Philippa Girling has over 30 years of experience establishing new functions and businesses. She was a C-level banking executive before founding Camp Château in the Southwest of France, and has an extensive network of US-based professional women. Philippa has a close connection with the Quercy region having visited her parent’s family home there every summer for the past 15 years.

Camp Château | Our mission is to provide women with a joyful, tranquil, and rejuvenating all-inclusive summer camp experience. In a château in the French countryside we offer you the chance to enjoy great food and wine, stroll through the panoramic landscape, experiment with creative and restorative hobbies, meet other wonderful women, or simply relax. Do everything or do nothing, it's your choice. We are 100% owned and funded by women through our unique Founder Member model.

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Welcome back to transactional love

today, Wendy and I will be welcoming

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blood, but girling who's a CEO of

camp Chateau, a beautiful summer camp

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for women in the Southwest of France.

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She shares her inspiring journey

of creating camp Chateau.

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And how we, as women can

invest in ourselves, both

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financially and emotionally.

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And how we can dig deep

to get to know ourselves.

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Uh, this summer, we will be

making the pilgrimage to camp.

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Chateau is founding members.

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To see and experience it for the first

time in real life but for now we're

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so honored to share this incredible

story of philippa's with you all

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Hello.

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Hello.

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Hello.

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We are back for another

transactional love episode with

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Philippa Gurling here in person.

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I'm honored that you're here with us.

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For someone who isn't familiar

with your brand or you, how do you

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describe what you do at Camp Chateau?

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We are a summer camp in a chateau

in the southwest of France

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that is exclusively for women.

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And our purpose is to provide you

somewhere where you can just relax.

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There's nothing to be, there's nothing

to achieve, there's no goal to hit,

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there's no self awareness and development.

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You just come.

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Because this is a place, I haven't

been yet, it's on my bucket list.

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But let's start from the very beginning.

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Why summer camp?

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Why women?

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A very good place to start.

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Yes.

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Okay, there's three things came together.

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It's a little long story.

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Let's hear it.

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So the three pieces that came together

that resulted in Camp Chateau.

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First of all the area of France that

we're in and Chateau de Béjouy, which

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is the chateau that we're in, is an area

of France I've known for many years.

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My mother and my stepfather

had a home there.

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We've been going there as a

family for probably 18 years.

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So I know it very well.

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And what I realized every time I arrived

in the summer, Is that you instantly

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felt transported to relaxation.

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It wasn't a one week journey to get there.

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You arrived, and you

were immediately relaxed.

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So I love, love, love the area.

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And I know it really well.

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So that's one piece.

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And you grew up not far from there.

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I grew up in England.

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Yeah I had spent my

childhood going to France.

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And I had a little dream that one

day I would own a property in France.

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And as part of that dream, I would look

every Sunday morning at frenchproperties.

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com.

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Oh, cute.

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They send me an email.

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And then I would daydream about the

beautiful hamlets and houses that

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needed renovation somewhere in France.

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And that I've been doing

for about at least 10 years.

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I love this.

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Looking at properties.

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This is manifestation in action.

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I love it.

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It is.

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It is.

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So there, in my mind is a love of

France and there's been a need, a want,

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a hope of one day owning something.

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Separate to that my children and

I have a family folklore, really,

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which is every time we went on

vacation or holiday together, we

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would daydream about, this would be

a fun place to have a summer camp.

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Oh, you could have the zip line over

here and you could have the cabins

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over there and we could kayak in this

lake and it was always for children.

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So we had this story in the family of

wouldn't it be fun to have a summer camp.

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So that's sitting there.

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Tell us a little bit about your children.

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So at the time when you started

having this stream, how old were they?

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Oh, I think from when they were

very little because my first

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husband and I used to talk about it.

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So as my children grew up, it

was part of what they heard.

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I have three children

and two stepchildren.

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And they've all been hearing this constant

refrain every summer for years and years.

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Wow.

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sO that's part of it, is a love of

France and a kind of a, an interest

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in one day having a camp that was fun.

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And it was always joy in

my mind, people having fun.

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And then there was another piece of

this which is that I've been working

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in financial services for a long time.

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I've been a chief risk officer.

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Chief operational risk

officer for many I know.

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Sexy career.

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So sexy, , and not

stressful at all, I imagine.

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Not at all.

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No.

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And what I have learned over the years is

that if you choose to be in a patriarchal

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industry, , which I had chosen to be in.

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What you hear from people as

a constant refrain is we want

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you to be successful here.

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You, as a woman we, we want you

to be successful here and we

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will support you in your success.

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All we need you to do

is just stop being you.

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Oh wow.

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Yeah.

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If you could just not be emotional, don't

be so empathetic, it makes you not weak.

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Don't have another kid.

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Yeah.

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Don't keep having children.

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Yes.

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Definitely not.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And it'll harden up.

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Be a little tougher.

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You should stand with your hands

on your hips in the superman

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pose so that you feel powerful.

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Oh my god.

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We even had someone say you should lower

your voice because men can't really

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hear you when they're higher decibels.

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That Doesn't surprise me, but then

when you put that in the context of

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a man hearing that, can you imagine?

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It's something they'll never hear.

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Yeah.

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I got used to the idea of being in an

industry where I had to change myself.

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in order to succeed.

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And you see a lot of senior women,

especially in banking, who have

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changed themselves, become quite

hard, actually, in order to succeed.

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And they had to, to be fair.

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How old were you when you started

having children in that career?

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I was very young when I

started having children.

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I had my first daughter.

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Nine months after I got married, I'd

like to stress nine months, not eight.

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The math.

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It adds up guys.

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Just saying.

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Sorry.

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I was only 23 when I had my first

child and and I went into banking.

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When I was 30.

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Okay.

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Yeah, 30.

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And at the time when you were

having your first child, were you

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working in that space in a different

way, no, when I had my first

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daughter, I was actually a lawyer.

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Oh, okay.

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I studied law.

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In England, I'm secretly a lawyer.

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I'm a banker.

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A recovering lawyer.

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Yeah, I know.

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A banker and a lawyer.

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I like to say I'm a recovering

architect, you're a recovering lawyer.

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What could be more sexy?

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Just, that's incredible to have that

career as well, it's just remarkable

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what you've accomplished, and what

was that like when you became a

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mother at 23 as a lawyer, in also a

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patriarchal system.

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It stopped my career dead.

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Absolutely.

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Because I was actually in the States

and realized I was pregnant and I

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was just starting my legal career.

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You cannot have a small child

and be on a partner track in law.

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There's just these two

things do not go together.

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And so I had to change

direction, which I did.

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I decided I'll go another direction.

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At that point I started Looking

for different ways that I could

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find a career, build a career.

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I ended up spending a couple

of years in Singapore.

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And and when I arrived in

Singapore in my mid twenties, I

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thought, here I'll be a lawyer.

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Now I'll do it.

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And I quickly realized, no.

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No one in Singapore is going

to hire you as a lawyer.

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You have to come here with a law firm.

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What took you to Singapore?

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So up until now, you're still in the UK.

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Yep.

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I will say I had been to America, was

starting to work in law, came back

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to the UK to have my first child.

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My first husband was offered a job

in Singapore and we decided Why not?

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Because we were in our twenties

and didn't have a frontal cortex.

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When you actually think through

the consequences of things,

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you're like, God, sounds like fun.

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What a blessing to not

have that frontal cortex.

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That sounds like fun.

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So we went, it's hot, Singapore.

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And when we got there and I realized

I was not going to get a job as a

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lawyer, I decided what do I know?

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And at that point I had Developed skills

in Apple Mac, and this is back in the 80s.

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And the Apple Mac was the only

computer that had pictures

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and text on the same screen.

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That's how old I am.

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No, that's amazing.

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I and, even then, it seems like

you have a tendency to choose things

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that are not meant for women in the

times that you're choosing them.

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Yes.

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Oh, that could be true.

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Moment of self awareness.

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Defiance.

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See, defiance.

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I'm in.

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I'm in.

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Yeah.

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That could be true.

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Okay.

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Why not?

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Yeah.

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It's always my answer.

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Yes.

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Yes.

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I have a poster up in my house

that says, why the hell not?

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It is literally a mantra because

the stories that we tell ourselves

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are so much stronger than any

society or culture can really do.

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They're in charge of telling us

what our stories are supposed to be.

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That's right.

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But we're in charge of the

ones that we actually live.

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And so if we can start

rewriting our own stories.

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Then we can start to take control

of the narrative and break the boxes

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it sounds like that's

what you always have done.

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You know that I think the experience

in Singapore is a good example of

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that because I decided I need to work.

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We needed me to have an

income and I want to work.

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Yeah, I just I did want to work.

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Yeah.

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And so what do I know anything about?

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I know something about

the Apple Macintosh.

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I'm here in Singapore,

the land of the blind.

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The one eyed woman is queen.

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So I had business cards

printed Mac ability.

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Apple Macintosh Consulting to

Business, Education and Government.

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Oh my god, I love this.

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And then I went to the one Apple

Mac store that was Macapellillia?

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I am obsessed.

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I was so proud of that.

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I love it.

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I am obsessed.

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You have no idea how like

pun centric I am in my life.

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So I'm here for all of this.

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I just assumed that was a term.

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I didn't think you mean that.

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I was like, I've never heard that before.

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No, great skillset to have.

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Now I was raised in a deeply

pun centered household.

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So I took these business cards to

the Apple Mac store and convinced

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them, I don't even know how,

to put them on their counter.

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I love it.

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And so in the Apple Mac store, the

only thing on their counter was a

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little card holder with my name on it.

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And I had work for the next two years.

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And people would call me and say,

can you program in Excel macro VBA?

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And I'd say, of course.

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Yeah, and then I go to the meeting

and then I go buy the book, right?

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Then I would just read the book

this is amazing and I would charge

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them, you know a quarter of my time

Because I knew I spent three quarters

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of it learning how to do the job.

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Yeah, right okay, let's back up to

you as a child because I'm Seeing

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entrepreneur in you and grit in you,

what was your first job did you grow

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up with that entrepreneur spirit?

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I always had a job, but I didn't put

it down to entrepreneurial spirit.

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I put it down to, I really

would like to buy some sweets

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and maybe go to the movies.

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Yeah.

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And so I need money.

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Yeah.

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So I just could see you creating

businesses in your head as a little girl.

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That's how I see you.

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Yeah.

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If I go back to early childhood, my,

one of my favorite games was playing at

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things like running a post office, , had

a little museum that I'd made, which I was

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hoping to charge people to come, and my

mother said, no, you can't charge people

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to look at your collection of rocks.

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So I could see that.

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I could definitely see that in you.

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You're like no but it's a curation.

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I have an eye.

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I curated these rocks.

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These aren't just any rocks.

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Shells.

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This is important.

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Phillip has rocks.

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So yeah it's been a couple of years

in Singapore and there, I got my tech

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skills really because I was teaching

myself and when I came back, I did try

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and start business again and when you

came back to the UK or to the US UK.

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Okay and I will say that I have

started multiple businesses and one

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of them never got off the ground.

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It was just an attempt.

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No, two, two of them never got

off the ground early, early, small

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businesses that I did in the UK.

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Okay.

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And then one of them did very

well, which was a consulting.

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business that I had with banking.

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But this one is the one that I love.

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And I think people sometimes think that

they need to start a business and succeed.

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But really the first few times you

start a business, you're just learning

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how to run a business and those skills,

you put them in your tool belt and

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you'll come back and use them later.

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So nothing's a waste.

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You're in the UK, you

came back from Singapore.

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Yeah.

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Connect the dots to getting to the U.

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S.

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And at one point, you had the aha

moment that, okay, I'm going to do

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this summer camp for not children.

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At one point you changed to adults.

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Yeah, the road to where I am right

now was mostly through banking.

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I started working at

South Bank University.

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I was running a lab for

Macintoshes and PCs.

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And then I got recruited from

there into Credit Suisse, and that

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was when I first entered banking.

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Got it.

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So I was working at Credit Suisse

in London, in Canary Wharf, and

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then I got recruited to go and work

to help run a project management

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consulting firm in the States.

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My first husband had been offered a

job in the States, and so we went.

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And we moved to America in 96,

and I've been here ever since.

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What part of the U.

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S.?

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Started in Centerville, Virginia.

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Oh, okay.

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And then Fairly quickly

within two years later.

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We were in the New York area.

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Okay, and I lived in New Jersey

commuted into New York for the

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most of my career And it was slowly

working my way up through my banking

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career during that period of time.

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I got divorced I was unemployed

and a single mom then I was back in

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the workplace and remarried and two

more stepchildren and my career was

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really strong and had very supportive

partner, my husband, Joe, who his

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career was something he, he liked,

but wasn't really passionate about.

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And so he was super supportive so

that I could really pursue mine.

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And then nearly five years ago now

I made a decision that I was done.

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With regular banking, was there a

reason for the done or was it just burn

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out I had reached a point where the

misogyny was so my face all day long

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that I had lost my sense of reality

and you start to think this is normal.

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It's not normal.

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Yeah.

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And and I took myself

off on a weekend retreat.

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So my husband was going to go and

play golf and so I had a long weekend

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free and Some of my girlfriends

are saying let's all go to Vegas.

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Yeah, the last thing I need right now Is

Vegas what I need is quiet And so I search

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respite real respite and I searched and

I found one Silent retreat in New York

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State, which was not religious because

I didn't really want anything religious.

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I just wanted Quiet.

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Yes.

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To be quiet.

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And for no one to talk to me.

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Leave me alone.

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Here's my money.

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Leave me alone.

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That's exactly right.

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So I found this place.

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I flew up to, I think it was Rochester,

New York, rented a car, drove down

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to this Abbey on a Friday night and

found it in the middle of nowhere.

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Found this place.

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I'd left a contact number with

my admin assistant and my husband

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only call me if there's absolute

disaster, but you can get me.

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And so I arrived Friday night, it's dark,

it was a winter, I worked out where my

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room was, I got back in the car, put

in nearest liquor store, in my phone.

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I love you.

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That sounds like exactly

what I would do too.

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Did we just become best friends?

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We probably did.

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And so I drove into this little town

and I bought a really good beer.

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Bottle of red wine, silver oak,

cabernet sauvignon, expensive bottle

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of wine and a few bags of chips.

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And then I drove back to the Abbey and

then I turned off my phone and I put it

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away and I didn't turn it on again until

I arrived at the airport on Sunday night.

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Beautiful.

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So the next morning, I woke up in the

morning and I thought what do I do now?

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Yes.

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Did you take books?

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What were you thinking about

how to fill time at all?

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Or are you just saying I'm

going to be present with myself?

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I felt like I needed space to

work out what I wanted to do next.

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And and I had this idea in my mind

that I wanted to start a bank for

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women run by women that would not

be this traditional dusty old men.

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Bank.

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So this was an idea I'd had that

had been forming for a while.

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So in the morning, I

was looking for a walk.

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I'll go for a walk, clear my head,

and I went up to one of the people

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there, and nobody's talking, and I just

pointed at, I just love this so much.

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I want this to be a movie.

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No, that's what I was thinking.

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This needs to be a documentary.

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This is I'm sorry, I'm pointing

at this, I'm like, where do I go?

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And then he spoke to me, and he

said you can go for a walk here.

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And I was affronted.

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Like, how dare you speak to me?

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We're supposed to be sons of

a You just broke the spell.

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I need a discount.

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I'm gonna need some money back.

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I will say this thing was

something like 30 bucks a night.

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there was nothing there.

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So anyway, he showed me,

I wanted a one hour walk.

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So I decided I'm gonna go for a

walk, out one hour, back an hour.

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And um, step out of the property and

the first Part of the walk over a little

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bridge and I'm thinking, Ooh, metaphor.

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You know, I really, I thought,

you know what, I feel like

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this is going to be a journey.

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And uh, and as I started walking, I

thought, you know what I'm going to do?

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I'm going to try and work out.

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Who I am.

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And wait, this is not funny, Wendy.

399

I don't know what you're laughing at.

400

This is really deep.

401

That's ridiculous.

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She's like, what the heck!

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I'm like about to cry

and you're cracking up.

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Because she's like, okay,

I'm setting myself up.

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I'm going to, I'm going

to go over this bridge.

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I'm going to work out who I am.

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This is, This is, these are the questions

that we struggle with for an entire life.

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And she was like I'm going to

do this on a silent retreat.

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I got two hours.

410

I'm going to figure it out in two hours.

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They got a clock set.

412

We have a deadline.

413

Yeah, it works pretty much like that.

414

So here I am.

415

I'm on my own.

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Here's my chance.

417

Get to it.

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Yeah.

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So walk across the bridge and

how am I going to do that?

420

How about I just try and

reminisce two years at a time?

421

Okay.

422

So I said, okay, so here we are.

423

And it's 2018.

424

What was I doing in 2016?

425

So I thought, okay, and I could

work out what I was doing.

426

Think it through and then,

427

What was I doing 2012?

428

And I just kept walking and walking.

429

It's very beautiful.

430

Middle of nowhere, no leaves

on the trees very quiet.

431

Didn't see a soul.

432

And then there'd be like markers.

433

I'd be turning the corner

and there'd be a stream.

434

What did I do in 1998?

435

What realization were you having?

436

, it was absolutely eye opening.

437

It was it was incredibly powerful.

438

When you spend time with yourself

and you let yourself spend time with

439

yourself, it's an amazing thing because

you learn things about yourself.

440

So as I'm walking backwards,

I was remembering.

441

Great times, terrible times,

painful times, happy times.

442

And as I went through it, I was uncovering

more and more who I was, and who

443

someone else was trying to make me into.

444

So all the people who'd had influence in

my life, I could see much more clearly

445

as I went through this reverse time.

446

My mother featured quite strongly in it

and I was trying to work out what her

447

role was, what my father's role was.

448

And and then eventually I

got to my earliest memory.

449

My earliest memory I was about three

years old and I remember reaching

450

up and holding my mother's hand.

451

And at that point I looked at my

watch and it had been one hour.

452

If you think about those two years were

you thinking gosh, a lot has changed in

453

those two years, or were you thinking

a lot didn't happen because I think

454

sometimes when I reflect, I feel like,

what did I accomplish in this time?

455

What was that struggle

for you and going back?

456

I wasn't looking at what have I done.

457

It's just like, where were the

moments that have defined me?

458

What happened to me?

459

Got it.

460

Okay.

461

What happened to me?

462

And how did I respond?

463

I think I was really not, no judgment,

just from a non attached reflection.

464

I didn't feel guilty.

465

I didn't feel, I just was observing.

466

Like someone was rerunning my life.

467

And it was very interesting because

by the time, through your teenage

468

years, you're like, Ooh, God.

469

Are you writing this down as

you're walking at all or how

470

you're just in your mind?

471

No, I'm just thinking it through.

472

So then I turned around and

walked back two years at a time.

473

So okay, so this is where I came from now.

474

Let's walk back again.

475

And now this time it was a little

more, um, not judgmental, but a

476

little more evaluating okay, now I

understand why I was like that at 10.

477

Now I understand why I did that at 28,

because I remember all the things that

478

led up to it and I've looked at them

twice by the time I got back to the

479

bridge, I was like, this is who I am.

480

And I had this really clear view

of who I was and what I wanted,

481

who is she . What I, at that

point, what I decided is I'm okay

482

that's why I decided I'm an

okay person and I'm okay.

483

Yeah.

484

And I have more to do.

485

There was a really strong

feeling I have more to do.

486

You're being pulled.

487

Yeah, and also, I'm getting older and

I was thinking, do I have a third age?

488

I really do.

489

I really do.

490

By the time I got back, I was like,

Oh yeah, I'm ready for something.

491

And then I spent the next

two days planning this bank.

492

I had post it notes and cards

and books and things on the wall.

493

And I just worked on it for two days.

494

And when I first got back, I thought,

Oh, I should write this down.

495

That was a really amazing journey.

496

And I started writing it down.

497

And after a page, I thought,

no, actually this isn't.

498

I wasn't writing an autobiography.

499

I was just spending time with myself

so that I could be in this place

500

right now where I feel empowered.

501

So yeah, that was the big moment for me.

502

And I did intend to go

and start that bank.

503

I handed in my notice at work soon after

that, I gave them six months notice

504

so that they could find a replacement.

505

But before I left that job, I

was recruited by a company in

506

San Francisco who came to me

and said, we have a mission.

507

That is to provide banking to

people who have been unfairly

508

denied access to banking.

509

I really wanted to see a leveling

of the playing field, something that

510

was, had some social justice to it.

511

And I believed that their mission

was very closely aligned to mine.

512

It just wasn't women focused.

513

It was more equality focused.

514

That's why I took the job.

515

And I went to my husband and said, Hey,

I've been offered a job in San Francisco.

516

He's New York Italian.

517

He's, he and his family have lived

in that area their whole lives.

518

And I said, I'm assuming you're

going to say that's not a good idea.

519

And he said, you know what, I

think I've lived here long enough.

520

Oh, wow.

521

Let's give it a try.

522

And I know you, you only do

anything for three years anyway.

523

So we'll be back in three

years if you don't like it.

524

And he was relieved I wasn't going

to go off and start a bank on my own.

525

And how old were your

children at that time?

526

They were all grown.

527

Okay.

528

Yeah, so by the time we left for San

Francisco, we were empty nesting.

529

And my children are all over the world.

530

There I was at a bank.

531

Is a startup bank, very San

Francisco, cool, everything is G

532

suite, free snacks and kombucha.

533

And we all wear jeans.

534

Yeah.

535

It was like nothing like the

banking world that I've been in.

536

So I felt liberated that this is great.

537

And and I was enjoying my

job and enjoying the work.

538

And then one Sunday in

my frenchproperties.

539

com.

540

Up pop Chateau de Bedouin.

541

. So I called my eldest daughter, who

fantasized about France with me quite

542

often, and we, she had actually spotted

that particular property, and we were

543

looking at it, and I said, it's really

near where Mum and Richard live.

544

It's right near Figeac, which is

the town that we know so well.

545

It looks beautiful.

546

I just feel like we should go see it.

547

Leah is living in New Orleans.

548

She runs her own business.

549

She's a successful

entrepreneur in her thirties.

550

And she just had my grandson.

551

Oh, congratulations.

552

Thank you very much.

553

Yeah.

554

Sunny, he's adorable.

555

It's the middle of COVID.

556

Yes.

557

At this point.

558

No one is supposed to go anywhere.

559

So what month, what, this really

matters because I think we're

560

all in a certain psychology of

where in the pandemic are we?

561

Yeah.

562

So this was April 2021.

563

Okay.

564

And we start talking about it.

565

I reach out to the owner and

say, I'm interested to know

566

more about this Chateau.

567

And and he said if you're interested,

why don't you come and stay?

568

I'd love to is middle of COVID.

569

Yeah.

570

And every summer I spent with my

mother because she lives in England.

571

I have an America and she had

been diagnosed with something

572

that was going to eventually.

573

Be something that you

wouldn't be able to survive.

574

And so I decided I wanted

to spend time with her.

575

And so every summer I

would go for six weeks.

576

So we would brave COVID we'd have

masks and vaccinations and tests and

577

quarantines and managed to get to

England every summer, even during COVID.

578

So we were there summer of 2021.

579

And I contact all my children

and say, Oh, I'm going to go.

580

You want to come?

581

And they, we all convened.

582

At the Chateau in September, and it was

my youngest child, Tegwin, who is non

583

binary, they have they pronouns, they

and their partner, my middle daughter,

584

Holly, who is in Austria with her

partner, Tom, and my granddaughter,

585

Lily, and Leah, who had been in

Louisiana, and she flew in as well.

586

We all met at the Chateau through all

587

That's beautiful.

588

Wow.

589

And I will tell you that people

in my life were appalled.

590

It's interesting.

591

They weren't just surprised.

592

They were annoyed that we had

the audacity to even go visit.

593

Why would you even think

you can own a chateau?

594

I am not intending to own a chateau.

595

Let me be clear.

596

I don't need a chateau.

597

I just feel drawn to this property.

598

And I'm not sure why.

599

But my children are feeling it too.

600

And you have to trust that intuition.

601

That is true.

602

Sometimes you just have to do it.

603

Yeah.

604

So we went, and the owner was there,

what we didn't know, was that this was the

605

week he was saying goodbye to the chateau.

606

He'd lived there in the

summers for 30 years.

607

Roy is his name.

608

And he was going to mothball

the chateau that winter.

609

Because it needed to be sold because

he's in his eighties and his family

610

had said to him enough is enough dad.

611

You don't need a 20 acre

612

And so he was saying goodbye to it and

he planned a goodbye dinner and he'd

613

invited all his friends and family.

614

No one could come because of COVID.

615

I'm getting chills like all up

and down my body hearing this.

616

So beautiful.

617

Yeah.

618

There was a wonderful little side

story going on, which was that a group

619

of Oxford dons from Oxford University

was staying in one of the properties

620

on the grounds because they had to.

621

Won it in an auction.

622

Roy had, I cannot wait for this movie.

623

So they have won it.

624

They won it in an auction and

it's three Oxford dons with their

625

wives, men and their wives, and

they're staying in La Grange.

626

We have been put up in the Chateau

and we're completely in love with it.

627

The moment we arrived, it is stunning.

628

Yeah.

629

And in a really accessible way,

it's not an austere chateau.

630

I was saying to the, to my children

beforehand, it's, shabby chic chateau.

631

And they just never let that go.

632

No chateau is shabby chic.

633

No, you're right.

634

Stuck on you.

635

No, you're right.

636

That was not fair.

637

But I think probably the authenticity

created this sense of luxury

638

that had nothing to do with.

639

accessibility, right?

640

It's just this authentic.

641

Yes.

642

You don't feel like it wraps its

arms around you when you arrive.

643

So we are staying in the Chateau.

644

Lily is running around

the grounds, loving it.

645

And we all just think it's beautiful.

646

And and then we find out we've been

invited for dinner on Thursday night

647

with Roy and one of his friends, right?

648

Who lives in the area and some

musicians who are coming who have

649

been performing in the Chateau for

the last 20 years Wow, and who want to

650

do a concert for him to say goodbye.

651

And the Oxford Dawns.

652

. And so of course.

653

And so we're like, oh, okay.

654

That sounds lovely.

655

Thank you very much.

656

And and then we start going through

our luggage what are we going to wear?

657

We've got flip flaps and shorts

and a couple of sweaters.

658

And so we went through all our luggage

and kind of put together a mishmash

659

of clothing that . Almost respectable.

660

I'm not going to say it

was almost respectable.

661

We all come downstairs.

662

You're brushing our hair.

663

We do need a visual of this.

664

Okay, there is a photo.

665

So we come down, we step out onto

the back veranda and there's somebody

666

handing out glasses of champagne and

then the Oxford dons and their wives.

667

Arrive in tuxedos.

668

Oh goodness.

669

Tuxedos and cocktail dresses.

670

Because they never leave

home without those.

671

You've always got to have one in your

luggage if you're an Oxford professor.

672

Because you never know.

673

You never know.

674

This is true comedic genius.

675

It was fantastic.

676

We're making small talk with the Oxford

crew and and Roy comes out and he's

677

talking to everybody and the musicians are

there chatting and his old housekeeper was

678

organizing the food and being friendly.

679

And then we let, we decided let's

have a photo taken on the edge of

680

this, one of the verandas and so

we're standing on the edge of the

681

terrace, my family, all in a line.

682

And behind us is an enormous rainbow

from one end of the valley to the other.

683

And we're just standing here thinking

something magical is happening.

684

You think?

685

What is happening?

686

And then we all had dinner

in the beautiful dining hall,

687

which looks like Harry Potter.

688

It's a two floor dining

hall with painted ceilings.

689

It's absolutely beautiful.

690

I've seen the incredible photos.

691

It's just stunning.

692

It's really beautiful.

693

So we had this delicious dinner.

694

We're making

695

And then we all go into the

salon and we sit in the salon

696

and the musicians play for Roy.

697

Some of his music and my granddaughter

sitting on her mother's lap,

698

enthralled by this classical music

and it's peaceful and beautiful.

699

And just, the air is almost electric.

700

And then Roy showed a little video

that he'd made of the history of

701

the Chateau and then we all toasted.

702

Roy, and then we all went to bed.

703

How do you not buy it at that point?

704

Obviously.

705

It was like the baton was given to you I

think there's just so much beauty because

706

when you think about real estate and the

transaction, it's the opposite of that.

707

Usually it's this cold.

708

Exactly.

709

Yes.

710

Literal transaction.

711

I sat down with Roy and I said to

him, look, Roy we as a family are

712

just in love with the chateau.

713

And I see that you love it.

714

And we would love to come up with a bid.

715

We're just not sure what it is yet.

716

Can we go in and think about that?

717

And we'd been his sort of surrogate

family for the night, really.

718

And there was a real

affection between us all.

719

So then the next couple of days we're

walking around thinking what are we

720

supposed to do with this chateau?

721

And then it all started to collide.

722

Because the piece that I hadn't really

talked about is that with the working in a

723

patriarchal industry for so long and being

told that you have to change yourself,

724

I, for the last 10 years, have had a new

Perspective on diversity and inclusion.

725

And I've changed my mantra now and it

is now don't change, change the rules.

726

I really think we need to change

the systems to be inclusive instead

727

of trying to ask people to change

themselves so that they can be included.

728

And so as we were standing talking

there and I called my best friend, Linda

729

Korman, who is one of my co founders.

730

In New Jersey.

731

I've known her for many years and

Leah, Linda and I were brainstorming.

732

What would work here and said what

if you created something where women

733

could come because the bedrooms in the

Chateau are huge because they were royal.

734

Bedrooms.

735

It, you could have turned it into a

luxury spa, for example, and it would

736

have been for the exclusive use of wealthy

women, not interested in doing that.

737

hoW can you make it more accessible?

738

What about if we did camp?

739

Yes.

740

And then we're like, all of

the ideas of camp suddenly

741

came rolling back, wait, camp!

742

And bunk beds.

743

Bunk beds!

744

What about if we had bunk beds?

745

Would women be willing to do bunk beds?

746

Really not.

747

But maybe and then if we made it

a camp that was where women could

748

come and take off all their masks.

749

Yes.

750

You don't have to be

anything except yourself.

751

Come as you are, do whatever you want.

752

You do not need to come out of this

able to do a better yoga pose or having

753

lost 10 pounds or have built your

self esteem and your levels of power.

754

No, you come because you are

amazing and you deserve a break.

755

And this is somewhere

you can come and relax.

756

And so we brainstormed and we

worked out we could do that.

757

We, and it could be viable as a business

started doing forecasts, played with the

758

numbers, how much would we have to charge?

759

So the.

760

We could break even if we had a

loan for some of the Chateau cause

761

I don't have 2 million euros.

762

So how are we going to buy the Chateau?

763

And once we put it all together,

we thought that business works.

764

Now, how would we fund it?

765

I wonder if women would like to fund it?

766

So I posted on Facebook and I don't

have that many Facebook friends.

767

A couple of hundred.

768

I'm mostly LinkedIn in a thousand.

769

But Facebook is really just friends.

770

And so I posted, I have this idea.

771

What about a summer camp for women in

the Southwest of France in a chateau?

772

Come as you are, do what you want.

773

All food included, everything included.

774

And I got multiple messages

from my friends saying, why has

775

no one ever done this before?

776

Yes.

777

And I thought that's why I'm

wondering maybe it's a crazy idea

778

because no one's done it before.

779

And I'm like, no, do it.

780

And I'm in.

781

So then I started to reach out and say,

if I did it, how in would you be, right?

782

Would you be interested in

being a founding member?

783

It's incredible.

784

And we built a structure where

a founding member for quite.

785

Modest amount can come

to camp for free forever.

786

Oh, so you pay this amount and then we

give you a 5 percent interest on it.

787

It's an interest only loan to camp Chateau

and you come to camp for free every year.

788

And we ask you to contribute your

opinions every year so we can just

789

make it better and better and better.

790

You created an accessible investment

vehicle with The mindset of soulful

791

women, when you think about women as

investors, what is accessible, right?

792

This vehicle to invest in real

estate I think is brilliant, and

793

thank you for doing that for women.

794

And a financial institution in a

way, you weren't setting out to

795

create a bank for women, but you did

796

.

We created instead a way you can invest in yourself and invest in other women.

797

Yeah.

798

It's not an investment in real

estate really, because people are

799

making a loan to Camp Chateau.

800

Which is a business that uses Chateau de

VeggieWay, but using that funding meant

801

that we were then able to purchase And

we also then found equity investors who

802

wanted to come in and the first few were

people I knew well, and what they said

803

is I know you and I know you're a risk

manager, so I think you've thought through

804

the risk like so many times, so qualified

so many times if I thought there was a

805

risk and they said, so I'm willing to do

that and I'd rather have my money there

806

than sitting in a soulless institution

somewhere and what I hadn't told you

807

um, It's today we closed on the Chateau.

808

Oh my goodness.

809

Today?

810

This morning.

811

Oh my god.

812

Wow.

813

I'm getting chills.

814

And I might start crying.

815

That's incredible.

816

We just put the podcast in that

movie that we're gonna be in.

817

You are now in the movie.

818

Oh my god.

819

Congratulations.

820

That's so exciting.

821

Thank you.

822

It feels huge.

823

To get, Ownership is incredible, , she

literally just had a similar experience

824

on Monday and this is like big stuff is

really shifting in the world right now

825

and I'm so proud of both of you for making

those investments and those choices and

826

showing up for what we want to see next.

827

Thank you for having the journey.

828

So from September 2021 to today

829

That's an incredible

journey it was it feels fast.

830

It feels fast.

831

It does.

832

There's also, and I just have this

little nugget in the back of my head

833

that it's like nearly impossible for an

expat to buy land or anything in France.

834

Ooh, let me tell you.

835

They make it specifically hard to not be

of French descent and purchase in France.

836

And we added layers of complexity.

837

Of course you did.

838

Yeah.

839

Because Roy's Ownership of the

Chateaus through a Netherlands company.

840

So what we had to do was

form a Netherlands company to

841

buy his Netherlands company.

842

And then we had to form a subsidiary of

that company to do business in France

843

and then register that company to do

business in France and then we had to form

844

a French subsidiary of that company so

that we could have a French bank account.

845

And so that we could more easily

manage all of the social charges

846

because it's quite complicated.

847

So there were multiple layers

of accounting and regulation and

848

law that we had to go through.

849

And you're perfectly set up to do it.

850

My daughter said something

to me that really touched me.

851

She said, you know what, mom, there are

women who would really want to do this.

852

Yeah.

853

And there are women out

there who could do this.

854

But there aren't many women who

want to do it and can do it.

855

And so all the years of doing things that

I didn't really feel passionate about

856

all mattered when it came to doing this.

857

And what we found along the way is

if we just stay authentic all the

858

time, then you can move forward.

859

Yeah.

860

So now I'm crying.

861

This is the moment I'm passionate

because that the way that we

862

journey through our lives.

863

It's really does matter, and we don't

always know why or how it matters

864

until we get to where we're supposed

to be and where we're supposed to

865

be is that thing that's our light.

866

That's the vehicle for the light

that we're supposed to be shining.

867

So that's amazing.

868

I'm, I honestly like just witnessing

it I'm so proud of you for doing it.

869

Thank you.

870

It's good.

871

It's amazing.

872

And he'll tell you the

other piece about it.

873

That is where I think being women

running a company made a difference is

874

we knew that the emotional connection

with Roy was a really important part.

875

This Chateau, it was sold

to us with all its contents.

876

So it's completely groaning

with tapestries and stories.

877

Cupboards full of jam from 1987.

878

Just going through that.

879

True treasure.

880

Yes.

881

Wait, sometimes it's scary treasure

and sometimes it's amazing treasure.

882

But when we went back to Roy to make our

bid, there were other people bidding.

883

And there was a couple who wanted to

buy it and turn it into a vineyard.

884

And there was another couple who kept

wanting to come and talk to him about it.

885

And I made him an offer that

was fairly lowball offer.

886

It was all three properties, because

there's two more houses on the property.

887

all 20 acres, all contents,

for a fairly aggressive price.

888

But we did say to him, but Roy,

you have been here for 35 years.

889

You've been the Shatner of the Chateau.

890

And we think that it's

important that you stay.

891

And so we're going to give you a life

interest in the conciergerie, which is an

892

apartment that's attached to La Grange,

which Roy usually lives in the summer.

893

Yeah.

894

And we said to him, we'd like you to

live in that for the rest of your life.

895

Yeah.

896

And if you would occasionally, when

you're here, come and sit with the

897

women at camp and tell them stories

about the chateau, we would love that.

898

And beautiful gift.

899

And he loves that idea.

900

He's written a book about the chateau.

901

He knows so much about it.

902

And so when we have camp,

whenever Roy's there.

903

We do a little salon evening and everyone

sits and he waxes very lyrical for

904

quite some time until I cut him off.

905

Yeah, I feel like there's no more wine.

906

We're done really.

907

Alright, let's take them

to the oubliette now.

908

He also needs a part in this movie.

909

Yeah, that's a key role.

910

And he and I exchanged emails just today.

911

And and he signed off my

Cher Chatelaine to me.

912

It's like my darling Chatelaine,

which is what I am now.

913

Yeah.

914

And it was just a lovely moment for me.

915

He and I will always be really close.

916

Yeah.

917

And he's part of our family now

and I think we're part of his.

918

Yeah.

919

That's beautiful.

920

So that's where we are.

921

Yeah.

922

And.

923

We're sold out.

924

Yes.

925

Come next summer.

926

I love it.

927

Amazing.

928

Which was incredible to me.

929

That shocked me.

930

Yeah.

931

That really shocked me.

932

I also love how you have the option of

doing nothing as you said when you were

933

exploring yourself or activities.

934

I want to paint.

935

I want to be by the pool.

936

Whatever that is.

937

I love that sense of arrival and being

expected and being able to put your

938

energy in yourself versus planning or

figuring out how to spend time there

939

are these communal rooms that are

beautiful and it does remind me of summer

940

camp, but in an elevated, elegant way.

941

Yes, it's camp, but it is a chateau.

942

Yes, and talk a bit about the

experience of it, the rival, the

943

women and how they come together, Yes.

944

Yes.

945

I will tell you that In the whole

process, in the last two and a half

946

years, the most anxious I was the three

hours before the first guests arrived.

947

I was dying.

948

I was like, what if everyone hates it?

949

Just, so I have a bit

more of a container here.

950

How many camps have you run so far?

951

Last summer, we did eight.

952

Okay this next summer we'll be doing 12.

953

And that's all sold out?

954

Sold out.

955

Okay.

956

And there are One week.

957

Spans?

958

One week.

959

It's six days, five nights.

960

Okay.

961

So you arrive on a Tuesday,

you leave on Sunday.

962

And the very first two weeks

were all founding members.

963

So they were all people who'd invested.

964

Beautiful.

965

We'd ask them, please be kind.

966

Because it's our first week

and please tell us everything.

967

Yes.

968

And they were amazing.

969

They were absolutely amazing

because they all had a real

970

vested interest in it succeeding.

971

Yeah.

972

And they were very kind.

973

Very helpful.

974

As the weeks went by and we had

regular camp happening, I saw the same

975

thing repeat itself week after week.

976

And it was smaller groups.

977

Next year, it's 50 a week.

978

This last summer, it was.

979

Between 20 and 28.

980

Okay.

981

Every week and a lot of them did not know

each other and towards the end of the

982

summer We had a lot more solo travelers.

983

As they heard about it.

984

I should come and I saw women are amazing.

985

Yes.

986

I mean we know this But sometimes

you worry that women can be mean

987

'cause as teenage girls are mean.

988

Yeah.

989

, and Yeah.

990

And women in the workplace

can be tough on each other.

991

Yeah.

992

They really can.

993

What I found is that when you take women

and you put them somewhere beautiful

994

and you tell them that they are enough.

995

. And you don't give them

anything to compete over.

996

Nothing.

997

Yes.

998

You're not competing about

your children or men.

999

Yeah.

00:43:30,589 --> 00:43:31,819

Or jobs work.

00:43:31,879 --> 00:43:32,089

Yeah.

00:43:32,119 --> 00:43:34,184

Or, being the best at anything.

00:43:34,214 --> 00:43:34,424

Yes.

00:43:34,429 --> 00:43:34,649

You're just.

00:43:35,409 --> 00:43:41,729

there because you're amazing and I found

women are incredibly kind to each other.

00:43:41,789 --> 00:43:46,809

Incredibly kind and there

was little to no conflict.

00:43:46,809 --> 00:43:50,379

We had maybe once or twice where

someone was upset and we had to

00:43:50,379 --> 00:43:51,759

intervene and then we were done.

00:43:52,399 --> 00:43:56,529

The rest of the time, if somebody

said something that the women

00:43:56,539 --> 00:44:01,774

around them did not agree with, I

found that towards the end, people

00:44:01,774 --> 00:44:04,104

would just go, Oh, interesting.

00:44:04,254 --> 00:44:05,094

And then disperse.

00:44:07,524 --> 00:44:10,474

We are not interested in conferences.

00:44:10,474 --> 00:44:12,614

We're like, I love you.

00:44:12,664 --> 00:44:13,574

I'm going to go get a drink.

00:44:15,454 --> 00:44:17,324

I'm going to leave that one there.

00:44:19,624 --> 00:44:19,954

Do not need to discuss.

00:44:20,644 --> 00:44:23,114

I can imagine the camaraderie

and the friendships that are born

00:44:23,114 --> 00:44:24,704

here are lifelong friendships.

00:44:24,744 --> 00:44:29,194

Lots of women who are gathering in

cities all over the world and getting

00:44:29,194 --> 00:44:30,654

together and they're Chatelaine buddies.

00:44:31,904 --> 00:44:36,799

One of my favorite things I heard

someone say was after they left, camp.

00:44:36,859 --> 00:44:40,299

Now they ask themselves,

what would Chateau them do?

00:44:41,019 --> 00:44:43,289

What would Chateau Philippa

do in this situation?

00:44:43,299 --> 00:44:47,549

Before I make a quick decision,

which means that people got enough

00:44:47,589 --> 00:44:51,409

out of that experience that they

can tap back into it and feel that

00:44:51,409 --> 00:44:55,399

calmness and just that sense of peace.

00:44:56,219 --> 00:44:57,779

That is just very important.

00:44:57,839 --> 00:44:59,259

It's important for mental health.

00:44:59,549 --> 00:45:01,459

It's important for emotional strength.

00:45:01,509 --> 00:45:03,149

It's important for all of us.

00:45:03,464 --> 00:45:06,534

That we give ourselves space to just be.

00:45:07,194 --> 00:45:10,094

I Loved what you said about

finding yourself and giving

00:45:10,094 --> 00:45:12,424

yourself the space to do that.

00:45:12,424 --> 00:45:15,934

Whether it's solitude and

silence or painting, right?

00:45:15,934 --> 00:45:20,394

Or whatever that might be, I think

giving ourselves space to get to know

00:45:20,394 --> 00:45:24,634

ourselves is something that I don't

do very often, if at all, right?

00:45:24,634 --> 00:45:28,784

So I do think there's this beauty

that you're gifting these women of.

00:45:29,229 --> 00:45:32,829

That permission and actually

the forcing them to get to

00:45:32,829 --> 00:45:34,049

know themselves in a good way.

00:45:34,079 --> 00:45:37,569

It's an interesting aspect to camp,

which is you can choose to do nothing.

00:45:37,739 --> 00:45:38,199

Yes.

00:45:38,209 --> 00:45:45,374

So there's no pressure to Like I'm going

to take on painting and watercolors

00:45:45,394 --> 00:45:48,284

and clay, and I'm going to do jam

making, and I'm going to go hiking.

00:45:48,284 --> 00:45:50,724

Some people come in with a whole

list of things they're going to

00:45:50,724 --> 00:45:52,634

do, and that brings them joy.

00:45:53,744 --> 00:45:56,454

They're busy, they're kayaking,

they're horseback riding,

00:45:56,454 --> 00:45:57,364

they're having a great time.

00:45:58,014 --> 00:46:00,924

Some people just go to a

hammock and lie down and read.

00:46:01,684 --> 00:46:09,324

And we had a really interesting moment

in the second week of camp when We

00:46:09,324 --> 00:46:14,864

give out badges, let me tell you,

badges bring out the seven year old.

00:46:14,904 --> 00:46:15,384

I love it.

00:46:15,714 --> 00:46:16,964

In every woman.

00:46:17,104 --> 00:46:17,574

I love it.

00:46:17,574 --> 00:46:20,824

As soon as we said, there are

badges, people just beside them

00:46:20,824 --> 00:46:23,564

said, I'm going to earn some badges.

00:46:23,564 --> 00:46:24,404

I'm going to earn some badges.

00:46:25,234 --> 00:46:25,444

Yeah.

00:46:25,714 --> 00:46:27,734

So then there's some people

like, I must earn every badge.

00:46:29,199 --> 00:46:31,209

And then, and that's fine, if

that's what you want to do.

00:46:31,709 --> 00:46:35,739

But there was one moment when Tegwin, who

is my youngest, is also our camp director.

00:46:35,869 --> 00:46:38,909

And Tegwin said did anyone

today finish a book?

00:46:39,099 --> 00:46:43,059

And one of our campers raised her hand.

00:46:43,059 --> 00:46:44,319

She said, yeah, I finished a book.

00:46:44,319 --> 00:46:44,789

Why?

00:46:45,189 --> 00:46:46,679

And Tegwin said there's a badge for that.

00:46:46,679 --> 00:46:48,709

And handed her a badge.

00:46:48,739 --> 00:46:52,639

And she took the badge and she said, I

get a badge for looking after myself?

00:46:52,639 --> 00:46:54,519

And started crying.

00:46:54,939 --> 00:46:55,269

Yeah.

00:46:55,679 --> 00:46:57,139

And I was like, yes, you do.

00:46:57,759 --> 00:47:01,139

And you need permission to

just look after yourself.

00:47:01,139 --> 00:47:03,499

And we will incentivize that with badges.

00:47:04,519 --> 00:47:06,919

There is a badge for lazing in a hammock.

00:47:06,969 --> 00:47:07,294

Wait.

00:47:07,294 --> 00:47:09,484

There is a badge for lazing by the pool.

00:47:09,514 --> 00:47:10,054

I love it.

00:47:10,054 --> 00:47:12,274

Because you achieved that

moment of peace for yourself.

00:47:12,304 --> 00:47:13,424

Yeah, that's great.

00:47:13,524 --> 00:47:14,194

That's really great.

00:47:14,594 --> 00:47:17,424

So the architect in me Is

Can we talk about the design?

00:47:17,424 --> 00:47:20,634

So Obviously you've

inherited beautiful pieces.

00:47:21,029 --> 00:47:25,889

that are storied and layered and

give the history of this place.

00:47:25,889 --> 00:47:30,599

Did you work with anyone to layer in

your soul into what this should be

00:47:30,609 --> 00:47:32,339

and what did that process look like?

00:47:32,899 --> 00:47:37,139

It's a very interesting point because

one person in my family came to

00:47:37,139 --> 00:47:41,299

visit and he told me you're going to

have to hire an interior designer,

00:47:41,299 --> 00:47:43,039

you can't possibly design this.

00:47:43,309 --> 00:47:45,549

And my answer to him was,

we're not designing anything.

00:47:45,929 --> 00:47:46,559

It's here.

00:47:46,619 --> 00:47:47,159

Yes.

00:47:47,209 --> 00:47:48,289

We're going to put beds in it.

00:47:48,499 --> 00:47:48,999

Yes.

00:47:49,549 --> 00:47:49,919

Done.

00:47:50,039 --> 00:47:50,439

That's it.

00:47:50,729 --> 00:47:54,769

So the one thing we did is that we

found the most beautiful lampshades.

00:47:55,589 --> 00:47:57,139

It's a company called Firmwa.

00:47:57,139 --> 00:47:58,239

Very happy to promote them.

00:47:58,919 --> 00:48:01,769

And I found them walking in Larkspur.

00:48:01,819 --> 00:48:04,139

Joe, my husband said,

those are nice lampshades.

00:48:04,449 --> 00:48:05,799

They'd look nice in the chateau.

00:48:06,049 --> 00:48:07,269

I was like, you are so right.

00:48:07,309 --> 00:48:09,099

And then we found out it was a UK company.

00:48:09,149 --> 00:48:09,639

Oh, wow.

00:48:09,719 --> 00:48:10,769

And then Leah had the.

00:48:11,089 --> 00:48:15,519

the task which she loved

of buying 70 lampshades.

00:48:16,649 --> 00:48:22,179

And so we took all the old decrepit

sad looking lampshades off throughout

00:48:22,189 --> 00:48:26,929

the chateau and replaced them

all with these more modern But

00:48:26,929 --> 00:48:29,009

rather classic design lampshade.

00:48:29,039 --> 00:48:32,769

So there was one thread throughout

the chateau that's subliminal.

00:48:32,909 --> 00:48:33,389

Yes.

00:48:33,419 --> 00:48:34,379

But is consistent.

00:48:34,409 --> 00:48:35,469

They're all different colors.

00:48:35,479 --> 00:48:36,469

They're all different patterns.

00:48:36,469 --> 00:48:38,929

But there's something about

them that is consistent.

00:48:39,159 --> 00:48:41,799

And light being such an

incredible, powerful thread.

00:48:42,029 --> 00:48:43,429

To really unify the ambience.

00:48:43,429 --> 00:48:46,959

So every time you go into a room, what's

glowing is this one thing that you

00:48:46,959 --> 00:48:48,619

somehow recognize and you're not sure why.

00:48:49,299 --> 00:48:50,299

And so we did do that.

00:48:50,389 --> 00:48:56,739

And then Leah and Linda, my co founders,

really were the leads on how does each

00:48:56,809 --> 00:49:01,939

bunk look because every bunk room has

its own color it has all of them have

00:49:01,939 --> 00:49:06,864

different wall coverings all of them

have different floor to ceiling beautiful

00:49:06,924 --> 00:49:08,804

curtains, which we could never afford.

00:49:09,004 --> 00:49:11,724

There would be thousands and

thousands to buy this drapery

00:49:12,024 --> 00:49:14,744

and so they were the ones who helped

pick out, alright what are we going

00:49:14,744 --> 00:49:16,324

to have as the accent cushion?

00:49:16,514 --> 00:49:18,854

What are we going to

have as the throw color?

00:49:19,094 --> 00:49:20,084

And that was really all.

00:49:20,784 --> 00:49:21,034

Wow.

00:49:21,034 --> 00:49:21,364

That's great.

00:49:21,394 --> 00:49:23,864

And so we were trying

very much to not spoil it.

00:49:24,164 --> 00:49:29,004

And there was a moment when Roy came the

very first week of camp and I was nervous

00:49:29,004 --> 00:49:30,344

about him looking through these rooms.

00:49:30,374 --> 00:49:30,894

Of course.

00:49:30,964 --> 00:49:33,324

Because we've moved furniture around,

we'd moved it from one room to

00:49:33,324 --> 00:49:37,144

another, pictures from one place to

another, we'd moved things around.

00:49:37,254 --> 00:49:40,374

You've freshened it up, you've moved

the energy of the space a bit, right?

00:49:40,384 --> 00:49:42,914

We had, especially the

salon, we had changed that.

00:49:43,084 --> 00:49:46,124

Leah and Linda did an amazing job

there, making that very warm and cozy.

00:49:46,334 --> 00:49:47,644

Cosy instead of a bit formal.

00:49:47,674 --> 00:49:47,884

Yeah.

00:49:48,564 --> 00:49:52,334

And and Roy came through with his camera

and he went bunk room to bunk room.

00:49:52,674 --> 00:49:55,524

And the first bunk room he went in,

he picked up his camera, he took a

00:49:55,524 --> 00:49:59,461

photo and he said to me, 10 out of 10.

00:49:59,461 --> 00:50:00,592

very much.

00:50:00,592 --> 00:50:02,900

Would you like to see another one?

00:50:02,900 --> 00:50:06,004

So I took him to another bunk

room and he went in and he took

00:50:06,004 --> 00:50:06,804

a picture and he said to me.

00:50:09,834 --> 00:50:10,794

A His scale keeps changing.

00:50:10,794 --> 00:50:11,586

I love it.

00:50:11,586 --> 00:50:12,994

It was so great.

00:50:13,044 --> 00:50:14,374

And so we just walked

through the whole place.

00:50:14,374 --> 00:50:15,664

He was so happy.

00:50:15,664 --> 00:50:18,364

All the respect you gave

to the authenticity.

00:50:18,364 --> 00:50:18,704

Lots of respect.

00:50:18,704 --> 00:50:18,984

Yes.

00:50:19,214 --> 00:50:20,534

We didn't want to break anything.

00:50:20,534 --> 00:50:21,394

We wanted to just.

00:50:21,814 --> 00:50:22,554

Enhance it.

00:50:23,594 --> 00:50:26,034

What is next for you in this moment?

00:50:26,234 --> 00:50:30,790

As you're sitting here having

closed, this place is yours.

00:50:30,790 --> 00:50:32,694

What are you feeling right now?

00:50:32,694 --> 00:50:35,144

And maybe you don't have the

ability to look forward as you're

00:50:35,144 --> 00:50:36,494

just soaking this moment in.

00:50:36,494 --> 00:50:38,264

But what's ahead?

00:50:38,724 --> 00:50:42,224

I thought that this autumn and

winter would be about sales.

00:50:42,499 --> 00:50:45,339

Let's fill up next summer, but we

were sold out by the end of August.

00:50:45,849 --> 00:50:46,269

Wow.

00:50:46,389 --> 00:50:47,469

Okay what do we do now?

00:50:48,389 --> 00:50:53,279

And so we're focusing more on brand,

making sure that we're very clear

00:50:53,279 --> 00:50:57,049

on who we are and what we stand for,

making sure our mission is really

00:50:57,049 --> 00:51:02,599

clear, that this is about providing

a sense of sanctuary and relaxation,

00:51:02,599 --> 00:51:06,549

but no expectation for people and fun.

00:51:07,219 --> 00:51:09,319

You want to make sure joy

keeps coming through here.

00:51:09,319 --> 00:51:14,639

The project that I have in

hand is the vineyard because

00:51:14,639 --> 00:51:16,379

we are planting a vineyard.

00:51:16,884 --> 00:51:19,404

And we've already prepared the hillside.

00:51:19,414 --> 00:51:23,184

We've put barley in and the barley is

now growing and once it's grown, we

00:51:23,184 --> 00:51:27,404

get to harvest it back into the soil

and then we get to plant rootstock.

00:51:27,454 --> 00:51:31,474

And so I've just finished my first

class at UC Davis on wine and

00:51:31,474 --> 00:51:33,774

winemaking so that I'm annoying.

00:51:35,364 --> 00:51:39,554

For Bernard, who is our winemaker, he is

very upset with me for taking this class.

00:51:39,604 --> 00:51:40,104

I love it.

00:51:40,334 --> 00:51:41,554

Because now I'm going to have an opinion.

00:51:41,854 --> 00:51:44,374

You also live in wine country

here in California, so

00:51:44,374 --> 00:51:45,944

you're pretty much an expert.

00:51:45,994 --> 00:51:49,304

I would love to bring a little

bit of California to the French

00:51:49,304 --> 00:51:51,254

countryside for the winemaking.

00:51:51,864 --> 00:51:54,714

And so that is the sort

of the big project.

00:51:54,724 --> 00:51:57,284

We are also expanding the third floor.

00:51:57,334 --> 00:51:59,594

So there's work to be

done inside the chateau.

00:51:59,999 --> 00:52:03,499

Over the winter that requires

really strong project management.

00:52:03,499 --> 00:52:06,269

So thank God I was a project

manager in a previous life.

00:52:06,709 --> 00:52:11,569

And we have a fantastic property manager

who is also a builder and roofer.

00:52:11,749 --> 00:52:13,449

And so he's amazing.

00:52:13,699 --> 00:52:17,299

So he's doing the work in the

Chateau and our groundskeeper,

00:52:17,309 --> 00:52:19,929

Emily is busy preparing the grounds.

00:52:19,929 --> 00:52:22,759

There's some improvements that

she wanted to make over the

00:52:22,769 --> 00:52:24,419

winter that she's working on.

00:52:24,894 --> 00:52:26,894

And so a lot of it is

preparation for next summer.

00:52:27,254 --> 00:52:28,684

How are you splitting your time?

00:52:28,914 --> 00:52:32,484

Geographically, are you

wanting to split pretty evenly?

00:52:32,484 --> 00:52:35,204

Are you letting your

team run with it there?

00:52:35,544 --> 00:52:36,474

I'm there in the summer.

00:52:36,624 --> 00:52:36,964

Okay.

00:52:37,094 --> 00:52:41,584

Yeah, I'm there in the summer and I'm

just there to be there, not to work.

00:52:41,874 --> 00:52:44,434

The people who are

working on it live there.

00:52:44,434 --> 00:52:45,859

And Tegwin.

00:52:46,189 --> 00:52:52,739

And I working full time all the time and

they are in Berlin, I am in California.

00:52:52,739 --> 00:52:54,089

It's the worst time difference.

00:52:54,239 --> 00:52:54,649

Oh gosh.

00:52:54,649 --> 00:52:56,379

Nine hour time difference.

00:52:56,819 --> 00:53:01,769

But between the two of us we're

running really Camp Chateau and then

00:53:01,769 --> 00:53:05,359

the grounds are being run by our

property manager and groundskeeper.

00:53:05,959 --> 00:53:10,299

And there's a lot of work to be done

because with double the campers next year,