Overview
Four times a year, as the season turns, a small circle of founders, investors, artists, and builders comes to 200 acres of redwoods on the Navarro River — two hours and a full world away from San Francisco. The forest does the first part of the work. Phones lose signal, shoulders drop, and somewhere between the river and the tree line your nervous system remembers what it's supposed to feel like. The rest happens at long tables and firesides: real conversations with people building toward the same horizon — the ones who measure success by what they leave better than they found it. Half the day is yours. Just two days of grounding, good food, and the kind of connection that doesn't happen over Zoom. We gather with gratitude on land tended for generations before us. You're invited. Bring your whole self — the rest is handled.
Highlights
The Redwood Forest
Two hours from the city, 200 acres of old redwoods and a river that's still cold in August. Whatever you drove in with gets a little quieter.
Long Tables, Longer Conversations
Family-style meals under the trees, firesides that run past midnight, and the kind of conversation that doesn't happen on a fifteen-minute video call.
Kelly Whitaker
Kelly Whitaker grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of a minister and a schoolteacher, spending summers on his grandfather's vegetable farm, where his food obsession quietly took root. After a hospitality management degree at Colorado State and studies at the Hotel Institute Montreux in Switzerland, he landed on the island of Procida, Italy, where he fell in love with wood-fired cooking and a style of hospitality that's really just about taking care of people. Following stints in Michelin-starred kitchens in LA, he moved to Boulder and opened Basta in 2010, setting the tone for everything since. His group, Id Est, now includes Dry Storage, a bakery and grain mill dedicated to reviving local, regeneratively grown grain; The Wolf's Tailor in Denver, an Italian-Japanese project that earned two Michelin stars, a first for Colorado; BRUTØ; and Hey Kiddo. He's received multiple James Beard nods, including a 2024 win for Outstanding Restaurateur shared with his wife and business partner, Erika. He has also worked for years with World Central Kitchen, Slow Food, and Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, and founded the Noble Grain Alliance to champion domestically milled, small-farm grain. Ask him about the accolades and he'll tell you it was never really about the stars.
Wellness, Talks & Music
Mornings that start slow — movement, breath, the river if you're brave. Afternoons of real conversation with people worth listening to. Nights that end around a fire with live music under the canopy.
Facilitator: Jake Ross
I teach the practice of belonging to leaders, teams, and the communities they're building. My work is grounded in positive psychology and shaped by my own experience of being loved back to life by community when I needed it most.
Facilitator: Monique Nguyen
I invite people into ease, clarity, expression, coherence, and aliveness. As an artist and consultant, I practice deep presence to compassionately co-create with leaders, teams, and kids. We get to laugh and have fun in the process too!
AJ Mars
A.J. Mars is a depth-oriented psychotherapist and teacher of breathwork, men’s work, embodiment and couples work. A former Peabody Award-winning writer of film, TV & animation, A.J. has now devoted his life to guiding others on how to live & love better. A.J.’s mastery comes from being a lifelong learner—studying depth psychology at Pacific Graduate Institute, film & television at UCLA and completing teacher trainings in breathwork, sound healing, embodiment & sacred intimacy. A.J. is committed to helping everyone he works with reclaim the power of their own spirit.
David Graziano
David Graziano started out, of all things, in furniture design. At 19 he was making sculptural furniture out of stone and wood, which turned out to be the first sign of where his career was actually headed. By his twenties he'd moved into nightlife and space design, helping build out clubs that became part of the fabric of New York City nightlife in the 1990s. Everything shifted when he first visited Tulum in the early 2000s. Something about the place got under his skin, and that pull, combined with what he took away from Burning Man, especially its judgment-free, everybody's-welcome ethos, led him to open Ahau, a hotel designed to feel at home to backpackers and luxury travelers alike, winding jungle paths and all. In 2017, he took that same instinct for building community around a shared space and turned it into Art With Me, Tulum's first arts and culture festival. It pulled together more than 30 local businesses around one goal: pushing the region toward more sustainable, environmentally conscious ways of doing business. The festival grew from there. A Miami edition followed on Virginia Key, complete with large-scale installations, an artisan market, and a lineup running from Sublime to the All Day I Dream crew, and the team has hauled several tons of plastic out of these events along the way. He's also built large-scale art at Burning Man itself, including BalanceVille, an elaborate art car with a scissor-lift "sleigh" that can hoist riders 50 feet in the air. Across all of it, nightlife, hospitality, festivals, sculpture, there's a consistent throughline: building spaces and experiences where people feel like they genuinely belong.
Albrecht (Albe) Köhler
Albrecht Köhler is a former physicist turned sound designer, and the founder of Neptune Audio - a hand-crafted speaker company built on a deep understanding of acoustics and a relentless pursuit of sonic perfection. Working one-on-one with clients, Albe designs and builds one-of-a-kind sound systems for warehouse parties, luxury homes, event spaces, and outdoor festivals, with a mission to redefine what club sound can be: powerful enough to give you goosebumps, clean enough to hold a conversation in front of the speaker. His systems have powered Endzeit Oakland, Müll San Francisco, and Kamp Bisous at Burning Man.
Simmy
Simmy is a sound healer and coach who has brought her work to retreats, ceremonies, and communities throughout the Bay Area. Through her intuitive gift with singing bowls, she creates deeply restorative experiences that invite people to slow down, reconnect, and integrate. Her sound journeys have become memorable closing moments for retreats and gatherings, helping people carry the depth of an experience with them long after it ends.
Maryzelle
Maryzelle is one of the Bay Area’s fastest-growing sound healers, also known for her sets as a “soul DJ.” The intuitive way she weaves sound, energy, and presence into transformational experiences. A bright light and a pillar of the communities she serves, Maryzelle brings warmth, depth, and joy to transformational spaces everywhere she goes.
Schedule
Camp Navarro, Anderson Valley — two hours north of the Bay Area, eight miles inland from the Mendocino coast. Arrivals Friday 3:00–5:00 PM, departures Sunday by 1:00 PM Full arrival details, packing list, and directions arrive with your confirmation.
Previous
Next
Friday
3:00 - 5:00pm Check-in begins
5:00pm Cocktail Hour & Apps
7:00pm Michelin Star Pizza
9:00 - 11:00pm Performance & Connection
Saturday
8:00am Movement
9:00am Breakfast
10:30 - 12:00pm Embodyment Session
12:30 - 1:00pm Creative Flow + Aliveness w Monique
1:00pm Lunch
2:00 - 5:00pm Optional Hike / Free time
5:00pm The Future of Human Development
5:30pm Cocktail Hour & Apps
7:00pm Group Dinner
8:00 - 2:00am Performance
Sunday
9:00am Breakfast
10:45am Yoga & Sound Healing
12:0pm Brunch
1:00pm River Hang
1:00pm Checkout
What's included
What's Included
Two nights on the property
Five meals, Friday dinner through Sunday lunch
Live music both nights
All sessions, talks, and workshops
Movement, sound, and wellness programming
Gallery
FAQs
When can I arrive?
Check-in is Friday, September 11th, 3 - 5pm. We'd love you there for the golden-hour mixer at 5:30 — it's how the weekend opens and how you'll meet the room.
When does the weekend end?
Departures are Sunday, September 13th at 1pm. Closing lunch and a final circle happen before then, so plan to stay through early afternoon.
Where exactly is Camp Navarro?
901 Masonite Industrial Rd, Navarro, CA 95463 — 200 acres of redwoods in Anderson Valley, eight miles inland from the Mendocino coast.
What's the closest airport?
Santa Rosa (STS) is about 90 minutes from camp and the easier arrival. San Francisco (SFO) is roughly 2.5 hours. Either works — Santa Rosa saves you an hour of driving.
How do I get there?
Guests arrange their own transport, and most people drive. It's a beautiful two-hour route north from the Bay Area. Parking is on site and free. If you'd like to carpool, let us know and we'll connect you with others coming from your direction.
Will I have cell service?
Expect limited reception in the redwoods — that's part of the point. There's WiFi across camp if you need to reach the outside world.
What's provided in my accommodation?
Bedding and towels are provided in all cabins and teepees. Bring your own toiletries. If you're booking a camping ticket, bring your own tent and sleep setup.
What's included in my ticket?
Two nights on the property, five meals from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch, all sessions and talks, movement and wellness programming, live music both nights, and full run of the 200 acres — river, trails, and fire circles included.
What should I pack?
Warm layers — days are warm, but mornings and nights get cold under the canopy. Also: a swimsuit for the river and cold plunge, bug repellent and sunscreen, comfortable shoes for walking the property, a headlamp or flashlight, and a reusable water bottle.
What's the weather like in late August?
Warm, dry days and genuinely cool mornings and evenings. Layers are the answer.
Is the property accessible?
Yes — Camp Navarro has ADA access. If you have specific mobility needs, reply to your confirmation email and we'll make sure everything's arranged before you arrive.
Can I bring my dog?
No pets, and no personal open flame or campfires — late-August fire season in Northern California means we're careful. All fires are camp-managed.
I have a dietary restriction — how do I let you know?
There's a field at checkout. We'll also reach out directly about two weeks before the gathering to confirm, so nothing gets missed.
Do I need to sign anything?
Yes — waivers are signed on-site at check-in. Nothing to do beforehand.
Still have questions? Email us
experiences@redwoodsrealestate.com