Balance — Elevating Your Life
A place to build brotherhood and maximize potential. Balance is a small men's retreat in the Colorado mountains: honest conversation, chef-led meals, hiking, and real brotherhood. Limited to 10 men.
A personal message
My name is Rustin Sage Coburn, and I'm building Balance Retreat because I need it just as much as anyone else. I'm just a man who cares deeply about showing up for the people in his life and creating spaces where we can stop pretending, breathe, and be real with each other. Balance Retreat will stay small, simple, and human. If each man leaves feeling lighter, more centered, more hopeful, and more ready to show up for his family and community, then that is everything.
Retreat structure
Meaningful personal work: deep, honest conversations and practices in a safe space to speak truth and be vulnerable. The art of playing: board games, yard games, hiking, biking, paddle boarding, snowboarding or skiing, sweat lodges or fitness classes. Cooking: food is central to each retreat, led by international chef Dakota Coburn, with everyone taking a turn as sous chef. Free time: unstructured time to rest, meditate, journal, play, exercise, or simply be. Locations are always in the mountains, ocean, or desert.
Retreats
- Upcoming — Tincup, CO, Fall 2026: October 1st to 4th, 2026. Tincup, Colorado. Limited to 10 men. Total cost $525 (lodging $175, food $250, activities $100). Details and RSVP at /tincup-2026 and /tincup-2026/rsvp.
- Past trip — Salida, CO, Spring 2026: April 9th to 12th, 2026. A healthy balance of adventure, rest, connection, and real conversation: mountain hikes, yard games, hot springs, chef-led meals, and deep Jeffersonian-style conversations. Recap at /salida.
- Past trip — Tincup, CO, Fall 2025: High in the Colorado Rockies, men gathered for deep connection, mountain trails, and fireside conversations.
Tincup, CO — Fall 2026 (Upcoming), October 1st to 4th
Contribution: $525 total — lodging $175, food $250, activities $100. Not covered: travel expenses (airfare, driving, uber, etc) and off-site activities (hiking permits, fly-fishing guides, etc). Limited to 10 men.
Agenda — Thursday evening (dinner time) to Sunday morning (leave after breakfast):
- Thursday: Travel day (arrive by 5pm). 6:30p–8:30p family dinner, introductions and personal shares. 8:30p–10:00p opening remarks and free time.
- Friday: 6:30a–8:30a breath work and free time. 8:30a–9:30a make breakfast, family meal. 9:30a–11:30a free time. 11:30a–3:00p hike or explore (snacks and beverages provided). 3:00p–5:30p free time and prep dinner (assistant cooking assignments provided). 6:00p–8:00p family dinner. 8:00p–10:00p card and board games.
- Saturday: 6:30a–8:30a breath work and free time. 8:30a–9:30a make breakfast, family meal. 9:30a–11:30a free time. 9:30a–3:00p The International Balance Cup — yard game competition, game announced Thursday, free time when not playing. 3:00p–5:30p free time and prep dinner. 6:00p–8:00p family dinner. 8:00p–10:00p card and board games.
- Sunday: 6:30a–8:30a breath work and free time. 8:30a–9:30a make breakfast, family meal. Travel day.
RSVP at /tincup-2026/rsvp: a short five-step form asking your name, what you'd like to contribute to the weekend (live music, cook a meal, organize a sport/activity, breath-work, qigong, talent show, comedy, coaching, or something else), something you're proud of and ready to share, something you're struggling with and ready to share, and your email.
Salida, CO — Spring 2026 (Past Trip), April 9th to 12th
The Salida trip was exactly what these retreats are meant to be. A healthy balance of adventure, rest, connection, and real conversation. We spent our days outside hiking in the mountains, playing games in the yard, and unwinding at the hot springs. We cooked incredible meals together with my brother Dakota leading as head chef, and each guy stepping in as a sous chef for a meal or two. Evenings were where things really opened up. Around the dinner table and late into the night, we created space for honest, meaningful conversations about fears, challenges, growth, purpose, and what it actually means to live well. Simple, intentional, and real.
Weekend flow:
- Thursday — Arrival and opening conversation: guys rolled in around 5:30pm, dinner at 7pm, then opening remarks and a Jeffersonian-style conversation about what we might be tolerating in our lives that we know we should change. Cards after, wrapped up around 10pm.
- Friday — Mountain day and deep conversation: breakfast at 8am, then a 7-mile hike to alpine lakes below Mount Harvard. Unstructured afternoon with ping pong and cornhole. Four-course dinner at 6pm, then a deeper conversation about personal struggles and being service-first leaders.
- Saturday — Competition, hot springs, and reflection: breakfast at 8am, then the biannual Balance Cup Tournament (bucket golf; Ryan Lorenz took the win). Mediterranean-style lunch, afternoon at Mount Princeton Hot Springs. Another four-course dinner and a reflective Jeffersonian conversation about what we learned and how we've grown.
- Sunday — Closing: final breakfast together. Everyone left with full hearts, clear minds, and a stronger sense of connection.
House Maxims
- Be yourself.
- Be open to trying new things.
- Be ready to have fun and laugh.
- Be honest, humble, and vulnerable.
- No alcohol or drugs.
- No technology.
- No assholes.
- No egos.
Ready to find your balance? Spaces are limited. Each retreat is intentionally small to ensure depth, safety, and real connection.