Self-Made Expats with Lucy Jeon

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Gabriela Encina, a psychologist for expats and internationals, who helps people navigate the emotional and psychological challenges of living abroad.Gabriela walks us through the 4 chapters of expat life that so many of us quietly experience, and whether you’re in your first year abroad or ten years in, you’ll likely recognize yourself in one of these stages. If you're going through any of these emotions, be sure to know that you're not alone. 💛If you want to hear more about Gabriela's expat journey, be sure to listen to the Season 1 Episode 31! She shared her journey from Chile 🇨🇱 to Austria 🇦🇹 and now Spain 🇪🇸 and brings fresh insights to help expats name their challenges, embrace change, and move forward with confidence.🎧 Enjoy :)⏰ Time Stamps00:00  Meet Gabriela02:02 The Honeymoon Phase of Expat Life06:00 Emotional Preparation for Moving Abroad09:33 Navigating Cultural Differences at Work22:27  Is This the Right Country for Me?32:36 Adapting and Settling In37:57 Deciding Between Staying or Moving Back45:35 Final Thoughts and Advice for Expats✨ Connect with Gabriela ✨WebsiteLinkedInInstagram🌎 Connect with Lucy 🌎WebsiteLinkedIn

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Sara, a purpose-driven leader in data analytics and digital transformation with 20+ years of experience spanning engineering, science, and organizational psychology to the table. Sara began her career in hydrogeology and has taken her across continents, industries, and roles - from completing her PhD in Hydrogeology/Groundwater transport modelling/Nanoscience and participating in mining projects in Australia, to a metro system in Hanoi and Doha, to her current role in data leadership in Copenhagen. Born in Iran, Sara shared powerful reflections on leaving her home country, navigating life, and the unplanned path that led her to where she is today. Throughout our conversation, she shared the challenges and beautiful things about starting over, the importance of a supportive partner, and why flexibility over rigidity has become her life mantra. 🎧 Tune in hear Sara's inspiring journey through career pivots, cross-cultural living, and embracing the unknown with curiosity and courage. ⏰ Time stamps 00:00 Meet Sarah: From Hydrogeology to Data Leadership 01:21 Sarah's Early Career and Transition to Engineering06:45 Sarah's Passion for Science and Engineering10:12 From Iran to Australia: Sarah's Journey32:27 Hanoi Metro Project Experience34:32 Move to Qatar41:28 Relocation to the UK and Glasgow Life44:17 Settling in Copenhagen45:30 The Importance of a Supportive Partner52:08 Life Mantra: Flexibility and Openness👉 Sara on LinkedIn👉 Lucy on LinkedIn

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Balneger, a Dutch expat 🇳🇱 who moved to South Korea 🇰🇷on a whim and ended up building an incredible life there over the past 9 years.What started as a last-minute university exchange turned into a decade-long adventure! Since arriving in Seoul, Mark has worn many hats - from working in marketing by day and bartending by night, to starring in over 20 movies and 15 commercials, and even launching his own startup with support from the Korean government. Now, he leads Study in Asia, an EdTech company, connecting international students with opportunities to study across Asia. It was such a candid and thoughtful conversation about life in South Korea as an expat, growth, grit, and what happens when you lean into the unexpected. 🎧 Listen now to here Mark's journey from the Netherlands to South Korea! ⏰ Timestamps00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome01:34 Mark's Journey to South Korea02:34 Cultural Shocks and Adjustments06:11 Dutch Culture vs. Korean Culture09:45 Living in Seoul vs. Busan17:00 Starting a Career in Korea20:38 Current Role at Study in Asia24:47 Advice for Moving to Korea27:56 Life Mantra and Stoic Philosophy👉 Connecting with Mark on LinkedIn👉 Connecting with Lucy on LinkedIn

In this episode, I sat down with Melanie O'Connor - a former elite swimmer for Australia who is now a marketing leader in Ireland. Originally from Australia, by the age of 16, Melanie represented Australia at three world championships, winning multiple medals. But when an injury ended her swimming career, she faced a major turning point - one that sparked an incredible journey of reinvention. Now based in Ireland for over 10 years, Melanie is recognized as one of Ireland's top CMOs. We chatted about navigating identity after sport, starting over (more than once), her passion for marketing, and the powerful belief that there's always another level. An inspiring story of grit, resilience, and growth. ⏰ Timestamps00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview01:24 Melanie's Swimming Career02:56 Handling Pressure and Mental Health07:33 Transition from Swimming to Coaching11:33 Shift to Marketing and Business Strategy20:42 Moving to Ireland27:49 Advice on Reinventing Yourself29:37 Life Mantras and Personal Growth✨ Find more about Melanie here: LinkedInwww.melanieoconnor.co🌎 Connect with Lucy:LinkedIn

In this episode, I had such a fun time chatting with Galina Dormishva. 🍷💃🏻Galina is originally from Bulgaria and is now based in Switzerland. Before settling down in Switzerland, she also lived in France, Slovakia, and Spain. We talked about her life in Switzerland, the cultural differences she's experienced across Europe, and her career in Ad Tech - plus how the universe brings things full circle. ✨Galina's positive energy is contagious, and I laughed a lot during our chat. As she puts it: "If it's not fun, it's not worth it!" 💚 Connect with Galina on her LinkedIn00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview01:23 Journey to Switzerland: A Childhood Dream 11:32 First time living abroad: Adjusting to life in France21:11 Challenges and Rewards of Living Abroad25:51 Transitioning to a Career in Ad Tech31:15 Life Mantras for Success and Embracing Change

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with the lovely Chloé Chamard - truly one of the kindest and sweetest people I've ever met! Chloé is originally from France and moved to the UK last year in 2024. We talked about what made her fall in love with the UK and why she decided to make it her new home. She also shared her experience of looking for a job and navigating the big move to a new country. Chloé is also a multilingual - she speak French, English, Spanish, and is currently learning Italian! We dove into what sparked her love for languages as well. She runs a beautiful blog where she shares her life as a French expat in the UK. Whether you're an expat yourself or just curious about expat life, her blog is a must-read! I absolutely loved our conversation, and I know you will too. Tune in and get inspired by Chloé's journey! ✨ Get to know more about Chloé here ✨Blog: apieceofchloe.comInstagram: @apieceofchloe_Email: apieceofchloe@gmail.com

{🎉 Welcome to Season 2 of Self-Made Expats Podcast 🥳} In the first episode of Season 2 (Yay!), I interviewed Sastya Wardani, the CEO & Co-Founder of PLans, a FemTech company based in Indonesia that empowers women by bridging healthcare providers with an AI-powered, data-driven platform to assist in early diagnosis and maintenance of women's reproductive health. Sastya grew up in Indonesia, and also lived in Malaysia and Singapore, and now she's pursuing her PhD at UCL while building her startup, PLans. We chatted about why women need to start talking about (and normalizing talking about) our reproductive health in our 20s, her career transition from finance to tech and health tech, and her living abroad journey in Malaysia and Singapore. ✨ Check out PLans here ✨Instagram: With.PlansWebsite: with-plans.comSastya Wardani: LinkedIn

Hey Dreamer! In this episode, I interviewed Busi Gwiji, a passionate Content Creator (In total of almost 100K followers across all platforms - YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Podcast - wow, you name it!) and an experienced Customer Success Manager (10+ years of experience working in Tech). In 2019, Busi immigrated to Canada from South Africa and she also lived in the Netherlands before. In the episode, we chatted about her life in the Netherlands, her Canada immigration story, her career transition story (from pre-engineer to customer success manager), and her journey & life as a content creator. I LOVED every second of our conversations, and if you're thinking of immigrating to Canada, this is a must-listen episode! -----------------00:00 - 11:49 Intro + her experience of living in Amsterdam 11:50 - 25:27 Her Canada immigration story & journey 25:28 - 31:59 Her Career transition from pre-sales engineer to customer success manager32:00 - 49:15 Her Life as a Content Creator & Tips on Content Creation 49:16 - 56:12 Tips on immigrating to Canada & her wise words at the end (must listen!) -----------------💌 Best way to contact Busi (Email: hello@busi.global)🎥 Busi's YouTube channel (Busi Global)💙 Busi's Instagram (Busi Global)💖 Busi's TikTok (Busi Global)🎙 Podcast (Keep Your Life on Track) 👋 Busi's LinkedIn ------------------💚 Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website I Instagram🌎 Looking for a job abroad in tech? Register (free) on HeyGlobally and get matched with employers overseas 

Hey Dreamer! In this episode, I interviewed Pauline Mura, a Parisienne and the host of Meet the Expats Podcast. Pauline is from France, and so far, she's lived in 6 countries across 3 continents! In the episode, we chatted about her childhood as a bilingual (French and English) in Ireland and South Africa, and her time in Japan, the U.S., and the UK. We also chatted about the cultural differences in Dublin and Paris which I find very interesting. If you love cultural conversation, I'm sure you will enjoy this episode. -----------------00:00 - 18:22 Pauline's time in Ireland, South Africa, Paris, and Japan (until high school)18:23 - 27:09 Pauline's time in Paris, in the U.S, and the UK (during university)27:10 - 41:27 Pauline's time in Ireland (working in Dublin) & cultural differences 41:28 - 47:19 How Pauline's podcast, "Meet the Expats" was born & her life mantra-----------------🎙 Listen to Paulin's Podcast: Meet the Expats❤️ Follow on Instagram: Meettheexpats☕️ In Paris? Message Pauline for a coffee :) ------------------💚 Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website 🌎 Looking for a job abroad in tech? Register (free) on HeyGlobally and get matched with employers overseas 

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Lena Rekdal, the Sweden Relocation & Immigration Expert and the Founder of Nimmersion, an employment-based immigration and relocation company where she and her team help companies successfully move employees to Sweden. Lena is currently based in Sweden, but she grew up and lived in many different countries including Sweden, Tunisia, Switzerland, the US, and the UK. In this episode, we talked about her expat journey, and what you can expect as a newcomer in Sweden. If you're considering relocating to Sweden or have always been curious about life in Sweden, this episode is perfect for you. The episode is jam-packed with useful information. I lived in Sweden for around 1 year and was thrilled to have this interview with Lena. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! -----------------------------🇸🇪 Connect with Lena on LinkedIn🇸🇪 Follow Nimmersion company page on LinkedIn 🇸🇪 Nimmersion Website (so many free resources!)------------------------------💚 Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website 💚 Learn more about HeyGlobally, where you can find a job abroad in tech 🌎-------------------------------🕰 Chatpers (because your time is precious, but I highly recommend listening to a full episode!)00:00 - 11:34 Lena's expat journey 11:35 - 17:34 How Immersion was born *30 years* ago & Her inspiring entrepreneurial journey17:35 - 26:27 Life in Sweden & Why Sweden is an attractive country for foreigners to relocate to 26:28 - 47:22 Expected challenges for newcomers in Sweden & things you must know before moving to Sweden47:23 - 55:38 Lena's Life motto

Hey Dreamer! In this episode, I interviewed Nina Cataldo, the founder of Hafu Ladies, a global community for hafu and mixed-Japanese womxn. (1,200+ members around the world!) Nina was raised in a bi-cultural and bilingual household and grew up both in Japan and America which allowed her to embrace two cultures and languages. Now, Nina is based in London. In the podcast, we talked about her experience living in Japan and America, her life as a bi-cultural and bilingual, her entrepreneurial journey, and her passion for traveling, writing, and storytelling. It was such a wonderful conversation, truly enjoyed every second of speaking with her, learned so much, and felt so much. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. ---------00:00 - 14:19 - Travel stories (traveling on a ship for 90+ days)14:20 - 14:30 - Being a travel writer 14:31 - 20:40 - Cultural differences between Japan and America20:41 - 41:03 - Being a bi-cultural and bilingual 41:04 - 58:03 - Entrepreneurial journey 58:04 - 01:05:45 - Living in London---------Learn more about Nina Connect with Nina on LinkedIn ---------Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, where you can find a job abroad in tech 🌎

Hey Dreamer! To honor the mental health awareness month, in this episode, I interviewed Gabriela Encina, a licensed psychologist who is specialized in helping expat women discover themselves and their happiness in a new country. Gabriela was born and raised in Chile, and after working in Chile for 10 years, she moved to Austria and lived there for 8 years. In 2017, she moved to Spain and she's based in Valencia, Spain. Gabriela brings 20+ years of experience as a psychologist she has helped more than 300 expat women from all around the world. If you're an expat woman, an immigrant, and a new comer in a new country, I am certain you'll resonate with many tings that we discussed in this episode. Please enjoy! -------00:00 - 11:16 Gabriela's journey living in Austria and Spain as an expat woman 11:17 - 57:09 Gabriela's experience as a psychologist and her advice to expat women -------Gabriela's websiteGabriela's Instagram (@gabriela.encina.psychologist)Connect Gabriela on LinkedIn -------Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, the platform to find a job abroad in tech 🌎

Hey Dreamer! In this episode, I interviewed Joey Li, a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of Leiho, the social enterprise where every purchase helps to fund basic essentials for those without a home. Joey is currently based in London, but before she moved to London, she lived in Hong Kong, Singapore, LA, and Vancouver which allowed her to connect with lots of people from different backgrounds and cultures. We talked about her experience living in different places, her entrepreneurial journey, work-life balance, imposter syndrome, and self-love. Joey reminded me how important it is to connect to ourselves and be really kind to ourselves. It was such a wonderful conversation, truly enjoyed every second of speaking with her, learned so much, and felt so much. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. -------00:00 - 10:22 - experience living in different places/cultures 10:23 - 24:40 - entrepreneurial journey and Joey started Leiho 24:41 - 1:03:31 - work-life balance, imposter syndrome, self-care, self-love, and connecting with ourselves --------- Leiho websiteLeiho Instagram (@leiho_uk)Leiho LinkedInConnect with Joey on LinkedIn----------Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, where you can find a job abroad in tech 🌎

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Lindsay Davis, the founder of FemTech Association Asia, Asia's first industry network for professionals in FemTech. Lindsay was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the U.S., then she moved to Austin, Texas to attend the university. After living in Texas for a while, she moved to London in the UK and lived there for more than 10 years. In 2020, she moved to Singapore and founded One Bee Consulting, a management consultancy company, and then in 2021, she founded FemTech Association Asia. She is one of the most empowering female entrepreneurs with such a big heart and I enjoyed our genuine conversation so much! Hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. -----Connect with Lindsay on LinkedInFollow FemTech Association Asia on LinkedInLearn more about FemTech Association Asia-----Learn more about Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, where you can find a job abroad in tech 🌎

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Zakaria Jaiathe(Zak), the co-founder and CEO of WAANDA, the SaaS-enabled B2B marketplace that facilitates trade between African SME producers and European retailers. Zak was born and raised in Safi, Morocco, and in 2012, he moved to France for his study, and now he is based in Berlin in Germany. Before he started WANNDA in 2021, he founded Xibit in 2016, an award-winning augmented reality startup, and before founding Xibit, he worked as a technology executive advisor for the SAP leadership. Zak also won several prestigious international awards and was mentioned several times in top magazines such as Forbes. His journey is so so inspiring, so if you want some booster to go after your dream, THIS is the must-listen episode. Please enjoy! Connect with Zak on LinkedInLearn more about WAANDABook recommendation by Zak: Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built, How Asia Works, Sapiens---------------------Learn more about Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, where you can find a job abroad in tech 🌎

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Matthieu Zeilas, an entrepreneur and the co-founder of Palma Coliving in beautiful Mallorca, Spain. Matthieu was born and raised in France and in 2020, he moved to sunny Mallorca in Spain and opened Palma Coliving, a conscious coliving place for remote workers and digital nomads. In the past 12 months, Palma Coliving opened 3 premium coliving properties in Spain and hosted 150 international remote workers, and now they’re looking to extend towards 10 sunny global locations in the next 24 months near the sea for the remote worker community. Before he opened Palma Coliving, he worked with management teams for global luxury groups in the hospitality, real estate, and digital media industries. He also created the french startup called “luxury-technologies” which was incubated at Station F, the world’s biggest startup company in Paris. I’m a huge advocate of remote work and absolutely love digital nomad life, and I enjoyed every minute of our conversation. If you're dreaming of digital nomad life, definitely highly recommend tuning in! :) Connect with Matthieu: LinkedIn Palma Coliving: Instagram (@palmacoliving.co) I WebsiteListen to Matthieu's Podcast, Digital Nomads behind the scenes -------------------------Learn more about Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, where you can find a job abroad in tech 🌎

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Daniela Redondo Vélez, the Founder Scout at Slimmer AI. In 2019, she moved from Colombia to the Netherlands to study masters and now she is the Founder Scout at SlimmierAI, a venture studio based in the Netherlands. Recently, she also made it to the TNW’s list of the Top 500 most talented people under the age of 30 in the Dutch tech space which is a huge achievement! Before she moved to The Netherlands, she founded three startups in Colombia in her early 20s, and in one of her startups, she negotiated an exclusive partnership with Ubereats which doubled the revenue, and in another startup, she won the pitch competition and traveled to Switzerland to start summit 2018. She shared lots of brilliant insights and practical tips, so if you're thinking of moving abroad or starting a business or a founder at an early-stage startup, I definitely highly recommend listening to this episode. I was so inspired by her story. Feel free to connect with Daniela on LinkedIn Learn more about Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, where you can find a job abroad in tech 🌎

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Ewa Golan, the Marketing Director at LVL Wellbeing and the Founder of Dance Body DXB, a dance studio in Dubai. Ewa was born and raised in a small town in Poland and when she was 18, she moved to London and lived there for more than 10 years. Then in 2016, she decided to move to Dubai and now Ewa is enjoying Dubai life so much! We talked about her life in Dubai, and also some of the misconceptions people tend to have about Dubai, and lessons she learned after living abroad for more than 15 years. Ewa is definitely one of the brave women that I've met and I had so many a-ha moments during our interview. She says "when you know it's your calling, you know you're going to be fine." If you're curious about life in Dubai, definitely tune in to this episode! Her journey is so inspiring. PS. If you love dancing, definitely check out Ewa's dance studio and her Instagram!Connect with Ewa: LinkedIn l InstagramDance Body DXB: Website-------------------------Learn more about Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, the platform to find a job abroad in tech 🌎

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Devon Keakulina DeAngelo, the co-founder of Landng, the travel platform that helps people experience the world through personalized itinerary discovery, powered by the Creator Marketplace. Devon was born and raised in Hawai’i, and in 2014, she moved to Paris. She speaks fluent French, and now she is based in Paris and Los Angeles. Devon has extensive experience in marketing, media relations, global social media management, and digital events activations for over 10 years with expertise in travel, hospitality, tech, beauty, luxury, retail, and many industries in the B2C and B2B sectors. In 2022, Devon and her co-founder Nacera founded Landng with a mission to make the experience of travel planning frictionless, inclusive, and creative. As someone who loves traveling, I’m so excited that Devon and Nacera created this amazing platform and I can't wait to use Landng to plan my next trips!! I truly enjoyed our conversation so much, so please enjoy! Connect with Devon: Instagram l LinkedIn Find more about Landng: Instagram l TikTok l LinkedIn Landng Website: Sign up for the beta here for free (launching at the end of March 2023)Wefunder: See the value in Landng? Participate here! --------------------------Learn more about Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, the platform to find a job abroad in tech 🌎

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Nini Fritz, a certified bucket list coach, a remote team building coach, and a co-founder of eyeConnect. To give you a quick intro, Nini was born and raised in Germany, and in 2016, she moved to Australia and now she is based in beautiful Bali. In this episode, we talked about her life in Bali and how she became a bucket list coach and a remote team building coach and worked with people from around the world and impact their lives! She worked with global teams at Google, Meta, Hubspot, P&G, eBay, and so many more and if you're a leader, manager, or an individual contributor in the organization and want to have more connection with your team, Nini is the go-to expert! I'm so grateful for having her on the show and sharing her beautiful and inspiring journey with you all because she is just such an incredible human being with a beautiful soul. Please enjoy as much as I did!! Connect with Nini Fritz on LinkedIn Follow Nini Fritz on Instagram @nini_quarantiniEmail her to inquire about her work: nini@theworkhappinessproject.com -------------------------Learn more about Lucy here: LinkedIn I Youtube I Website Learn more about HeyGlobally, the platform to find a job abroad in tech 🌎