
COMPASS Retreat
18-25 August, 2025 Solana (Ubud, Bali)

Are you a purpose-driven entrepreneur, leader or change maker that’s ready to birth something new into the world?
Let me guess…..
You’ve been sitting on this idea for a while. You can’t stop thinking about it, day and night.
You know you’re ready to create something new. But you know you need a kick up the butt to do it.
You want that spark back. The kind where you wake up buzzing with ideas, not dreading your calendar.
You want to know exactly where you’re heading and why. No more “maybes” or half-hearted commitments.
You want tools that actually work. Not more advice, but practices that shift something real.
You want to be around people who get it. People walking their talk — not just talking about it.
You want to build without burning out. You’re done choosing between impact and peace.
If this is you, COMPASS has been designed exactly for you.
COMPASS is
A 7-night in-person retreat in Bali AND a 12-week online group coaching program designed to help you:
Feel a renewed sense of excitement and passion for your work
Get clear and committed on where you’re going (and why)
Take bold, grounded steps in the right direction
Develop a deep sense of trust within yourself to make choices
Connect with other like-minded, purpose-driven founders
This program isn’t about creating the perfect 5-year plan.
It’s about developing deep trust with yourself, knowing exactly where you’re going and taking action.
This is for you if
You’re ready to bring a purpose-driven project to life (maybe you’ve been sitting on it for months or even years)
You’re a purpose-driven founder, entrepreneur, visionary or leader that wants to make an impact (not just make money)
You’ve tried ChatGPT, therapy and even psychedelics but you’re still feel lost and disconnected from you work
You’re ready to get 100% clear and committed on your direction (and take action)
You want a life and career abundant with meaning and purpose
You know you’re here to do big things, and you know you just need better tools to make it happen
You want to be connected to other inspiring, heart-led entrepreneurs and founders from around the world
You’ll walk away with
A clear vision and action plan to actually launch your purpose-driven project
A powerful set of meditation, breathwork and movement practices and rituals you can return to anytime
A reconnected sense of motivation, confidence, and grounded momentum in yourself and your work
Lifelong connections with other heart-led founders, creatives and entrepeneurs
A new standard for how you show up — in work, in life, in relationships
What’s Included
6 x Live Group Coaching Calls (every fortnight) - starting Wed 6th August, 2025
7-day in-person, all-inclusive, technology-free retreat in Bali (18th - 24th August, 2025)
4-part initiation into Vedic Meditation on the retreat (led by Laura Poole)
Fortnightly video modules, guided reflections and journalling prompts
Guided meditation, visualisation and breathwork practices
Accountability buddies to keep you on track and accountable
Lifetime access to tools and recorded materials
Private community space to connect, share, and grow
Plus, you’ll get access to discounted coaching with Matt
Testimonials
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Jhi - Founder and Entrepreneur (AUS)
“Matt played an instrumental role in helping me come back to what I actually want and living a life that’s attuned and aligned to what I want. His facilitation was great - in terms of 1:1, he was always there if I had questions and in the group work, he orchestrated an experience that came to a powerful crescendo at the end of the week - it created a life-changing experience for myself.
I’m super grateful for Matt - I’ve spent a lot of money on my own personal development and he is one of the best facilitators I have ever met. I have paid a lot more money for a lot less - he’s a 10x facilitator. I really hope I can stay connected to him - he’s a really special person”
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Evan - Entrepreneur & Co-Founder ‘The Art of Monday’s’ (AUS)
“I didn’t fully know what I was getting myself into, and 48 hours later I’ve come out a different person. I’m so grateful for what this experience has taught me.The retreat has allowed me to understand more about myself and what gives me that spark in my life.
I’d recommend this for people who want change, who want growth and want to discover themselves but are maybe too afraid to start or too overwhelmed by what they might discover.
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Jess - Entrepreneur and Founder (NZ)
“I attended a retreat facilitated by Matt, and I was in awe of the space he created for every single person there. Matt cultivated an environment that truly felt safe, accepting, and free of judgment. This allowed me to do deep, transformative work and break through barriers I didn't even realize were limiting my everyday life.
Leaving the retreat, I felt genuinely changed. I processed past trauma, felt lighter, and, in the two months since, my dream life has begun to unfold. I highly recommend Matt’s retreats to anyone with an open mind. It truly was the catalyst for so much positive change in my life.”

“Above all, COMPASS will help you build an unshakable inner knowing - so that no matter where you are in the world, you’ll always know how to find your way"
Matt Defina, Another Way Founder & creator of COMPASS

The COMPASS Framework
Within you, you know the answers. Within you, is huge potential.
The COMPASS Framework is simply a doorway into your inner truth and knowing.
A return to your true nature.
Over the course of the 7-day retreat and the 12-week coaching program you’ll be guided back into your own inner knowing and truth, so that no matter where you are in the world, you’ll be able to find your way.
You have the wisdom and truth within you - you simply need a set of tools to guide you back home.
The 12-Week Journey: What to Expect
Part 1: Pre-Retreat Preparation
Starting 4th August, 2025
Your journey begins with a group Zoom call on Wednesday 6th August, 7–9pm MDT, where you'll meet your fellow participants, receive your preparation materials, and be paired with a program buddy for added support.
Over the following week, you’ll complete guided preparation work to help you arrive grounded and ready for the retreat, while beginning to build connection within the group.
Part 2: The Retreat
Monday 18th – Monday 25th August | Solana, Ubud, Bali
You’ll arrive at Solana from 4pm on Monday 18th August. Transfers will be arranged for you.
This all-inclusive, technology-free retreat is designed to meet your every need — so you can unplug fully and reconnect deeply. You’ll hand in your phone, watch, and laptop upon arrival to create a space of true presence.
Each day begins with a morning practice to anchor you into the moment, followed by guided workshops and experiences based on the COMPASS framework. You’ll be supported to:
Make peace with your past
Clarify your future
Build tools to stay grounded in the present
Retreat highlights include:
Daily breathwork led by COMPASS creator and Another Way founder, Matt Defina
Your own personal initiation into the Vedic Meditation tradition with renowned teacher Laura Poole (run over 4 days)
Twice daily meditation practice led by Laura
Group workshops designed to help you break through limiting beliefs and emotions
Balinese cultural experiences: water cleansing, cacao ceremony, sound bath, and more
Unlimited access to the on-site sauna, ice bath, and pool
One complimentary massage (with more available on-site)
Surprise excursions in and around Ubud, Bali (we’re keep these a secret)
A day of magic for you to create your wildest vision for your life and business
You’ll depart Solana at 10am on Monday 25th August. Transfers will be provided.
Part 3: Integration Program
Wednesday 27th August – Wednesday 12th November
The experience continues at home with a 12-week integration program to support you in turning retreat insights into lasting change.
Starting Wednesday 27th August, 7–9pm MDT, you’ll join fortnightly group calls (see full schedule in the FAQs) and receive:
Practical weekly integration exercises
Guided meditations and visualisations
Ongoing support from your buddy and our facilitation team
Lifetime access to course content and the COMPASS community
We’ll close with a final group call on Wednesday 12th November, but your access to the community and course materials continues well beyond.

Interested?
Want to be a part of the program? Book a call with Matt
Got questions? Email us at hello@anotherway.au
Testimonials
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Sam - Tech Entrepeneur & Founder (AUS)
“I was brought to CATALYST looking for a different space that I didn’t have in my everyday life with my mates and family.
Ir was a place for me to be vulnerable and open when I wasn’t yet ready t do that with my mates.
As a result of being here, I’ve experienced and felt a release that I’ve so desperately needed. It feels great and I can honestly say that for the first time in a long time.”
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Ollie - Health & Wellness Founder (AUS)
“On the other side of that fear, is what you’re searching for. On the retreat, I felt that every single step of the way. Every day, there was a new level and new depth. We’re just reaching the end of the reteat and I can already feel a huge shift that’s happened just stepping into courage.
I’m leaving the retreat with a new sense of self-trust, self-leadership, and belief in myself that I can make my dream life possible”
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Louis - Tech Entrepreneur and Founder (Canada)
Before working with Matt on a recent retreat, I was struggling with social anxiety. Afterwards, however, I felt really at peace and very confident within myself.
I felt included, connected to the peers there and to myself, as well as to my soul.
What really helped me from Matt was his deep journaling questions, his guided meditations and the one on one conversations I had with him. I'd recommend working with Matt if you’re feeling lack of purpose or a fear that you want to get out of, really, just anything in your mind that you're struggling with.
Matt is really here to help, and he does a very good job - I would highly recommend working with him.
Our Retreat Property
Solana
During your stay at Solana, you’ll not only be treated to beautiful local, organic food, but also have access to the sauna, ice bath, pool and Yoga Shala, all of which can be used throughout your stay.

















Testimonials
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Janelle - Director, PwC
“I am so glad I made the decision to go on this retreat - I wasn't sure what to expect but I had immense trust in Matt, so I threw myself in and have undoubtedly come out a different person the other side.
I would highly recommend an Another Way retreat to anyone feeling in a rut with their lives / careers / relationships and seeking clarity, and also anyone looking to be part of a community of like-minded individuals who are going to have your back through the process.”
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Charles - Senior Manager, PwC
“I came to the retreat because I was at a real crossroads in my life. I was looking for that spark, guidance and help with taking that next step in my life.
I now feel loved and a real sense of community that we built over such a short time. I felt like i was in safe hands, that the facilitators cared and that the other participants really helped me with where I’m at now at the end of the retreat.”
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Pete - Adventure Facilitator & Photographer
“The retreat was truly, truly profound. I’d never been on a retreat before, so I didn’t really know what I was in for. What I got to experience with Matt was truly life-changing. Not only their facilitation experience but also the other people I got to connect with.
It’s changed my life, made me a better man, better friend, better partner and a stronger person. I’m so clear on what I want to do with my future now and so at peace with myself.”

What Makes COMPASS different?
This isn’t more information - COMPASS is a transformational program that is designed to guide you back home into yourself and to help you make real-world change in your life.
Back to Nature, Back to You
COMPASS is rooted in the wisdom of nature - slow down, turn inward, and you’ll find the answers you’ve been chasing. This isn’t about adding more noise - it’s about remembering what you already know and stripping away the fog so you can see clearly again.
Science Meets Soul
Grounded in evidence-based psychology and ancient embodiment practices like breathwork and meditation, you’ll get tools that actually work - not fluff, not theory. Just deep, practical transformation and a deeply level of trust within yourself.
Real-World Integration
This isn’t a feel-good moment that fades. COMPASS is designed to create real, lasting change in how you live, lead, and build - with support that continues well beyond the course. This program has been designed specifically for founders, entrepreneurs, visionaries and leaders who lead busy, ambitious lives.

“You deserve the best.
Never feel unworthy or not justified in having the best. I tell you this is your heritage; but you have to accept it. You have to expect it, you have to claim it.
To do so is not demanding too much."
- Guru Deva
Our Team
Matt Defina (Retreat Host)
Matt Defina is a former Psychologist, breathwork facilitator, and the founder of Another Way and COMPASS — a transformational retreat and program designed to help people find clarity, direction, and purpose in their lives.
With a background in Organisational Psychology and corporate consulting (PwC), Matt spent the early part of his career working with elite sporting teams, global businesses, and leading wellbeing initiatives. Matt spent nearly 5 years as Head of Programs at The Man Cave, an Australian-based men’s mental health charity, where he oversaw the delivery of healthy masculinity programs to over 50,000 young men. Despite these accomplishments, he found himself burnt out and disconnected — a turning point that led him on a personal journey through somatic therapy, meditation, and breathwork.
Since then, Matt has facilitated over 30 retreats globally, coached 100+ clients 1:1, and spoken to over 10,000 people about purpose, meaning, healthy masculinity and personal transformation. His work is grounded, practical, and deeply human — shaped by his own lived experience of navigating burnout and rediscovering a more meaningful path.
COMPASS is the guide he wishes he had when he felt most lost — and now he offers it to others ready to create a life they’re genuinely excited to wake up to.
Laura Poole (Teaching Vedic Meditation)
Laura Poole is a Vedic meditation teacher and founder of Mahasoma – a feminine-led Vedic meditation collective supporting meditators and teachers with Vedic wisdom, embodiment practices, and community.
Laura has trained intensively over the past 16 years with great masters in Australia and India. She currently resides in Noosa on her 3-acre homestead, growing a syntropic food-forest. Laura teaches in Noosa, Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay, and India. She shares the transformative wisdom of Vedic meditation, Vedanta, and Ayurveda, in an engaging, relevant, and humorous way that allows people to make deep discoveries about themselves and their purpose. She is a dedicated leader in the meditation space inspiring people to take care of their mental and physical health, while encouraging them to make a real difference in the world.
Passionate about community and aware of its transformative power, Laura brings people together in uplifting shared experiences through Vedic meditation courses, meditation events, and India retreats. Her intention is to share simple ‘how-to’ techniques for creating awakening, balance, and harmony, while supporting people to live a heart-based life in flow with nature.
Laura was also an original co-founder/co-creator of 1 Giant Mind Australia and its free Learn to Meditate app.
Testimonials
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Manu - Marketing Entrepreneur & Founder
“Matt was a like father-figure for me - he made me feel really safe and I kept learning from him. But he was also like a brother bear for me - he also taught me and encouraged me to learn on my own. He’s also an optimism-prime, a transformer - he has an ability to make a really big impact on your life if you come with an open mind, especially if you’re like me and you’re not someone that self reflects a lot.
Matt has created a fundamental shift in my thinking, he’s given me a new trajectory in the way I think about my business, my health, my relationships and my emotions.” -
Jake - Health and Wellness Practitioner
“I don’t think I was ever able to meet myself in love, or be able to love myself fully. This retreat and experience has helped me realise that the more love you can have in your life, then the more you can share it with people you love in your life. In the end, it means the better everyone's life is going to be.
The retreat has helped me become the best version of myself, which means that I can support other people to be the best version of themselves - which ultimately makes the world a better place.”
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Albert - Musician
“To be honest, I was afraid of going on the retreat, but a personal motto of mine is to feel into the fear and do it anyway. The retreat felt like a very sacred, intentional space, where I felt very safe to explore my own depths and enter into the unknown.”

Ready to join COMPASS?
Want to be a part of the program? Book a call with Matt
Got questions? Email us at hello@anotherway.au
FAQs
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COMPASS is a transformational leadership program for purpose-driven founders, visionaries, creatives, entrepreneurs and heart-based leaders. This program is specifically designed to give you the tools, practices and community to help you ground deeply into who you are and what you’re creating.
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COMPASS is not about adding more to your already busy lives and toolkits - it is a deep remembering of who you truly and why you’re here. This program is about a stripping away of what’s no longer needed and helping you develop a deep, unwavering level of trust in yourself and your vision.
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Our online group calls will be from 7pm - 8.30pm (MDT):
Week 1 (4th Aug) - Call 1 - Wed 6th Aug - “Welcome, Preparation”
Week 2 (11th Aug) - Buddy’s & Homework
Week 3 (18th Aug) - RETREAT (BALI) - Monday 18th - Sunday 24th Aug
Week 4 (25th Aug) - Buddy’s & Homework
Week 5 (1st Sep) - Call 2 - Wed 27th August - “Integration"
Week 6 (8th Sep) - Buddy’s & Homework
Week 7 (15th Sep) - Call 3 - Wed 17th Sep - “Integration”
Week 8 (22nd Sep) - Buddy’s & Homework
Week 9 (29th Sep) - Call 4 - Wed 1st Oct - “Integration”
Week 10 (6th Oct) - Buddy’s & Homework
Week 11 (13th Oct) - Call 5 - Wed 15th Oct - “Integration”
Week 12 (20th Oct) - Buddy’s & Homework
Week 13 - (27th Oct) - Call 6 - Wed 30th Oct - “Integration”
Week 14 (3rd Nov) - Buddy’s & Homework
Week 15 - (10th Nov) - Call 7 - Wed 12th Nov - “Celebration and Closure”
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The retreat will start at 4pm on Monday 18th August and will finish at 10am on Monday 25th August. Transfers from the airport or your nearby accomodation will be arranged by our team.
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We are going to be treated during our stay at the retreat! During your stay, you’ll receive the following:
Daily guided breathwork, yoga, and meditation
Daily workshops and experiences designed to guide you to deeper levels of awareness and truth around your path and vision
A beautiful curated menu of locally grown, organic food (where possible)
Access to the sauna and ice bath
A complementary massage
Plus a few special surprises we’re going to keep a secret for now ;)
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Unfortunately not - when you’re committing to COMPASS you’re committing to the entire program, including the calls and the retreat.
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Vedic Meditation is a simple and natural way to settle down the mind and rest the body deeply.
In Vedic Meditation you learn a very specific sound called a mantra. The mantra is a meaningless sound that’s chosen for each meditator by their teacher. It is a particular pulsation of sound that’s resonant with the thinker. Certain sounds work best for certain groups of people.
You close the eyes and silently begin to think the sound. Immediately and spontaneously, it becomes fainter and begins to quieten down. As you gently repeat it internally, the sound becomes more soft and subtle until a point is reached where it’s almost imperceptible. And then it does its last little trick, and it disappears, and for a moment the mind falls quiet. The mind drops into an inner, serene state. You’re conscious and awake and yet you’re not thinking. Those moments don’t tend to last so long and often you’re not even aware it’s happening.
When the mind settles down, the body rests.
When the mind quietens down, the body follows. Within a few minutes of meditating your body is resting much deeper than sleep. This unprecedented rest is one of the key benefits of Vedic Meditation. And it’s what makes it different to other techniques.
When you get that kind of deep rest, the body can release tiredness and tension. You come out of meditation feeling energised and ready to go. Old stresses and anxiety are released – you feel clearer, calmer and more aware.
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At the beginning of the retreat, you’ll be invited to hand in your phone, watch and laptop. These will be stored securely by us during the retreat. Your family and friends will be given our emergency contact details in case they need to contact you, otherwise, you will be given the gift of a technology free week so you can be fully present in the experience.
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Private rooms aren’t available for this program, but we will do everything we can to ensure that you’re matched with an appropriate room mate. Plus, we think sharing a room it adds to the experience!
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Yes, payment plans are available. You can discuss this with Matt and the team.