I Quit Tech to Renovate a French Château and Build a New Career in Hospitality

In a recent podcast episode, Zoë Schofield sat down with Annelies Kleyweg. She is the owner and "gites executive officer" of Le Moulin de Clapier. It is a stunning mansion in the beautiful Dordogne area of France. Annelies decided to pursue her dream career. She left her corporate management and leadership roles. She pursued her dream of running a hospitality business. Now, she’s focused on this new venture in the French countryside.

Annelies's journey is a testament to the power of following one's passion and finding the right career equation. Her story begins with a holiday in Canada, where she and her husband stayed at a gite and started fantasising about running their own. This sparked a desire for change, leading them to take a leap of faith during the COVID-19 pandemic. Annelies shares, "We said, if we don't do it now, we will never do it. And, so, we just packed up, sold our house, and went. Yeah, it's really strange, and everybody said we were crazy, but we said, well, you can't fail, right? If you don't make it, it's not a failure. At least we tried."