Twelve Months, Many Teachers: What the Tour for Regeneration Taught Me

What if the way forward isn’t a straight line but a spiral back into belonging? Twelve months ago, I asked myself this question when I left Arnhem. I sold my house, decided to step away from PropTech for Good, and began a journey I now call my Tour for Regeneration. It was not an escape, but a call, a reminder. I wanted to know what life feels like when it moves at the speed of presence, what work becomes when it flows from purpose and seva rather than performance and ego, and what regeneration truly means when it is lived, not just reported. Over the past year, I have crossed thresholds in Portugal, Spain, Japan, and beyond. I shed old identities and sat in silence, moss, rivers, and fire. And I have discovered many unexpected teachers. Here are the lessons learned from this tour.

The Call for Renewal and Release

A year ago, my life was functional but fragmented. KPIs, projects, revenue, and busy schedules were used to measure success. But beneath the surface lurked a deep sense of disconnection—from nature, intuition, and genuinely being part of the whole. The call for renewal didn't come from a crisis. Instead, it came as quiet nudges: a whisper that circling my familiar surroundings was unsustainable for myself, my business, and the planet. Selling my house was the outward act. A quantum leap. Internally, it was a call to tear down the scaffolding I'd built around my identity. Initially, I resisted. Could I really leave behind the structures, status, and strategies I'd spent decades building? I tried to cling to productivity hacks, networking, and "next projects" for the first half of 2024. But they felt hollow. After a period of autumn, primarily in Portugal, and a wintering period in the Netherlands, I truly rediscovered my positive energy, my vibe, in Valencia. In Japan, I crossed that threshold. Silence, cedar forests, moss-covered temples, and the scent of matcha tea became my new guiding light. Without schedules, I felt rudderless. But through that loss, I began to see how life itself could be a teacher.

Lessons Learned from Many Teachers

The tour had its challenges. The roads to destinations, the walks through parks, forests, along the sea, and on the streets, and being in so many places, challenged me with uncertainty, silence, and loss of identity. But also, fire, curiosity, and the desire to write new chapters. Yet, every challenge became a lesson. Here are some of the insights and lessons that shape my becoming:

The Sea – depth, rhythm, surrender, and the power of cycles.

The Forest – diversity, connection, balance, and silent regeneration.

The Mountain – silence, perspective, endurance, and humility.

The River – adaptability, joy, and the art of forging new paths.

The Air – spaciousness, life, and transience.

The Fire – transformation, destruction, and renewal.

The Earth – grounding, nourishment, and the cycles of birth and decay.

The Sun – steadfastness, generosity, and light.

The Moon – rhythm, reflection, and the wisdom of phases.

Animals – instinct, resilience, cooperation, and balance.

People¹ – artists, monks, rebels, caregivers, passersby, friends, and family all teach love, perspective, and creativity.

Places² – from the alleyways of Lisbon to the gardens of Kyoto, teaching stillness, dynamism, and a sense of connection.

Practices of Renewal – breathwork in Arrabida, meditating during Divine Quest sessions, learning from the Regenerative Leadership and Card for Life courses, espresso breaks, drawing shaman cards, free painting, and even throwing a broken tooth into the sea. These weren't side activities, but recalibrations of life.

Travel Bag – The first time I drove to Portugal, my car was packed. I travelled to Japan for 29 days with carry-on luggage. My travel bag is a teacher of simplicity and reminds me that less is more: the lighter I pack, the freer and more flexible I become, with room to spare in both my luggage and my mind.  

My Car – After travelling primarily on public transportation for over 10 years, my car gave me a sense of freedom and responsibility. It showed me that every journey depends on both the joy of movement and concern for safety.

Money – It taught me about energy exchange and reminded me to honour the flow by appreciating what I receive and giving with gratitude.

Things – The most important things are not things. Yet, a beautiful Japanese chawan with ceremonial matcha reminds me of my regeneration journey. The things I've appreciated most in recent months are my MacBook and iPhone, Google Maps, Spotify, FaceTime, my coffee grinder, Bialetti Moka, Nike ACG shoes, and Patagonia puffer jacket.

Silence and solitude – They are teachers of presence, listening, and inner truth. Each of these teachers reminded me that life itself is regenerative when we are willing to listen.

The Deep Descent and Composting of Identity

This tour wasn't about performance, but about composting, cultivating my soil, and seeding. The Chief PropTech for Good Officer in me dissolved. In the silence, something new began to grow. Regeneration revealed itself not as a system, but as a relationship: one of reciprocity, care, cycles, and presence. I discovered that freedom isn't about constant movement, but about a rooted sense of connection. Integration isn't about balance, but about reweaving what was broken. Here are three of the most powerful lessons I learned during this descent:

1.     Redefining success – not an empty inbox, but coherence found in a teacup, a slow morning, or a quiet creation.

2.     Living work as sacrifice – work now arises from who I am becoming, not from titles or achievements, but from my purpose and how I feel.

3.     Belonging is freedom – True belonging is not a trap, but a deep sense of freedom in relationship to people, place, earth, and sacred mission.

Connecting the Spiral

Looking back, I also see how this blog continues the evolution of my previous writings. In 5,000 Kilometres, 5 Lessons, I explored the early stages of my journey—humility, minimalism, and connection. Now, those seeds have blossomed into a deeper life philosophy. In 5 Shifts That Mark My Rebirth, I discussed the transition from metrics to meaning and from career to becoming. The past year has been living proof of these shifts, guided by teachers far older and wiser than any framework could provide. In 10 Things I Learned in Japan about Regeneration, I reflected on cedar, matcha, and kintsugi. These experiences still resonate here. Japan taught me that beauty and connection often arise through ruptures, rituals, and devotion. The spiral is the actual map. Each blog post is not a separate story but a new circle within the same journey. These lessons are not just personal; they are also vital for how we design our cities, organisations, and our individual lives. The diversity of the forest is what neighbourhoods need to flourish. The adaptability of the river illustrates how urban systems must evolve in response to climate change. Silence and spaciousness are what our cities need to breathe again. Regeneration isn't a strategy for the future; it's a restored memory, a way of designing and living with life, not against it.

What the Tour for Regeneration Unlocked

After twelve months, the greatest gift has been coherence. A new relationship with time, a slower and deeper creative flow, and a sense of home that isn't confined to one place but rooted in presence. What began as a personal quest has transformed into a collective invitation. What started as unlocking external potential has shifted into rediscovering the inner essence. The journey became a homecoming. And that homecoming revealed this: the way forward isn't a straight line but a spiral. If something springs to mind as you read this blog post (or any of the others), perhaps your spiral has begun, too. Ask yourself: who are the teachers already present in your life? What lessons learned are waiting for you to remember? How can you bring these lessons into your life, your work, your community, and your city? Because regeneration isn't a journey I undertake alone. It's a collective spiral back to coherence.

Author:

Menno Lammers

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¹ Thank you so much, Victor, Nicolas, Niloufar, Eli, Paige, Chico, Cadu, António, Leehe, Laura, Tom, Suzanne, Graham, Dada, Alejandra, Komle, Jasper, Dave, Bert, Michael, Asuela, Jan, Erna, Metha, Eric, Jannie, Akane, Rutger, Johan, Bart, Jessica, Nadia, Thijs, Laura, Kensuke, Mohammed, Ramona, Ieva, Jo, Marjet, Michel, Nikolaj, and many more..

² Thank you, Sarzedo, Ourondo, Setúbal, Helsinki, Riyadh, Oslo, Lagon, Braga, A Rua, Valencia, Lisbon, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Kobe, Osaka, Ericeira, Sintra, Tomar, Obidos, Nazaré, Arnhem, Bennekom, and many more..