Babes, how did you get here

🌏 What does it really mean to be Black in Thailand? In this powerful episode of ‘How Did You Get Here?’, Kikombe shares the reality of being an African expat in Phuket – from racism and stereotypes to finding safety, family and a new sense of home. In this powerful conversation, Kikombe — an African teacher, storyteller, and father — opens up about his life in Phuket. From facing racism and stereotypes during his job search, to the culture shock of moving from Tanzania to Thailand, he shares the raw reality of being Black abroad. 🇹🇿 Growing up in Kenya and teaching in Tanzania ✈️ The challenges of getting work in Thailand as an African 🤝 Finding community, safety, and a new sense of home in Phuket ❤️ Identity, family, and raising mixed-race children abroad 🌍 How racism, culture, and belonging shaped his journey This is more than a travel story — it’s about resilience, identity, and what it truly means to find “home” far from where you were born. If you want to start join the parenting course: https://april-s-site-fcfd.thinkific.com/products/courses/ai-placeholder 👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you want more inspiring real-life stories from around the world. 00:00 Intro - Who is The Kikombe 00:07:15 – Life in Tanzania: safety, culture & Kilimanjaro views 00:13:40 – First impressions of Thailand: kindness & cultural shock 00:18:55 – Racism & job struggles: “passport problems” in interviews 00:25:49 – First arrival in Thailand: a sea of yellow & food culture 00:31:39 – Heat, neighbors & small acts of kindness 00:35:16 – Homecoming tears: when Dad said “My son” 00:45:22 – Loneliness abroad & raising kids with mixed identities 00:49:51 – Leaving Bangkok: fast life vs. Phuket’s calmer path 00:57:33 – Football in Phuket: sandals to shin pads 01:03:53 – Cost of living: Phuket housing & the kitchen test 01:05:33 – Toilet culture shock: adapting to the Thai hose 01:09:39 – Raising kids in Phuket: beaches, sports & schools 01:22:06 – Racism & identity: defining the “Black tax” 01:40:54 – Does being a Black man change life in Thailand? 02:20:34 – Kenyan community in Thailand — 600 strong #BeingBlackInThailand #HowDidYouGetHere #AprilJackson #BlackInThailand #BlackAbroad #BlackExpat #ExpatLife #Thailand #Phuket #Racism #Stereotypes #AfricanDiaspora #RealStories #Podcast #LifeAbroad

If you to join April's motherhood community: https://april-s-site-fcfd.thinkific.com/products/courses/ai-placeholder Keis_One Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCO5IhWS7_CIU1HoAkffBzcg From drunk spontaneous trips to full-time content creation in Bangkok – Adam (Keis) shares his raw, unfiltered journey of leaving corporate Australia for an uncertain adventure across Asia. In this episode of 'Babes, How Did You Get Here?', we dive deep into the reality of expat life in Thailand with Adam, a content creator who ditched his hospitality career in 2017 for Seoul, South Korea, before eventually landing in Bangkok during the pandemic. With just $6,000 and no Plan B, he bet everything on YouTube – and won. Adam opens up about: 🎬 Building a YouTube career from scratch during COVID lockdown 💰 The brutal reality of making 100 videos before earning a cent 🇰🇷 Living in Seoul for 2.5 years – from pizza shops to acting gigs 🇹🇭 Why Thailand's energy fuels his creativity (despite the insane traffic) 💑 Dating in Bangkok and finding love on Tinder 🏠 Moving from city chaos to suburban life 💸 The tourist tax trap and overtourism challenges 🍜 Why food determines where he'll live ✈️ That time he booked a drunk one-way ticket to Bangkok From sleeping on his parents' couch during lockdown to building a sustainable content creation business, Adam's story proves that sometimes having no backup plan is exactly what you need. He shares the unglamorous truth about content creation, the isolation of expat life, and why he believes the cream always rises to the top – even in an oversaturated market. Whether you're dreaming of escaping the 9-5, curious about life as a digital nomad, or wondering what it really takes to make it as a content creator abroad, this conversation strips away the Instagram filters to reveal what expat life in Bangkok actually looks like. Key Timestamps: Chapters 00:00:00 The drunk trip that started everything 00:07:15 Corporate burnout in Australia 00:13:40 Why Seoul, not Bangkok, came first 00:25:49 Making pizza in a 6-seater Korean restaurant 00:31:39 Pandemic lockdown: 9 months with parents 00:35:16 Moving to Thailand with $10,000 and desperation 00:45:22 100 videos, no money – the content grind 00:49:51 YouTube vs TikTok: Why formulas matter 00:57:33 Dating in Thailand: The language barrier truth 01:03:53 Bangkok traffic and why he fled to suburbs 01:09:39 Tourist prices and the expat frustration 01:22:06 Can foreigners ever truly integrate in Thailand? #BabesHowDidYouGetHere #ExpatLife #Thailand #Bangkok #ContentCreator #YouTuber #DigitalNomad #LivingAbroad #ExpatThailand #ContentCreation #SouthKorea #Seoul #TravelPodcast #ExpatStories

From Japan to Cambodia: Beauty, Identity & Finding Home Through Pageantry. In this captivating episode of 'Babes, How Did You Get Here?', April sits down with Megumi Wilson — Miss Japan Universe 2022 Second Runner-Up, world traveler, singer, actress, and creative force now thriving in Cambodia. As a former Miss Jamaica Universe herself, April brings a unique lens to this conversation about pageantry, purpose, and the courage it takes to build a life far from home. Meg opens up about her journey as a biracial woman raised in Japan, navigating identity, acceptance, and the pressure to be "Japanese enough." From growing up in Tokyo to competing on the Miss Universe stage with a pixie cut and zero pageant experience, her story is one of resilience, reinvention, and radical self-discovery. 🌏 Growing up biracial in Japan: navigating identity & acceptance👑 The pageant journey: training during COVID, not winning the crown & what came after✈️ Why Cambodia? The vision, the language, the leap of faith💄 Pageant myths vs reality: empowerment, objectification & what girls really need to know🎭 Working in media & entertainment in Southeast Asia🙏 Faith, signs & trusting the process when things don't go as planned 🌸 What being Japanese means to her — and why kindness is at the core This is more than a pageant story. It's about choosing yourself, listening to your inner knowing, and building a life that honors both your heritage and your dreams — even when the path isn't clear. Whether you've ever thought about pageantry, moved abroad, or struggled with identity and belonging, this episode will inspire you to trust your journey and show up as your fullest self. 👉 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more real-life stories of courage, culture, and transformation. #MegumiWisolson #MissJapanUniverse #HowDidYouGetHere #AprilJackson #PageantLife #MissUniverse #BiracialIdentity #JapaneseAmerican #ExpatLife #Cambodia #PhnomPenh #LifeAbroad #BeautyPageants #Empowerment #FaithJourney #CulturalIdentity #RealStories #podcast

From Montreal's Michelin Dreams to Kingston's Reality: A Chef's Raw Journey of Sacrifice, Survival & Starting Over In this powerful episode of 'Babes, How Did You Get Here?', April sits down with Chef Matthew — a celebrated Canadian chef who walked away from TV fame, two thriving restaurants, and financial security in Montreal to rebuild his entire life in Jamaica with just $60,000, a French bulldog, and Japanese knives. This isn't your typical expat story. It's raw, unfiltered, and deeply honest — about addiction, recovery, reinvention, and what it really takes to start over in a country that tests you at every turn. 🔪 From rehab to restaurants: How cooking saved his life (and became his new addiction) 💰 The sacrifice: Leaving two restaurants, a TV career & financial stability at 34 ✈️ Arrival in Jamaica: Detained at customs, partnership collapsed, sleeping with a machete 🍌 Surviving on nothing: Banana & oatmeal breakfasts, tomato sandwiches, $100 left in his pocket 🌀 Hurricane Beryl: The storm that saved him from deportation 📄 The bureaucracy: 8 months to get a work permit, navigating Jamaica's "fuckery" 🍽️ Building a reputation: His first dinner, $1,000 from mom, and earning his place 💔 Dating in Jamaica: Culture shock, rent requests, and redefining what he's looking for 🏡 Finding home: Why Kingston feels more like himself than Montreal ever did 🇯🇲 Earning your place: What it means to truly belong in Jamaica Matthew opens up about the toxic hospitality industry, his relationship with weed and alcohol, why he'll never open a high-end restaurant in Jamaica (yet), and how moving here forced him to redefine success, happiness, and what it means to feel at home. 00:00 Introduction: A Chef's Journey to Jamaica 01:50 From Rehab to the Kitchen 03:29 The Breaking Point in Montreal 05:02 Spiritual Awakening and the Decision to Move 15:52 The Catastrophic Arrival 21:35 Surviving on $100 and Oatmeal 31:19 The $1,000 Gamble 36:47 Jamaica's Produce and Creative Cooking 45:38 Finding Home in the Culture 1:02:08 The Dating Scene Disaster 1:16:22 Earning Your Place This is more than a chef's story. It's about choosing yourself when everything falls apart. It's about trusting the process even when you're down to your last dollar. It's about finding peace in discomfort and building a life that honors who you really are — not who you thought you should be. Whether you've ever thought about leaving everything behind, struggled with addiction and reinvention, or wondered what it takes to truly belong somewhere new — this episode will challenge you, inspire you, and remind you that sometimes the hardest journeys lead to the most honest versions of ourselves. 👉 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more real-life stories of courage, transformation, and finding home far from where you started. #ChefLife #Jamaica #ExpatLife #HowDidYouGetHere #AprilJackson #Montreal #CanadianChef #StartingOver #Recovery #AddictionRecovery #KingstonJamaica #CaribbeanLife #Reinvention #ChefStories #RealStories #Podcast #LifeAbroad #Sacrifice #FindingHome #JamaicanCulture

What happens when a kid who never quite felt at home is adopted, sent to war, burns out in the kitchen as an executive chef… and then decides to break a Guinness World Record underwater in Phuket? 🌊🔥 In this episode, Barrington Scott—Guinness World Record holder for the fastest scuba dive and full-time deep diver in Phuket, Thailand—sits down with April Jackson to unpack a life story that sounds completely unreal… but isn’t. We talk about: Growing up feeling “out of place” and being adopted as a child Why he joined the U.S. Marines and what Afghanistan really did to his mind and body The invisible weight of PTSD and coming back to “normal life” when nothing feels normal How he lied his way into a restaurant kitchen and rose to executive chef The moment he walked away from it all and chose the ocean instead Training his body and mind to break a Guinness World Record in scuba diving What life in Phuket is actually like beyond the postcard beaches How facing death repeatedly changed the way he now lives, loves and chooses peace If you’ve ever felt lost, stuck in the wrong life, or secretly dreamed of burning everything down and starting over abroad, this conversation will hit hard. 💬 Tell us in the comments: What part of Barrington’s journey shook you the most—the war, the kitchen grind, the world record, or the decision to start over in Thailand? — 🎧 About the show – “How Did You Get Here?” Hosted by entrepreneur & former Miss Jamaica, April Jackson, this podcast dives into the real, unfiltered stories of people who left the script—swapping comfort for courage, and choosing a life “elsewhere”. New episodes every week from around the world. 📌 Subscribe for more stories on: Reinvention & second chances Life abroad, expat realities & culture shock Trauma, healing and mental resilience Work, identity and building a new life from zero 👍 If this episode moved you, like, comment and share it with someone who needs proof that it’s not too late to change everything.