Welcome to another year of Expat Focus podcasts. We're kicking off 2023 with an episode about life and career change, which tends to go hand-in-hand with a decision to move abroad.

It's certainly true for me. Actually, this year marks 10 years since I decided to quit my job and life in Australia, to move to the UK to see what else I was capable of.

My guest is Midlife Career Change Coach Josh Peck, who talks about our common motivations for making a change, the three key elements for success, and the common reasons that can hold people back.

Josh, thanks so much for joining me on the Expat Focus podcast.

Hey there, it's Carlie with the Expat Focus Podcast.

It's another festive themed episode! We're discussing Christmastime in South Korea and Spain with American expat and English teacher, Jesse Sweed. We talk about festive activities in the classroom, the perils of the Secret Santa gift, Spain's Three Kings Day and how Jesse's experience of the holidays in three countries has influenced how he celebrates this time of year with his own family.

Oh and a little footnote - I have a "pooping log" question in this interview that seemed to stump Jesse - it turns out, it's a Catalan Christmas tradition.

Did you know that fried chicken is a Christmas tradition in Japan? And that the festive season is more about romance and gift giving between couples than arranging presents for the kids? Former expat and current Japanese tour company founder Nicki has lots of other fun facts to share from her 10 years' living in the country.

So, whether you are an expat in Japan, planning a trip there, or just curious about how Christmas time is recognized in other parts of the world, I hope you enjoy this chat with Nicki.

When American Sara Dyson moved to Croatia in 2012, she couldn't find any local resources in English to help her. So as she figured things out - like residency and healthcare, Croatian culture and learning the language, she posted about it on her website, expatincroatia.com, to help other foreigners. Close to a decade later, Expat in Croatia is a full-blown business, and Sara is about to become a Croatian citizen.

In this interview, we talk about why Sara moved to Croatia, the 'one giant grey area' that is local bureaucracy and how to work through it, and what she loves about the Croatian way of life.

The continent of Africa is our destination today. We're going to be talking about living and working in Rwanda with Italian expat, Giulia, who decided to take a leap away from her life in Europe to follow a job opportunity.

Giulia talks about her first impressions of the city of Kigali, and why it's known as the 'Switzerland' of Africa. We also talk safety, work opportunities and local workplace culture, Giulia's experience with the health care system, choosing to 'not' learn the local language, ordering warm beer, and the personal growth that happens when you leave your comfort zone.

Have you ever visited a city in a foreign country, and just felt immediately at home? That was Laurel Wright's experience whilst on a solo European holiday from the USA. Wanting to escape the hustle culture of LA, she decided to pack up her life, and move to Berlin.

We recorded this chat a couple of months back, and talk about what Berlin is like in the summer, how she found a job and navigated German bureaucracy, freelancing in Berlin, workplace culture and making friends with locals. Laurel also explains the ways in which her quality of life - and perspective - has changed for the better since her move abroad.

Do you have your eye on a rundown old property in the French countryside? Are you planning to leave your big city life behind for a simpler one? Do you really know what to expect? Best-selling Author and Editor Janine Marsh gave up her city life in London and made the move to a neglected farmhouse in Northern France more than a decade ago.

Find out what attracted her and husband Mark to the Seven Valleys, the creature comforts they had to leave behind in the big smoke, what they've learnt in their many years of renovating their home and trying to be self-sufficient, and the point at which they truly started feeling like locals.

Today's guest is an accidental social media influencer. American, Kacie Rose Burns has amassed a community of over one million people across TikTok and Instagram. And it all started with a little video she posted on her way to her new life in Italy. When I told a friend I was going to interview Kacie, she said "I just want to meet her in Italy and eat gelato together." And that's exactly the vibe you get watching Kacie's social media videos.

We chat about what led her to leave her career in New York and move to Florence, Italian culture and food, including what you should never do to pasta, and some of the opportunities that have come her way thanks to her social media fame.

Joining me today is award-winning podcaster and Business Strategist, Christine Job. She has spent the past five years living in Valencia in Spain, and her podcast, Flourish in the Foreign, celebrates the voices and stories of black women, and women of colour, who are - just like her - living and thriving internationally.

We talk about Christine's own journey abroad, passport privilege, and how her experiences differ as a woman of colour in a foreign country. Christine also discusses how life in Spain has healed her, and helped her to become the person that she is today.

Breathwork Academy Creator Artur Paulins first left Latvia to study in Denmark knowing zero Danish. He later moved on to London with no connections or contacts. And then after a good 10 years abroad, a gut-feeling told him it was time to move home.

We chat in this episode about his repatriation process, feeling like a stranger in the country he grew up in and how, in the process of returning home, Arthur had a realisation about his next path.