Transplants by Laura Peruchi - Conversations With Women Thriving Abroad

Preeti Varma was born in Tokyo to Indian parents — a place where she lived until she was 18, when she moved to New York City to go to college. Then, at some point, she felt the need to move to India to reconnect with her culture. There, she met her husband, and they both decided they wanted to live a very international life. And, so far, I guess we can say they are achieving that. They have lived...

When Patricia Ordoñez describes her relationship with Spain, she compares it to a good first date with “a really nice person, but it’s not your person.” She describes the country as a lovely place, with lovely people. She loves her apartment, she loves having access to the beach, and she has built a strong community there — but, at the end of the day, it just doesn’t feel like home. And rest assur...

I guess a lot of people would agree that a 9-to-5 job is comforting and it is - allegedly -safe. But what happens when you start to question that? What happens when you’ve built a successful career — and then realize you might want a completely different life? I believe we are seeing that shift. People are realizing they can change their minds and transition into a different career. And some peopl...

Have you ever looked back at your journey and noticed how some small decisions ended up changing your life in big ways? From the street you decided to turn down one day that leads you to find a cute new café, to turning down a job offer and later having the opportunity to get a better one. Or perhaps changing the destination of your month abroad can lead you to meet the love of your life... That&#...

Do you dream about living abroad - but is afraid of doing it solo? Starting a new life in another country can be really intimidating - but guess what? A lot of people do that every day - including lots of women, in different stages of their lives. Yes, it's not easy to starting a new life from scratch without a partner - or without friends and family. But if these four women did it - you can a...

Alexandra Popkova grew up in Russia, and she learned early on how places can impact and shape behavior when her parents moved from Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East, to Saint Petersburg. It was a huge shift, even though it was within the same country. And that was only one of several moves she would go through in her life: she lived in India, Bahrain, and Nicaragua, and now she is based in Colombi...

No matter how old a woman is, we all know there’s a fear around aging. Whether it’s because our society glorifies youth and looks, because of our biological clocks, or because we’re somehow supposed to have everything figured out within an impossible timeline. Then there are those intrusive thoughts: “I’m too old to do XYZ” or “I’m running out of time for XYZ.” For this new themed episode, I bring...

Brittany Brooker grew up in a small town in Virginia, in the U.S., but from an early age, she was already dreaming about a life somewhere else through reading fairy tales. Although she stayed close to home for college, Brittany eventually had the opportunity to study abroad in Sweden — and something shifted. When she got back to the States, she was determined to leave the country as soon as possib...

For this themed episode of Transplants, I’m bringing together perspectives from three previous guests — Mary Vass, Asia Dawn, and Maria Sakr — to talk about motherhood away from home. I know there are tons of experiences of mothers abroad — and I’m sure these perspectives don’t cover everything — but I think they are a great starting point, and sometimes it’s all about knowing you are not alone an...

What if fear never goes away and, instead, you just learn to bring it with you in order to take big steps and bet on yourself? Well, that’s what María Gómez Otero has learned throughout her journey living abroad. And what a journey! María has lived in Germany, Australia, Barcelona, and now Bulgaria. But if you’ve pictured her as someone who has always been “brave,” you would be wrong. In fact, her...

Beatrice Kabutakapua was born in Italy to Congolese parents — her father moved there to study, a pattern that Beatrice would later repeat herself. She grew up surrounded by Congolese culture, and, for much of her life, she was asked to fit into boxes that never fully made sense: Italian or Congolese? Quiet or shy? Visible or hidden? Belonging here or there? Eventually, Bea moved to the UK to study...

Settling down in the United States had never been part of the plan for Saadia Khan. She moved from Lahore, Pakistan, with her husband, who had been accepted to MIT. Recently graduated, young, and ready for an adventure, she saw the move as an opportunity to experience up close a place she had heard so many great stories about from her father. But when they arrived, America pulled them in, as Saadi...

In this solo episode, I’m sharing some recent experiences and reflections around the way we talk to ourselves — especially when we’re overthinking, doubting ourselves, or being much harsher on ourselves than we would ever be with someone we love. I also talk about quitting, failure, and the fear of feeling embarrassed when something doesn’t go the way we hoped. Since self-discovery, confidence, co...

Urmi Hossain carries at least three identities as an immigrant woman: she introduces herself as Italian by birth, Bengali by blood, and Canadian by law. From that line alone, you can already imagine how much of her life has been shaped by living in between worlds. Born and raised in a small town in Italy to Bangladeshi parents, Urmi grew up navigating a strict upbringing, different cultures — one...

Maria Sakr has always occupied that “in-between” place that a lot of transplants know so well. She was raised in Dubai by her Lebanese parents, surrounded by a Lebanese community, fascinated by books thanks to her mother, and introduced to the art of photography through her father, who documented the Lebanese Civil War with his own camera. Then, when it was time to go to college, she experienced a...

While living in rural Massachusetts, Lauren Aloise would travel the world in her imagination by exploring travel magazines. Her trips to New York City to visit family were another opportunity to see how differently people could live. That curiosity led Lauren to do a summer program in Sicily, Italy, when she was 17. While many of her friends were spending their money on cars, she decided to spend...

Leah Alexander is an American artist based in Paris. But it took her a long time and some serious life decisions to the point she could call herself that. Art had been part of Leah’s life since she was a kid - but she never really knew that it could be a career, so she did what a lot of us do: she chose a “safe” path and, for 15 years, she built a successful career - and, during that period that s...

Jasmine Wu had never traveled outside Asia when she decided to take a gap year. She was not even planning to travel during that period - the idea was just chill. Until an invite from a friend to go to Disneyland changed everything. Jasmine ended up exploring different places in the U.S. and in Europe and that journey changed the way she saw the world and herself. Suddenly, the life she knew starte...

Kay Fabella moved to Spain in 2010 with a one-way ticket, a student visa, and plans to stay for just one year. The main goal was to heal from burnout and reset her nervous system — but sixteen years later, she’s still there. And the story behind that decision is much deeper than finding her partner and falling in love with another country. She shares what it was like growing up Filipina-American i...

I guess one of my favorite parts of doing this podcast is searching for guests. Usually, I do that online — Substack is my favorite platform for that — and I also rely on recommendations from friends and listeners. But with my guest today, the process was totally different. I “discovered” Florencia Cariddi some months ago while attending a beautiful storytelling event hosted by New Women New Yorke...

Moving abroad was supposed to be the beginning of Tayo Oriowo’s dream life. Instead, after leaving Nigeria for Australia at 21, she found herself navigating financial hardship, culture shock, survival jobs, and the pressure of trying to “make it” abroad while quietly struggling behind the scenes. But, in her own words, she is not a quitter — and she wasn’t going to give up for lack of trying. In t...

Samantha Nazareth was a gastroenterologist based in New York City, with a stable career, tons of media appearances, and a 10-year relationship. What else could she want when she had what many would call a perfect life? Well, she wanted something else — or, at least, she didn’t want what she had anymore. So one day, she decided to leave and look for an answer. What started as a six-week break in Pu...

What happens when a life looks good on paper… but doesn’t feel quite right? In this episode, I talk to Mary Vass, an Australian who grew up in Perth, one of the most remote cities in the world. Although the place was a safe and comfortable bubble, early on, she knew she wanted more. What really struck me about Mary’s story is that she has never been afraid of trying — and letting go. Along the way...

Claudia Valdiviezo’s story doesn’t follow a straight line. She was born in Peru and moved to the U.S. when she was just 4 years old. When Claudia was 11, her parents made the decision to move back to Peru, and that’s when she really knew what adapting means and had to navigate identity in a way that goes far beyond speaking Spanish. Eventually, she thrived and, for a moment, she thought she would...

Elise Maclin was living a good life in Chicago, in the US, when a random encounter switched something in her mind and her plans for the future. She met a Brazilian - and no, this is not a love story - and hearing him speaking about life back in Rio de Janeiro just hit her differently. Some people would call it destiny, others would call it craziness, but after that chat, Elise decided she would mo...