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Stephen and Sara Cole: Meet these change seekers!
274 Plays2 months ago
What would have to be true for you to buy a Chateau in France?
Stephen asked Sara this dream question and hear how they pivoted from jobs in Canada and found the Château de Saint-Germain-des-Prés to begin their next adventure. Stephen and Sara created “Manor and Maker” to reflect two goals-- one, to live as chateau owners with all the ups and downs, and two, to pursue their passions as makers by creating exhibition spaces in a glorious setting. We invite you to listen to their fabulous adventure and they invite you to bring your creative dreams to life in France!
Maker and Manor Links
Website: https://www.manorandmaker.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manorandmaker
Our Podcast is proudly sponsored by Jet Creative and UrbanStems! Jet Creative is a women-owned marketing firm committed to community and empowerment. If you are looking to build a website or start a podcast--visit JetCreative.com/Podcast to kickstart your journey. UrbanStems is your go-to source for fresh gorgeous bouquets flowers and gifts delivered coast-to-coast! USE: BLOOMBIG20 to save 20%!
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Transcript
Creative Seeds and Reblooming
00:00:01
Speaker
Do you have a dream that is a small seed of an idea and it's ready to sprout? Or are you in the workplace, weeds, and you need to bloom in a new creative way? Perhaps you're ready to embrace and grow a more vibrant, joyful, and authentic life. If you answered yes to any of these, you are ready to re-bloom.
Heart-Centered Passions and Podcast Hosts
00:00:24
Speaker
Welcome to the podcast where we have enlightening chats with nature lovers, makers, and artisans as they share inspiring stories about pivoting to a heart-centered passion. Hello, I'm Lori Siebert, and I am very curious to hear from friends and artisans about the creativity that blooms when you follow your heart. And I'm Jamie Jamison, and I want to dig deep into the why behind each courageous leap of faith and walk through new heart-centered gardens.
Rebloom Podcast Overview
00:00:54
Speaker
Each episode of Rebloom will be an in-depth conversation with guests who through self-discovery shifted to share their passions with the world. Get ready to find your creative joy as we plant the seeds for you to Rebloom.
00:01:11
Speaker
Well, hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Rebloom. I'm here today with my co-host, Lori Siebert. Hi, Lori. Hey, Jamie. We actually got to be together live last week, which was really fun. we Did, we did. Lori and I live somewhat close to one another, but not close enough, and plus Lori travels all over the world. And ah we are so excited today because we are going to take a little trip to France today, aren't we?
00:01:45
Speaker
Yes, we are. We are going to interview or chat with two people that I've been creepy, but not creepy. More fan girl stalking.
Journey to a French Chateau
00:01:56
Speaker
Sarah and Steve from Manor and Maker. And they are a couple who lived in Canada and bought a chateau in France.
00:02:06
Speaker
And they are now hosting these amazing bespoke events and art retreats. And you know, I love an art retreat. So I can't wait to hear their story. So welcome, Sarah and Steve. Thank you so much. We're really excited to be here. Yeah, it's great to be with you guys.
00:02:24
Speaker
So we want to hear, we've got to hear all the details of, so I know Steve, you're a graphic designer and Sarah, you so, you se but I don't, I don't know more than that. I'm formerly, I was formerly in the intersection of HR and IT.
00:02:43
Speaker
Oh, wow. Even though I believe left turn at Albuquerque and yeah, decided to do this instead. Oh, well. So take us back. We got here. Take us to where you started because you started in Canada, correct? We did. We were both born. and Well, no, sorry. I was born and raised in Canada. Stephen was born in Wales, born in Wales, but raised in Canada. So exactly. Both in southern Ontario.
00:03:09
Speaker
for the most part, we did, um we both raised in relatively small towns and then we did our requisite 20 years of corporate life in Toronto area. And then we ended up in a little town called Fergus, little of, you know, being 20,000 people. And we're having a really great time there. um And then decided that was was really nice and we loved it. And we would move to France because reasons.
00:03:36
Speaker
um I think the seed for me, for France, was planted when I was 16 or so. I was really lucky. My parents were both involved in the airline industry and we traveled extensively and um they did let us stay in a chateau when I was 16 years old. And that might plant a seed in a young woman's mind. I'm just saying. That would plant a seed in mine. oh Yeah, and then we traveled quite a bit after that Stephen and I and every time we found ourselves coming back to France Yeah, yeah, yeah I mean we we both had the privilege of traveling quite a bit um But yeah France for some reason always pulled at the heartstrings for us Whenever we were traveling to Europe, we we always seem to figure out a way of spending a few days
00:04:21
Speaker
in Paris, if not if not further afield in and France. so um but But I think for for this adventure, like it probably really started about 10 years ago. and We were on a trip ah to Monaco, not to brag, but that was a great trip.
00:04:41
Speaker
But we were we were staying in some rural parts of France, sort of central Abignon kind of area. And we we had thought about moving to Europe for quite some time, but it was always a bit of a pipe dream. And then one day we started looking at real estate listings in that area and realized that it was actually more affordable than we thought it was going to be. Yeah, interesting. I think that started us going, OK, that's that's that's an interesting idea.
00:05:08
Speaker
um And I think then when when we started thinking more seriously about moving to Europe, ah Britain obviously it was sort of our first thought simply because of the language barrier. And we are both British citizens, which is key to the later part of the story. Exactly. okay But then as the world started to change a little bit and we started hearing more noise about Brexit happening in the UK and that split happening, we started thinking about it again and was like,
00:05:35
Speaker
I don't know if we wanted to be in the UK whilst that was happening. um yeah And then and as I say, France just kept pulling us back. And I think we started looking then. uh seriously at real estate in the area or in the country and then brexit happened sorry the brexit happened and then covid happened and then we're sitting around in the hot tub in the backyard one night and uh steven asked are you in can are you in canada at this point or are you in france we're still here so well let me back up though so you guys are in you're in canada
00:06:10
Speaker
And you're considering all of this pre-COVID, so you're all that this is happening pre-COVID. Yes. It was about 10 years before COVID, we looked for the first time we looked seriously at moving to Europe, and then we kind of put that on the back burner. And then when the complex of Brexit and COVID happened, that really got us thinking harder about it again.
00:06:31
Speaker
So let me let me double back. You guys were thinking about this for about 10 years, but then around 2019, 2020,
Chateau as a Business Venture
00:06:41
Speaker
particularly when everybody during covid was sort of thinking about hunkering down, you guys are thinking about making this massive leap to France. Well, yeah, those those things, the Brexit and the covid thing coincided in a way that it kind of forced our hand a little bit. OK.
00:07:01
Speaker
We, there was new stuff going on with our jobs that we weren't entirely satisfied with, which is, you know, normal for COVID times. yeah That left us with some extra time, you know, kind of going back to this idea of what's, what's next in our lives. And then we got back to thinking about the real estate in France and then we got shopping online and looking at properties again.
00:07:22
Speaker
And then, uh, and then Steve turned to me one night and said, you know, the magic question that every girl wants to hear, which is what would have to be true for us to buy a Chateau in France? Oh, a night. Yeah. and you are prince charing state oh um okay the thing yeah hu yeah yeah um yeah And it was,
00:07:45
Speaker
you know, for us, it wasn't it wasn't sort of a escaping anything. ah We love Canada very much. We like their home. For us, it was really, I think, like many people during that time, particularly beginning stages of COVID, you started to sort of look at your life and figure out where you wanted to be. And and we sort of looked down five, 10 years down the road and we realized that, you know, that we we loved our lives, but we could see where it was going to be. And it wasn't it was it was going to be wonderful. Like we we certainly had no problem with what we were doing but it would have been similar and I think we just decided at that point let's let's turn the turn the wheel and and head left and or shake it up yeah we've always sort of sought change in our lives we're not very good at sitting we tried sitting still and being normal and we're not very good at it
00:08:34
Speaker
So yeah, i I love that about you too. that's I think that's why I've been fangirling like to have the courage to just up and do this is so cool. So what I wonder is when you were looking at properties, were you finding that most of them were going to need a ton of work and the one that you ended up purchasing, did it require a lot of work?
00:08:59
Speaker
Meaning the building, like making sure it's... It really ran the gamut um for the stuff that we were looking at. I mean, at the time, that the the price range was was quite large. However, there was a lot available for reasonable price. But obviously, until you're going to spend billions of dollars, year you do end up with property that is going to require some work.
00:09:24
Speaker
um So we did look at a few that that needed a bit more upkeep, but generally at our age and after spending you know whatever 20 odd years and in our career, we weren't interested in you know having to fix a place before we could live in it. It yeah needed to be relatively stable. We'd also had lots of conversations about what we wanted to do and why we wanted to make this move. right We were really clear that we wanted to bring be more geeky, basically, if we can put it in there. And we wanted to bring more geeks together and create a safe place to geek out, right? You know that feeling when you are with the people who love doing the weird specific thing that you love to do and you just feel completely safe with them and you can go, you know, I know you guys love fabric.
00:10:11
Speaker
um than just like going through a fabric stash with somebody like just that really safe feeling of being with somebody who geeks out with you. So we knew that was the goal for the property and we knew that to get to that sooner we didn't want to have to do a lot around it.
00:10:25
Speaker
Yeah. yeah and I mean, it obviously there was also the the point that we needed to make money. So the the property needed to be a business ah for us to make that work, which I think is also one of the reasons why we looked at Chateau property as opposed to you know ah simply a house that we could live in. It's because we needed something big enough to be able to house the dream and and yeah and and start the business that we were looking to start.
00:10:51
Speaker
I totally get the being with your people and geeking out thing. I did a residency in France this year at Chateau Orcoville and there were 26 of us and it was a mix of musicians, visual artists, and writers. And just being with that group of creative people, they were diverse from in every way.
00:11:13
Speaker
it was It was just dreaming and we bonded like, I mean, we'll probably be lifelong friends. So I watch all the events that you're doing and it would be so cool to be able to just put these events together that speak to all of the interests that you both have. So so how does it work? Do people apply to have events at at the Chateau or do you curate some of them or how does that work?
00:11:40
Speaker
ah Right now, we are lucky enough that we're having a few artists reach out to us. um And I, well, I know we, the longer story there. Back up to the longer story, go ahead. You got married, did you? Stephen, when we first moved here, Stephen was still working full time for our graphic design firm in Canada.
00:12:03
Speaker
and So that meant that the majority of the business development work was my turn because I left my corporate job to do this work. So when I say I, it's it's both of us. Steven's definitely doing some legwork and some graphic design, but in terms of the business development, it's it's my work.
00:12:22
Speaker
You know, i I love that. And I think it's important to share with our listeners, too, that, you know, when we read Bloom, sometimes you can't jump in 100 percent. You know, you have sometimes you got to keep the day job. And it sounds like you guys balanced that. Steven, you continued some of the work. So there was income coming in because there was obviously probably a pause in income between when you left Canada and when the Chateau actually got up and that was fully running. Correct. Right. Yeah. And we're yeah we're still in that phase, right? like Where, you know, like you don't start businesses and have them be successful overnight, or at least most people don't. So we're still in that business development phase. Well, and the the thing is, I mean, obviously, you know, we've we've been partners for 20 years and married for a few months now. Congratulations. Oh, you're newlyweds. I'm June 7th. Oh my gosh. Please tell me you got married at the Chateau.
00:13:19
Speaker
Of course. yeah Yeah. It was really sweet, actually. we The reason we had to get married is because France doesn't have the equivalent of common law laws. And they also have some very strict um inheritance tax laws. So basically, if we weren't legally married, then should Heaven prevent one of us pass, the other person would have to pay a 50% inheritance tax on their half of the Chateau. Oh my goodness. The joke is that our accountant proposed and we said yes. Yeah. pretty yeah and So we did get married here and we did a little walk down to the Mary because you have to get married at the mayor's office, so which is about 100 meters from here. So we walked down to the mayor's office, and got married, walked back, had a little party with our friends. And it was a great time.
00:14:02
Speaker
training The 20 years that we've been together, though, we we have actually swapped off a couple of times. You know, I, you know, Sarah went on contract for a while after leaving a job and I had ah a stable job. So we were able to you get a mortgage for a house. And then I went freelance in 2015 and Sarah had a stable job at that point. So she was able to, you know, carry on that stability, money coming in. Yeah. So we've we've we've swapped off a few times in our relationship and it's
00:14:33
Speaker
You know, it's nice to have that partnership to be able to do that. This obviously gives a much bigger jump. I mean, yes, as you say, you know, having the money coming in from, from my job, it was just enough to sort of keep us going. We knew that we didn't have to worry that, you know, that the business had to get up and running day one. And we and the other thing was, we didn't need to do major renovations, but we did need to do some cosmetic changes, like the curtains that were hanging in the bedrooms were dark brown and had been there for at least 60 years. And we're pretty much, and I'm not exaggerating, dissolving on touch.
00:15:07
Speaker
oh So, you know, I had to get my sewing machine out and we had to go buy some fabric and replace, you know, and just sort of zhuzh up the rooms. Like the the place was in pretty good nick, but it was just a little tired. It hadn't had any major yeah rentals or updates since the late 70s, early 80s, we think. Yeah. Yeah. Well, tell us about so you looked at multiple properties. good What was special about this this chateau and what and what tugged at your heart and made you purchase this one?
00:15:37
Speaker
I think I think we did sort of the Goldilocks thing um where we we saw one Chateau like we had seen thousands online but we when we came over we lived here for two months just to see whether we would like it and that was in 2019 2020. That was 2020 because it was but tweet It was after what we all now know as the first wave. and So we thought yeah we what the COVID thing was done and we waited until the r values were the same so we weren't putting anybody at more risk and we took all the precautions and we came over here and we just followed all the COVID precautions while we were here because we needed it was important
00:16:15
Speaker
It's important to live in a place before you commit to moving to a place. It's much different than being a tourist, especially in France. So we need to adjust that. Yeah. But in that two months that we were living here, we decided um one of the few things that we did do as far as getting out and and exploring was to go and see some Chateau that we had been.
00:16:34
Speaker
lying online. And the first one we went to was enormous. Absolutely. It took us three hours to to go around it and that wasn't done. It was telling me a few views. And we left that one going, yeah, that's too too much. That's way too big. And then we went and saw this other chateau that really got us thinking, but it was it was too small.
00:16:57
Speaker
Oh, that is the Goldilocks. It is. So we were we were sort of, you know, ah crossing things off our list or or, you know, being able to sort of ah parse down what it is that we were looking for. um And so we saw a couple more. I think we saw maybe five and in person. Yeah. And this one in particular. ah So the day before we went back to Canada or back to Paris in order to fly out the following day, um we finally got an opportunity to see this chateau from the exterior.
00:17:27
Speaker
the real estate agent who was representing this house apparently retired sometime in during COVID and didn't tell anybody. So the whole thing is very hard to come across for our agent. but yeah is complicated Yeah, so our agent worked really hard to try and get a hold of the person but wasn't able to before we went back to Canada. So we did see the exterior And both of us at that point went, ooh, that feels about right.
Finding the Perfect Chateau
00:17:55
Speaker
Uh-huh. There were some horrible photographs on the on the ah the the listing um that we were kind of vicariously living through for the the time we were back in Canada. A picture of like 10 randomly taken, grainy, iPhone one photos. I don't even think it was iPhone one. I think it was Nokia. Yeah. Yeah.
00:18:15
Speaker
yeah Well, it definitely deterred all the other people from buying it, so that's good too. That's the thing. It was on the on the market for at least three years as far as we know, ah maybe a bit longer. But when we did manage to get back to France after, ah you know, hiatus in Canada, we needed to come back because of the visa issues.
00:18:35
Speaker
um the day eighth or the story two weeks after our currentrant quarantine and we did we were staying with friends of ours we quarantined for two weeks and we called our agent and said we want to see it as soon as we can so the day after our two weeks we got down here and we finally came in for the first time and I think both of us at that point just walked in and went, oh, yeah, yeah, this is the right size, the right proportions, you know, everything just even the the neighborhood, the little village that it's in all just felt like it was meant to be. yeah it was So tell us about the Chateau. How many rooms is it? And tell us a little bit, you know, it's beautiful people. We will have links for everyone to see how gorgeous this is. But tell us a little bit about it.
00:19:21
Speaker
It was sold as an 11 bedroom, which is a bit of a stretch. yeah yeah ah hey there Every chateau is unique. You can't really compare one to the other, but there are a couple of distinctive styles. and um Ours is like a big cube, so everything radiates off a main a large main room as you walk in, which some people actually call a foyer, but if you consider you know sort of a 800 square foot room of way. at Yeah, or Grand Hall. Yeah, exactly. We're still struggling for a name for it, frankly. It's just a living room, but you know. And then on the the main floor, there's then a dining room, um a small
00:20:02
Speaker
butler's pantry that still seats 10. So if you want to call that small and then a kitchen, uh, and then a bathroom and then office and then two cells. And then on the mezzanine level, because there is the great room is open to this to through the next level up. So then there's five bedrooms around the mezzanine level. So you go up the granite staircase, which is one of the features that I had hoped to have. yeah Um,
00:20:28
Speaker
And there's the five guest bedrooms and then you have to, I'm so sorry, go up the 16th century stone spiral staircase tower to get to the third floor where the other six bedrooms are. And those bedrooms are best described as the staff rooms, which includes where Steve and I stay when we're running retreats.
00:20:47
Speaker
well In the old cinema, actually, they used to run a cinema here at one point oh wow up for the town. And then there's a couple of other bedrooms, one of which I also use as a sewing room. And then there is what we like to call the room of doom, which every Chateau has. So the room that was damaged at some point when the roof leaked or there was a fire or whatever, every Chateau has a little room of doom somewhere that needs some fixing up in a serious way.
00:21:11
Speaker
Yeah. oh So I'm wondering, you you have supported one another over the years clearly. When you shared this idea with your family, what was the reaction?
00:21:24
Speaker
I don't think they were surprised. we We got a lot more, hey, that's cool than, oh my God, what are you doing? yeah I think that was, you know, they often went, yeah, that sounds about right for you too. Oh, I love that because you had been traveling so much and you're both.
00:21:43
Speaker
Like we said, we talked about living in Europe before. So, you know, yeah. I love. And we're definitely change seekers as well. So, you know, I think nobody was surprised. They were I mean, they may have been surprised that France was that was the location and the fact that we're buying a Chateau. But yeah, I think there was more excitement than there was fear for. I love the phrase change seekers. That's a great phrase.
00:22:07
Speaker
I think I was confused that like an introvert like me was going into hospitality but you know they didn't say anything so that was kind of Well, and i but I love the fact that you both have given each other permission over the years. I know permission is probably not the word, but you've encouraged each other to seek different paths. So Steven and Sarah, as you've said, you know, one did one thing, another, you kind of flip-flopped back and forth, but also you didn't want to just say stay sat stagnant. You really said, let's take this leap of faith. which is a huge leap of faith. All right. The one question I want to ask too, because I know, Stephen, you said you're from England. Do to either of you, Wales, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, Wales. do i Did either of you, and obviously coming from Canada, did you speak French before you came to France?
00:22:59
Speaker
I spoke French at probably about a B1 level, which means that I can hold conversations in a in a reasonable way one-on-one as long as they don't get too technical when we arrived. If you put me down at a table with a bunch of Parisians, I was lost. But in terms of being able to get things done that we needed to get done in our new community and have a little chitchat with the mayor and greet our new neighbors in a reasonable way, I could do all that.
00:23:27
Speaker
um And I, for some reason, I'd always chosen to keep French up in my life and it was mostly a personal choice. um So on my commutes, I would listen to Radio Canada, or if I had a French speaking colleague, I would take a chance to practice with them. I would listen to podcasts once in a while. It was just a choice I made for my life. I don't know that I ever fully intended, but again, maybe that goes back to that seed that was planted when I was 16. Just the fact that we loved traveling to France and I wanted to be able to communicate.
00:23:53
Speaker
I definitely went the the the more ontario the standard Ontario route, which was ah you know it Canada does have the two official languages, French and English, and yeah we are all taught French up until grade 10, and then most of us drop it. And that was me because I didn't feel English in my career.
00:24:11
Speaker
um But yeah, it's it's for me, I'm still learning, trying to pick it up as fast as I can. Because most my job ah being a full-time job was still based in Toronto, um you know half my life was still in English. So I haven't really had the time to concentrate on on learning properly. I mean, I'm doing much better. My comprehension is much better. but um It's definitely something that is a hurdle that but needs to be yeah you know ah traversed before and and before we can both feel comfortable you know in those conversations. I'm much better now. I can i mean, I'm at the stage now where I can sit there and listen and understand the conversation. it's Jumping in is still the tricky bit, so <unk> we're working on that.
00:24:54
Speaker
But my neighbors tell me that French is getting much better. so that yeah Oh, well, that's good that's good. And so it was it was a challenge, but not a huge barrier. I mean, because you did have some background in it. Now, are your guests that that are coming to the Chateau, are they predominantly French, are they English, or from... It's a mix of, I would say, Canadians and Americans, but we've also had people from Britain, we've had people from Australia, we've had a client who came from China.
00:25:20
Speaker
um So that was lovely. um Some of them with the spattering of French that they want to practice and others that are just here for the art experience. But we do have, I mean, next next year we are running a retreat for for Canadians who are trying to learn French. Not just Canadians.
00:25:37
Speaker
Oh, right. Sorry. yeah Anybody who wants to learn. We're calling it the French
Creative Retreats and Themes
00:25:40
Speaker
Immersion. So it's it's language, cuisine and culture. Yeah. So I did a dive into your website and saw there there's quite a variety of different offerings. And so are you coming up with some of those themes or are people pitching you different themes? Are you mostly art, art related in your retreat? We want to stick mainly to creativity and French themes.
00:26:05
Speaker
yeah um We've had a couple of other proposals that I just didn't feel like they were a great match for us yet. um Things more along the the wellness and spirituality aren really aren't really areas that we personally connect with that much, whereas art and creativity is more our thing. So we're kind of sticking on that, but mostly it's been ah things that people have pitched to us, which has been delightful.
00:26:27
Speaker
Well, and as a branding expert, ah yeah you know, obviously we want to make sure that as Sarah said, we want to stick on brand. So the maker side of our manner and maker really is about, you know, people coming together and creating themselves. But that that is a broad um brush anyway. i mean we have Obviously, there's traditional painters, ah but we've done silk painting. we've also We've got an opera one coming up next year. We've got you know writers that are coming. we you know We had a creator retreat a month ago that had Instagram and TikTok
00:26:59
Speaker
uh, your personalities that came and just created content here for a week, which was a whole lot of fun photography. and school so That was really cool. Yeah. I'm really looking forward to Joe Hamlin's retreat next year, which is, um, it's, it's painting with, but with gilding texture, tone and color. Like I saw that one.
00:27:19
Speaker
building your skill set and I'm really looking forward to that one. Yeah I love that one. So are you able to participate in any of these or are you hustling taking care of everyone?
00:27:30
Speaker
mostly it's hustle, but Steven did get into song painting. I did. So I'm an artist as well. yeah i that So i I've been a painter most of my life, quite frankly, as well as the graphic design. But yeah, the um we had Renee Shoemaker here, who's a phenomenal painter ah from Georgia, I think originally. Yeah. From Athens. Anyway, she was... Sorry, Athens, Georgia in the US, s not Yes. yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah often and And so she was doing silk painting, quite accomplished herself. And then um one day I said, you know, can I, can I jump in? And I had a lot of fun, actually. It was a different medium for me. Obviously something new, but, you know, colors, color, paint brushes or paint brushes.
00:28:18
Speaker
And I had a great time. it's It's fun. I think one of the things that we really enjoy about running these retreats is that we do get involved with everybody. We may not necessarily be creating with them or you know creating an art piece, but just and you know enjoying their enjoyment of what they're doing you know and being excited for them. and you know, really seeing that sort of light that that you see it in people when they they try something for the first time or they've achieved something new that they are really excited about. We absolutely adore that. Exactly. It's just every thing when you walk into the studio and they're just in the middle of it and you can just see everybody sort of glowing with creativity. And it just honestly, it makes me a little over clamped. Like it's just it's such a lovely feeling. Yeah, I get that because I teach as well. And I've been teaching at retreats for years and
00:29:08
Speaker
Yeah, when I watch someone from the beginning, you know, sometimes they'll say, well, I'm not an artist. And they're really nervous. And then by the end, they surprise themselves with what they were able to make. It just, it it lights me up. And being with Kindred Spirits, there's just nothing like that. We had a wonderful group with us. um And the last year, beginning of this year, I can't remember. Anyway, there was people who were, a few of them were people coming out of their corporate lives and sort of looking for creative outlets in what we're calling the afternoon of their lives. Or the aparo. Or the rebloom. Or the rebloom. Yes. Yeah.
00:29:51
Speaker
You can see them with that corporate mindset when they start doing creative stuff. It's that, you know am I doing this right? Or you know should I be doing this? or And as soon as you start to realize that you can you can break them of that and and go, no, you know yes, that mistake may have happened, but look how great it looks. Wow, what a difference. Yeah, I love that bit.
00:30:15
Speaker
Well, it's a huge difference. and And, you know, that's one of the reasons that we want to do this podcast is because we do we believe so much in folks like yourself who had a corporate life and pivoted not everybody's buying chateaus in France. All of that would be amazing.
00:30:32
Speaker
um My question is, when you have seen these people come through, so you open your doors, and much like this group that you just that you were just talking about, Stephen, what gifts have they brought to you? what have what What maybe expected or unexpected gifts have they brought to you and have you seen since you started these retreats?
00:30:55
Speaker
um I think, you know, instead of
00:31:01
Speaker
It's the experience of working with different people all the time and being able to sort of bend to them a little bit or understand you know where they're coming from. it's I think one of the things that we really enjoy is when you have a group of people who arrive at your doorstep for for the first time and they don't know each other,
00:31:21
Speaker
It's that ability to kind of go, OK, come on, everybody come in, grab a glass of champagne. Let's find out everybody's story. you know Maybe somebody over here needs a little more conversation. Maybe somebody over there would require just a little more alone time. And and just trying to figure out what that group dynamic is. I mean, both Sarah and I in our corporate world have have run teams. Sarah's team is much larger than mine. But you know I've been a creative director and worked with small teams. and its you know you sort of get that that sixth sense of, okay, this is how it's feeling. And the the wonderful thing is that I think it's the first 24 hours, we're really helping to try and get the group to gel. And I think with most of our groups that we've had, after that 24 hours, it's self-perpetuating. And it's just so much fun to be able to see them you know interact with each other,
00:32:12
Speaker
And then what we get back from them really is looking at the release and the the comfort level that they have, and they suddenly start opening so up opening themselves up, whether it's conversationally, whether it's creatively. but you know And it's just so much fun being a part of that. And the fact that we have had a number of our ah participants at the end of you know the the the time with us,
00:32:36
Speaker
not wanting to leave practically in tears because they're like this was the best thing ever or actually in tears. Yeah. It's you know now that tells us that we're doing something right.
00:32:47
Speaker
We're already having repeat guests. We've got a lovely woman named Penny who's already been twice and she's trying to figure out how to get back a third time already. She's just amazing. And Ella, who's going to come for the third writing season, and which is a third of our three writing seasons, she's coming back. yeah like just And getting the creative ideas back from guests are just amazing. yeah What I think is so cool is you're creating like really, really precious memories for people. I mean, not everyone gets to go to a chateau in France and make art. And I know for myself, like getting to do that is it's like I feel so grateful and so blessed. So I'm sure the people that come to you
00:33:29
Speaker
they go around feeling that way like and you not only are immersed in France in beauty but you're also meeting people that will become possibly lifelong friends stuff that really get you. It's also that slow experiential travel.
00:33:47
Speaker
that people are craving right now, right? Where they they don't necessarily want to go with your 50 million new best friends and go and see the same highlights that are available anywhere online. They're seeking these really bespoke experiences, right? You want something like, each of our retreats is one of a kind. We'll never be able to replicate any retreat exactly, even if we have the same hosts back again, because you're gonna have this different set of guests that are gonna jive in a different way and gonna create different things. So Each experience is going to be bespoke and people can leave without that knowledge that they've had this really special individualized experience. and and i mean we We set up a WhatsApp group um every time we have you know a group come with us, see how a unique group with with the people they that attended.
00:34:34
Speaker
And we have seen a year after our one retreat and they're still communicating with each other. And, you know, or there's one that was doing journaling and they're still showing their their sketches and their their journaling, you know, every week or every couple of days. And that's just awesome. As you say, it builds that community and yeah these people are going to be lifelong friends and they're going to be like, we always look at them and say, okay, you're now part of the Chateau family. You're the Saint-Germain de Prey family, right? yeah That's sort of our group now, right? and And hopefully as that grows and as that builds, obviously it's going to help our business. But it on top of that, it just it builds this wonderful community of people who, as you say, had that special experience and hopefully then extend that into the rest of their lives as well. And you know and we're always here if they need to come and fill it up again, right? That's the that' way I look at it.
00:35:24
Speaker
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00:35:41
Speaker
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00:36:00
Speaker
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00:36:29
Speaker
You guys are creative connectors and you're helping everyone to bloom and even to re bloom. I mean, I am and that that leap of faith that you took. And I love that, you know, you needed to grow, but you're helping everyone else to to find that growth, too. And that that is so special. And you're right. People want this immersive. They want they want quality. I think that's the thing that we learn during during um covid is we want quality. We want quality experiences.
00:36:59
Speaker
Well, and and you bring up the point about um you know taking that leap of faith. I think one of the things that we found really interesting is you know obviously we jumped out of the rails, if you will, obviously from our our corporate lives and doing the standard thing. But what we discovered when we moved here is we suddenly made connections with a whole group of new people.
00:37:22
Speaker
And so not only are we bringing that, and bringing people together, but we have discovered that ourselves. You know, we're part of this community of Chateau owners that that we we sort of got plugged into and you know, that network just keeps growing. I mean, when we had our wedding in June, you know, part of part of my speech when I was looking down at, you know, or looking across everybody that was with us is like the majority of those people we didn't know three years ago.
00:37:46
Speaker
but they're now ourselves and that's you know not that we didn't have friends back in North America but of course you know them traveling over here for the wedding would was was an issue so but it was just it's really exciting that we've landed in a place where we feel that yeah and I think this really speaks to the fact that we're heading in the right direction that we're doing the right thing because we're finding our right people Because not only are are we providing a community for others, we have found our community as well. ah People are are doing similar things. You know, Chateau owners are you know doing wild and crazy stuff and got out of the norm and realized, okay, it's okay. There there are other things outside of sort of that that basic straight line that that that you know society tells us that we're supposed to be in. The other thing I would add to that is that this community that we found
00:38:34
Speaker
in In terms of that major shift from corporate thinking, the community that we have is collaborative, not competitive.
Community and Personal Growth
00:38:42
Speaker
love it Right? In corporate life, you're taught everything is kind of based on competition. Whereas in this new life, in this creative life, everything is collaborative.
00:38:52
Speaker
So even our Chateau friends that we talked to a lot, and it's not a cliquey thing, it's because we're we're in the same area together. We have the same similar problems that you know come with owning properties that are several hundred years old.
00:39:04
Speaker
But our friends over at Puy Vidal, for example, are running almost the same business with us. And we just collaborate with them because the slice of pie that we're looking from, from the tourism business, you know there's twenty say there's 20 million people that come to France every year. If we were to max out our retreats, we might be looking at 300 of those people out of 20 million. And if our friends at Puy Vidal want to do the same thing, you know that's 300. Now we've got 600 people out of 20 million. like We think there's enough. There's plenty.
00:39:31
Speaker
Yeah. There's lots of people who want these experiences and it's just wonderful to be collaborative and not competitive. So Sarah, i'm I'm curious about your background because, Stephen, it sounds like you grew up maybe painting and doing artistic things. Good, yeah.
00:39:48
Speaker
So Sarah, as ah as a young girl, were you also creative and then went into the IT t path? I'm just curious because now you're like you're immersed in the creative world. um Yeah, this is the part where if if anybody's surprised me or anything, it's it's this where I landed. I remember when I was visiting the Royal Ontario Museum, the ROM, when I was about six years old. I think the the Dawson asked us all what we wanted to be and you know everybody else is like firemen and then palerina and whatever and then there's me and I'm like paleontologist.
00:40:21
Speaker
So I've always been science and math and very analytical. um I like numbers, I like process, I like organizing. um So I wouldn't have called that particularly creative but what that did lead me to was sewing.
00:40:36
Speaker
which is an incremental skill building practice. So you can start really basic, getting two pieces of material to hold together you know in whatever way possible. And then you just keep building and building your skills. And then you realize it's really quite mathematical and that's a lot of fun for me. But once you get past that part, then you realize the the breadth of opportunity with fabrics and notions and trims and varying, you know, taking your basis of knowledge and and adding variation onto that. And so somehow through that rabbit hole of sewing, I discovered I was creative. Whereas I was one of those people that always said, oh, I'm not creative as if any human ever born isn't creative. Every human is, we live 30 minutes from the caves of Lascaux, which have 17,000 year old cave paintings in them. And it's just, it's like the fundamental proof that every human ever born was creative. And you're just kidding yourself if you're telling yourself you're not.
00:41:31
Speaker
So that was my game into creativity. And now I'm into historical costuming, like nobody's business. I'm pretty, I'm not gonna say terrible at it, because I'm not terrible at it, but I'm an enthusiastic amateur. That's how about that's where I put myself. Any sewers out there would offer some constructive criticism.
00:41:50
Speaker
that I would find very welcoming but also I really love doing it and we wore our costumes out to Venice and we wore them for our wedding. Yeah honestly. yeah I love that and these are these are what you made. What we got married in was two costumes that Sarah had had hand sewn for us um and they are they're ridiculous. what What time frame? 17th century? Yeah. and Well, you think said oh my gosh. I love that. I was going to say, i you know, it's interesting that you, first of all, I love that path. I love the building. I love, you know, and one of the things that we find with many of our guests is that
00:42:31
Speaker
Sometimes people say no to them and that no shuts. Well, they they did. But often it's the people who just ignore the no and they the word no and they just keep going. And I love the fact that you started and you let it build and you let it you continue to let it build.
00:42:48
Speaker
And that's incredible. I was going to say though, I i watched Outlander and I, while it was a great series, the costumes in there. I was so intrigued by the beauty of the the work that was done on those costumes. And so I i love that that's a path that you went down. That's cool.
00:43:08
Speaker
It ties in so well to the manor. Yes, exactly. They have a room in the basement that's a costume room, so you can go down there and you know some of us came to dinner in costume a few of the nights. We're working towards that. I would love to have that as an opportunity. We just built ah a tickle trunk or a costume, like basically a costume accessory trunk for our guests to play around with, so it's got some masks.
00:43:34
Speaker
a sword and some things like that in it. Oh, so fun. that is That is so cool. I want to ask one question then, Sarah, you had said that you're an introvert and I can tell that, how is being in the hospitality industry, how does that work for an introvert? how does how does That's got to be tough.
00:43:54
Speaker
It is and well it isn't. it isn't it's It's about understanding introversion and extroversion differently, right? So basically extroverts get their energy from being around people, introverts get their energy from recharging alone, right? yeah It's not a matter of shine. It's not a matter of whether you can interact with people or not. It's just where you go to recharge. So as an introvert in hospitality, I actually love these small group conversations that we're having. That is my happy place. I've never loved big crowds. I, you know, I'm not one to go to big parties or, you know, big concerts or things like that. I find those a little overwhelming. But these small group conversations with people who are really interested in a particular topic, whatever it is, again, it goes back to that geekiness. I love it when people are geeky. I love getting into geeky conversations. We had a gentleman, we had a couple here and the gentleman was really into Sasquatch.
00:44:47
Speaker
And I'm like, if you are in Sasquatch and you can bring me interesting things about Sasquatch, I am here for you. I will listen and we can have a great conversation, right? Like if that's your geeky thing, we're here for it. And so those, those small conversations, those small group conversations are really energizing for me.
00:45:03
Speaker
And then I go off and have a little, you know, cup of tea on my own and they go back to the studio and it's great. I love that. And thank you for sharing that because many of our listeners are introverts and I think they're even afraid to take that leap of faith to go on a retreat.
00:45:21
Speaker
And I really wanted you to speak to that because I think that if they want to explore their creativity, it's looking for these beautiful, bespoke opportunities that are smaller that aren't you're not going to feel as afraid. You're going to feel that you can do it and you can be creative. I love that.
00:45:38
Speaker
and you're with your people. Find your retreat. Even if it's not ours, heaven for them. But find find one that has your people in it and you will be amazed at just how much that uplifts you, right? Like often for introverts it's just draining to be around people that just aren't like them, right? So if you can find the retreat that has you your people in it that are geeking in about the same things and that's, oh, it's amazing. It's amazing. Yay and yay. I think just adding to that, one of the things that when we started thinking about how we wanted to set up this business, the one thing that we that we wanted to make sure was this is a safe space. you know for For anybody to, you know like if you want to explore whatever it is you want to explore, go for it. We're here for you. We're here to do it. Anything but um hate, we're we're pretty much open to. right like you know
00:46:28
Speaker
I love it. And that's what we want the Chateau generally to be. We want it to be a place where people can come together, have a great time, great food. Our chefs are really amazing. um But also just to feel very comfortable and very, very, you know, ah relaxed here, you know, they and they can if they want to go and sit in their room and be comfortable, that's fine.
00:46:50
Speaker
If they want to come down and party, that's fine too. you know it's It's all about making sure that you know each individual feels their comfort here, hopefully as a group, but also they need to to feel comfortable in themselves and and that they're they're in a place that they can be who they want to be.
00:47:08
Speaker
So I have a geeky question. So I watched just escape Escape to the Chateau. but And when she goes up in that attic or in those out buildings and have all that stuff that was left behind, did you discover any of that and you' in your rooms? Like old fabric, old wallpaper, any of that?
00:47:28
Speaker
Um, sadly, no, uh, had been emptied. Um, we have not actually fully explored the attic attics yet. Sure. Cause we're chicken. um la that's that it's yeah I have no problem going up into there. It's the ladder that's up there that I am not stepping up there to do it.
00:47:50
Speaker
Yeah, um we do have photos from a lady who lived here until 1960. So we have some idea of what was here previously, which tells us that not a lot has been altered, which is amazing.
00:48:04
Speaker
um And then, yeah, they look like I said, what was there before was dissolving the the old um curtains on the windows and things like that. so But when when we moved in, one of the the interesting things, because we obviously, as I say, we're we're sort of connected to a lot of other Chateau owners who have found those wonderful treasures.
00:48:25
Speaker
the the previous owners of our chateau, it was actually a holiday owned for them. And they actually basically got rid of all of the furniture except for about five pieces that we purchased off them. So our exploration actually has been to go to the brocon or antique spares, antique shops and fill this place. So we've literally furnished every room in here. um Wow. It has to be fun.
00:48:50
Speaker
Yeah, and it is it's yeah I mean I sort of equated to it's a giant dollhouse that we get to move the furniture around in Yes, I am. I am okay. I am a 49 year old man who's happy to play a dollhouse. It's a good thing It's another thing that you guys who touched on your podcast is that that men could be creative, too. Yeah right? Like we were so lucky at the Silk Retreat that um it was a split of men and women and the participants and it was just so awesome to see the guys unleashing their creativity as well again in a safe space that they're not going to be made fun of for whatever stupid reason, right? Like it's just wonderful.
00:49:26
Speaker
Yeah, I just had a husband and wife come together. I taught in Italy and they were they were creating side by side. And I usually I don't have a lot of men come, which i I really liked that. And he was so creative and watching their dynamic. And I loved it. So hopefully more men will come in the future. We did have some husbands come, too, which was kind of fun.
00:49:52
Speaker
yeah But we had a moment where the the creator retreat, we had a costumer bring a bunch of fabulous costumes that the ladies were were dressing up in and and taking photo shoots in. And and i I specifically had Sarah film me for our vlog, um grabbing these clothes and going, you know what?
00:50:10
Speaker
It's okay. I love this beautiful fabric. How can you not appreciate the beauty of this fabric, the lace that was on there? The workmanship. the workmanship I mean, and that is okay. There is nothing wrong with that, you know, like you do not have to be a specific, you know, whatever stereotype you need to be.
00:50:28
Speaker
just enjoying it, right? Yeah, there was a woman at Orcoville who she was, um I'm not sure what her full business is, but she would dress herself every day in this crazy makeup and full dress and she did film.
00:50:44
Speaker
and still photography and she would come to the meals dressed like that. that but it I mean, she was so beautiful and it was so fun to see that happen every night. We'd wonder, what's she going to be dressed like tonight?
00:50:59
Speaker
Well, it's so it's so fun. and And thank you, Sarah, for bringing that up, too, because you're right. um Having men explore their creative side is hugely important. I think that oftentimes we have folks that are ah you know very heavy in their corporate life or their professional life.
00:51:17
Speaker
And I think we all need to just bring whether
The Importance of Creativity
00:51:20
Speaker
it's we need to bring that creativity into our life, whether it's cooking, whether it's just getting out into nature, it's fly fishing, whether it's being creative and just carving out just a smidgen of time for ourselves. And I think it's just so um like people forget what a corporate skill creativity is.
00:51:39
Speaker
Yeah. Like if you're, if you're stuck doing the same patterns over and over and over again, you need to do something that shakes you out of those patterns to bring a little something new, something innovative to your job, right? Like getting out and doing creative exercises is a creative skill. It's a corporate skill that you need to practice.
00:51:56
Speaker
ah hunt a hundred percent. So um made this leap of faith. you Now we're in 2024 entering into 2025. Tell us about what the Chateau looks like today as far as retreats and how many you're holding and what does it look like today?
00:52:15
Speaker
Well, we've done, we've shushed up the bedrooms into what I like to call version 1.5. So I'm, I'm happy with where they are now. And we get a few little oohs and ahs as ah people come into the bedrooms, which is great. um But you know, we're, we're not doing this with buying a Chateau is a, is an excellent, terrible decision. Yes. Yes. It's a terrible financial decision. It's an excellent, terrible decision, but you know, don't, don't expect to make tons of money. So you'd have to come in with the resources and we're,
00:52:44
Speaker
We're taking financial risks to do this, um so you know we'll we'll take what the business gives us and put it back into the chateau. um and toy and I would love to get the bedrooms up to that full, totally romantic bed crowns, lots of fabric, lots of textures and more furniture. and yeah Like they're they're sort of halfway there and I'd love to do the next level up, which is a little over the top as Chateau should be. Yeah. um But the business is looking... It's looking great. Yeah. I mean, this is really only our second full year of running the retreat business. Yeah. Sarah, I will give her all the credit in the world. She's done an amazing job of of of building the platform on which we're...
00:53:26
Speaker
the yeah ah plan is is is being built. But um I think now that we've had ah ah had a bit more exposure to this, we we are feeling more comfortable and we're starting to find more people who are coming into us. So next year, I think we've got at least 10 different retreats um with a couple more that we're we're hoping to work with.
00:53:47
Speaker
yeah um and it's It's now starting to feel like, okay, people are finding us. We've got people who are interested in running retreats with us where where we just need to you know keep filling it with guests. But even that, like we've had nothing but amazing guests that have come here and they've all said, we're going to tell everybody we know about this. and yeah know So hopefully it it started to perpetuate and and i mean it'll just grow from here. I mean, we're we're doing everything we can on our social media side of things. We have a YouTube channel as well, Manner & Maker.
00:54:19
Speaker
And we're we're trying to promote everything that we're doing as much as possible on those, uh, you know, those venues. But yeah, it's, it's, it's looking good at the moment. We're also trying to connect more with the local community because really Chateau should be in service to their, their community. And this Chateau in particular really wasn't, it was quite so we're in the town of 500 people and we are in the town of 500 people physically. And this Chateau was really disconnected from that for a while.
00:54:45
Speaker
um So, it as you're talking about where you're located to, where are you located in France? Because France is a very big country, so... It is, yes. Yeah, tell us where you're located in France. So, we are in the town of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which some people will know as an expensive suburb of Paris as well. ah But we are in the department of Dordogne, or Dordogne, or Dordogne, as some people pronounce it. And we're about two hours... I never know how to say that. And we're about two hours due east of Bordeaux.
00:55:14
Speaker
So we're getting towards the it's it's what they call the Southwest region Okay, we are definitely in the land of what they call Salzano one Chateau ah We're in the land of Eleanor of aquitin. We're in the land of um So like I said, cave drawings that are 17,000 years old. There's just so much deep history here. Rolling, rolling hills. There's lots of wine. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Exactly. Wow. we're Also we're the the region we're also in is also named the Perry guard, which um
00:55:47
Speaker
is much more of a culinary sort of thing. So very famous for its it's duck truffles, walnuts, apples. This is kind of a bit of the bread basket of France as well. So you know if you if you're getting truffles, they're usually called the Paragardian Black or the Paragardian White. And that's those are the sort of standard truffles. And that's the region that we're in. Yeah. we can go five call In December, we can go to the farmer's market five kilometers away and buy truffles directly from the farmer. And those are the same ones that the um Paris chefs are like competing over. Yeah. And those are worth about 800 euro a kilo. something That's at the farmer's market and then they can work that out for Paris. It's crazy. Yeah. wow Okay. You had us at Chateau, ah but um I definitely think the truffle, Lori and I just ah met in New York City. if We had a truffle pasta that we're still dreaming about. Lori, we're going to France. We're going to France.
00:56:47
Speaker
um You two have been an absolute delight. um What a journey you have been on. We love our guests to also, leave we we love that you to leave our our listeners, our guests, let me get that out, with a little advice. And boy, this has been a big journey for you, but what advice would you like to leave our listeners with today? It's never too late to be creative.
00:57:16
Speaker
Yeah, you're if you tell if you're telling yourself, I mean, I'm really bold and put it out there. If you're telling yourself you're not creative, you're wrong. um You just need to figure out what your path to creativity is. Yeah, I i would can care concur with that for sure. It's I mean, i've I've had the advantage of being creative most of my life and and being able to see how people can, you know, jump into something and come up with something really fascinating, really interesting, I think.
00:57:40
Speaker
is is is an amazing skill and it's it's it's a dopamine hit, it's you know it's an excitement and I think everybody needs to do it because let's face it, the world can be a scary place sometimes but being having that ability to or you have to get away and do something creative, just you know get into your own head and and and play, I think that is ah where worth everything.
00:58:00
Speaker
no Totally agree. Totally agree with everything you've said in this conversation. I've just been nodding my head. If we had video, would see my head bobbing up and down. I know. And if you saw me, I'm probably looking for an a flight to France because I definitely, I mean, amazing. you know Thank you both so much for sharing your story with us today. I know our listeners.
00:58:27
Speaker
I hope are going to feel inspired, whether you're an extrovert, whether you're an introvert. one another We all need to be creative and to find that safe so creative space, whether you are just so you can be with your people. And yes, there are beautiful opportunities to go to France. And I think we need to go to France. But there are also those opportunities even within your own community and to find those and to honor the to honor your creative spirit. Definitely.
00:58:55
Speaker
Yeah. dear Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Well, thank you for having us. It's a real lovely chat. Yeah. Thanks you too. You're wonderful.
00:59:07
Speaker
Wow, Jamie. So the whole time they're talking, I'm thinking, how can I go and be an apprentice there? How can I go and volunteer and maybe be a concierge? or I don't know. I'm just blown away by people who make these kinds of decisions because it would certainly be a dream of mine.
00:59:29
Speaker
to do something like that, but it's not going to be in the cards for me, but just seeing other people do it and hear their story. I was like in tears a few times because it just must be so exciting to host these retreats and and be with people that are really interesting and creative and want to spend time together and want to learn and want to have geeky conversations. Just all of that seems so dreamy to me.
00:59:57
Speaker
Well, I would agree and you know, it's interesting you're more of an introvert I'm more of an extrovert and I love being around people and to just have Those intimate opportunities where you can really get to know someone and also be creative They've created a dream space and I love that. They're also Sticking to a brand they're sticking to keeping things small. They're intimate and and really the attention to detail and making it a ah beautiful experience for their guests. As a photographer, I want to go there tomorrow. I think it would be just such a treat to be there and to experience it. And like you, I was trying to think, how can I get myself over there, too? Again, we need to pack pack up the suitcases, Lori. We're off on a Rebloom retreat. Yeah, the Rebloom tour.
01:00:53
Speaker
We are, we are. Well, thank you everyone for joining us again, and we hope that you found inspiration in today's podcast. Peace, love, and re-bloom.
01:01:05
Speaker
Life is too short not to follow your passions, so go out there and let your heart plant you where you are meant to be and grow your joy. We will be right here sharing more incredible stories of reinvention with you. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast so you never miss an episode of Rebloom. Until next time, I'm Jamie Jamison. And I'm Lori Siebert. Peace, love, and Rebloom, dear friends.