Our Story

September 2023 Chantal Clarke founded a Facebook group, named ‘Empty Nester Women Looking to Relocate’. It appealed to women left in an empty nest, discarded by their children, at a dead end in their careers (and possibly marriages), and who were desperate to jump off the hamster wheel while they were still able to kick up heels. Within the group, members discuss everything from the realities of relocating overseas, to coping with the grief of your children going their own way, and what it takes to rise from the ashes and rebuild.

January 2024 From small beginnings grew big dreams and in January, Chantal opened the first ‘Marigold Concept Hotel’. Located in Krabi, (Thailand), the property is a wellness resort, that agreed to offer members of the group a significant discount for long-stays. As the bookings flooded in and the Thai pop-up community thrived, the group began asking if Chantal would open more concept hotels. It became apparent that long-stay rentals of villas and apartotels might provide a ready solution to the housing shortage many women were struggling with and - if additional ‘Marigolds’ could be created in countries where the cost of living was less, then it might be an attractive retirement option.

March 2024 The group had grown rapidly and become an online community where 18,000 like-minded women shared their stories, supported one another, and celebrated finally being seen and heard. The group crowd-funded Chantal and fellow-Kiwi Keela, as they set off on a 4-month journey in search of suitable hotel partners in welcoming communities. They started in Bali, before travelling to the Philippines, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Italy, France, and then the United Kingdom. What they discovered was that the information provided by relocation magazines and websites, seldom resembled the truth on the ground. Statistics also presented an inaccurate picture, due to their innately retrospective nature.

April 2024 While many may see such a journey to be exciting, for Chantal and Keela, it was work. They often worked 12-18-hour days, and only infrequently took a day off to see the sights. Their mandate was clear, the budget tiny, and urgency to find solutions evident when reading daily posts from women in the group. It soon became apparent that the task at-hand would require greater resources than Chantal and Keela alone. So they invited members of the Empty Nester Facebook group to meet them in Portugal, if they were interested in helping develop a strategy and plan. From that event, a selection of attendees were invited to serve on an Advisory Panel to help guide and inform future direction.

May 2024 The application to establish non-profit Bhendi Women Inc is approved. (Bhendi being the Sanskrit word for Marigold seedlings). Application to register as a 501c (3) approved on 20 May, and Bhendi Women Inc gains tax deductible status for US tax residents. This elevates Bhendi Women Inc to the highest level of audited transparency, as required under Federal law.

August 2024 Media entity TML Media Inc was registered as a C-Corp in Wyoming. The Marigold Lifestyle is an online magazine that gives women aged 50 years plus, media visibility and voice. Readers of The Marigold Lifestyle will find that user-generated content comprises a large portion of our stories. Comments from the Facebook group have been integrated into articles to ensure their sentiments are heard.

September 2024 Our first online travel workshop launched in mid-September, days before the release of The Marigold Lifestyle online magazine. On 19 September, The Facebook group Empty Nester Women looking to Relocate, turned one year old.

Thank you for your participation, support and encouragement throughout it all.

October 2024 We released Marigold Algarve (Portugal) to members, and then offered a Hoi An (Vietnam) one-month experience.

November 2024 We released Marigold Dordogne (France), and renamed our Facebook group “The Marigold Experience’ . It was formerly called 'Empty Nester Women Looking to Relocate'.

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