Beschrijving

Return to Self – Campfire Evening | Berlin

Eveningprogram: 18.30 – 22.00

An intimate campfire evening for male Founders, CEOs and Venture Capitalists.

Sometimes a single question changes the direction of your life.

An evening centred around a question that many ambitious men eventually ask themselves:

Is there more?

Often that question only appears when life forces you to pause. When the path you’ve always followed suddenly no longer moves forward by itself.

From the outside, life looks successful. The company is growing. The calendar is full. Responsibilities continue to increase.

But somewhere along the way, life becomes something to organise, plan and solve.

And somewhere along the way, the sense of wonder you naturally had as a young boy quietly disappears.

Eight years ago, I found myself asking exactly that same question. After eighteen years in the international high-tech industry, I walked away from the boardroom without knowing where that decision would lead me.

Five years ago it brought me to the mountains of Germany, where the first Return to Self expeditions were born around a campfire in my own forest.

Eighteen months ago that path led me to the French Pyrenees. A journey that changed my life in ways I could never have anticipated and eventually became the foundation of my upcoming book No Shadow, No Light.

During this evening I’ll share that story.

But the story doesn’t end there.

What began around a campfire in the German mountains is now growing into expeditions to the Himalayas, the Egyptian desert, Gabon and the Peruvian Andes.

Places where adventure, slowing down and reflection create space for wonder. For curiosity. For that quiet inner voice that so easily disappears beneath the noise of everyday life.

We’ll begin the evening by preparing food together over the fire. Sharing a traditional German bratwurst and a good beer is more than dinner—it’s a simple way to slow down, leave the working day behind and settle into an evening of honest conversation around the campfire.

No seminar.

No networking event.

Just a campfire.

And whatever may emerge from that setting.

About Michel

After eighteen years in the international high-tech industry, Michel van Loon left the boardroom behind to follow a very different path.

Today he leads Return to Self – Expeditions, guiding Founders, CEOs and Venture Capitalists into some of the world’s most remarkable landscapes. Not to escape everyday life, but to create the space where new perspectives, difficult questions and meaningful decisions naturally emerge.

Location

The evening takes place at the basecamp of one of Michel’s expedition partners, hidden in the forests surrounding Berlin—a rugged place with a calm energy that reflects the spirit of Return to Self.

Although it feels worlds away from the city, it’s surprisingly easy to reach after work. Simply take the S5 to the nearest station, where a shuttle will bring you the final two kilometres to the basecamp. Free parking is also available for those arriving by car.

The exact location and practical details will be shared during the week of the event.