I’ll be honest. I don’t always make space for chatting to people just because.
Between learning French, being a mum to three kids under-8, walking the dog, running a paid newsletter squad, working on supportive income streams, taking time to train and upskill. Breath. Chatting to other people can slip right down the list.
Four years ago, I was renting a house in rural France, wondering whether it was possible to run a UK-based, self-employed business from France.
I posted a question inside the DIFTK community: Is anyone else trying to do this?
She didn’t reply with advice or strategy. She suggested a virtual coffee.
At the time, she was in the middle of converting her land into what would later become Rêve Retreat, while navigating many of the same questions I was asking myself.
When Gemma eventually opened her co-working retreats, I was there like a rat up a drainpipe.
What she and her partner Jammer had created felt genuinely clever. I didn’t know anyone else doing it.
So many of us who are self-employed can’t entirely switch off from work on a holiday.
We don’t need whole days; we need a few hours, the option to work if needed, and sometimes a bit of childcare so we can think.
The co-working retreats turned out to be a brilliant way to meet other parents at a similar stage. Not everyone was self-employed. Some wanted to be, and used the free daily childcare to daydream about future projects.
During my first stay, somewhere between working, lying by the pool with a good book, and stuffing my face at the lunchtime smorgasbord, Gemma found me and checked in on how I was finding the permanent move to France.
I told her I was struggling to settle into my working life here fully. That I missed the opportunities and creative energy of London, but that I was also daring to dream more in France.
I talked about wanting to write more. To teach. To run workshops. But I hadn’t yet found the space to do that here. My French wasn’t good enough, and it felt like a blocker.
Gemma listened, then sowed a seed:
“Well, we’ve actually been looking for someone to host creative writing workshops here, if that is something you would like to do?”
What I underestimated is how rare and valuable it is to find collaborators who are genuinely on the same page.
Jammer, who cooks for guests and built the cabins himself, has a way of making people feel instantly at ease.
He’ll casually share where something came from or how it was made. We also happen to share a birthday, which feels oddly fitting given how aligned this work has become.
The whole venue is shaped by care and attention, with cosy nooks to hide away in.
Gemma has also picked up a miniature farm of dogs, cats, horses, pigs, chickens and goats along the way, who’ve become an unofficial welcome committee.
That first virtual coffee, with another midlife relocator, with young kids, learning French, and figuring out new income streams, changed the shape of my work because it helped me partner with people who get it.
So your hype prompt to see out the year:
Who could I have a virtual coffee with in 2026 just because?
Because they might be navigating something similar. And because sometimes, that’s how the shape of your work changes.
A small aside
The magic of my creative writing retreats doesn’t come from me alone. It’s shaped just as much by Gemma and Jammer’s energy, the delicious home-cooked meals, and the beautiful space they’ve built at Rêve.
There are four cabins left for September 2026. A £250 holding deposit secures your place — we’d love to see you there.
👀 Annual FREE PDF of calendar dates: Watch your email. My signature freebie resource will be dropping January 4th 📆 Q1 is for pitching: Live class schedule & resources plan will be winging your way soon 📣 Directory for December: A few are expiring December 31st. Make sure you check them here.
Over to you
Want me to set you up on a virtual coffee with another paid Hype reader? Fill out this form by January 16th, and I’ll personally put together some matching pairings.
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