It was 2014- my girls, ages 9 and 10 at the time, and I decided we wanted to learn to speak French, and what better way than in France. I found a magnificent home to let in the French countryside– ahem, a 16th century home in Sancerre, France–AND, it was dirt cheap. I was anxiously suspect of the accommodations of the rustic abode, given the low rental price. My last experience in the charming French landscape left me with a painfully strained oblique muscle, thanks to a diminutive bathroom in a French hotel–all 5’11 of me didn’t properly fit in the petite WC relegated to me.
I digress– the place in Sancerre turned out to be amazing! Located in the vineyards of the Loire Valley’s wine country, only 2 hours south of Paris, the winding medieval streets and charming homes of the hilltop town had a fairy tale quality, castle and all. Prior to becoming a vacation rental, the château had been the home of the “Connetable,” AKA Sancerre’s sheriff.
By design, our new home-away-from-home abutted a school for foreigners interested in French culture emersion- my newest foray in high achieving mommy-dom. Our days in Sancerre found us attending classes as a family for four hours a day, five days a week. It was intense! In our spare time as we explored the region, and we fell in love with goats by route of Croque Monsieur, made with farm fresh chevre cheese. Inspired by our newly absorbed French culture, we visited dairy farms throughout Sancerre and the French countryside, followed by the same pursuit once we returned to our stateside in Colorado and South Carolina…we were on a Perfect Day path. Spoiler alert- while these paths often have unintended consequences, if rooted in intentional Perfect Day values (those specific to YOU), disappointments or regrets are NEVER a final outcome. NEVER. The unintended consequences are always a “cherry on top.” As for the intended consequences–with two girls obsessed with chevre and adorable 4-legged animals, it dawned on me that this was the perfect platform for educating my girls on pre-pubescent reproductive happenings, farm-hand work ethic and discipline, and the value of sustainable farm to table living. Many facets, right!? Fast forward to today, the unintended consequence I am most grateful for is that of my father and I working together on our growing goat herd and cultivating our Grade A Dairy/Raw Milk “enterprise.” HA! It feels more like a goat birthing center with a grab-and-go kitchen offering milk sales than a “big-girl” enterprise. While neither of our now college attending girls developed a strong affinity for goats, my eldest is pre-vet at Colorado State University and they both still love chevre.
Now, an empty nester, Daddy and I are the chief goat farmers, with my oldest running the herd in the summer. This summer, that offered me the time to ideate and renovate our back barn on the property into what I see as a “Perfect Day” venue. A dream of mine for sometime. “What will be our first venue?” I pondered—
When I took the time to answer that question for myself, it became clear that I wanted the kick-off event to be female-centric. Another back-story; in 2021 it was imperative that I organize my estate and educate my girls on what might be in store for them, should something happen to me. Morbid, but responsible, especially as I was headed up Mt. Everest. In those conversations, the girls told me they always wanted to have the farm. They did NOT want it sold. THIS is what made me focus on what was morphing into a female-centric back-barn “Perfect Day” kick off event. It’s COMING!
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JOIN US! Reserve your spot TODAY. Space is limited. to 30 attendees.
Who Controls Capital Matters: Investing In Women
Sunday, November 12, 2023
The Barn at Bedaw Farms 3-5 PM
Enjoy the beauty and bounty of locally sourced, fresh ingredients while inspiring individuals to embrace female led, extraordinary impact investing strategies, locally and beyond. This “Perfect Day” event will host esteemed guest Kate Nevin, President and Portfolio Manager of TSWS. Through her enterprise, TSWS, Kate has a powerful and innovative approach to investing in diversity with a total impact solution of increasing assets under management with women-led teams.
If you can’t join us, keep an eye out for more Perfect Day events, and in the meanwhile, anticipate great things with unintended consequences on your Perfect Day path.
About The Author: Cokie Berenyi
Cokie Berenyi has been in financial services and serving the needs of individual and institutional clients and entrepreneurs since 1996. Mother, author, business owner, financial “samurai” and Perfect Day engineer, Cokie loves food, wine, travel, stray dogs, goat cheese, tennis, and alpine mountaineering.
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