The Power of Silence: What a Silent Retreat Taught Me About Communication

What happens when a communication expert stops speaking altogether?

In Episode 80 of the Magnetic Communication Podcast, Sandy Gerber shares the unexpected lessons she learned during a four-day silent retreat on Bowen Island. Surrounded by forest, ocean, and mountains, Sandy stepped away from conversation, technology, and eye contact to experience what silence reveals when there’s nothing left to fill the space.

This episode isn’t about withdrawing from life or escaping the world. It’s about what becomes available when we stop doing, stop performing, and allow ourselves to simply be. Sandy reflects on the discomfort of stillness, the surprising pull of productivity even in silence, and the moment she realized she had quietly “cheated”.

Through walking meditation, time in nature, and moments of deep awareness, silence began to feel less like absence and more like a gift. Listeners will hear how silence changes self-talk, sharpens intuition, and creates space for deeper listening, both internally and with others.

Sandy explores the difference between silence and the silent treatment, and why naming pauses in conversation can build trust and safety in leadership, meetings, and relationships.

This episode also includes the opening portion of a poem Sandy wrote during the retreat, inspired by the questions people often ask about silence. The full poem and reflections are shared on the blog for those who want to spend more time with the experience.

Episode 80 is reflective, calming, and gently challenging. It invites leaders, overthinkers, and anyone feeling disconnected to examine their relationship with silence and consider how even small pockets of quiet can change the way they communicate, listen, and lead.

Silence isn’t the opposite of communication. It’s part of it.