Hollyhock — Denman Island, Canada
Retreat and leadership centre on Cortes Island, British Columbia
Hollyhock sits on 48 acres between seashore and forest on Cortes Island, British Columbia, looking out on Desolation Sound and the Salish Sea. The buildings take up just four of those acres, spread out and joined by trails through the trees. The land is the traditional territory of the Klahoose, Tla'amin, and Homalco Nations.
The place is older than its name. The Beach House at the water's edge was built in the 1950s as a cottage-style coastal home, and its river-rock fireplace is still there. Carousel, perched on a bluff among towering cedars, dates to the Cold Mountain Institute days of the mid-1970s. It was built in eight months from western red cedar, a community effort spearheaded by green builder pioneer David Rousseau, with kitchen staff joining the construction crew to finish in time for an incoming season of guests.
Since 1982, Hollyhock has convened thought leaders, artists, activists and organizations working toward a more just and sustainable world. It is a registered charity and social enterprise, legally LI – The Leadership Institute, with a stated purpose of renewing people's connections to themselves, one another and the natural world. In 2025 Katia Sol became CEO, following Peter Wrinch, who led the organization for six years through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Programs fall under wisdom teachings, leadership skills, health and healing, and creative expression. They include silent meditation retreats, a week of foraging and outdoor cooking, a tarot immersion and a gathering for facilitators. Between sessions, guests have hot tubs and a sauna, gardens, morning yoga and tai chi, guided hikes, paddling in the Salish Sea and oyster BBQs.
Traditions: Insight Meditation, Plum Village Mindfulness, Quaker Faith and Practice, Soul Tarot, Yoga, Tai Chi
Programs: Awake in Our Lives: A Silent Meditation Retreat, Pilgrimage to Silence: A Nature Based Retreat for Rest & Renewal, Tarot for the Wild Soul, Fall Foraging + Outdoor Cooking, Wintering: Rest, Reflection & Inward Practices, Together: A Gathering for Facilitators, Hollyhock Leadership Institute, Andean Wisdom Teachings in Peru