Leading With Presence for Women Leaders
Making visible the unspoken dynamics that shape leadership— and transforming how you lead within them.
August 24-30, 2026
Tula Vida, Costa Rica
This experience is designed for women in leadership roles who are ready to grow—but are no longer interested in traditional programs that offer insight without meaningful shift. Instead, it creates space for a different kind of development—one that focuses on how you actually show up as a leader and how that shapes your impact.
Executive presence is often talked about—but rarely made clear or actionable. It can feel elusive, difficult to name, and even harder to develop. This experience is designed to demystify executive presence—to make it visible, understandable, and actionable.Guided by Renée Dineen, an internationally recognized leadership advisor and coach, participants are invited to explore and refine their leadership presence in a way that is both practical and transformative.
Alongside a carefully curated group of accomplished women leaders, you will engage in a high-trust environment that often becomes the kind of leadership circle many women are seeking—but rarely find inside organizations.
Together, you will explore modern leadership principles while receiving real-time, non-judgmental feedback through equine-guided experiences—where horses respond authentically to presence, energy, and intention, without filters or agendas.
Through a blend of somatic practices, coaching, and experiential learning, you will develop a deeper awareness of how your internal state shapes your external impact—allowing you to lead with greater clarity, authenticity, grounded confidence, and influence.
If this resonates with you, you may be noticing:
You feel capable—but you’re not always experienced the way you intend.
You’re navigating increasing expectations and visibility, and something feels slightly off in how it lands.
You’re successful—but the way you’re leading doesn’t always feel fully aligned with who you are.
You want to deepen your impact without becoming more performative.
You sense there is another level of presence available to you—but it’s hard to name or access.
What is Executive Presence, Really?
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 experience you create as a leader—moment to moment.
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
Shape the environment around you
Express yourself authentically
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.
This is what we mean by demystifying executive presence—moving beyond perception and into understanding how it actually works.
Executive Presence for Women Leaders
While executive presence is a universal leadership capability, it is experienced differently for women leaders. Executive presence does not exist in a vacuum.
For women, it is shaped by a more complex set of expectations—many of which are often unspoken. Women are frequently navigating tensions such as:
being confident, but not perceived as aggressive
being collaborative, but still seen as decisive
being authentic, while also meeting implicit expectations of leadership
These dynamics are rarely addressed directly in traditional leadership development. And yet, they significantly influence how leadership is experienced, interpreted, and responded to.
As a result, many highly capable women leaders find themselves:
second-guessing how they are coming across
adjusting in ways that feel performative
or sensing a gap between who they are and how they are experienced
This is why a different approach to executive presence is required.
Traditional models often focus on external behaviors—what to say, how to communicate, how to “show up.”
But for women navigating these layered expectations, that approach can unintentionally reinforce performance rather than alignment.
This experience uses an integrated framework—Internal Clarity, Relational Intelligence, and Leadership Influence—because executive presence for women is not just about what you do. It is about how you think, how you regulate, how you relate, and how you shape the environments around you.
Internal Clarity- How you relate to yourself
Developing awareness of your internal patterns, emotional responses, and leadership assumptions—so you can lead with greater steadiness and intention, rather than reactivity.
Relational Intelligence- How you relate to others.
Building the ability to read dynamics, navigate subtle power signals, and respond with empathy and clarity—while maintaining your voice and authority.
Leadership Influence- How you shape the environment.
Communicating and leading in ways that align with who you are—so your presence reinforces, rather than dilutes, your impact.
By working across all three dimensions, leaders are able to:
reduce the need to “manage perception” through performance
develop a more grounded and consistent presence
and lead in a way that is both effective and aligned with who they
This is not about learning a “right way” to lead.
It is about understanding how your presence is shaped, how it is experienced, and how to lead with greater clarity, authenticity, and impact within the realities of the environments you operate in.
When these three dimensions are aligned, leadership becomes more grounded, more intentional, and more effective.
Why This Work Matters Now
In today’s leadership environment, this is not a “nice to have.”It is essential.
The demands on leaders today are unprecedented. Leaders must navigate complexity, performance pressure, and evolving cultural expectations—all while sustaining themselves.
For women leaders, this often comes with an additional layer.
Many women leaders are navigating unspoken and often conflicting expectations about how they should show up—balancing authority and approachability, confidence and likability, decisiveness and collaboration. These dynamics are subtle, but they shape how leadership is experienced and interpreted in powerful ways.
At the same time, the pace and intensity of organizational life can pull leaders into constant execution, leaving little space to reflect on how they are actually showing up—both in the moments that matter most and in the many moments in between.
This is where executive presence becomes critical. Because presence is not situational—it is continuous.
It is always shaping how you are experienced—how trust is built, how influence is established, and how leadership lands with others.
And yet, it is rarely taught in a way that makes it visible or actionable.
This experience creates space to step outside the noise, slow down, and see clearly—how you are showing up, how it is impacting others, and how to lead with greater clarity, intention, and alignment.
Why Horses & Why Tula Vida
Executive presence is often discussed conceptually—but it is most powerfully understood through direct experience. Working with horses creates a rare opportunity to see, in real time, how you are showing up as a leader.
Horses do not respond to titles, words, or intention alone. They respond to presence—your energy, your regulation, your clarity, and your alignment. This makes them extraordinary partners in leadership development. They reflect back, without judgment or agenda, what is often invisible in traditional leadership environments—how your internal state is experienced by others, and how that impacts trust, connection, and influence.
This work is further amplified by the setting in which it takes place. This experience is hosted at Tula Vida Ranch—a sanctuary intentionally designed to support deep reflection, re-connection, and growth. Set across lush rainforest and open pasture in the volcanic highlands of Costa Rica, Tula Vida is not simply a retreat center—it is a living, natural environment where the pace slows and awareness deepens.
Here, horses roam freely across expansive land, and every element—from the landscape to the rhythm of the day—is designed to support presence, clarity, and connection.
We are proud to partner directly with the founders of Tula Vida, Sally and Eric, whose work in equine-guided experiences and nature-based development brings a depth of expertise and intentionality to this experience.
Their approach integrates mindfulness, somatic awareness, and experiential learning with horses—creating a safe, grounded environment where leaders can explore, experiment, and gain insight in ways that are both powerful and deeply human.
Together, this partnership allows us to bring a uniquely integrated experience to life—where leadership development is not only understood intellectually, but experienced directly, embodied, and sustained.
This is not about learning about leadership. It is about experiencing how you lead—and expanding what is possible from there.
It is this combination—horses, environment, and intentional facilitation—that makes the work both immediate and lasting.
Who This Experience is For:
This experience is designed for women leaders inside organizations who are ready to deepen their leadership presence and impact.
It is particularly relevant for those who:
Are operating at a senior level or preparing for expanded leadership responsibility
Are navigating increasing complexity, visibility, and expectation in their roles
Feel the tension between how they are expected to show up and how they want to lead
Are ready to move beyond surface-level development and explore the deeper dimensions of leadership
Want to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and alignment—without compromising who they are
Who This Experience May Not Be For:
This experience is not designed for those looking for a traditional leadership program focused primarily on tools, frameworks, or fast-paced content delivery.
It may not be the right fit if you:
Prefer highly structured, classroom-style learning with clear right or wrong answers
Are primarily looking for tactical skills or quick solutions to immediate challenges
Are not open to reflection, feedback, or exploring how your leadership is experienced by others
This is a high-impact leadership immersion intentionally designed to take place outside the pace of your day-to-day environment.
Hosted in Costa Rica, the experience combines structured leadership sessions, experiential learning, and space for reflection and integration—creating the conditions for meaningful insight and lasting change.
Rather than moving quickly through content, the experience is designed to slow down the moment. This allows you to see more clearly how you are showing up as a leader, how that is being experienced by others, and where there is opportunity to shift.
You will engage in:
Facilitated leadership sessions grounded in modern leadership principles
Experiential learning that makes executive presence visible and actionable
Equine-guided experiences that provide real-time, non-judgmental feedback
Thoughtful peer dialogue within a high-trust, carefully curated cohort
Dedicated time for reflection, integration, and intentional leadership commitments
The environment itself is intentionally designed to support this work. Stepping outside of your daily context allows you to move out of constant execution and into deeper awareness—creating the space required to reconnect with how you want to lead.
This is not about stepping away from leadership. It is about stepping into it more fully—with greater clarity, intention, and presence.
The Experience
What’s included:
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Connect with the other participants and refine your intentions for attending.
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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).
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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.
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All meals are prepared on site with love using local and organic produce.
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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.
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Enjoy an all-day adventure that includes horseback riding and thermal baths.
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Work 1:1 with Renée, including a pre-retreat call and a post-retreat coaching call 30 days after.
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Enjoy multiple days of of transformational experiences with the horses, facilitated by Sally and Eric.
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Energize the start of your day with movement and meditative practices.
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Enjoy a dreamy bodywork session with a local therapist.
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We’ll gather in the evenings to enjoy each other’s company and the beauty of the setting sun.
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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.
Your carefully crafted journey
This experience is not a series of sessions. It is a deliberately designed leadership progression—moving from internal awareness to relational impact to embodied leadership and real-world application.
The Leadership Journey: Shift Arc
Day 1: From pace → presence
Day 2: From performance → internal alignment
Day 3: From self-awareness → awareness of impact
Day 4: From structure → embodied integration
Day 5: From shared learning → personal transformation + future clarity
Day 6: From insight → intentional leadership
Day 7: From experience → embodied living
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Theme: Transition + Context
Arrive, connect, and step out of the pace of daily work. We establish the foundation for the experience and introduce a modern view of executive presence.
Shift: From pace → presence -
Theme: How You Lead Yourself
Develop clarity on how you operate under pressure—through leadership frameworks, somatic awareness, and your first equine-guided session, where you receive real-time feedback on how you show up.
Shift: From performance → internal alignment -
Theme: How You Impact Others
Explore how your presence shapes trust, communication, and team dynamics. Apply insights through peer coaching and discussion of real leadership situations.
Shift: From self-awareness → awareness of impact
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Theme: Expansion Through Experience
Step out of structured sessions for a full-day offsite experience—including horseback riding in the ocean and time in thermal baths—designed for reflection, reset, and integration.
Shift: From structure → embodied integration -
Theme: Personal Transformation + Future Clarity
Deepen your understanding through 1:1 equine-guided work, embodied integration, and a structured session focused on clarifying your leadership direction and next chapter.
Shift: From shared learning → personal transformation + future clarity -
Theme: Leading Differently Going Forward
Translate insight into action—defining leadership commitments, identifying real-world applications, and establishing accountability for sustained change.
Shift: From insight → intentional leadership -
Theme: Completion + Continuity
Close the experience with reflection and clear intention for how you will carry this work forward.
Shift: From experience → embodied leading
What Makes This Experience Distinct:
Equine-guided leadership (group + 1:1)
Peer-to-peer coaching
Somatic practices + body awareness
Paddleboard experience
Full-day immersion (horses + thermal baths)
Life Vision + Leadership Direction session
Real-world application + leadership experiments
What Shifts for You as a Leader:
Personal & Leadership Growth:
Deeper self-awareness and clarity as a leader
A more grounded and aligned presence
Increased confidence and authenticity
A new relationship to power and leadership
Space to reset, reflect, and reconnect
Organizational & Business Impact:
Stronger executive presence in high-stakes situations
Improved ability to influence and align stakeholders
More effective navigation of complex dynamics
Clear leadership commitments and action plans
Application of insights to real organizational challenges
Ongoing accountability and peer support
“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!”
Your Accommodations
Tula Vida Ranch is an 85 acre eco-retreat center with every detail designed to support your journey inward and outward. Our guided encounters with horses invite you to quiet the mind, open your senses, and tune into a presence beyond the everyday rush. Our accommodation provides a safe, comfortable space to relax into a deeper experience. Costa Rica’s unique energy infuses everything, facilitating healing, insight and grounded growth.
Private King Villa (1 available): $5,800
Private Double Villa (4 available): $5,300
Private Single Villa (1 available): $5,000
Shared Double Villa (3 available): $4,400
Your room at Tula Vida is more than a place to sleep — it’s a safe, restful haven where your experience can truly unfold and deepen.
Each space is thoughtfully designed to blend comfort with a sense of place:
light-filled interiors
comfortable beds
great showers
private bathrooms
fans (we don’t need AC here)
screened windows
And wide-arched verandas framing sweeping views of green as far as the eye can see. You might enjoy your morning drink with a horse grazing by your window or fall asleep to the distant hum of the cicadas. Here, privacy and peace are balanced with a feeling of connection — to the land, to the herd and to yourself.
Whether you choose a private room for quiet reflection or a shared space for deeper connection, you’ll find the perfect base to relax, recharge and feel completely at home.
The Leadership Shift
Leaders return not only with new insight, but with a fundamentally different way of showing up—more grounded, more intentional, and more effective in how they lead.
The impact is felt not only in their own leadership, but across their teams, their organizations, and the environments they shape.
What people say: