The Lions Hunt
The becoming of a Resourced Man
- Madoc
- .
- August 1, 2026
- .
- 2.5 hours from Toronto
A 3 Day/2 Night Journey Into Your Origin Story
Every man has more to him than he has yet lived.
Somewhere along the way, most men stop living from within
…& instead settle for being enough
Strong enough.
Smart enough.
Capable enough
Wealthy enough
…to survive.
We learned very young how to adapt and survive
…& how to protect something precious within us.
But over time, our protection becomes our prison.
We’ll find ourselves disconnected from our vitality, our relationships, and from our direction.
From the quiet knowing of who we are.
We suffer this loss
until we reconnect again to what is nourishing, meaningful, and true.
There is MORE LIFE available than most men have yet lived.
Becoming a resourced man
In our quest to exist, we fractionalize parts of us. We develop shadows as parts of us go into hiding.
By foraging through our shadow parts, we discover that how we have learned to exist and survive define our truly gifted parts….ready to be fully claimed.
The Lion’s Hunt is a journey towards this claiming.
Over these days, we trace your existence story back to its beginnings. Together, we reveal the survival patterns that shaped the man you became—not to judge them, but to understand the remarkable intelligence within them.
From that understanding, something profound becomes possible.
You begin to reclaim the gifts hidden beneath your adaptations. You learn to cultivate an inner source of nourishment that no longer depends on the approval of others. You stop asking the past to become different so that you can finally live.
Instead, you become deeply resourced in yourself and you can begin to build a life of meaning…not from survival… but from the unique man Life has been shaping all along.
Your Existence Story
This is how you came to be who you are.
The family you were born into. The way your mother held you (or didn’t). The patterns you inherited. The wounds that shaped you. The strengths that carried you forward.
This story is still running—underneath your choices, your relationships, your work, the way you move through the world.
But most of it is unconscious. This weekend, we bring it into the light. Not through analysis. Not through someone else telling you who you are. Through inquiry. Through your body. Through other men witnessing.
Meet IAN
Ian brings decades of embodied practice — movement, martial arts, dance, and men’s gatherings — into service of a singular pursuit: What are you here for?
The container he creates is strong and deliberately held. Not rigid — but bounded enough that real work can happen. Men can investigate their own lives with tools, not prescriptions. No fixing. No performing. Just the work of self-discovery, witnessed by others doing the same.
This isn’t therapy. This isn’t coaching. It is men gathering to feel, name, and express what has been caged — and to awaken the inner lion.
Logistics, pacing, nourishment, and the collective energy of the group are tended with care throughout — so that every man can fully arrive, and stay arrived.
HELD WITH INTENTION. GROUNDED IN EXPERIENCE.
YOUR GUIDE
Throughout the week, a multidisciplinary team of physicians, coaches,
movement teachers, and musicians will guide learning, integration, and
community connection.
IAN
Ian brings decades of embodied practice — movement, martial arts, dance, and men’s gatherings — into service of a singular pursuit: What are you here for?
The container he creates is strong and deliberately held. Not rigid — but bounded enough that real work can happen. Men can investigate their own lives with tools, not prescriptions. No fixing. No performing. Just the work of self-discovery, witnessed by others doing the same.
This isn’t therapy. This isn’t coaching. It is men gathering to feel, name, and express what has been caged — and to awaken the inner lion.
Logistics, pacing, nourishment, and the collective energy of the group are tended with care throughout — so that every man can fully arrive, and stay arrived.
WHAT IS HELD FOR YOU
A container strong enough to bring what you’ve never said out loud
Daily rhythms that honor rest, integration, and your own pace
Facilitation that meets you where you are — not where someone else thinks you should be Nourishment and recovery treated as part of the work
IN THE WILD STAYS, MADOC, ON
Madoc, ON August 1, 2026
(2.5 hours from Toronto)
Breathing clean air, drinking pure water, eating food prepared with love
Your body rejuvenated and your senses coming on line.
Connecting with yourself and loving friends.
There is no fanfare here. It’s our home we are inviting you into with the things we love …& our home is our refuge.
We want to share experiences with you all where we all feel the full permission to just BE.
Our home is our retreat centre …a cozy turn of the century farmhouse with 7 bedrooms, large comfortable living areas, a lazy back porch and lots of land.
Whether your needs are to…
- Get Inspired
- Get Nourished
- Get Guidance
- Get Connected
- Get in your flow
- Get Fit
- Get Rest
- Get away
Nourishing Meals
Food will be prepared as a welcome support for your journey.
Prepared with care and intention — clean, whole, and delicious. Eating together …the table is where the day integrates, where we come down from the intensity and remember the simple pleasure of being fed.
restorative grounds
The grounds are an invitation into naturalness. Grassy meadows are surrounded by flowing water and the simple quiet of country life….giving you the ease to just be and fall into the natural rhythms of land, living, rest & reflection.
The land between
In The Wild Gatherings take place in a part of Hastings County known as The Land Between.
Surrounded by protected wildlife lands — Turtles, Snakes and Fowl of every kind. Frogs and coyotes fill the night with sound. The air and water always fresh.
The wild here is real — it gets into you and has a way of returning you to yourself without any effort.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF:
- You want to discover what’s really inside of you ….& stop living smaller than you are.
- You want to develop in joy & inner strength…able to handle anything life delivers.
- You want to discover what is at the core of you ….what wants to be lived.
- You are ready to begin taking steps towards that meaningful life that brings out the most of you.
- You are ready to stop going at it alone…you want to be in a supportive group of like minded men.
- You want to turn your life into the compelling journey you know its supposed to be.
THE SHAPE OF THE DAYS
INQUIRY IS THE FOUNDATION
This is not a workshop where you sit and receive. It is a container where you go inward…into your own story …into parts of yourself you’ve been too busy to face.
Each day we will go into deep inquiry, designed to surface what’s unconscious in your story of origin.
You will learn to restore what’s been depleted through embodiment resourcing to help you begin to integrate what’s been fragmented. The work is direct, embodied, and held.
Nothing here requires athletic ability or prior experience. It requires only the willingness to show up honestly.
WHAT YOU WILL MOVE THROUGH:
- Deep inquiry into your existence story Guided processes to surface the patterns you are living, the inheritance, the living responses you're still making — and the way to understand and harness who you are to author what you truly want.
- Body-based resourcing Breath, movement, and grounding practices that bring you back into relationship with yourself — not to push limits, but to restore presence
- Men's circles and group work Sharing, witnessing, being witnessed. Synergistic work where your own inquiry deepens through collective presence
- Shake and music Time to release what the body has been holding — movement, sound, and a little liberation at the end of the day
- Sauna Heat, sweat and some silence to let go of the day
WHO THIS IS FOR
FOR MEN READY TO CROSS THE THRESHOLD
This gathering is for men who sense that the life they’ve been living is a smaller version than the one they are meant for — and who are ready to do something about it.
No prior experience with men’s work, embodiment, or inner inquiry is required. What is required is the willingness to show up.
YOU MAY BE A MAN WHO:
- Is standing at a turning point and don't know which way to move.
- Has it all on paper — but are not living life as a true adventure.
- Has been doing it alone for too long and is tired of trying to figure it all out on your own.
- Feels the pull of a purpose he hasn't yet named
- Is tired of living within tight walls …and wants to break free.
- If you feel resonance with any of this, The Lions Hunt is for you
BROTHERHOOD – CLAN
THIS IS NOT A RETREAT. IT IS A BEGINNING.
The Lions Hunt is a multi-phase journey…one where the struggle of journeying alone can finally come to an end.
Every man comes for their own self-discovery and each learns to witness every other man — without judgment.
To see himself in them.
This is how brotherhood / clanship forms.
Through common value and intention.
Men learn to support what each ultimately wants to live a nourishing and meaningful life
As the commitment to this grows, something wonderful happens…
NO MAN IS LEFT BEHIND.
HELD WITH INTENTION
THE CONTAINER IS STRONG. THE HOLDING IS MUTUAL.
This is a guided process where men get to be the supports for each other…to bring out this natural part of manhood. That is the architecture of this experience.
It’s a gathering where every man is both supported and supporting — where the act of witnessing the other men is itself part of your own discovery.
Your stay, the food, the rhythms of the days — all of it is arranged to serve your ability to go deep, to rest fully, and return to yourself restored.
WHAT IS PROVIDED:
- A strong, bounded container with knowing guidance
- Nourishment and meals
- Facilities and spaces designed for integration, rest, and recovery
A GLIMPSE INTO THE DAYS
THESE DAYS ARE DESIGNED TO MOVE YOU.
Not through information.
Through your own inner experience — lived, felt, and witnessed by the men beside you.
Friday — Arrival
- Arrive in the early evening and settle into the land, the space, the slower rhythm of being in a natural setting.
- In the evening, we gather for the first time. An altar is made for you and mother. We share our stories — the program is revealed..
Saturday — Deep Inquiry & Resourcing
- The day opens with breath and movement to resource the body for what's ahead.
- WE will move into the inquiry of every man’s Existence Story
- This is where the normalization begins — the quiet relief of realizing your story is not yours alone.
- The afternoon holds space for integration, a circle, and whatever needs to move through the group. The day ends in the sauna — heat, silence, sweat.
Sunday —The Closing Ceremony
- The weekend long process is culminated and brought to an intentional close throughout the morning.
- Everyone gets to spend as much time as they wish in the afternoon enjoying the land, facilities and each other.
Investment & What’s Included
Early Registration
$275
(by Feb 28)
- Includes all meals, sauna, accommodation, facilitation.
Payment Options:
- E-transfer: freesunwarrior@gmail.com
- Eventbrite checkout
- No refunds. Transfers permitted with 7 days notice.
- 12 men. One weekend. Your story.
Later Registration
$325
(March 1-10)
- Includes all meals, sauna, accommodation, facilitation.
Payment Options:
- E-transfer: freesunwarrior@gmail.com
- Eventbrite checkout
- No refunds. Transfers permitted with 7 days notice.
- 12 men. One weekend. Your story.
Latest
Registration
$375
(March 11-13)
- Includes all meals, sauna, accommodation, facilitation.
Payment Options:
- E-transfer: freesunwarrior@gmail.com
- Eventbrite checkout
- No refunds. Transfers permitted with 7 days notice.
- 12 men. One weekend. Your story.
*Payment Plans Are Available
ACCOMMODATIONS
IndooR / OUTDOOR
The Lions Hunt takes place on our property in Hastings County — a century farmhouse set on acres of land in the heart of The Land Between.
Indoor accommodations are warm and comfortable — simple, well-kept rooms that give you what you need and nothing more. For those called to sleep closer to the earth, we have outdoor structures as well. Both options carry the same spirit: rest that supports the work, shelter that doesn’t separate you from the land you came here to be on.
Accommodations are assigned based on availability. Either way, you will be held well.
You will wake up to birdsong, clean air, and a serenity your soul yearns for.
ACCOMMODATIONS
IndooR / OUTDOOR
The Lions Hunt takes place on our property in Hastings County — a century farmhouse set on acres of land in the heart of The Land Between.
Indoor accommodations are warm and comfortable — simple, well-kept rooms that give you what you need and nothing more. For those called to sleep closer to the earth, we have outdoor structures as well. Both options carry the same spirit: rest that supports the work, shelter that doesn’t separate you from the land you came here to be on.
Accommodations are assigned based on availability. Either way, you will be held well.
You will wake up to birdsong, clean air, and a serenity your soul yearns for.
ACCOMMODATIONS
IndooR / OUTDOOR
The Lions Hunt takes place on our property in Hastings County — a century farmhouse set on acres of land in the heart of The Land Between.
Indoor accommodations are warm and comfortable — simple, well-kept rooms that give you what you need and nothing more. For those called to sleep closer to the earth, we have outdoor structures as well. Both options carry the same spirit: rest that supports the work, shelter that doesn’t separate you from the land you came here to be on.
Accommodations are assigned based on availability. Either way, you will be held well.
You will wake up to birdsong, clean air, and a serenity your soul yearns for.
ACCOMMODATIONS
IndooR / OUTDOOR
The Lions Hunt takes place on our property in Hastings County — a century farmhouse set on acres of land in the heart of The Land Between.
Indoor accommodations are warm and comfortable — simple, well-kept rooms that give you what you need and nothing more. For those called to sleep closer to the earth, we have outdoor structures as well. Both options carry the same spirit: rest that supports the work, shelter that doesn’t separate you from the land you came here to be on.
Accommodations are assigned based on availability. Either way, you will be held well.
You will wake up to birdsong, clean air, and a serenity your soul yearns for.
ACCOMMODATIONS
IndooR / OUTDOOR
The Lions Hunt takes place on our property in Hastings County — a century farmhouse set on acres of land in the heart of The Land Between.
Indoor accommodations are warm and comfortable — simple, well-kept rooms that give you what you need and nothing more. For those called to sleep closer to the earth, we have outdoor structures as well. Both options carry the same spirit: rest that supports the work, shelter that doesn’t separate you from the land you came here to be on.
Accommodations are assigned based on availability. Either way, you will be held well.
You will wake up to birdsong, clean air, and a serenity your soul yearns for.
ACCOMMODATIONS
IndooR / OUTDOOR
The Lions Hunt takes place on our property in Hastings County — a century farmhouse set on acres of land in the heart of The Land Between.
Indoor accommodations are warm and comfortable — simple, well-kept rooms that give you what you need and nothing more. For those called to sleep closer to the earth, we have outdoor structures as well. Both options carry the same spirit: rest that supports the work, shelter that doesn’t separate you from the land you came here to be on.
Accommodations are assigned based on availability. Either way, you will be held well.
You will wake up to birdsong, clean air, and a serenity your soul yearns for.
FAQ's
Madoc sits roughly halfway between Toronto and Ottawa, just north of Highway 7 — about 2.5 hours from Toronto.
Participants are welcome to arrive from late afternoon on the opening day. On the final day, you are encouraged to stay and enjoy the property, the land, and the surroundings well into the afternoon before departing — there is no rush to leave.
Parking is available on the property. For those who prefer not to drive, buses travel to Madoc for approximately $40, and we are happy to help coordinate rideshare arrangements for those who want them.
Full arrival details, timing, and everything else you need to know will be sent to you following registration
We understand that plans sometimes change. Refunds are issued according to the following schedule:
- More than 2 months in advance: 75% refund
- 1–2 months in advance: 50% refund
- Less than 1 month in advance: 25% refund
In the unlikely event that the gathering is cancelled due to weather or unforeseen circumstances, your registration will be applied to the rescheduled event or a future offering.
The Lions Hunt is designed to be accessible to any man who feels called to attend. That said, our gatherings take place on open country land and portions of the program occur outdoors in a natural setting.
Every participant is asked to know himself — his body, his limits, his willingness. You are the authority on your own capacity and wellbeing. We ask that you monitor yourself throughout and participate in whatever way serves you best.
Your experience here is yours. So is the responsibility for it.
Your registration includes dinner on April 25th, three meals per day throughout your stay at Blue Spirit Retreat Center and breakfast on May 2nd. Meals are consciously prepared gourmet vegetarian with pescatarian options, designed to support energy, digestion, and restoration during the immersion.
Meals feature, fresh, locally sourced ingredients, vegan and gluten-free options available at every meal, locally sourced fish served several evenings per week, eggs available at breakfast
Fresh juices and herbal teas are available, with additional hydration support thoughtfully woven into the experience.
Meals are delicious, nutritious, and prepared with a paleo orientation.
If you have specific dietary restrictions or limitations, please reach out ahead of the gathering and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Please email Ian@thelionshunt.com with additional questions. Thank you!
Your Journey Awaits
An Immersion for Those Ready to Expand
Limited Availability — Register Today
Disclaimer: This offering is an educational tool. Always check with your physician or other health care professional before starting any protocols, programs, regimens, or routines suggested, recommended or discussed in Journey. The program is designed for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please assume that any links leading you to products or services are affiliate links which I will receive compensation from just to be safe. Having said that, I only promote those products or services that I have investigated and truly feel deliver value to you.
