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 Engineering

06:45 Sarah's Passion for Science and Engineering

10:12 From Iran to Australia: Sarah's Journey

32:27 Hanoi Metro Project Experience

34:32 Move to Qatar

41:28 Relocation to the UK and Glasgow Life

44:17 Settling in Copenhagen

45:30 The Importance of a Supportive Partner

52:08 Life Mantra: Flexibility and Openness

👉 Sara on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsaramehrabi]

👉 Lucy on LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/lucyjeon]

S2-06 From Iran to Australia, Qatar, Scotland, and Denmark - Sara Mehrabi

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!

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:34 Mark's Journey to South Korea

02:34 Cultural Shocks and Adjustments

06:11 Dutch Culture vs. Korean Culture

09:45 Living in Seoul vs. Busan

17:00 Starting a Career in Korea

20:38 Current Role at Study in Asia

24:47 Advice for Moving to Korea

27:56 Life Mantra and Stoic Philosophy

👉 Connecting with Mark on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbalneger]

👉 Connecting with Lucy on LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/lucyjeon]

S2-05 From the Netherlands to South Korea - Mark Balneger

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.

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview

01:24 Melanie's Swimming Career

02:56 Handling Pressure and Mental Health

07:33 Transition from Swimming to Coaching

11:33 Shift to Marketing and Business Strategy

20:42 Moving to Ireland

27:49 Advice on Reinventing Yourself

29:37 Life Mantras and Personal Growth

✨ Find more about Melanie here:

LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieclaireoco]

www.melanieoconnor.co [http://www.melanieoconnor.co/]

🌎 Connect with Lucy:

LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/lucyjeon]

S2-04 Australia to Ireland, Elite Swimmer to Marketing Leader - Melanie O'Connor

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 LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/galina-dormisheva-b06b2128]

S2-03 Bulgaria to Switzerland - Galina Dormisheva

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.com [https://apieceofchloe.com/]

Instagram: @apieceofchloe_ [https://instagram.com/apieceofchloe_]

Email: apieceofchloe@gmail.com

S2-02. France to the UK - Chloé Chamard

{🎉 Welcome to Season 2 of Self-Made Expats Podcast 🥳}

In the first episode of Season 2 (Yay!), I interviewed Sastya Wardani [https://linkedin.com/in/sastyawardani], 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.Plans [https://instagram.com/with.plans]

Website: with-plans.com [https://with-plans.com]

Sastya Wardani: LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/sastyawardani]

S2-01.  Indonesia to Singapore & Malaysia - Sastya Waradani, CEO & Co-Founder of PLans

Hey Dreamer! 

In this episode, I interviewed Busi Gwiji [https://www.instagram.com/busi_global/], 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 manager

32:00 - 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 [https://www.youtube.com/@busi.global] (Busi Global)

💙 Busi's Instagram [https://instagram.com/busi_global/] (Busi Global)

💖 Busi's TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@busi.global] (Busi Global)

🎙 Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/keep-your-life-on-track/id1465673416] (Keep Your Life on Track)

👋 Busi's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/busi-gwiji]

------------------

💚 Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/lucyjeon] I Youtube [https://youtube.com/@lucyjeonglobal] I Website [https://lucyjeon.com/] I Instagram [https://instagram.com/lucyjeon]

🌎 Looking for a job abroad in tech? Register (free) on HeyGlobally [https://heyglobally.com/] and get matched with employers overseas 

35. South Africa to Canada, Busi Gwiji

Hey Dreamer! 

In this episode, I interviewed Pauline Mura [https://instagram.com/meettheexpats], 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 [https://smartlink.ausha.co/meet-the-expats]

❤️ Follow on Instagram: Meettheexpats [https://instagram.com/meettheexpats]

☕️ In Paris? Message Pauline for a coffee :) 

------------------

💚 Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/lucyjeon] I Youtube [https://youtube.com/@lucyjeonglobal] I Website [https://lucyjeon.com/] 

🌎 Looking for a job abroad in tech? Register (free) on HeyGlobally [https://heyglobally.com/] and get matched with employers overseas 

34. France to 5 countries, Parisienne Pauline Mura

Hey Dreamers!

In this episode, I interviewed Lena Rekdal [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenarekdal-immigration-relocation-sweden], the Sweden Relocation & Immigration Expert and the Founder & CEO of Nimmersion [https://www.linkedin.com/company/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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenarekdal-immigration-relocation-sweden]

🇸🇪 Follow Nimmersion company page on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/nimmersion/]

🇸🇪 Nimmersion Website [https://nimmersion.com] (so many free resources!)

------------------------------

💚 Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/lucyjeon] I Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/c/LucyJeonExpatCareerDreamLifeAbroad] I Website [https://lucyjeon.com/]

💚 Learn more about HeyGlobally [https://heyglobally.com/], 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 journey

17:35 - 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 Sweden

47:23 - 55:38 Lena's Life motto

33. Sweden Relocation & Immigration Expert, Lena Rekdal

Hey Dreamer!

In this episode, I interviewed Nina Cataldo [https://www.ninamcataldo.com], 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 America

20:41 - 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 [https://www.ninamcataldo.com]

Connect with Nina on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-m-cataldo]

---------

Learn more about your host, Lucy here: LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/lucyjeon] I Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/c/LucyJeonExpatCareerDreamLifeAbroad] I Website [https://lucyjeon.com/]

Learn more about HeyGlobally [https://heyglobally.com/], where you can find a job abroad in tech 🌎

32. Japan, America & the UK - Nina Cataldo, the founder of Hafu Ladies

This is a podcast where I interview Self-Made Expats from all over the world. We talk about how they moved to a new country and what they did to achieve their dreams and goals. This podcast is to inspire and motivate other expats and aspiring expats across the globe.

Lucy Jeon

Shows