Cultivating Leadership and Legacy in Greece
Our project goes beyond retreats. Discover the transformative power of Mani and what it can inspire in you.
When the Little Owl shows the way – Egbert van Wyngaarden and Ioannis Kentzeas in conversation with Yvonne Kremer
Yvonne: Egbert, you’ve chosen Greece—and especially the Mani—as the location for your retreats. Why there, of all places?
Egbert: Mani is unique. The Taygetos mountains rise steeply from the sea, leaving little space for people. If you want to live here, you need to know what you’re doing. It brings you to a point where all that is unimportant simply falls away. That’s why Mani is an ideal place for retreats: it takes away the noise of everyday life and gives you clarity and presence in return.
Yvonne: What can participants expect when they come?
Egbert: We invite you to fully immerse yourself in the landscape, in its simplicity, in its silence. The outer world leads you inward. It encourages you to listen to nature, to the big questions, and to your own voice. It was in this spirit that I wrote my book Knowing Thyself—as an invitation to reconnect with what truly matters.
Yvonne: You feel closely connected to the Mountains for the Mind initiative. What is it about?
Egbert: Mountains strengthen mental wellbeing. We experience it here every day: the Taygetos changes how you think. In this vastness, you can develop courage, clear thoughts, and a long-term perspective.
“What is unimportant
simply falls away.”
Yvonne: Ioannis, your family originates from Mani. How does that shape your shared vision?
Ioannis: For me, Mani is living history. The village of Thalames, where my family comes from, stands for a way of life that beats in rhythm with nature. My father grew up in that world, and he still speaks of it every day. His stories hold valuable wisdom—insights into a way of living that reaches far back in time.
Yvonne: How does one feel that when being there?
Ioannis: If you’re walking through an olive grove or along an old mountain path, you might spot a little owl watching you from a branch.
Yvonne: Nature looks back...
Ioannis: Exactly. And it does something to you. It changes you.
Egbert: All of a sudden you’re no longer in measurable time—Chronos—but in what the ancient Greeks called Kairos: nature’s sense of time. Moments like these ground us. They bring us back to a way of thinking that includes the natural world, much as the philosophers of antiquity did.
Yvonne: What are you setting up in Thalames at the moment?
Ioannis: We’re restoring my family’s ancestral home. It’s a simple farmhouse, but with a special history. We want to create a place where people can truly understand Mani: its ancient sites, its stories and traditions, and the region’s original way of life.
Yvonne: Does agriculture play a role in that as well?
Ioannis: Yes. We’re regenerating my family’s old olive groves and producing organic olive oil, everything by hand. You can find us at www.gourato.com.
Egbert: For us, it’s about more than “agrotourism”. We want to create a setting where people can feel a genuine connection to the land and to the community. When you experience that kind of simplicity, you start thinking differently—about leadership, decision-making, and responsibility.
“The Taygetos changes
how you think.”
Yvonne: That sounds like a big, long-term vision.
Egbert: It is. You know, Thalames is a truly special place. The village is protected by the Greek authorities, because an ancient city once stood here, along with a renowned oracle…
Ioannis: The Roman Emperor Hadrian visited here. And Emperor Marcus Aurelius even had a temple built.
Egbert: And Taygetos is a protected European nature area. We want this landscape to remain as it is: alive, and at the same time a livelihood for the people living here. That’s why we want to help local farmers gain access to carbon and biodiversity credit programmes, so their traditional practices are not only preserved, but also economically recognised and properly valued.
Yvonne: And what do visitors take away from their time with you?
Egbert: Anyone visiting Thalames becomes part of something bigger. Whether it’s a leadership retreat, a mountain-hike, or harvesting olives as a team, each retreat helps preserve this unique heritage. And often something very tangible grows out of it: new ideas, new paths for meeting tomorrow’s challenges.
Ioannis: For me, it’s quite simple: people rediscover how little you actually need to live well. I remember a story my father told me. The whole village gathered to carve a millstone out of the rock and bring it to the olive mill. All the way up a slope! Together they could master even tasks as heavy as that. Mani has so much to offer, so many stories to tell. We’re happy if we can pass on a small part of that.
Yvonne: I can’t wait to visit you. Thank you both for the conversation!
We support Mountains for the Mind, a campaign from Trail Magazine promoting the benefits of being outside for better mental health. We believe in the power of mountains to change lives.
