Chateau de Borie, Agen, France

Cultivating Wealth & Creativity
in the South of France

Saturday, October 19th - Saturday, October 26th, 2024

Limited to 10 participants

Unlock Your Financial Potential Amidst Art, Culture & Culinary Delights

Embark on a transformative journey at the enchanting Château de Borie, where you’ll discover the keys to financial success while immersing yourself in the captivating beauty of the French countryside.

Experience the magic that is Chateau de Borie.

Imagine yourself in a world away, surrounded by lush forests, cradled within the protective hug of a limestone cliff face, as morning doves coo and birds twitter. Step into the chateau’s bright, sunny rooms, where you’ll be greeted by the laughter and excitement of like-minded individuals gathering to share meals, wine, stories, and creativity.

At our exclusive “Cultivating Wealth and Creativity in the Heart of France” retreat, you’ll have the unique opportunity to steep yourself in these gorgeous surroundings while learning the secrets to wealth creation from 4+ decades financial expert, Debra L. Morrison.

This Retreat is for you

If you’re ready to learn the secrets to creating holistic wealth, and revel in the company of newfound friends. Together, you’ll embrace yoga, savor exquisite flavors, and marvel at the wonders of your surroundings; you’ll embody the enchantment that is Chateau de Borie.
What You’ll Experience

This meticulously crafted 7-day retreat features:

Wealth Creation Workshops:

Discover fun & empowering principles using engaging exercises and journals to identify and overcome past financial barriers. Drawing on Debra’s 4+ decades’ experience, we’ll strategize how best to align finances with goals, and welcome in new resolve to claim and achieve financial freedom.

Culinary Experiences:

Indulge in the gourmet French meals prepared by top chefs and delight in wine tasting sessions featuring the finest local vineyards AND, get hands on experience in a Cooking Class, exploring traditional French recipes.

Art and Creativity:

Unleash your creativity through collaborative art projects and writing workshops, exploring your personal stories and legacy guided by a renowned artist and Best Selling author, our host, Abigail Carter.

Wellness and Relaxation:

Unwind with morning yoga and meditation in the serene chateau gardens, spa treatments, and leisure activities for ultimate relaxation. Ample opportunity to explore, shop or enjoy a massage (additional cost).

Cultural Excursions:

Embark on cultural excursions to nearby historical sites, charming French villages, and local markets.

Free Time

Ample free time to write, explore, shop, and connect with fellow participants.

The Benefits You'll Gain:

  • A clear roadmap to financial success and wealth creation. You’ll increase your financial confidence, empowering you to take control of your wealth
  • Renewed inspiration and motivation from artistic and cultural experiences
  • Lasting friendships with a supportive network of like-minded women
  • A rejuvenated mind, body, and soul after a luxurious escape
  • Cherished memories and personal growth that will last a lifetime

The Goal of the Retreat

Our objective for the retreat is to provide a magical French Chateau experience that includes learning, food, wine, travel, free time, new friends, dancing, music, yoga, and connections to French culture and people. Participants will leave the retreat not only with enhanced financial skills and a clear vision for their future wealth but also enriched by the cultural and artistic experiences that will inspire and motivate them long after they return home.

Who Should Attend?

This retreat is ideal for mature women who are ready to take control of their financial future, reveling with friends old and new, in the luxurious and culturally enriching French countryside; the perfect blend of education, relaxation, inspiration, and FUN!

The Venue

Chateau de Borie

Chateau de Borie is located in Pont-du-Casse, just a five minute drive from Agen, located between Toulouse and Bordeaux in an area renown for it’s fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly its dried prunes. The area is a little off the beaten path for many tourists, but boasts beautiful countryside, proximity to two splendid wine regions, historic “Bastide” villages and incredibly fresh local food.

Agen and environs

Chateau de Borie

The town of Agen is equidistant between Toulouse and Bordeaux and boasts a TGV train station, making it a 3-hour journey from Paris or a 1-hour journey from either Toulouse or Bordeaux. The town is fairly substantial with a population of 35,000 and has a wide array of shops, restaurants, bars, weekly markets and annual festivals. There is also a wonderful Art Museum and an Opera House, as well as several cathedrals, one of which has an intricately painted interior.

The surrounding countryside is known for its orchards and fruit growing, particularly its prunes, which you can find in all forms – stuffed, soaked in alcohol, or made into aperitifs.

The surrounding countryside is beautiful and dotted with many “Bastide” towns – fortified, medieval towns often built atop hillsides with a templated grid pattern (developed by the brother of one of the kings of France) with a main town square, surrounded by a covered gallery housing shops and restaurants.

What's included

What’s Included

  • 7 nights accommodation in your own private room
  • Creating Intentional Wealth Workshops with Debra L. Morrison, CFP®
  • Writing Workshops with Chateau owner Abigail Carter
  • Pick up/drop off at Agen train station
  • All meals and wine except for lunches during excursions
  • Exquisite dinner at a restaurant near the Chateau de Borie
  • Farmers Market visit and hands on cooking class
  • Entry fees for all excursions
  • Transportation to/from all excursions
  • Yoga classes appropriate for all skill levels

What’s NOT Included

  • Airfare, train fare
  • Meals outside the Chateau except for the restaurant dinner
  • Massage (optional)

Excursions

Chateau Ladausse & Cooking Demo

We will visit Chateau Ladausse, a stunning chateau near Monflaquin where we will partake in a cooking class taught by Diane Anthon, the proprietor of Chateau Ladausse and a professional chef hailing from Chicago. We will prepare our own lunch and learn a little about the wines of the area from Diane’s husband Eric who is a font of knowledge on both wines and the local region. After lunch, we will explore the nearby medieval town of Montflaquin.

Sommelier Visit

Learn about and taste local wines from the passionate sommelier, Stephan who will come to Chateau de Borie bearing some wonderful wines of all types from a variety of areas including Cahors, Bordeaux, and other places you may not have heard of yet.

Local Market

Join us on an unforgettable culinary adventure with our esteemed chef. We’ll explore the vibrant Agen farmer’s market, handpicking fresh produce alongside our chef. Later, back at Chateau de Borie, our chef will guide us through an immersive cooking workshop, crafting our evening feast. We’ll gladly cater to all dietary needs and preferences.

An afternoon in Agen

Agen is an easily accessible town that has an excellent art museum, opera house, two cathedrals, and lots of shopping along a pedestrian-only boulevard. After a visit to the local farmer’s market (see above), Abby will take you on a walking tour of Agen and afterward, you will have some free time to grab lunch and wander on your own.

Dinner in a local restaurant

There will be a dinner at a nearby restaurant specializing in French cuisine with particular emphasis on farm-to-table and local specialties.

Your Retreat Experts

DEBRA L. MORRISON

Debra L. Morrison practiced as a 45-year seasoned CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Asset Manager, an Accredited Estate Planner with her Masters in Retirement Planning, and a Certified Grief Coach; you’re in experienced hands.

After she sold her company, Empowered Retirement, Inc. in 2020, she founded Women Navigating Finances, leveraging her rich wisdom gleaned over 4+ decades , and channeling it now as a Financial & Leadership Coach for mature women, upleveling their financial confidence while providing them with strategic wealth creation strategies.

Debra’s unswerving empathy provides the safe space into which women can share whatever money stories, money missteps or fears that may have thwarted the financial security they richly deserve. And her quick wit & use of everyday analogies is refreshingly welcoming for all women to belly-up to the financial tables of life, and WIN!

Debra’s passionate about expanding our definition of wealth from that of simply greenbacks to also include intentional focus on our physicality, our mental well being, our spirituality and our relationality, in order for us to thrive as wholistic beings, financially free.

ABIGAIL CARTER

The owner of Chateau de Borie, Abigail Carter is a published author, artist and website designer. Her memoir, The Alchemy of Loss: A Young Widow’s Transformation was published in 2008, a cathartic expression after the death of her husband, Arron in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Her second book, Remember the Moon, a novel, was published in 2014 and is also based on themes of grief and loss.

After a difficult breakup in 2017, Abby returned to painting after a thirty-year hiatus, re-discovering another outlet for her renewed grief and self-discovery.

During the pandemic, Abby became obsessed with the idea of owning a chateau in France that could be used as a retreat center and managed to see the dream come to fruition in 2022 with the purchase of Chateau de Borie.

Accommodations

Except for three bedrooms that contain two beds, all bedrooms are private. Two bedrooms have a private ensuite bathroom. All other rooms have a private bathroom down the hall. You will have access to all amenities: a large, shared living room, kitchen and dining room, garden, and terraces, with reading nooks and seating, and a wooded trail. There is WiFi throughout the Chateau, and laundry services are available.

Cygne Room

The total cost of the room is $4,300

Deposit – $1,200

The largest room available, Cygne’s second-floor southern exposure ensures it is bright and sunny all day long. Equipped with a queen-sized bed, a single bed, a mirrored armoire, and a dresser, this room has all the comforts. It has a private bathroom down the hall with a sink, shower, toilet, and a view of the garden.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $3,100 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

The cost for an extra person is $2,800 for the week which will be included in the room’s balance payment.

Rossignol Room

The total cost of the room is $4,300

Deposit – $1,200

The only bedroom on the second floor with an ensuite, Rossignol (Nightingale) is a sunny room with a small desk chair, and a closet. Its “almost” ensuite sink and toilet are located just outside the door and it has a shower room down the hall. It benefits from a southern exposure so the room is bright and airy and has a view of the environs, the pools, and the grottos.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $3,100 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

Lapin Room
- SOLD OUT

The total cost of the room is $4,100

Deposit – $1,200

Lapin (Rabbit) is a lovely southern exposure room on the third floor with two “oeil de boeuf” (port-hole windows) and exposed beams. It has two double beds and so can be easily shared. It is accompanied by a full private bathroom down the hall. A great room for two friends who might like to come together.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $2,900 to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

The cost for an extra person is $2,800 for the week which will be included in the room’s balance payment.

Colibri Room
- SOLD OUT

The total cost of the room is $3,997

Deposit – $1,200

Located on the 3rd floor, Colibri (Hummingbird) is a lovely southern exposure room with two “oeil de boeuf” (port-hole windows) and exposed beams. It has a lovely, comfortable double bed and a large, full private bathroom down the hall.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $2,797 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

Jasmin Room

The total cost of the room is $4,200

Deposit – $1,200

Jasmin is similar to Magnolia with its skylight with a remote-controlled blind and a floor-level window. It has a comfortable double bed, an armoire and is the only 3rd-floor bedroom with a full ensuite bathroom.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $3,000 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

Renard Room
- SOLD OUT

The total cost of the room is $3,997

Deposit – $1,200

Renard (Fox) is a lovely southern exposure room on the third floor with one “oeil de boeuf” (port-hole window) and exposed beams. It has a lovely, comfortable double bed and a full private bathroom down the hall.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $2,797 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

Etoile Room

The total cost of the room is $4,300

Deposit – $1,200

Almost as large as Cygne, Etoile (Star) also benefits from its second floor, southern exposure, and panoramic views, ensuring it is bright and sunny all day long. Equipped with a large double bed, a writing desk, and a dresser, this room has all the comforts and has a private bathroom down the hall equipped with a shower, sink, and toilet.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $3,100 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

Paon Room

The total cost of the room is $3,997

Deposit – $1,200

Paon is a lovely southern exposure room on the third floor with one “oeil de boeuf” (port-hole window) and exposed beams. It has a comfortable double bed, plus a single bed, and a full private bathroom down the hall. This room would be suitable for two people sharing a room.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $2,797 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

The cost for an extra person is $2800 for the week which will be included in the room’s balance payment.

Chouette Room
- SOLD OUT

The total cost of the room is $3,997

Deposit – $1,200

Chouette (Owl) is a lovely southern exposure room on the third floor with one “oeil de boeuf” (bull’s eye window) and exposed beams. It has a lovely, comfortable double bed and a full private bathroom down the hall.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $2,797 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

Magnolia Room
- SOLD OUT

The total cost of the room is $3,997

Deposit – $1,200

Magnolia is similar to Jasmin with its skylight with a remote-controlled blind and a floor-level window. It has a comfortable bed and a dresser, and a private bathroom down the hall equipped with a shower, sink, and toilet.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $2,797 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

Ginkgo Room

The total cost of the room is $4,200

Deposit – $1,200

Ginkgo benefits from its second floor location. Equipped with a large double bed and a dresser, this room has all the comforts and has a private bathroom down the hall equipped with a shower, sink, and toilet.

After the deposit of $1,200 is paid, the remaining balance of $3,000 is to be paid in full by August 1st, 2024.

Important Notes

The Chateau de Borie is multi-leveled, with no bedrooms on the ground floor. ​Good physical mobility is required for retreat, as the Chateau has one or two sets of stairwells depending on the room you choose, and we will be on foot on the cobbled streets around France. ​The physical ability to walk unassisted is necessary for this retreat.

Because of the proximity of the cliffs and the seven springs on the property, mosquitos are an issue between July and October. Bug spray is highly recommended.

Chloe, Abby’s Boston Terrier will be in attendance. She is very companionable, but if you have any issues with small dogs, you might want to consider this before booking.

Participants might want to consider arriving in France a day or two prior to the retreat to get acclimated. Toulouse is an enjoyable place to explore. Citiz Hotel in Toulouse is well situated a block from the train station and a block from the center of town and is reasonably priced.

Travel

Arrivals: Saturday, October 19th before 4 pm

Retreat/workshops: Saturday, October 19th – Saturday, October 26th, 2024

Departures: Saturday, October 26th before 12 pm.

Class participants are responsible for their own flights and travel to Agen. The closest international airports are Toulouse and Bordeaux, France. It is an hour’s train ride to Agen from both cities. You can also fly to Paris and take a 3-hour TGV train from Montparnasse station in Paris to Agen (via Bordeaux).

It is recommended that you purchase your train tickets ahead of time, as trains do fill up. We recommend using www.thetrainline.com or www.sncf-connect.com to book your connections.

You are welcome to rent a car at the airport, though we will be providing transportation for the various excursions, so unless you want to get out on your own, it is unnecessary.

We offer pick-ups and drop-offs between the Agen train station and Chateau de Borie.

NOTE: To arrive at the villa on Saturday, October 19th requires a flight departure from North America on Friday, October 18th.

More details on Retreat Logistics and Travel

Refund Policy

The #1200 deposit is non-refundable after August 1st, 2024.

All rooms are to be paid for in full by August 1st, 2024.

If you need to cancel after August 1st, 2024 we will offer your spot to people on the waiting list and refund 100% of your payment, minus the deposit, if we are able to fill your spot.

If we cannot fill your spot, we will refund 50% of your payment (minus the deposit) or you can transfer your paid fees to another retreat offered within 12 months.

Participant expenses incurred in preparation for the trip (e.g., non-refundable purchased airline tickets) are not the responsibility of the retreat organizers. It is recommended that you obtain medical/trip cancellation insurance for this reason.