A Japanese man dreams of becoming a professional footballer.
A street gang attack derails everything at 17.
He ends up in Cambodia, survives testicular cancer,
navigates divorce, and discovers his life purpose
through photography, community, and human connection.

Shunsuke, known as Taki, was on track to become
a professional footballer in Japan when a random act
of violence shattered his ankle and his dream.
One day before his trial, a street gang attacked him,
leaving him with a broken ankle and torn ligaments.
But what could have been the end became a beginning.

From advertising executive in Tokyo to country director in Phnom Penh,
Taki traded the suffocating pressure of Japanese corporate culture
for the chaotic freedom of Cambodia. He built a community
through photography, nerd nights, and football,
documented everyday life in the streets of Phnom Penh,
and gained 50,000 Instagram followers overnight
with a single photo of his son.

But life abroad wasn't easy. Divorce. Distance from his children.
And then, testicular cancer.

He went through chemotherapy in Phnom Penh,
lost all his hair, kept working, and rang the bell
cancer free on Christmas Eve 2023.

Now, nine years into his Cambodian life, Taki is building
a creative co op called Hitonami, mobilizing photographers,
designers, and change makers to solve social issues
through creativity and purpose.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🔥 What we cover:

From football dreams to street gang violence at 17
The doctor who healed him in 2 months and changed his philosophy
Finding his attacker at Yokohama Station and getting revenge
Why he chose Cambodia over Europe or America
First impressions: red soil, tuk tuks, and BBQ on the streets
The generous man who was killed and finding purpose through photography
Building community through Nerd Night as an outsider
Living in Japan vs Cambodia: the crushing weight of social norms
The Instagram photo that got him 50K followers overnight
Divorce, distance, and raising kids from another country
Testicular cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy in Phnom Penh
Losing hair, gaining perspective, and ringing the bell cancer free
Lifestyle changes: quitting smoking, drinking less, cooking more
Why he'll never go back to Japan
Starting Hitonami: a creative co op with purpose
Online scams, mafia, and social issues in Cambodia
The privilege of risk and entrepreneurship realities
Life purpose: meeting people and widening perspectives

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⚠️ REAL TALK:
This episode is about resilience, reinvention, and refusing to give up.

It's about what happens when your dream gets taken away,
when your body betrays you, when your family is thousands of miles away,
and you still choose to keep going.

Whether you've ever thought about leaving your home country,
survived something that nearly broke you, or wondered
what it really takes to start over in a place where nobody knows you —
this conversation will challenge you, inspire you, and remind you
that life is about the people you meet and the perspectives you gain.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

💬 TELL US IN THE COMMENTS:

Would you move to a country you'd never visited before?
Have you ever had a dream taken away from you?
What would your life postcard look like?

Drop your thoughts below 👇
We read every single one.

🔁 Share this with someone who needs to hear this story.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🎧 About the show — "Babes, How Did You Get Here?"
Hosted by entrepreneur & former Miss Jamaica April Jackson,
this podcast explores the raw, emotional, and often
uncomfortable stories behind people who chose a life elsewhere.

New episodes every week from around the world.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⏱️ CHAPTERS:

• 00:01:46 Living in Japan vs Cambodia: The Pressure of Social Norms
• 00:04:42 The Street Gang Attack That Ended His Football Career
• 00:09:05 The Doctor Who Healed Him in 2 Months Instead of 10
• 00:15:43 Revenge at Yokohama Station: Finding the Gang Member
• 00:19:51 Why He Chose Cambodia Over Europe or America
• 00:21:59 First Impressions: Red Soil, Tuk Tuks & BBQ on the Streets
• 00:29:46 The Generous Who Was Killed & Finding His Purpose Through Photography
• 00:24:36 Nerd Night & Building Community as an Outsider
• 00:28:13 The Instagram Photo That Got Him 50K Followers Overnight
• 00:37:48 Divorce, Distance & Raising Kids From Another Country
• 00:47:40 Starting Hitonami: A Creative Co op With Purpose

#Cambodia #Japan #PhnomPenh #ExpatLife
#CancerSurvivor #Reinvention #Photography
#Entrepreneurship #LeavingJapan #SoutheastAsia
#TesticularCancer #Chemotherapy #Divorce
#RaisingKidsAbroad #CreativeCommunity #SocialChange
#LifeAbroad #JapaneseExpat #CambodiaLife
#Podcast #AprilJackson #BabesHowDidYouGetHere
#LifePurpose #HumanConnection #StartingOver
#BuildingCommunity #CancerFree #ModernMigration

A Black British woman leaves London with two suitcases,
no job, nowhere to live — and builds an entirely new life in Dubai.

What started as a one-year plan turned into nine years abroad,
multiple careers, identity shifts, burnout, reinvention,
and one brutally honest realization:

“I’d NEVER raise Black children in London.”

Kai Charles grew up in West London, worked corporate jobs
at companies like The Economist, and dreamed of building
a music career. But despite doing everything “right” —
good grades, university, stable career —
something still felt deeply wrong.

So she left.

In this raw, controversial, and deeply honest conversation,
Kai opens up about the realities of leaving the UK,
the emotional cost of migration, Black British identity,
why Dubai felt safer than London, and the uncomfortable truths
many people are too scared to say out loud.

From surviving Dubai with no plan, no apartment,
and only £4,000 in savings… to navigating the music industry,
COVID lockdowns, corporate burnout, loneliness abroad,
and the question of whether “home” still feels like home —
this episode goes there.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🔥 What we cover:

Leaving London with no job and no apartment
Why corporate life felt “soul destroying”
Working at The Economist before quitting everything
Trying to survive as an independent singer in Dubai
The hidden reality of gig culture and artist burnout
Why Dubai felt safer than the UK
The culture shock of raising children in Dubai
“I’d NEVER raise Black children in London”
The difference between Black British and Caribbean identity
Why so many ambitious people are quietly leaving the UK
COVID in Dubai vs London: why she chose to stay
The loneliness nobody talks about when moving abroad
Why London now feels “slow, unsafe and depressing”
Soft life culture vs survival mode
Why Dubai changed her forever
The emotional reality of starting over abroad
Building community as a Black woman overseas
Why she no longer sees the UK the same way

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⚠️ REAL TALK:
This episode will probably trigger people.

Some will completely understand everything Kai is saying.
Others will strongly disagree.

But whether you agree or not, this conversation opens up
real questions about identity, safety, ambition, burnout,
race, migration, and what people are silently searching for
when they leave home.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

💬 TELL US IN THE COMMENTS:

Would YOU ever leave your country and start over?
Do you think London is still a good place to raise children?
Has living abroad changed the way you see “home”?

Drop your thoughts below 👇
We read every single one.

🔁 Share this with someone secretly thinking about leaving the UK.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🎧 About the show — "Babes, How Did You Get Here?"
Hosted by entrepreneur & former Miss Jamaica April Jackson,
this podcast explores the raw, emotional, and often
uncomfortable stories behind people who chose a life elsewhere.

New episodes every week from around the world.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⏱️ CHAPTERS:

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

#Dubai #London #BlackBritish #ExpatLife
#LeavingTheUK #DubaiLife #BlackWomen
#MovingAbroad #SoftLife #LondonLife
#BlackExcellence #Diaspora #Podcast
#AprilJackson #BabesHowDidYouGetHere
#UKvsDubai #LifeAbroad #BritishCulture
#EntrepreneurLife #WomenWhoMove #DubaiPodcast
#BlackDiaspora #Identity #SelfDevelopment
#BlackProfessionals #ModernMigration

A Black British woman leaves London with two suitcases,
no job, nowhere to live — and builds an entirely new life in Dubai.

What started as a one-year plan turned into nine years abroad,
multiple careers, identity shifts, burnout, reinvention,
and one brutally honest realization:

“I’d NEVER raise Black children in London.”

Kai Charles grew up in West London, worked corporate jobs
at companies like The Economist, and dreamed of building
a music career. But despite doing everything “right” —
good grades, university, stable career —
something still felt deeply wrong.

So she left.

In this raw, controversial, and deeply honest conversation,
Kai opens up about the realities of leaving the UK,
the emotional cost of migration, Black British identity,
why Dubai felt safer than London, and the uncomfortable truths
many people are too scared to say out loud.

From surviving Dubai with no plan, no apartment,
and only £4,000 in savings… to navigating the music industry,
COVID lockdowns, corporate burnout, loneliness abroad,
and the question of whether “home” still feels like home —
this episode goes there.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🔥 What we cover:

Leaving London with no job and no apartment
Why corporate life felt “soul destroying”
Working at The Economist before quitting everything
Trying to survive as an independent singer in Dubai
The hidden reality of gig culture and artist burnout
Why Dubai felt safer than the UK
The culture shock of raising children in Dubai
“I’d NEVER raise Black children in London”
The difference between Black British and Caribbean identity
Why so many ambitious people are quietly leaving the UK
COVID in Dubai vs London: why she chose to stay
The loneliness nobody talks about when moving abroad
Why London now feels “slow, unsafe and depressing”
Soft life culture vs survival mode
Why Dubai changed her forever
The emotional reality of starting over abroad
Building community as a Black woman overseas
Why she no longer sees the UK the same way

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⚠️ REAL TALK:
This episode will probably trigger people.

Some will completely understand everything Kai is saying.
Others will strongly disagree.

But whether you agree or not, this conversation opens up
real questions about identity, safety, ambition, burnout,
race, migration, and what people are silently searching for
when they leave home.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

💬 TELL US IN THE COMMENTS:

Would YOU ever leave your country and start over?
Do you think London is still a good place to raise children?
Has living abroad changed the way you see “home”?

Drop your thoughts below 👇
We read every single one.

🔁 Share this with someone secretly thinking about leaving the UK.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🎧 About the show — "Babes, How Did You Get Here?"
Hosted by entrepreneur & former Miss Jamaica April Jackson,
this podcast explores the raw, emotional, and often
uncomfortable stories behind people who chose a life elsewhere.

New episodes every week from around the world.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⏱️ CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:01:25 Leaving London With Two Suitcases
• 00:04:49 Corporate Burnout & Music Dreams
• 00:06:16 “I Got Sick Of Being Sick In London”
• 00:07:38 Moving To Dubai With No Plan
• 00:10:57 Finding An Apartment In 5 Days
• 00:14:14 Why Dubai Felt Different
• 00:17:07 How The Dubai Music Industry Really Works
• 00:20:14 Sacrificing Artistry To Survive
• 00:21:51 Why She Quit Singing
• 00:23:19 COVID Destroyed The Industry
• 00:26:17 Why She Stayed In Dubai During Lockdown
• 00:28:04 Returning To London After Living Abroad
• 00:29:59 How Dubai Changed Her Personality
• 00:31:03 The Moment She Realized She’d Never Move Back
• 00:33:02 Why Corporate Life Never Fulfilled Her
• 00:39:09 Searching For Purpose Beyond Money
• 00:40:01 Family Reactions To Her Leaving
• 00:41:20 Why So Many People Are Moving To Dubai
• 00:43:17 Parenting, Culture Shock & Children In Dubai
• 00:47:47 “I’d NEVER Raise Black Children In London”
• 00:50:02 Why The West No Longer Feels Appealing
• 00:51:11 Black British Identity Explained

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

#Dubai #London #BlackBritish #ExpatLife
#LeavingTheUK #DubaiLife #BlackWomen
#MovingAbroad #SoftLife #LondonLife
#BlackExcellence #Diaspora #Podcast
#AprilJackson #BabesHowDidYouGetHere
#UKvsDubai #LifeAbroad #BritishCulture
#EntrepreneurLife #WomenWhoMove #DubaiPodcast
#BlackDiaspora #Identity #SelfDevelopment
#BlackProfessionals #ModernMigration

📚 For more details on my parenting method:
https://april-s-site-fcfd.thinkific.com

What happens when a London cop rises through the ranks at Scotland Yard, gets recruited to transform Jamaica's police force, and ends up staying for 20 years — building a life, a business, and a family in a country that wasn't his?

🇬🇧🇯🇲 In this powerful episode of 'Babes, How Did You Get Here?',
April sits down with Mark Shields — former Deputy Commissioner of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Scotland Yard veteran, and now a Kingston-based security entrepreneur who traded the policing career of a lifetime for Caribbean sunshine, political stability, and a whole new definition of home. From arriving in 2005 to overhaul a force riddled with corruption and fatal shootings, to walking away five years later to start his own company, Mark opens up about what it really takes to lead change in a foreign country, why he chose Jamaica over returning to the UK, and how a place he once found chaotic became the place he now defends fiercely.

We talk about: 🚔 Leaving Scotland Yard to become Deputy Commissioner of the JCF — and why some colleagues thought he was crazy

📸 Arriving to find crime scenes photographed in black and white, evidence stored in wax-sealed paper bags, and zero accountability

🔧 Introducing exhibit bags, color photography, major investigation task forces, and Jamaica Eye surveillance

💔 The corruption, resistance, and weekly moments of "what the fuck am I doing here?"

🇯🇲 Why Jamaican people embraced him — even when senior officers didn't
👨‍👩‍👧 Getting divorced, remarrying a Jamaican attorney and broadcast journalist, and raising a daughter with an English accent in Kingston

💼 Walking away from policing in 2009 to start Shields Crime and Security — and why he finally became the entrepreneur he always wanted to be 🎥 Facial recognition cameras, vehicle tracking tech, and why Jamaica needs more than just "Jamaica Eye"

🚗 Why 400+ road deaths a year could be cut in half with traffic cameras — but the regulations still aren't in place 🇬🇧 Comparing UK chaos (five prime ministers since 2015, Brexit, economic disaster) to Jamaica's political and financial stability 🏡 Why his London friends are selling houses for £1.9 million — and why he can't afford to move back

🌍 The cultural differences: disorder vs. freedom, sexism, entitlement at Hillel, and why some expats love it here and others can't wait to leave 🗣️ Why he's protective of Jamaica's reputation — and why crime headlines are often irresponsible and misleading

It's about political stability, economic growth, and why Jamaica in 2025 might actually be safer and saner than the UK. It's about raising a third-culture kid, defending a misunderstood island, and finding home in the last place you expected. Whether you've thought about moving to Jamaica, wondered what it's like to work in law enforcement abroad, or just want to hear a story about resilience, reinvention, and refusing to go back — this episode will challenge you, inspire you, and maybe make you rethink what "home" really means.

💬 Tell us in the comments: Have you ever stayed somewhere you only meant to visit?

And would you choose Jamaica over London right now? 👀 🎧 About the show – "Babes, 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."

📌 Subscribe for more stories on: • Expat life, Jamaica living & building a life abroad • Law enforcement, crime, policing & justice reform • Entrepreneurship, security tech & starting a business in Jamaica • UK vs Jamaica: politics, economy & quality of life • Raising third-culture kids & navigating identity across borders • Cultural misconceptions, media narratives & defending Jamaica's reputation • Reinvention, resilience & choosing a new home.

#howdidyougethere #AprilJackson #MarkShields #JamaicaLiving #ExpatLife #ScotlandYard #JCF #LawEnforcement #KingstonJamaica #UKvsJamaica #LifeAbroad #PolicingAbroad #Entrepreneurship #SecurityTech #ThirdCultureKids #Reinvention #FindingHome #CaribbeanLife #JamaicaVsUK #RealStories #Podcast #PoliticalStability #CrimeAndSecurity #BuildingALifeAbroad

What happens when a Bajan Hindu girl lands in Kingston at 18 to study physiotherapy, falls in love with a Jamaican, and 22 years later is still here — raising two daughters, running a practice, and calling Jamaica home while Barbados stays in her heart?

In this heartwarming and deeply personal episode of "Babes, How Did You Get Here?", host April Jackson sits down with Jivika Lalwani-Chugani (Jivey)—a Barbados-born physiotherapist, entrepreneur, co-director, and proud Hindu mother of two—who shares the unexpected journey that took her from a university student in Kingston to building a family, a business, and a life rooted in love, tradition, and adaptability across two Caribbean islands.

📚 To join the Parenting community: https://april-s-site-fcfd.thinkific.com

Jivey opens up about arriving in Jamaica at 18 to study physiotherapy at the University of the West Indies—where she fell in love with a Jamaican, extended her "one-year internship," and never left. What began as a degree turned into 22 years of marriage, two daughters, a thriving physiotherapy practice, and a life that weaves together Bajan roots, Indian culture, and Jamaican warmth in a way that feels effortless—but wasn't always easy.

She talks honestly about the cultural differences between Barbados and Jamaica, the shock of seeing goats cross the road in the city, the confusion of Jamaican money ($200,000 for university supplies?!), and why she'll choose tastee patty over juicee any day. She shares what it's like to raise two daughters with completely different relationships to their Jamaican identity, how she keeps Indian traditions alive through food, festivals, and community, and why her husband's support made all the difference when she decided to take seven years off to be a stay-at-home mom.

One of the most powerful moments in the episode is her return to work—just two weeks before COVID hit. After seven years of being the chauffeur, the cook, the nurse, and everything in between, Jivey stepped back into physiotherapy with fear, excitement, and a deep sense of calling. She discovered a passion for working with geriatric patients, found fulfillment in improving quality of life for the elderly, and built a part-time practice that honors her number one priority: family first, everything else secondary.

She also gets real about the misconceptions people have about Jamaica (crime, safety, fear), the classism she experienced in Barbados (Sandy Lane bar service, anyone?), and why she believes Jamaicans are filled with love and warmth—something she's experienced firsthand for over two decades. From roast breadfruit and steamed fish with okra, to deep-fried okra with peanut sauce, to the cultural shock of window washers at stoplights, to raising third-culture kids who celebrate Diwali and love the beach—

Jivey's story is a beautiful reminder that home is where you choose to bloom, and that love, food, and community are the threads that hold it all together.

💬 Question for you: Have you ever moved to a new country and built a whole new life? What was the hardest part? And Team Tasty or Team Juicy?

👀 If this episode resonated, like, comment, and share it with someone who needs the reminder that it's never too late to choose love, family, and a life that honors all of who you are.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Intro: From Barbados to Jamaica
• 00:01:04 How Jivy ended up in Jamaica
• 00:03:17 First impressions of Jamaica
• 00:06:05 Becoming a mom & Indian culture
• 00:07:30 Food culture shock
• 00:10:02 Goats, cows & culture clashes
• 00:12:43 From stay-at-home mom back to work
• 00:14:30 Quickfire questions

#howdidyougethere #AprilJackson #BarbadosToJamaica #expatlife #JamaicaLiving #CaribbeanLife #BajanInJamaica #IndianCulture #Hindu #Physiotherapy #Motherhood #ThirdCultureKids #StayAtHomeMom #WorkingMom #CulturalIdentity #FlyingFish #JerkChicken #TastyPatty #RoastBreadfruit #FindingHome #LoveAndFamily #CaribbeanExpat #RealStories #Podcast #Reinvention #LifeAbroad #KingstonJamaica #Diwali #FoodIsLove #ChoosingJoy

Why she sold a successful business to chase a view
The 2-month move with 5 suitcases for a family of 5
Why everyone — even her best clients — predicted she'd fail
Getting scammed by a French baker hired off Craigslist
The Jamaican concept of "bad mind" and how it broke her team
Being accused of racism in The Observer over a vanilla latte
The WhatsApp group of men who watched her breastfeed
Her newborn sleeping under the bakery counter
Why she fired every foreign worker she ever hired
Raising her kids at Mona Prep, KC, and Campion
Why Jamaica's traditional diet should be a Blue Zone
The expats who tried Jamaica and ran — and why she stayed
Why she'd die happy never leaving this island
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
⚠️ REAL TALK: This episode is for anyone who's ever wondered
if walking away from the "good life" is worth the unknown.
Ellen didn't expect any of this. She just kept saying yes
to a vision nobody else could see.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
💬 TELL US IN THE COMMENTS:
Would YOU walk away from a successful business to start over?
Could you move countries in 2 months with no plan?
What's the leap you're scared to take?
Drop your thoughts below 👇
We read every single one.
🔁 Share this with someone who needs to hear they don't need
a plan — they just need to say yes.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🎧 About the show — "A Life Elsewhere"
Hosted by entrepreneur & former Miss Jamaica April Jackson,
this podcast dives into the raw, 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.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
⏱️ CHAPTERS:

• 00:05:16 Two Months From Vacation to One-Way Flight
• 00:13:39 Hiring a Baker Off Craigslist (The Scam That Followed)
• 00:30:35 Being Accused of Racism in The Observer Over a Vanilla Latte
• 00:42:07 The WhatsApp Group of Men Who Watched Her Breastfeed
• 00:55:03 The Most Surprising Thing About Moving Here
• 00:56:19 Why Her Lifestyle Vibrates Better in Jamaica
• 01:07:01 The "Wash Belly": Her Jamaican-Born Daughter
• 01:11:36 The Champs Color Wars & Family Loyalty
• 01:18:33 Coronation Market Every Thursday
• 01:19:48 Does Jamaica Feel Like Home?
• 01:29:39 Bakery Menu Influenced by Jamaica (Ackee, Sorrel Pickles, Polish Sausage)

She traded London pounds for Cape Town sunshine — and her marriage has never been better.
In Part 2 of this raw conversation, Desmei Collia goes deeper into what it really cost her to live in the UK — and why coming home to South Africa saved her marriage, her mental health, and her sense of self.
She doesn't hold back about the subtle racism in British salons, the in-laws who didn't approve, the marriage counseling that saved her relationship, and the moment she realized she'd rather be "late" than walk past someone who needed help.
In this unfiltered episode, Desmei opens up about:
🙏🏽 Why her atheist British husband became a Christian — without her ever asking
⛪ The cultural shock of British churches (and why pastors use TIMERS to preach)
💔 Marriage counseling, in-law conflicts, and the day Tom dropped out of university for her
😔 Going on antidepressants in Guernsey — and why no one warns you about expat loneliness
🇬🇧 The COVID lockdown that made her question everything about life in the UK
✂️ Being told "you're just a hairdresser" — and proving every doubter wrong
💷 Why pounds only feel valuable in third-world countries (and British people are struggling too)
🏡 The truth about foreigners buying up Cape Town property
👵🏽 The day she found an elderly man bleeding on a UK pavement — and what it taught her about Britain
💍 How returning home transformed her marriage from surviving to thriving
🌍 Why she lost friends when she came back (and why she's okay with that)
👶🏽 A message to the little girl she used to be: "Everything is going to be okay"
This is not a story about giving up on the UK. This is a story about choosing yourself.
From marriage counseling in Manchester to financial freedom in Cape Town, from being second-guessed in British salons to becoming the hairdresser celebrities now fly to — Desmei's return journey will make you question everything you've been told about "making it" abroad.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
⏱️ CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 "I prefer South African racism" (recap)
• 00:01:30 Talking about faith: the cultural divide
• 00:02:40 Her atheist husband becomes a Christian
• 00:03:45 Pentecostal vs Anglican: church culture shock
• 00:05:00 "Why are they running around the coffin?"
• 00:05:45 You can never figure out a British person
• 00:07:35 Being "too much" for her British in-laws
• 00:09:00 Marriage counseling saved us
• 00:10:30 "A man will leave his family"
• 00:11:10 Why Jamaicans and South Africans don't go to therapy
• 00:13:40 The couple who never argued (and the racist twist)
• 00:15:15 Why her kids will ALWAYS say "Auntie" and "Uncle"
• 00:16:45 The elderly man bleeding on the UK pavement
• 00:18:00 Picking up a stranger on the way to the interview
• 00:19:30 Dying alone: the British reality nobody talks about
• 00:21:30 "Hairdressing saved me from poverty"
• 00:24:00 The biggest disrespect in her marriage
• 00:25:30 The price of being self-employed
• 00:27:00 The subtle racism in British salons
• 00:29:30 Tom dropped out of university for her
• 00:32:00 The in-law conflict that almost broke them
• 00:34:30 Going on antidepressants in Guernsey
• 00:37:00 COVID lockdown and losing purpose
• 00:39:00 Manchester: finally being able to breathe
• 00:44:00 The decision to come home
• 00:46:00 "Don't move thinking it's a bed of roses"
• 00:50:00 Why people judge you for going back
• 00:52:30 Pounds are only valuable in third-world countries
• 00:57:00 Foreigners buying up Cape Town property
• 00:59:00 The BBC documentary problem
• 01:01:00 Her message to anyone thinking about going home
• 01:03:00 Losing friends after coming back
• 01:04:30 A message to her younger self
• 01:06:00 The dream isn't over yet
• 01:08:30 "30 years ago, my marriage would have been illegal"

Babes, How Did You Get Here? | Karina: From Moscow Dance Floors to Kingston Streets – Finding Home After Dancehall Broke Her Heart

What happens when a Russian hip-hop dancer falls so deeply in love with dancehall culture that she moves 6,000 miles to Jamaica—only to discover that the community she worshipped would eventually exile her, leaving her stranded between two worlds, two Jamaicas, and two versions of herself?

In this raw, unfiltered, and deeply honest episode, host April Jackson sits down with Karina Galliamova—a Russian dancehall dancer, former Moscow dance instructor, and now a Kingston-based content creator who traded the grey skies of Russia for the chaos, beauty, and heartbreak of Jamaica.

From her first trip in 2016 (thinking she'd get shot), to teaching dancehall across 50+ Russian cities, to surviving COVID in Jamaica, to being canceled by the very community she loved, to finding unexpected love at Carnival and building a new life in uptown Kingston—Karina's story is one of passion, resilience, cultural collision, and choosing happiness even when the dream doesn't look like you thought it would.

In this episode, we discuss:

Falling in Love with Dancehall: How a crush on a dancer led her into a culture she initially hated—and then couldn't live without.
First Trip to Jamaica (2016): Arriving terrified, hearing gunshots in Spanish Town, and still thinking, "I wish I could stay."
Life in Moscow: Teaching dancehall across Russia, traveling to 50+ cities, working with Nike and Adidas, and burning out.
The Balcony Moment: Sitting in New Kingston in 2019 and randomly deciding, "I could live here."
COVID and Choosing to Stay: Coming for three months in January 2020, getting the option to leave, and deciding to extend her visa and stay.
The Abusive Relationship: Falling for a Jamaican man who had someone else, living a double life, and surviving emotional manipulation.
Living Between Two Jamaicas: Dancehall vs. uptown, street parties vs. boat parties, and navigating class and culture shock.
The Post That Changed Everything: Writing "80-90% of Jamaican dancehall dancers cheat" and getting canceled, called racist, and exiled from the community she loved.
Surviving Depression: Losing her identity, her community, and her purpose—and choosing to stay in Jamaica anyway.
Finding Uptown Jamaica: Meeting a Russian friend who introduced her to a completely different Kingston—one with money, boats, and no one asking her to buy them drinks.
Meeting Her Boyfriend at Carnival: Seeing his "bad picture," meeting him at Kaya Fest, talking for two hours, and never leaving his place after the first visit.
The Red Flags She Ignored: He had a daughter, she said she'd never date a man with kids, and then she fell in love anyway.
Life in Kingston Now: Living with her boyfriend, building her social media platform, navigating "tourist tax," and learning to love ackee and breadfruit.
The Cost of Living Shock: Paying 10,000 JMD for electricity in a studio with no AC, vegetables costing more than in Moscow, and realizing Jamaica is expensive.
Being Russian in Jamaica: Dealing with stereotypes, being called a spy, and learning to say "I was born in Ukraine" to change the energy in the room.
Home or Not?: Still asking herself if Jamaica is forever, knowing she's traumatized by her dancehall experience, but choosing happiness over comfort.
Why This Story Matters

This isn't just a story about moving to Jamaica or falling out of love with dancehall. It's about:

Following your passion even when it leads you somewhere dangerous and unpredictable.
Surviving heartbreak, exile, and depression in a foreign country—and choosing to stay anyway.
Navigating cultural collision when you're white, Russian, and in love with Black culture.
Finding love after trauma and learning to trust again.

#HowDidYouGetHere #AprilJackson #JamaicaLiving #KingstonLife #DancehallCulture #RussianInJamaica #ExpatLife #CulturalCollision #FindingHome #Heartbreak #Reinvention #UptownJamaica #LivingAbroad #CourageOverComfort #ChoosingHappiness #MovingToJamaica #caribbeanlife

• 00:00:00 Introduction: The Cost of Living in Jamaica
• 00:00:45 Meet Karina: A Russian Dancer's Journey
• 00:02:15 First Trip to Jamaica: 2016
• 00:04:37 Falling in Love with Dancehall Culture
• 00:09:12 The Spanish Town Incident: A Wake-Up Call
• 00:13:01 The Toxic Relationship That Brought Her Back
• 00:01:30 COVID Times: Choosing to Stay
• 00:23:29 The Controversial Post That Changed Everything
• 00:39:05 Discovering Uptown Jamaica
• 00:41:46 Two Jamaicas: Inner City vs Uptown Life
• 00:47:52 Finding Love at Carnival
• 01:05:27 Tourist Tax and Daily Challenges
• 01:01:29 Culture Shocks: What Nobody Tells You
• 01:14:31 Jamaican Food Favorites and Discoveries
• 01:13:51 Final Thoughts: Is Jamaica Home?

From a small New Zealand town with no traffic lights to Antarctica,
East Timor war zones, Syrian roundabouts, and now Cambodia —
this is the story of a simple Māori boy who built a life
everywhere except where he started.

John Cassidy (JC) grew up in Blenheim, New Zealand — population
20,000, zero traffic lights, and enough kids on the street
to fill a rugby team. He worked in a mussel factory, had no
plans for university, and definitely didn't think he'd end up
flying prime ministers, coordinating COVID vaccines in South Sudan,
or living in a tent surrounded by snakes in East Timor.

But life had other plans.

In this raw, hilarious, and deeply reflective conversation,
JC walks us through 20+ years in the New Zealand Air Force,
a decade in UN humanitarian aviation, and what it's like
raising third culture kids while moving countries every few years.

From his first flight (which made him violently sick and almost
ruined his aviation dreams), to six months on ice in Antarctica
watching Adélie penguins judge him, to navigating Damascus traffic
with zero preparation, to being the "grocery man" smuggling
supplies into Sudan during sanctions — JC's life is a masterclass
in saying yes to opportunities even when you have no idea
what you're doing.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🔥 What we cover:

Growing up in a town where seeing traffic lights
was a field trip
The mussel factory boss who changed his life
The military interview where he froze and thought he blew it
His first flight: Top Gun dreams meet vomit reality
Flying prime ministers and British military across the globe
Damascus 2003: Russian roulette roundabouts and
lollipop wielding traffic cops
Antarctica: 85 beds, 10 winter survivors, and penguins
with personality
East Timor in a tent: snakes, netting, and desensitization
Meeting his wife in Haiti and joining the UN
The 2010 Haiti earthquake: the UN's biggest single loss of life
South Sudan during COVID: becoming the vaccine coordinator
when no one else could do it
Life in Jordan (lovely) vs Sudan (challenging): the grocery
smuggling operation
Cambodia: why it's safer than expected and why his kids
can take tuk tuks alone
Food disasters: the crab salad that took him out for 5 days
Paris disappointment: why Jules Verne didn't live up to the hype
Business class upgrades and the secret to getting them
(hint: it's not about the shoes)
Advice for expats: question your motivation or you won't
survive the hard posts
Identity and family: what it means to be Māori when your
kids speak French and you live in Cambodia

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⚠️ REAL TALK: This episode is for anyone who's ever wondered
if they should take the leap, move abroad, or say yes to
something that scares them. JC didn't plan any of this.
He just kept saying yes.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

💬 TELL US IN THE COMMENTS:

Would YOU have gotten on that first flight after getting
violently airsick?
Could you live in a tent in East Timor with snakes?
What's the most unexpected place life has taken you?

Drop your thoughts below 👇
We read every single one.

🔁 Share this with someone who needs to hear that you don't
need a plan — you just need to say yes.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🎧 About the show — "Babes, How Did You Get Here?"
Hosted by entrepreneur & former Miss Jamaica April Jackson,
this podcast dives into the raw, 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.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⏱️ CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Introduction: A Simple Maori Boy from New Zealand
• 00:00:56 Growing Up in Blenheim: Life Without Traffic Lights
• 00:03:23 From Mussel Factory to Military: An Unexpected Path
• 00:06:24 The Interview That Changed Everything
• 00:12:27 First Flight Experience: When Top Gun Dreams Meet Reality
• 00:15:31 Global Adventures: From Prime Ministers to Antarctica
• 00:17:32 Damascus Memories: Lollipops and Russian Roulette Roundabouts
• 00:21:19 Antarctica: Six Months on Ice
• 00:34:26 East Timor in a Tent: Military Operations and Snake Encounters
• 00:39:03 Meeting His Wife and Joining the UN
• 00:40:27 Haiti Earthquake: The UN's Biggest Loss
• 00:46:01 South Sudan During COVID: Vaccines and Challenges
• 00:52:34 Life in Jordan and Sudan: The Grocery Man
• 01:00:58 Cambodia: Finding Home in Southeast Asia
• 01:03:02 Food Adventures: From Crab Salad Disasters to Paris Disappointments
• 01:06:50 Business Class Upgrades and the Art of Travel
• 01:14:17 Advice for Future Expats: Question Your Motivation
• 01:27:02 Identity and Family: What It Means to Be Maori

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

#JohnCassidy #NewZealand #MaoriPride #MilitaryLife
#AirForce #UNLife #HumanitarianWork #Antarctica
#EastTimor #Syria #SouthSudan #Haiti #Cambodia
#ExpatLife #ThirdCultureKids #MovingAbroad
#AviationLife #COVIDResponse #LifeElsewhere
#BabesHowDidYouGetHere #AprilJackson #TravelStories
#SayYes #AdventureLife #GlobalCitizen #Kiwi

From a small New Zealand town with no traffic lights to Antarctica,
East Timor war zones, Syrian roundabouts, and now Cambodia —
this is the story of a simple Māori boy who built a life
everywhere except where he started.

John Cassidy (JC) grew up in Blenheim, New Zealand — population
20,000, zero traffic lights, and enough kids on the street
to fill a rugby team. He worked in a mussel factory, had no
plans for university, and definitely didn't think he'd end up
flying prime ministers, coordinating COVID vaccines in South Sudan,
or living in a tent surrounded by snakes in East Timor.

But life had other plans.

In this raw, hilarious, and deeply reflective conversation,
JC walks us through 20+ years in the New Zealand Air Force,
a decade in UN humanitarian aviation, and what it's like
raising third culture kids while moving countries every few years.

From his first flight (which made him violently sick and almost
ruined his aviation dreams), to six months on ice in Antarctica
watching Adélie penguins judge him, to navigating Damascus traffic
with zero preparation, to being the "grocery man" smuggling
supplies into Sudan during sanctions — JC's life is a masterclass
in saying yes to opportunities even when you have no idea
what you're doing.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🔥 What we cover:

Growing up in a town where seeing traffic lights
was a field trip
The mussel factory boss who changed his life
The military interview where he froze and thought he blew it
His first flight: Top Gun dreams meet vomit reality
Flying prime ministers and British military across the globe
Damascus 2003: Russian roulette roundabouts and
lollipop wielding traffic cops
Antarctica: 85 beds, 10 winter survivors, and penguins
with personality
East Timor in a tent: snakes, netting, and desensitization
Meeting his wife in Haiti and joining the UN
The 2010 Haiti earthquake: the UN's biggest single loss of life
South Sudan during COVID: becoming the vaccine coordinator
when no one else could do it
Life in Jordan (lovely) vs Sudan (challenging): the grocery
smuggling operation
Cambodia: why it's safer than expected and why his kids
can take tuk tuks alone
Food disasters: the crab salad that took him out for 5 days
Paris disappointment: why Jules Verne didn't live up to the hype
Business class upgrades and the secret to getting them
(hint: it's not about the shoes)
Advice for expats: question your motivation or you won't
survive the hard posts
Identity and family: what it means to be Māori when your
kids speak French and you live in Cambodia

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⚠️ REAL TALK: This episode is for anyone who's ever wondered
if they should take the leap, move abroad, or say yes to
something that scares them. JC didn't plan any of this.
He just kept saying yes.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

💬 TELL US IN THE COMMENTS:

Would YOU have gotten on that first flight after getting
violently airsick?
Could you live in a tent in East Timor with snakes?
What's the most unexpected place life has taken you?

Drop your thoughts below 👇
We read every single one.

🔁 Share this with someone who needs to hear that you don't
need a plan — you just need to say yes.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

🎧 About the show — "Babes, How Did You Get Here?"
Hosted by entrepreneur & former Miss Jamaica April Jackson,
this podcast dives into the raw, 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.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⏱️ CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Introduction: A Simple Maori Boy from New Zealand
• 00:00:56 Growing Up in Blenheim: Life Without Traffic Lights
• 00:03:23 From Mussel Factory to Military: An Unexpected Path
• 00:06:24 The Interview That Changed Everything
• 00:12:27 First Flight Experience: When Top Gun Dreams Meet Reality
• 00:15:31 Global Adventures: From Prime Ministers to Antarctica
• 00:17:32 Damascus Memories: Lollipops and Russian Roulette Roundabouts
• 00:21:19 Antarctica: Six Months on Ice
• 00:34:26 East Timor in a Tent: Military Operations and Snake Encounters
• 00:39:03 Meeting His Wife and Joining the UN
• 00:40:27 Haiti Earthquake: The UN's Biggest Loss
• 00:46:01 South Sudan During COVID: Vaccines and Challenges
• 00:52:34 Life in Jordan and Sudan: The Grocery Man
• 01:00:58 Cambodia: Finding Home in Southeast Asia
• 01:03:02 Food Adventures: From Crab Salad Disasters to Paris Disappointments
• 01:06:50 Business Class Upgrades and the Art of Travel
• 01:14:17 Advice for Future Expats: Question Your Motivation
• 01:27:02 Identity and Family: What It Means to Be Maori

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

#JohnCassidy #NewZealand #MaoriPride #MilitaryLife
#AirForce #UNLife #HumanitarianWork #Antarctica
#EastTimor #Syria #SouthSudan #Haiti #Cambodia
#ExpatLife #ThirdCultureKids #MovingAbroad
#AviationLife #COVIDResponse #LifeElsewhere
#BabesHowDidYouGetHere #AprilJackson #TravelStories
#SayYes #AdventureLife #GlobalCitizen #Kiwi