Amid a Global Tech Takeover, Ben Lee Is Betting on Digital Detoxing with The Re:set

Lee, a twice-exited tech founder, learned about wellness the hard way. He’s transforming those lessons into a multi-million dollar hospitality enterprise.

In a world where tech is virtually inescapable, many are beginning to realize the downsides of being constantly plugged into devices. Ben Lee, a serial tech founder, knows firsthand the benefits of stepping away from the screen and reconnecting with the self. After battling burnout and autoimmune disease, along with the resulting mental health challenges, he has shifted his focus away from the tech boom hustle towards helping other busy entrepreneurs discover holistic wellness. Enter ‘The Re:set,’ Lee’s take on the digital detox experience. Nestled between the jungles and beaches of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, The Re:set combines traditional outdoor activities with wellness counseling and holistic practices designed to help attendees emerge with newfound tools for building balanced livelihoods as entrepreneurs.

Lee, who grew up in Los Angeles, cut his teeth in hospitality at a young age by climbing the ladder from busboy to general manager for one of LA’s premier hospitality groups by age 21. This formative experience helped shape his vision for The Re:set, giving him a firsthand glimpse at the habits and rituals of relaxation for the upper echelon. He proceeded to explore other interests, building several businesses within the up-and-coming tech space and successfully exiting from two that he cofounded — a dream come true for most. During this time, however, he discovered that he was more exhausted and unhappy than ever before. The dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur became a nightmare when he was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune disorders, which he attributes directly to the burnout he experienced from working himself into the ground.

“I was doing what you were supposed to do as an entrepreneur,” recalls Lee. “I was a machine, working 100+ hours per week and putting everything I had into my business. As a result, I ended up neglecting myself and suffering major health consequences.”

Wellness Wakeup Call

Faced with his diagnoses, Lee knew that he had to make his health a priority. He had a major breakthrough when he attended a yoga retreat in Costa Rica. Beyond reaping the usual health benefits of yoga and relaxation, he experienced something that was then foreign to him: a week without his devices.

“Connecting with nature and living fully in the present moment was a pivotal moment for me,” says Lee. “I learned more about life and about myself in that week than any other period of time up to that point. Once I found that, I wanted to share it with everyone I knew.”

So, that’s exactly what he did.

Activities at the Re:set, Lee’s men’s retreat experience, often focus on the outdoors and connecting with nature.

He hosted his first retreat in 2022 for a small group of select colleagues. With the hopes of emulating the tranquility and transformative nature of the yoga retreat, he held the retreat in Costa Rica. Specifically attuned towards men’s work and interests, the activities included wood working, martial arts, meditation, nutrition counseling, and entrepreneurial think tanks among the Costa Rican jungle thicket. Lee also incorporated one-on-one time with medical professionals specializing in longevity and biohacking techniques to create a truly unique retreat experience. Over the course of five days, this small group of tech executives discovered a new approach to business that supported their health and wellbeing existing in harmony with their entrepreneurial success — not in spite of it.

Once others in his circle caught wind of the benefits the first attendees of his retreat had experienced, they were eager to try it for themselves. Lee realized that he had discovered a collective need for digital detox among business leaders, and decided to turn his passion for wellness into a full-time endeavor. He also recognized a major gap in the market of wellness work that caters specifically to male interests. Thus, The Re:set was born.

Construction on Re:center began in 2023, and is set to open in late 2024.

The Road to Re:center

Thanks to his former business success, Lee was able to purchase a slice of land situated in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica upon which to bring his vision to life. Collaborating with local contractors familiar with the native terroir and natural resources, he commissioned the construction of a compound comprising several buildings designed to complement the land and facilitate the activities of The Re:set and other digital detox experiences. Dubbed Re:center, Lee plans to host all of his retreat experiences in this space once it is complete.

Like any business venture, the road to The Re:set has been paved with challenges, setbacks, and uncertainty. Once he determined that he would have to build the Re:center facility from scratch, Lee had to become an expert in local construction codes, import law, international business law, and more. Mounting construction costs, supply chain issues, and rapidly evolving geopolitical and socioeconomic factors have all proven to be steep learning curves, even for the seasoned hospitality veteran. Lee shares that the most difficult challenge among them, however, was determining how to create a profitable, yet accessible business model for his wellness retreat facility.

“Deep down, I want everyone to be able to experience the benefits of detoxing in a beautiful landscape like Costa Rica,” says Lee. “My motivation behind building Re:center has always been helping people, not profit. But at the end of the day, businesses have to make money.”

The Re:set in Action

In the interim of completing the Re:center facility in Costa Rica, Lee has selected other properties to host his retreats. The most recent Re:set men’s retreat was held at AKERA in the Catskills mountains, and included wellness services from companies like Next Health, which provided blood draws, IV therapy, and Cryotherapy. Other companies that provided products and services include Five Minute Journal and Othership. Activities included personalized longevity planning with licensed physicians, and access to groundbreaking wellness tech like far-infrared saunas, ice plunges, peptide therapy, and more.

While working with partners did ease some of the financial burdens of running a startup retreat business, Lee quickly learned that sponsorships alone were not enough to make Re:center as accessible as he had hoped. As he continued to host retreats at a nearby resort during the construction of his own property, Lee began to gather feedback from the attendees. That’s when he made a key discovery that shaped his ongoing approach to digital detox retreats.

“Wellness means something different to everyone,” Lee explains. “When I realized that each individual was on their own journey and arrived at The Re:set with different goals, that’s when I came up with the idea for a sort of ‘modular retreat’ experience.”

A modular retreat is essentially a ‘build-your-own-adventure’ style of wellness retreat. This concept combines the services and activities of a traditional retreat with the flexibility of a more customizable vacation or travel experience. Attendees can opt for a more structured, all-inclusive approach with planned wellness activities for the duration of their visit, or they can simply book a stay in one of the rooms optimized for digital detoxing while creating their own travel experience among the natural surroundings.

The Re:center is an innovative and uncommon approach to wellness retreats, setting the scene for the Re:set experience — a barefoot summer camp for CEO-types who are serious about their health. Lee’s dedication to crafting an experience that promotes lasting wellness shines through each curated detail. His modular retreat business model aims to provide options to guests, making it an accessible choice for those seeking respite from the constant barrage of technology faced by many.