THE FARM AT UNDERSTORY™· AN IMMERSIVE BLOOM RETREAT

Understory™ is named for the layer beneath the forest canopy where the rarest things grow—sheltered, intentional, and hidden from plain sight. It is both a place and a philosophy.

What is Understory™ — heading + body

A farm retreat for the whole leader. There's a version of the work that can't be done in an hour a week—the kind that needs real distance from the office, the inbox, and the noise of everyone else's opinions. That's why Understory exists: a farm retreat in the North Carolina mountains where a small, hand-picked cohort of executives steps away for 3–5 days of the deepest work of their careers. This isn't a corporate offsite, and it isn't a spa weekend. It's the Bloom Development Approach, fully immersive—days that restore your body while the work restores your direction.

Why this place exists — a letter from Meredith

Some chapters can't be written at your desk. A 3–5 day immersive retreat in the North Carolina mountains—deep work across every area of the Bloom Development Approach.

Executives & founders — Senior leaders who need space to think, reset, and grow beyond the day-to-day. Leadership teams — Teams ready to align and develop together in a focused, off-site setting. Bloom clients going deeper — A natural next step for coaching clients who want immersive, accelerated growth.

Founder's letter

In 2020, I lost my daughter, Elle, at birth. It rocked my world and set me on a path I never chose—six years of grieving the family I had imagined, and slowly accepting that my story was going to be written differently. I had to find a new self, and I'm still learning who she is. Through all of it, I was growing a business, showing up for clients, leading—while feeling more alone than I'd ever been. Then this year, a Lupus diagnosis. Out of my comfort zone again—new questions, new solutions, healing myself while building something new. That's the human experience. Life brings the good, the bad, and everything in the middle—usually all at once—and leaders don't get to step out of their lives to deal with it. I learned firsthand that you have to leave your comfort zone to find new footing. And I learned what becomes possible when you finally give yourself the space to do that work. I built this place because I needed it—and it didn't exist. So I made it. I hope you'll come write your next chapter here. — Meredith

Guided work across all five areas of the BDA Method—with time to get to the root A cohort curated like our Growth Groups: matched by values and personality science, so trust comes fast Leave with a real reset, a clear plan for your next chapter, and progress that would've taken a year of Tuesdays