Life Beyond the TV Industry - My Retirement Journey

Reflecting on a Year of Change:

It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since I retired from Pact and stepped away from the TV industry. Time has flown by, but as I reflect on the past year, I’m happy to see how seamlessly I’ve settled into a very different life in rural France.

Where I once found myself constantly travelling, working long hours, and losing sleep over things that now seem insignificant, I’ve embraced a different pace of life. It’s given me the space to truly appreciate the privilege of my career and the wonderful experiences I was fortunate enough to have.

I'm confident I left the industry at the right time—when I was still passionate about it and the incredible people I worked with. Throughout my career, I met many who had grown disillusioned, bitter even, often expressing how much they disliked their work the TV industry. I used to wonder, "Why don’t you just leave then?"

Now that I’ve made the move myself, I understand the fear that often holds people back from making such big decisions. It’s not easy to step away from something so familiar, but looking back, I’m grateful I did it on my own terms, while I was still in love with the industry.

I still vividly remember that last day—handing over my keys, cards, and laptop, feeling a mix of tears and exhilaration. "That’s it," I thought. No more monthly salary, no more financial security. It was a strange and emotional moment.

As I boarded the Eurostar and began my journey back to rural France, the reality of starting this new chapter in my life set in. It was a leap into the unknown, but one that felt right.

The past year has been nothing short of life-changing. We purchased a six-bedroom, 300 hundred year old farmhouse with two additional two-bedroom cottages, barns and surrounded by land and woodland. My husband had already taken on the renovation largely by himself while I was commuting between the UK and France during my final months before retirement (31 October 2023).

But once I was fully available, it was boots on the ground! I joined him in the renovations and helped clear the woodland. It's been a hands-on, rewarding experience that’s transformed both our home and our lives.

So, it felt only fitting that for my birthday gift that year I received a pink wheelbarrow (of course!) and a small chainsaw. Along with the lovely wellies I’d received as a parting gift from Pact and an old jacket left behind in the house, I was fully equipped for my new life outdoors. I spent months working outside, helping to clear the overgrown land that had been left wild for decades.

It’s been hard work but incredibly fulfilling—definitely a far cry from my old life, but one I’ve come to love.

Each night, I ached as my body adjusted from a sedentary job to one that had me using every muscle for 10 hours a day. Rain or shine, we were outside chopping, cutting, and clearing—pushing ourselves to meet a deadline. We had to prepare one section of the land in time for the arrival of our alpacas in March.

The physical work was intense, but with a clear goal in mind, it became a labour of love. Each day brought us closer to creating the life we had envisioned.

As my muscles strengthened and my stamina improved, suddenly March arrived, and we found ourselves driving five hours south to pick up our seven baby alpacas. At around six months old, they had just been weaned from their mothers. Though we had visited them several times in their early months, as we heaved them into the back of the truck the reality of suddenly becoming responsible "parents" again felt both exciting and a little daunting!

Once the boys arrived, I continued working on the land, but now with the added responsibility of alpaca care—cleaning up their endless piles of poo, feeding them, and training them. All of this was in preparation for launching our alpaca experiences for the public and tourists.

It’s been a busy, hands-on transition, and, as is typical in France, it also comes with navigating an abundance of paperwork and administrative tasks required for our new life. Despite the challenges, we know all the effort will be incredibly rewarding as we work towards sharing this new adventure with others.

While I focused on the alpacas and the land, my husband continued working inside the house, or on the roof, preparing to open our bed and breakfast (chambre d’h?te) later in the summer. He knocked down walls, replaced old fixtures, and created new bathrooms. I helped with the heavy labour when needed, but my favourite part was adding the finishing touches once the rooms were complete—getting to decorate and make everything feel cozy and inviting.

By the end of August, we managed to get one of our rooms ready, and it quickly became booked most nights. We also launched a range of activities with the alpacas, offering walks, meet-and-greets, feeding sessions, and even afternoon teas—all of which kept us busy.

And just like that, a new semi-retirement career was born! It now involved everything from room changeovers, endless ironing of sheets and now picking up even more poo as the alpacas grew bigger.

On the subject of alpaca poo, it seemed wasteful to simply discard it, especially since farmers often call it “black gold.” So, I decided to turn it into another revenue stream. I started making alpaca fire briquettes and grinding dried poo pellets to create fertiliser, all neatly packaged under our Nana Mac Alpaca brand.? I even roped in friends and neighbours to help out - terming it a girlie bonding session - beats morning coffee sessions!

To our surprise, in the first few weeks of opening our alpaca experiences, nearly every visitor walked away with several bags of alpaca poo. Before we knew it, we had sold a few hundred bags! So, when I do have downtime, you’ll often find me squeezing out fire briquettes or grinding poop into little bags. It’s all part of the fun of our unique and sustainable adventure!

I have so many ideas for expanding our alpaca experiences. I’ve already started reaching out to local artisans to explore collaborations, from hosting yoga sessions to offering art and craft workshops, training and mindfulness experiences. And then there’s the alpaca fibre—I’m excited to begin creating beautiful alpaca garments. In fact, I’m taking my first knitting class next week!

When I told people I was retiring to rural France, many wondered if I would be bored or lonely. It’s turned out to be quite the opposite! There’s always something to do—plenty of events, fêtes, and the weekly brocantes (flea markets). And as I’ve discovered, the French truly love to dance, so many activities end with music and lively gatherings.

Our social life has never been busier. We’ve met so many wonderful people and have built a great circle of friends, with regular apéros and dinner invites keeping our calendar full. Life here is anything but quiet!

All in all, my first year of retirement from the TV world and life in rural France has been a wonderfully life-changing experience. I feel more active, energised, and calmer than I have in years. But this is just the beginning of this new chapter, and I’m excited to see what year two of retirement will bring!

Oh, and I almost forgot to share—we discovered truffles on our land and managed to harvest an impressive 3kg this year! There’s just so much to talk about, but I’ll save some stories for later. In my next post, I’ll introduce you to my seven boys. Each one has their own quirky little personality, and I can’t wait to share more about them.

So for now, goodbye—or as we say in France, au revoir!

Check out Nana Mac Chambre D'h?tes on Booking.com! https://www.booking.com/Share-VPkjLc