The Energetics of Entry

Owning a château has forced me to think deeply about the nature of value and exchange. In the early days, we often said yes when people wanted to drop by — visitors curious to see the place, sometimes passing through. But it wasn’t only visitors; there were also customers interested in different models — bed-and-breakfast stays, photoshoots, short rentals. Even when the financial exchange felt “correct” on paper, even when we offset their stay to support the building, something often still felt off. At the end of these encounters, I was left not uplifted but drained.

We noticed a pattern: when people came with interest only in the building itself — to look, to consume, to take a piece of the atmosphere without giving anything of themselves — that was when we felt used, tired, and empty. The balance was missing.

This is where the idea of energetic exchange began to take shape for me — the realization that not every entry carries the same energy, and that sustainability is measured not only in revenue but in resonance.

Across the world, we see stunning sites — Venice, Machu Picchu, Mont-Saint-Michel — struggling under the weight of unsustainable tourism. Masses arrive, consume, and depart, leaving erosion, damage, and local communities overwhelmed. This is the shadow of “value exchange” when it is transactional, not relational.

Tourism scholars call this a crisis of sustainable tourism: how to protect cultural and natural heritage while still opening it to the world. Increasingly, one solution has emerged — creative tourism. Unlike traditional tourism, creative tourism invites people not only to look but to do. To create, to connect, to collaborate with local culture. To contribute something of themselves, rather than simply consume what exists.

This has become a guiding principle at Château de Puy Vidal. We don’t just want guests to come and go. We invite them to participate — in fantasy, in art-making, in collective rituals, in self-discovery. We ask for vulnerability, generosity, respect. In return, we give beauty, care, guidance, and the rare permission to inhabit a landscape where imagination and growth are safe.

For me, this is the evolving idea of energetic exchange. Every person who comes here adds to or takes from the energy of the place. Our responsibility as founders is to safeguard that balance — to ensure that what flows in and out sustains not just the château, but the community it holds, and the guests themselves.

Which is why we speak of a contract. Not a legal one, but an energetic one. A set of shared agreements that allow this place to remain generative, nourishing, alive.

Sustainability is measured not only in revenue but in resonance.

The Contract of Entry

At Puy Vidal, the gates do not simply open for everyone. To step onto these grounds is to step into a contract — one not written in ink, but in imagination, discovery, and trust.

You may enter if you are willing to:

• Participate in the fantasy.

• Surrender into discovery.

The currency of this place is not money, nor status, nor perfection. Here, the exchange is:

• Collective fantasy landscapes.

• Personal challenge and growth.

• Vulnerability.

• Generosity.

• Interest and openess to in the community who live and work here.

• Curiosity about others.

• Respect for every person’s journey.

We hold space for a very particular kind of person: someone ready to step into their own fantasy landscape, to join a community with shared aspirations and values, and to risk self-evaluation, self-discovery, and self-expression. In this, we offer not only a physical place where such magic is possible — but a psychological one we hope guests will carry with them into the future.

Why We Built This

As founders of Lady of the Château, we came to Puy Vidal to create a space of fantasy and self-work. We are only living our dreams when there is an active community of people who are also participating, risking, and finding value in this place.

We wear many hats — château owners, business founders, property managers, set decorators, logistical coordinators, retreat leaders, and guides. We do so on purpose. We want to break through the old grooves of how things are done in historic properties. We want to cut through inherited boundaries around work, class, and belonging.

Our aim is to create new lines, new rules, and new operating systems that uphold our values:

• Self-discovery.

• Shared magic.

• Authenticity.

• Power in community.

• Beauty and care.

• Challenge and trust.

• Fear and growth.

When guests arrive not only to see the château, but to participate fully — to bring openness, imagination, and a willingness to enter the collective fantasy — the exchange feels entirely different. Those are the moments that uplift us, sustain the building, and nourish the community all at once. That is the essence of energetic exchange: when everyone leaves not depleted, but expanded.

This experiment of living has demanded growth from us, too. We’ve submitted ourselves to challenge, and our learnings have become part of the culture we share with every guest.

We are only living our dreams when there is an active community of people who are also participating, risking, and finding value in this place.

The Terms of Entry

Only your true self is welcome at these gates.

You may step through if you are prepared to:

• Join a collective fantasy landscape — and also the tender, imaginative landscape of your inner child.

• Surrender to self-discovery.

• Accept yourself.

• Accept others.

At Puy Vidal, we run on a different kind of energy exchange.

This is our contract.

Why the Inner Child Matters

The invitation to meet your inner child is not whimsical — it is essential. The inner child is where imagination lives, where play feels natural, and where vulnerability still carries wonder instead of shame. For artists, this is the wellspring of creativity. For every guest, it is the part of the self most capable of discovery, risk, and joy. By stepping into both the collective fantasy landscape and your own childlike one, you reclaim a kind of freedom — the freedom to create, to dream, and to be witnessed in your most authentic expression.

The inner child is where imagination lives, where play feels natural, and where vulnerability still carries wonder instead of shame.

The Power of Invitations

This is why, in our work at Lady of the Château, we speak of invitations rather than instructions. Magic cannot be forced. It arises only when people accept the invitation to participate fully, to risk vulnerability, and to share themselves in the collective space.

The collective fantasy landscape is more than an aesthetic backdrop — it is a mirror of each artist’s internal world. Every participant is asked to bring forward their fantasies, visions, desires, and movements, while also making space for those around them. This process demands presence, courage, and generosity. It is this dynamic we silently shape, encourage, and guide over the course of the week — an invisible architecture of trust that allows individual expression and collective magic to coexist.

Beyond the Château: Energetic Exchange in Life and Leadership

The idea of energetic exchange doesn’t just apply to a château or a business — it applies to life. As founders, business owners, and individuals, we are constantly faced with appointments, requests, and demands on our time. Too often we measure these choices only in financial or practical terms, but rarely in energetic ones.

What does this exchange do to you? Does it leave you inspired, expanded, connected — or drained, diminished, and resentful?

Learning to weigh not just the cost, but the energetic impact of each commitment is a form of holistic leadership and self-care. It’s time and energy management at its deepest level. By practicing discernment — accepting what aligns, declining what depletes — we protect our ability to create, to lead, and to serve sustainably.

🌱 My Practice: Energetic Exchange in Daily Life

I’ve learned (often the hard way) that not every opportunity deserves a “yes.” In fact, most deserve a "no", and "no" has become my default answer. Before I commit to something, I pause and ask myself:

1. Does this energize me or deplete me?
   I check in with my body — do I feel lit up, or weighed down?

2. Is the exchange equitable?
   Will we both walk away nourished — with inspiration, connection, learning, or care?

3. Does this align with my deeper purpose?
   Even if it stretches me, does it move me closer to who I want to be and the life I want to create?

If the answer is yes to all three, I know it’s worth my energy. If not, I give myself permission to decline — and protect space for the things (and people) that truly matter.

Closing Note

When these landscapes flourish — when each participant allows themselves to surrender, to trust, to participate, to create — a wellspring of energy begins to grow. It starts resonating through the entire group, the instructor, the staff, our team, and our family. By the end of the week, we all feel changed. We all leave believing just a little bit more in the beauty of humanity. We leave believing in our best selves. We leave feeling like we belong. We leave feeling that this is how life is meant to be.