This month, we’re excited to launch a new series that gives our readers a peek into our team’s favorite things. For today’s blog post, we want to take you behind the scenes of our recent annual retreat, held in Sea Island, Georgia. From what we read and what we wore to what we traveled with, relaxed with, and worked on, let’s dive in!
Carlisle & Co. Annual Retreat: What We…
What We Read
During our (very limited) downtime, we enjoyed sitting down with a good book. Greer was reading The Housemaid, while Whitney was re-reading Iron Flame before diving into Onyx Storm. Ashley finished All the Colors of the Dark, which came highly recommended and was even featured on BookTok.
What We Wore
A good travel outfit can make or break you after a long day. Both Whitney and Ashley traveled in a pair of Hustler High Rise Ankle Jeans by Mother. Layers are essential too. The Lady Jacket by J. Crew, thrown over a Leset Margo T-Shirt or AYR The Deep End Button Down Shirt, makes for the perfect airplane ensemble. Finish it off with a pair of budget-friendly woven flats from Target!
During the retreat, we all received branded sweatshirts or sweaters from Quince — and this weekend was the perfect time to break them in. We can’t say enough good things about the quality of the Cashmere Crewneck Sweater and the comfort of the Mock Neck Pullover. With their simple embroideries, these pieces will come in handy on virtual client calls!
While we did enjoy two fun evenings out, much of our time was spent in loungewear. While we love these Jenni Kayne Saturday Sweatpants and their Cashmere Half Zip, we can’t beat the price of these Super Soft Fleece Joggers and coordinating Pullover Hoodie from Quince.
What We Traveled With
At Carlisle & Co., we take our hydration seriously. We all traveled with our favorite water bottles. The Owala FreeSip is perfect for throwing in a tote bag and filling up at the airport, while the Yeti 30 oz. Rambler and the Hydro Flask Travel Tumbler are great for long car rides).
We also traveled with these notepads, which we use daily for calls and brainstorming sessions. Although we grabbed these large Post-It notes and scented markers for the trip, we found that it was easier to stay present in our conversations and update shared Google Docs with our notes.
Both Greer and Ashley packed The Carry-On from Away, complete with monogrammed luggage tags.
What We Relaxed With
A big part of our retreat each year is spending time together after a busy day filled with work. As a team who works virtually — with colleagues based in Central Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Tennessee — it’s fun to hang on in person! To relax during our weekend together, we loved lighting a candle (the Mediterranean Fig Candle from Quince was our favorite this year!) and putting on energizing eye masks. We loved listening to the Feel Good Dinner playlist on Spotify too!
Since our retreat coincided with the end of Dry January, we were mostly alcohol-free. We enjoyed sipping on mocktails during meals and ended each day with a Recess before bed.
What We Worked On
Our agenda and goals for the retreat were lofty this year! From a business perspective, we reviewed and re-organized our service offerings to make our proposal process more streamlined. Internally, we focused on our social media strategy for 2025 and outlined upcoming product and series launches. Of course, we filmed a lot of content too! Be sure to follow us on Instagram to see what’s next for Carlisle & Co.
We had every intention of completing vision boards during our weekend but ran out of time. However, we’ve decided to revisit this activity as one of our quarterly virtual internal meet-ups (what we’re calling The Carlisle Connection). In May, we’ll revisit these vision boards as a mid-year check-in.
We hope you enjoyed this first edition of What We…!
We’d love to know in the comments: What categories do you want to see in next month’s blog post?
This post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission from the things you buy at no cost for you. Thank you for supporting our work and trusting our recommendations!
If you’re looking to develop a digital marketing strategy and expand your online reach, please reach out to our team today.
Comments +