Over 40 years ago, Roger Grosswald, a Charlotte business owner, started buying pieces of mid-growth forest in the Hickory Grove neighborhood in East Charlotte. Over the years, he pieced together 28 acres of rich forest and ponds that butt up against 200 acres of state preserve, calling it Greatwoods Nature. Roger’s longtime dream has been to build meditation gardens and a mindfulness community that will last for generations into the future. His deep wish is for people to access healing and joy through the land, amidst the dwindling access to green spaces in Charlotte’s sprawling development.

In 2018, Roger learned from his friends at Charlotte Mindfulness Community about retreats for educators and other professionals that David Viafora was organizing in New Hampshire. Roger called David, and they soon began discussing the potential for a mindfulness-based residential community and retreat center that could serve the growing urban population of greater Charlotte. In the spring of 2023, David finally made the big move to Charlotte, and began to build a thriving community of practice in this gorgeous forest setting. David called his longtime friend and partner in community building, Nick Neild, to invite him to join the team, which he did in the summer of 2023. Together, David and Nick form the core of Greatwoods Zen; a thriving meditation retreat center. In addition to the mindfulness center programs, the long term aim is to build an intentional mindfulness residential community next to the property where people can live, play, raise children, and practice mindfulness together in their daily lives.