2022 Review

Is it just me, or did 2022 fly by? What an amazing first year this has been here at Camp Chateau. We formed the company in March and were handed the enormous ancient key to Chateau de Béduer on April 1st. It has been a whirlwind ever since!

Here are some lessons I learned in 2022….

Its ok to do the scary thing

In July, 2022 I left Varo Bank where I had been the CRO and Chief Impact Officer for three years and I made the decision to step away from my 25 year financial services career altogether - to take on the CEO role at Camp Chateau full time.? It was a scary decision. I am loving it.

Boring skills are super valuable

In 2022, I had a lot of administrative work to get done and I have on-boarded accountants, tax advisers, lawyers and architects in the Netherlands and France to make sure we have everything properly in place for camp next summer. My prior life as a lawyer and CRO has really helped me to stay calm in the face of complex bureaucracy and form filling! Who knew those skills could translate to such an enjoyable venture???Don't knock the unsexy skills, they are worth their weight in gold.

Authenticity matters

?I have so enjoyed meeting all of you and hearing your hopes and dreams for camp. It is a privilege to be working every day to make the reality of Camp Chateau as wonderful as we are all imagining.? I have had more authentic and open conversations in the last 6 months than in my entire career. I think it is because we love talking about our own experiences and hopes in a safe and vulnerable space.? And it is in those spaces that creativity and deep connections happen.

Don’t change, change the rules

I have found that while it is always important to keep growing and learning, we too often put on a mask so that we fit more comfortably into the environment we are in.? This crushes diversity and inclusion and is exhausting.? Instead, it is important for us all to be working to make space for people to be able to bring their whole and true selves into every situation.? We have built Camp Chateau on the principle that you are enough as you are, you are amazing as you are. We do not ask you to come to Camp Chateau to improve yourself.? We ask you to come to relax and be yourself and to allow yourself an opportunity to rejuvenate.?

Reach out to new people, (even when you don’t speak the language)

I spent time this year meeting with the local viticulture co-operative to talk about how we can plant a vineyard on our largest hillside at the Chateau. Those meetings were definitely the toughest test for my emerging french skills. We communicated mostly by smiling broadly (and using Google Translate). What I learned was that step one is to plant barley (l’orge) next autumn to ready the soil for the root stock. So that is what we will do and ‘Vin Chateau de Béduer’ is now in our future!??

I also really enjoyed getting to know (and love) our local Quercy region neighbors, many of whom speak no English. We have forged a wonderful relationship with the local mayor, local artists and storekeepers so that we can involve them in our camp sessions and support the local economy in the Célé valley. We are looking forward to sharing their wonderful products with our campers in the summer.? They have been welcoming and kind and in the meantime I am practicing my French every day (ok, almost every day).

Say Thank You

The biggest highlight for me this year by far, has been getting to know all of you, our Campers, our Founding Members and the Chateau Curious. Your enthusiasm and support has been energizing and growing our relationships and friendships has been so precious to me. Thank you. I cannot wait to see you all in person next summer!

A special thank you to our 58 Founding Members who joined the Camp Chateau founder team in 2022. Our Founding Members tell us that they are excited to invest in a women designed and owned company and that they are ready to invest in themselves. We are looking forward to seeing them every summer at camp and to forming new traditions and refining the camp experience together every year. We do have room for more Founding Members if you would like to join us.

Thank you to our two wonderful full time staff members, Tegwen Evans (Camp Director) and Vincent Labarthe (Grounds Manager) - they are both amazing and we love them!

A special thank you to Sharon McGinty (Founding Member) and Jeff McEldowney (Ally and Friend) for volunteering to spend time at Chateau de Béduer in the summer of 2022 to make sure everything was safe and sound while we hired and on-boarded our team. You rock!

If you are hoping to join us all at Camp next summer, remember, you only need to pay the 10% deposit now to hold a place for yourself or for your group of friends. We are all so excited to meet you!

?Cordialement and bonne année!

Philippa Girling