Peter Wrinch is stepping down from his position as CEO of Hollyhock. 

“My last day will be July 31st this year. That will be exactly seven years, to the day,” he explained.

“The reason I’m leaving is a much deeper question. I’m 49 years old.  I’m turning 50 next year.  This is my second job as an executive director or CEO.  When I finished the first one, I said, ‘Well, I will never do that job again” and then a few years later, I took on this role. 

Coming into Hollyhock, I had very little sense of the depth and warmth and connection of this place. I also knew that I would not stay forever.  I’m so happy that I got to experience the love that is Hollyhock. And, I am clear that my purpose at this stage of my life is to figure out how to support organizational leaders instead of being one myself. I’ve thought about this quite deeply and see this ending as a call to a deeper purpose. 

“Heather Deeth who’s been Hollyhock’s Chief Product Officer for two years and is an incredible colleague and incredible friend will take over as interim CEO for the foreseeable future. We have written a new strategic plan for our organization and are socializing it through our networks. The idea is that the board is going to hire the next full time organizational leader through the prism of the new strategic plan. I feel really confident in that view.”

“Hollyhock has changed a lot in the seven years that I’ve been leading it. I had come from working in startups – political, advocacy, technology – and to come into an organization that was 37 years old was a new experience for me. When I came in, I did not regard myself as a change agent, but more as someone who could manifest what was wanting to come through – mostly by getting out of the way. The change that has happened in the organization over the past seven years is the result of many, many beautiful hands.” 

“It has occasionally been seductive to define my tenure through the lens of the pandemic. And there is no doubt that the pandemic changed all of our lives, and certainly changed my trajectory here. However, I have come to see it as an amazing time to lead the organization. It allowed us to lead from values and I am very proud of the way we led through those years.”  

Cortes Currents: Do you have any  plans for your immediate future? 

Peter Wrinch: “It’s funny, I’ve never quit a job without having another job, but I did that this time.”

“I’m taking it very slowly. Over the years, I have become more and more clear about my gifts. I know that I am good at weaving impact, meaning, and money. A few years ago, I worked on a personal tool called a “Success Map” with a mentor and it turns out that my success formula is: a committed group of people + a compelling vision + money = success.“

“I’m looking to help other organizational leaders get better at telling their story and tying that to money. I imagine that I’ll be doing some consulting work in the retreat center movement, to help retreat centers increase their impact.”

Cortes Currents: What were the high points and what were the low points while you were CEO of Hollyhock?

Peter Wrinch: “The first one that pops up right away and it’s remained a high point for me for many, many years is when the Klahoose landed their canoes on the beach in front of Hollyhock for the first time since colonization. I got to stand out there with Chief Kevin Peacey and elder Norman Harry Sr, and welcomed the canoes. That’s a memory I’ll hold for life, I never, ever, thought that I would be  able to share something like that.”

“A second highpoint was when COVID hit, we decided to convert our garden to food production. Every week we gave out greens and other vegetables to our staff who we could not bring back into employment because all our programs were canceled.”

“The final one is founding a gathering called Activate with a friend. Activate is for digital leaders working in politics and advocacy. We just hosted it for the seventh year. It brings people together and allows them to connect in a really deep way asking the question of ‘who you are as a human?’ 

“I am really lucky to have been here for seven years and to have been part of many gatherings that highlight people in all their humanity.” 

“Low points: obviously I’d have to say COVID. I remember that day, March 9, 2020 when it became obvious that this was going to be something really terrible for us. 2020 was such a hard year. We canceled all our programming. We did not hire back our seasonal staff and we just had to make do. That was a really, really hard point.”

“Other than that, there have not been many low points. It is always hard when people leave the organization. I never love saying goodbye to colleagues, especially close ones. Of course there’s little things here and there, but  for the most part it’s been a pretty treasured journey for me.”

Cortes Currents: Do you have any thoughts that you want to add?  

Peter Wrinch: “It has been my belief that the world that we inhabit right now needs places for people to connect, decompress, and put down the productivity urge. So I think about these places like Hollyhock and Kripalu, Esalen and  Omega, and just how important they are in these times as things get more complicated. It doesn’t feel like anything’s getting easier. It feels the exact opposite.”  

“I sit on that deck, day in and day out, and  I hear people say, ‘this is the best time I’ve ever had,’ and of course this place is beautiful, but it’s way deeper than that. It’s that they actually connect with people and feel seen.”

“I have total faith in Hollyhock’s theory of change. I believe it is right and even more relevant for these times.” 

All photos courtesy Peter Wrinch

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