning blog, “Journey to Joy.”

Since the completion of the retreat, we have had more energy, we’ve been more oriented toward a purpose, and we’ve been doing some of the things we’ve been wanting to do for a very long time! You model for everyone how to be truly present for another person—your listening, your centeredness, your focus, and your kindness when we were all talking about a huge range of topics. Now we all know why you were raving about The Lumina Resort. We’ve never been to a more welcoming place! Incredible staff and unusually beautiful décor throughout! Such a happy place!!!

- Dorrie Gibson, UNC grad, got her teacher training at the College of Charleston and taught biology. She’s done volunteer work in the schools, community and church in North Charleston.

Tom Morris’s course is a stellar opportunity that transforms the wisdom of ancient philosophers into practical, applicable insights that anyone—at any stage of their career or life—can benefit from. Packed with witty anecdotes, thought-provoking case studies, and deep explorations of leading philosophers, it offers a roadmap for building a fulfilling life and leadership journey rooted in joy, wisdom, and peace.
- Rotimi Kukoyi, Morehead-Cain Scholar, UNC in Health Policy Management, Biology, and Chemistry. One of the youngest Jeopardy! champions in show history, for both Alex Trebek and Ken Jennings.

I highly recommend The Wisdom Weekend Retreat. If you are looking for ways to become more aware that life is a meaningful journey, this is a big and significant step in the right direction!!! This was my first Wisdom Weekend Retreat, and I hope to attend many more.

- Jack Gibson, retired physician, North Charleston, SC

And Finally: My new wisdom friend Dawn Epstein began reading my work while a student a Harvard and just came to one of my new Wisdom Weekend Retreats and posted this online:

<<So, I'm still buzzing with energy from last weekend's remarkable retreat with Tom Morris (and also: psychologist Gary Bradt)! I am not new to Tom's work, having many of his books, but this weekend spent in the company of a wide range of accomplished people of all ages really helped me pull his ideas together and make them actionable. In the informal, open environment Tom created--enhanced by glorious views of the beach outside--attendees were able to ask and discuss questions and share perspectives. I learned as much from fellow attendees as I learned from the excellent and generous presenters. I’d recommend this retreat to anyone looking for deep, philosophically grounded conversation or practical methods for (re)invigorating one’s life work during these challenging times. I think my most actionable take-away was an insight that led to a new direction of study that may revive my own (shelved) manuscript on protecting ourselves from unethical images. But I also felt refreshed in the knowledge that there are plenty of deeply principled, kind, and accomplished people of all ages and walks of life who want to do better by others in their passage through this world. I’m looking forward to returning in April. And I'd love to have your company walking on this 7-mile stretch of beach!>>

To see the relaxing video on our location, click here (but ignore the old website url):

The Morris Institute Wisdom Retreat Beach and Hotel.

For a Washington Post essay on our beach, click here:

Our Beach for Philosophy.

A few Retreats Will Also Be Held on the River in Downtown Wilmington, Coming Soon!

Retreat Topics

Some retreat sessions will revolve around the simple but powerful philosophy of success and excellence developed from the world's great wisdom traditions by Tom, and first brought to public attention in such books as True Success, The Art of Achievement, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, The Stoic Art of Living, Plato’s Lemonade Stand, and If Harry Potter Ran General Electric. Other topics will involve looking at issues of excellence, leadership, personal growth, life transition, the challenge of change, happiness, and individual effectiveness, by consulting select ancient texts and modern insights that go far beyond the normal academic or business school curriculum. The joy and power of ideas will be experienced in every session. The goal of these retreats is to be transformative.

Over the long run, there will be a regular cycle of Morris Institute Wisdom Retreats involving 3-4 different topics, with special subject matter retreats added now and then on both professional and personal issues. At present, we offer three different retreats. There will be short, recommended pre-readings for some.

Classic Topics
The Extraordinary Life Retreat

This retreat will be built around the idea of what it is to create an extraordinary life of meaningful success and deep happiness. We'll ask about the sources of meaning in our work and our personal lives, and we'll seek to identify their contours as they apply to each of us. We'll explore how we understand personal success, what the great thinkers of the past have said about satisfying achievement, whether professional or personal, and how our goals and habits may change as we move through the different stages of life. We’ll tackle crucial topics about how we handle difficulty, resilience, and uncertainty.

We'll dig deep into Tom's most popular and practical framework of ideas, The 7 Cs of Success, and take a closer look at the hotly disputed topic of personal happiness. One goal will be to see how real success and enduring happiness can arise in times of great change.

We'll also broach issues on the psychology of happiness and positive thinking, and examine the nature of the 'flow' experience in sport, work, and life. Our goal is to see what some of the most profound and practical thinkers have had to say about creating an extraordinary life.

TESTIMONIALS FROM OTHER PAST RETREATS

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for the opportunity and really the gift of time to talk, share and be. In our busy lives of work, two young kids, volunteering, etc. It was a true gift to be part of your amazing weekend in such a glorious spot. If my family was open, I could see myself picking up our home and bringing it to Wrightsville Beach!"
Janice Foley

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"I didn't know what to expect from the retreat, but I left with great insight and energy. It provided a venue to learn new ideas and process these with a diverse group of forward thinkers. The retreat challenged me and empowered me to be a better person, personally and professionally."
Lori Greer

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"Dr. Morris has the unique ability to make seemingly perfect sense of some of life's more complex questions. These 3 days were incredibly helpful for me in my personal and professional life as we processed through real ideas and feedback. I've found myself reflecting back on the conversations and using them in my everyday interactions. You can't leave this weekend and not be rejuvenated."
Matt Ham

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"What I really liked about the retreat was the small intimacy of the group. Both Mary and Tom were extremely hospitable and made everyone feel welcome immediately. Everyone was there because they wanted to be there to learn and share, which I believe made a huge difference. Everyone attending had something unique and interesting to share, which made for very engaging conversation the entire weekend.

The retreat really left me with many things to ponder. The topics truly challenged my way of thinking about my life, what my life has been up to this point, and how I am the only one who can decide where my life is going. It has really helped me put things into perspective.

It was an absolutely wonderful weekend and I would recommend it to anyone with a desire to look deep within to try to achieve an extraordinary life. Thank you so much!"
Kris Pollock

The Gift of Uncertainty Retreat

This retreat will explore what may be the greatest challenge of our time, the uncertainty that is coming at us from nearly all directions, from politics, climate, technology, the economy, and world affairs, as well as in our own personal lives, as we deal with issues of health, career, family, and our own flourishing as human beings. We’ll explore together what it might mean for uncertainty to be a spiritual gift to us all, and then how we might prepare ourselves to use it as such, to meet it well, and succeed as people in its enveloping environment. Tom will draw from ancient wisdom, modern insights, and even from the experiences of an American Astronaut in his many space walks in contact with the great beyond. We’ll dive deep into new insights about our comfort zones, which may be quite unexpected and revolutionary, and we’ll look closely at courage, curiosity, and creativity in their applications to the uncertainties of our lives. Finally, we’ll dig deep into the concepts of faith, hope, and love as they apply to us all.

The Leadership and Life Excellencea Retreat
The Perils and Possibilities of Talent, Skill, and Power

This retreat will revolve around reading and discussing several short, classic explorations of how top achievers and people in leadership positions can go wrong, with the purpose in mind of getting clear on what it takes to go right. The powerful cautionary tales for greatly talented and highly intelligent people that we'll explore include the oldest leadership story we have, the short and powerful Epic of Gilgamesh, as well as the Anglo-Saxon classic of Beowulf, and Mary Shelley's remarkable short novel, Frankenstein, which is perhaps the greatest cautionary tale for high achievers ever written, and possibly augmented by a short powerful essay on the life of a leader by Socrates' top practical student, the Greek military leader, Xenophon ('Zen-o-fon').

Supporting lessons will be drawn from such classic sources as Don Quixote, Moby Dick, Machiavelli’s book The Prince, and Xenophon's profound exploration of leadership in action, "The Education of Cyrus," a forgotten text that the modern pioneering management guru Peter Drucker once called "the greatest leadership book ever written."

Corporate Retreats

Special topics are available for private corporate retreats. Contact TomVMorris@aol.com for more details.

Pricing and Schedules

All accepted applicants will be asked for an advance registration fee of $975 ($995 for Fall of 2025) whose cost will cover the educational fee for all sessions, the opening dinner, and any break snacks. Attendees will make their own room arrangements at a special low price negotiated for the retreat (usually in the crazy low $179 per night range), and will also be expected to cover the cost of other food on their own, onsite, after an opening dinner and before a closing breakfast that’s provided. The Holiday Inn Lumina Resort on Wrightsville Beach, NC, an attractive, convenient, and very comfortable hotel on the beach run by a North Carolina hotelier, is offering us deeply specially discounted room rates for the standard two-night stay. All rooms have water views, either an ocean view, or a very nice bay view. Other retreats will be scheduled downtown on the Cape Fear River at a beautiful new hotel that you’ll also really love, and that’s within an easy walk of all Wilmington restaurants, bars, and shops. Plus, the stunning Cape Fear RiverWalk is just outside the doors. More information will be available soon.

A Beach Retreat Typical Schedule

Retreat attendees will be asked to arrive prior to an opening dinner (6:30 PM on the launch day) and a short welcome and orientation session. The next day, there will be morning and afternoon sessions, with some time over a long lunch break for walks on the beach or the riverside or other forms of exercise, relaxation, and reflection, with later informal discussions continuing into the evening. The following day, there will be morning sessions and a late morning send-off. Some retreats will be held on weekends, beginning with a Friday dinner and ending late Sunday morning.Others will be held during the week, on a Tuesday through Thursday schedule.

Our Next Retreat Dates

The next scheduled Wisdom Retreat dates after March 14 and April 4, 2025 will be posted soon. Come back later.

Our Primary Location

Most Wisdom Retreats in a coastal setting will be held on Wrightsville Beach, NC or in downtown Wilmington along the river. If you come with a spouse or guest, you might even want to spend an extra day or two to explore the quiet beaches, historic streets, harbors, museums, great restaurants, and charming shops of the lower Cape Fear River. Come join us at an ocean front resort with inspiring views from every room and enjoy a time of personal reflection and growth you’ll never forget.

Getting Here By Car

Wrightsville Beach, just outside Wilmington, is located in the southeastern corner of North Carolina, at the eastern end of Interstate 40.

Getting Here By Air

Our airport (ILM) has commercial jet service from American Airlines many times a day nonstop from Charlotte and Philadelphia. There are also numerous jets daily from Atlanta on Delta. It's little more than a two-hour drive from RDU International Airport, and is about an hour and a half from the Myrtle Beach airport. New service has recently been added with United nonstops from the Washington DC area and seasonal service from Chicago. In addition, Wilmington is an active destination for corporate and private jets, served by Air Wilmington. The main resort for our retreats is located approximately ten miles from the airport, a drive of about twenty minutes. A complimentary shuttle service is provided for guests by the hotel. Taxi service and rental cars are also available.

Our Retreat Leader

Tom Morris - Host and main presenter at each retreat.

Tom Morris will personally run each retreat. And other great thought leaders will also serve as guest presenters.

The least important things, we think about and talk about the most; the most important things, we think about and talk about the least.  

- Socrates.

Join us for a retreat soon, where we can think and talk about important things, and maybe even to the point where we “get it”!