Relocurious Podcast

For the first time this season, Relocurious asked every guest the same question: Where is home for you? The answers were — as Kathy puts it — beautiful, glorious, contradictory chaos. No two were alike. In this solo season finale, Kathy sits with all eight answers and tries to make sense of what they have in common, what they reveal about belonging, and what she’s learned about her own answer afte...

Nerida’s story isn’t about a single bold leap from one country to another, rather, it details a life in which moving has simply always been part of the picture. As the daughter of a diplomat, her first international relocation came at age seven, when her family moved from Australia to Malaysia. She didn’t choose it, but it shaped her profoundly. Since then, she has lived in seven countries, spendi...

In this special three-part series, Relocurious explores relocation through the perspectives of three members of the same family. When Darren joined the Canadian Foreign Service, it set in motion a series of international moves that would shape the lives of his wife Heather and their son Nick as well. Across three episodes, we hear each of their perspectives on the same family relocations — reveali...

In this special three-part series, Relocurious explores relocation through the perspectives of three members of the same family. When Darren joined the Canadian Foreign Service, it set in motion a series of international moves that would shape the lives of his wife Heather and their son Nick as well. Across three episodes, we hear each of their perspectives on the same family relocations — reveali...

For the first time on Relocurious , we’re exploring relocation through the unique lenses of individual members of a family. When Darren joined the Canadian Foreign Service, it set in motion a series of international moves that would shape not only his career, but the lives of his wife, Heather, and their children. Across three episodes, we speak with Darren, Heather, and their son Nick individuall...

Today’s episode is a story about a move that didn’t unfold as planned. Maria, a Romanian educator, anthropologist, improviser, and poet, set out with a clear plan to move to Canada. Instead, unexpected events gradually shifted her path toward an unplanned settling in Portugal. Shaped first by the pandemic and then by a long stretch of uncertainty, Maria’s journey became less about arrival and more...

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Charlie, whose relationship with travel began early, and whose positive first experiences abroad shaped her desire to keep exploring. Born and raised in Germany, Charlie first ventured out into the world at 14, when a semester in Australia planted the idea that she was capable of adapting to — and even thriving in — new places far from home. What may have began...

What if “home” wasn’t a place, but a way of being? In this episode of Relocurious , we’re joined by Kristy Halvorsen, whose life challenges conventional ideas of relocation, relationships, and purpose. After serious health wake-up calls as a firefighter-paramedic, Kristy let go of most of her belongings, hitched up an Airstream, and just got on the road. What began as an experiment in freedom beca...

A series of steps brought Kathy to imagining a life overseas: First, she realized early in her adult life that creative pursuits and travel fulfill her. She then set the goal of leaving full time work behind by the time she turned fifty. And, she sought out a financial planner to discuss what was possible. The planner’s words of wisdom? The lifestyle you are dreaming of is available to you — if yo...

Growing up in former Czechoslovakia, freely travelling the world once felt out of reach for Michal. It all changed with the fall of the Iron Curtain: borders opened, opportunities presented themselves, and Michal was ready. His curiosity about the world led him from Europe all the way to North America … and back, years later. In this special episode, Kathy interviews Michal about his passion for t...

When Michelle and Sean visited Portugal for a beach vacation in 2015, they felt an unexpected connection to the country — one that kept pulling them back again and again. Michelle quickly became keen on moving there, so she quietly set the wheels in motion. Sean joined the plan a bit later, but with an open mind. Along the way, the couple encountered a few surprises, some challenging, others more...

This week on the podcast, we meet Tracey Zhang. Having left home at 16 and relocated across six cities worldwide, she understands firsthand the loneliness, identity shifts, and cultural disorientation that often accompany major moves. Tracey shares how uncertainty and unmet expectations after moving solo from Hong Kong to Canada, seeking a “fresh start” after a series of personal setbacks, put her...

This week, we speak with Matej Adam Balint , a Slovak student whose university program has taken him to Lisbon, Paris, and Berlin over the past three years. Each new city has brought a fresh beginning, then all too soon, it’s time to move on again. Matej shares about the cycle of unpacking, repacking, building friendships, and redefining what it means to belong. For Matej, relocation isn’t just a...

This week we talk with Catherine Stratton, a writer and filmmaker from Hoboken, New Jersey whose dream to explore the world has brought her to Paris, France. When her marriage ended, and her grown children moved out of the family home, Catherine stepped out of her comfort zone to embark on new life adventures. She remembers telling herself at one point, “I gotta get out there, make more memories!”...

This week we speak with Madeline Wahl, who shares her emotional journey from the United States to Scotland. Madeline relocated to Glasgow on a study visa, along what turns out to be a deeply personal and transformative journey. During COVID-19, she moved back home to Florida to be a caregiver for her mom. She wanted to pursue the dream of living abroad, but life didn’t unfold the way she expected....

In most episodes, our guests are speaking with us from the place they had relocated to. They are reflecting back on the move, new experiences, and the journey toward feeling a sense of belonging in their new home. Today’s guest, however, has faced obstacles in her quest to relocate from Canada to Scotland, the country that has won her heart. Tineke is a professional photographer who travels the wo...

Sometimes we need a nudge to finally take the leap and chase the dream of adventure. For paramedics Joe and Tania, that nudge came in the form of Tania’s milestone birthday – a reminder that it was time to commit to her dream of living abroad for at least a year. What began as a one-year plan quickly stretched into seven. Along the way, the couple navigated the highs and lows of building a life in...

Have you ever held onto a dream for your whole life, but never taken the next step to make it happen? Today’s guest had the dream of moving to Europe, but did not take the steps to make it a reality until a death in the family, and a close look at how short life can be, spurred her into action. Barbara Grassey is a writer and book coach who moved from the US to Portugal solo in January of 2021, in...

Like many children of immigrants, Sarah heard beautiful stories of her mother’s home country of Portugal. But it wasn’t until she visited her mother’s birthplace — the Portuguese island of Madeira — that she felt an undeniable pull: this was where she was meant to be. When fate offered her a month-long artist residency on the island, she didn’t hesitate, she leapt at the chance. The one-month resi...

In this special episode, we (your hosts, Kathy and Michal) pause to reflect on our own experience of dreaming about living in another country, eventually relocating from Canada to Portugal — and the journey that sparked the Relocurious project. As we’ve listened to the stories of our podcast guests, examining the emotional layers of our own experience of moving, what has started to emerge is a seq...

In this episode, we speak with Aryan, a young man from India who moved to Canada to pursue graduate studies. What began as a plan to stay close to family in Ottawa took an unexpected turn when the right academic program led him instead to rainy Vancouver—a detour filled with surprises, challenges, and unexpected growth. Aryan shares what it was like to trade the familiarity of India for the newnes...

In this episode, we sit down with Caleb, originally from Ghana, and Deniz, who is Turkish. They are a newly married couple who recently made Canada their new home. Their story began in a language class in Turkey, and what started as a fleeting connection eventually grew into a relationship that spanned years and continents. With Deniz thriving in Spain and Caleb pursuing studies in Vancouver, thei...

Deeply understanding your personal values and who you are at your core is one thing. Finding a country where those values align, and where you’re free to explore your authentic self, is a rare and powerful gift. This week, we speak with Hawwa , who moved from the Maldives to Vancouver, Canada, just two years ago, and describes the experience as a leap of faith. A scholar with a background in socio...

What happens when your “dream move” abroad doesn’t feel so dreamy? In this episode of Relocurious , we talk with Cressida, who moved from a cottage in the English countryside to the fast-paced urban energy of Hong Kong with her husband, and a newborn in tow. From the outside, it looked like an incredible opportunity: a new country, a new adventure, a fresh chapter. But inside, Cressida was struggl...

What happens when a political earthquake nudges you halfway around the world? In this episode of Relocurious , we meet Sarah and Stu, an adventurous couple who turned a moment of shock into a new chapter. Originally from Malta and the UK, they now call British Columbia, Canada home. Their relocation story is anything but straightforward. It’s spontaneous and strategic, emotional and analytical, hi...