Self-Made Expats with Lucy Jeon

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Professor Danny Kessler , an American expat 🇺🇸 who has built an incredible career and life in South Korea 🇰🇷. Professor Kessler is an Assistant Professor at Dongseo University’s International College, where he teaches, mentors, and develops innovative programs like the Workplace Wellness Micro-Degree and the Workplace Wellness Research Lab. Rece...

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...

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 transpor...

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 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...

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 ci...

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...

{🎉 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,...

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 Neth...

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...

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, t...

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 exper...

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 ba...

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 background...

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...

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...

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 colivin...

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 hu...

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...

 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...

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 bu...

Hey Dreamers! Happy (almost) New Year! How are we feeling? As it's that time of the year when we reflect on ourselves and set new goals, I had this urge to create this solo episode to share what I've earned about visualization and manifestation over this year. Although I love the idea of manifestation, I'm also the type of person who believes in facts and data, so in this episode, I'm sharing with...

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Benedikt Becker , a sales and marketing leader based in Malaysia. To give you a quick intro, Benedikt was born and raised in Germany and in 2017, he moved to Vietnam after traveling in Asia for 9 months. We talked about his journey from pursuing his dream to be a rockstar drummer, to working in the music industry, to becoming a sales and marketing leade...

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Jonathan Moore , a Tech enthusiast, and Entrepreneur based in South Korea. This is hands-down a value-packed episode. If you're interested in startups, this is definitely a free masterclass for you! To introduce Jonathan, he was born and raised in Texas and he moved to Seoul in 2006. He is the Chief Innovation Officer at PowerPT, a Startup mentor and en...

Hey Dreamers! In this episode, I interviewed Shelley Pascual , the Senior Communications Specialist at Siemens Healthineer and a Journalist at heart. Shelley was born and raised in Canada and she moved to Germany in 2012, which makes almost a decade since she's been living in Germany. In this episode, we talked about her expat life in Germany, her career in Journalism (she was a reporter at The Lo...