A place to remember who you are, reconnect with one another, and return to the wisdom of the land.

We are living in a time of profound disconnection. Many people feel separated from their own inner knowing, from one another, and from the living landscapes that have always sustained and guided us.The weight of burnout, grief, loneliness, and division has frayed the threads of belonging that weave together our families, communities, workplaces, and shared humanity. Those who are called to care, teach, lead, heal, serve, and hold space for others often carry these burdens most deeply. They give so much of themselves while longing for places where they, too, can be restored.

While clinical care is essential, it cannot by itself restore the deep human need for belonging, purpose, reverence, and connection. True healing unfolds in relationship with ourselves, with one another, with the natural world, and with something larger than ourselves.This is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and return to the relationships that make wholeness possible.

Nearly 40% of high school students feel hopeless

High school students report persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Only half of high school students say they feel close and connected to the people around them

Suicide impacts police and first responders

Every year more police officers and first responders are lost to suicide than to any single line of duty cause, they die by suicide at a rate 54% higher than the general public

Lonliness and isolation increases the risk of premature death

Chronic loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of premature death by 50%, raise the risk of heart disease by 29%, and increase the risk of stroke by 32% according to US surgeon general reporting

“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”

— bell hooks

Mending the relational fabric of community

The Land exists to mend the relational fabric of community by creating spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, one another, and place. We are here to cultivate belonging, shared healing, and renewal, especially for the people who hold communities together and too often lack spaces for restoration themselves.
‍
The Land brings people together for reflective, place-based experiences rooted in community, relationship, and care for the land.

Healing is shared

We know restoration and healing happen in relationship with people, community, and place, not in isolation.

Connection is the foundation of all things

We believe belonging and relational well-being are foundational to healthy families, workplaces, and civic life.

Those who serve others are strengthened through renewal

We prioritize supporting caregivers, public servants, and community leaders in order to strengthen entire communities.

The Land at Balsam Branch

The Land is situated on 135 acres in the St. Croix Valley, nestled on Ox Lake, with the Balsam Branch River running through and only one hour northeast of the Twin Cities. It is close enough to reach, and far enough to truly step away. The Land is an active partner in the practice of restoration and healing. The woods, water, trails, seasons, meals, and shared spaces create the conditions for reflection, connection, and renewal.

Our Programs

The Land offers place-based gatherings designed to help people reconnect with themselves, one another, and the deeper purpose that sustains their work and lives.

Each experience is intentionally meaningful, reflective, and relational. Participants are invited into practices that support whole-person well-being, including time outdoors, guided reflection, shared meals, quiet, story, rest, and community connection.

Reflective Retreats

Multi-day experiences that combine solitude, guided practice, time on the land, and communal meals.

Community Gatherings

Seasonal gatherings centered on shared purpose, story, belonging, and connection to place.

Restorative Programs

Facilitated experiences that support reflection, renewal, and integration into daily life

For those who hold communities together

The Land exists as a place of restoration for all, while intentionally welcoming and supporting those whose lives are devoted to caring for others, people who often hold more than the heart was meant to carry alone.

‍

Through intentional outreach and subsidized experiences, we seek to serve:

  • Educators and healthcare workers
  • Social workers and nonprofit professionals
  • Veterans and first responders
  • Spiritual leaders and community organizers
  • Public employees and other community-serving professionals

‍

When those who spend their lives tending to others are given space to rest, reconnect, and be renewed, that healing extends far beyond the individual. It flows into their families, their workplaces, and the communities they touch, creating a quiet ripple of wholeness, compassion, and hope.

Born from the practice of healing together

The Land grew from years of walking alongside people in their healing journeys. It was created by practitioners and community caregivers who have witnessed, again and again, that lasting healing doesn't happen in isolation. While individual care can open the door to transformation, our deepest restoration unfolds in relationship with one another, with the living world, and with the places that hold us.

Rooted in the work of the Center for Conscious Alchemy, The Land is an invitation to remember what so many of us have lost: a sense of belonging. Here, healing is nurtured through community, connection, and a shared commitment to tending ourselves, each other, and the land.

Susan Borden

Founder, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Susan brings deep experience in integrative mental health, therapeutic healing, and whole-person care.

Steve Bunge

Founder, Operations and Finance

Steve brings analytical rigor, operational leadership, and relational wisdom in service of the mission.

Join us in building an ecosystem of belonging.

Help create a place and practice for shared healing.

The Land is just beginning. In this founding year, we are inviting people to help create the relational infrastructure our communities need: spaces where caregivers, public servants, and community leaders can pause, reconnect, and return with renewed capacity.

There are three ways to be part of it.

DonateFollow on InstagramSign up for updates

Join our mailing list

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.