Moving Countries 101

For this episode, Clare is once again joined by Katie Sharpe who first appeared on the podcast in Jan 2024 to share her journey from flight attendant to Californian artist. Katie moved to the USA for love and is back today to talk about becoming a mother while living abroad. She explains how waiting for her green card affected the decision to have a baby and how having several cultures at play is influencing the dynamic of her family and new child.

Katie also talks about doctor shopping, the experience of being pregnant in a new country, giving birth, and differences in nursing and maternity leave in the USA. She also covers the cost of daycare and early schooling.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Having to wait a long time to get her green card affected when Katie and her husband started their family.
• In America, racial identity is talked about far more than in the UK. Katie explains how this has resulted in some surprising and tricky conversations she was not expecting to have.
• Katie´s experience of being pregnant and giving birth in the USA was largely good.
• Being honest with each other and talking through things has helped Katie and her husband Andre to get through some tough situations.
• Maternity leave in the USA varies from state to state.
• Realising that your child won´t get to spend much time with one side of their family is hard. But there are ways to stay close, which Katie shares in the episode.

 BEST MOMENTS

‘My legal status was kind of up in the air. ´

‘I´ve always felt very much a part of the family.’

‘If you're looking for the positive, you end up in such a stronger relationship.’

‘I don´t necessarily feel the need for all of this stuff.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

Katie Sharp is an artist from Lincolnshire, England, who currently lives in Benicia, California, USA with her husband Andre, son Peter and dog Annabelle.

www.artbyksharp.com

Instagram @artbyksharp

Earlier episode with Katie Sharpe is episode 2

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the cultural conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

CONTACT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Clare is conversing with Martin Leo Uvizl, a business strategist who lives in different countries during different times of the year. Martin explains how he decided to take the courageous path and created this unusual and exciting lifestyle. He shares the philosophy that enabled him to break away from the restrictions society puts on us and explains how anyone can do the same.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• These days it is pretty easy to structure your work so that you can live where you want when you want.
• When you put yourself out there and are good everything you need comes to you.
• If you want to be successful, you must be prepared to push the boundaries.
• The more you love and understand people from all cultures the more successful you will be.
• Life, by its very nature, is dangerous so you might as well be courageous and take risks.
• Have a clean heart and tap into your intuition.
• Even when you have a baby it is still possible to have adventures.
• Move with AI, embrace it and use it for good, for betterment.
• Technology helps us to connect, but nothing beats in-person.
• The world needs people who genuinely love others.
• Always be questioning and looking for fresh ways to do things. 
• Travel opens your eyes to the fact things can be done differently.
• 
  

BEST MOMENTS

‘I decided I would rather have a life of adventure than a life of safety. ´

‘You can bring light to life if you live with courage.’

‘You can fix anything in life.’

‘Life is about helping people.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Martin Leo-Uvizl is a Business Strategist, Partner and Serial Tech Entrepreneur. He works on 3 continents and has been moving countries since working in international business law in Vienna, London and Washington DC. "Moving countries became my way of life as it keeps my perspectives fresh, keeps me alert and away from comfort, the killer of innovation and adventure - You can just do your thing.

My passion is creating, building and selling technology ventures. AI has made this process even more exciting, creative and efficient. The entrepreneur mindset is turbo-charged with AI. It allows you to do things you could not even dream of a year ago, and suddenly multi-million dollar exits are more feasible than ever."

www.aiscaleupexperts.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-leo-uvizl-8123365a 

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the cultural conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

CONTACT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Clare is in conversation with Grant, who is an international secondary school teacher. He is a serial mover from the UK who got his masters in Poland. He left the UK in 2007 and has lived in France, Saudi Arabia, China and now lives in Malaysia.

Grant comes from Newcastle in the north of England. After London University and the now defunct Webber Douglas drama school, he spent the first ten years of his career as a jobbing actor. Grant then took himself off to film school and did a masters at the Polish National Film School in Lodz. He always wanted to do something with film studies, so after an introduction to international school teaching in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he found a job teaching film studies at a school in Chengdu in western China. He has been teaching English and film studies in China and more recently in Malaysia for the last 15 years.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• International schools provide students with an extraordinary outlook on life.
• Malaysia´s national identity is being a melting pot, which means that outsiders are quickly embraced.
• Malaysia has strong religious groups, but people are still strongly integrated with each other.
• Grant lived in different parts of China and enjoyed some places more than others. He talks about the pros and cons of each area.
• Grant travelled to some remote places in China, which is now far more difficult, and had some interesting, in some cases, dangerous experiences. He shares a few in the episode.
• Bear in mind that the immigration rules change regularly. This is especially the case in Malaysia.
• When moving abroad you have to be realistic about your chances of being able to stay there when you are older and can no longer work or fall sick.
• Learning a bit of the language gets you a long way.
• Spending most of your free time with ex-pats is a bit of a cul de sac. It is easy to completely miss out on enjoying the local culture.

BEST MOMENTS

‘People have their gripes and grumbles in Malaysia, but … people are quite happy to be here. ´

‘They do a bilingual international diploma.’

‘You weren´t really sure what you had got yourself into.’

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the cultural conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

CONTACT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Clare is joined by Claudia who is an Italian who used to live in the UK but moved to Sydney, Australia as a result of true love. Claudia shares her, at times heart-wrenching story, which includes a period of serious illness. In doing so she explains how she was eventually able to make the move to Australia.

This episode is a beautiful love story, but it also provides practical insights into how to sustain and grow a long distance relationship.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• For Claudia it really was love at first sight.
• Long-distant relationships are hard to sustain even when the love is true and deep.
• The question you have to answer before moving is – is this relationship going to work?
• If you truly believe they are the one for you, just follow your heart.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Life is beautiful, a totally different career. ´

‘He did not want to be the one asking me to give up everything.’

‘Something again just clicked in me.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

Claudia spent 12 years working as a flight attendant and then as a cabin service manager for the airline, but her true passion has always been yoga. In 2019, on her way to Sydney, Australia, Claudia stopped off in India and became a certified yoga instructor. Last year, she also became a Pilates instructor.

Currently, Claudia teaches yoga and Pilates in various clubs and studios across the Northern Beaches and absolutely loves her new career.

Claudia now lives permanently with her partner Azar, and they have a beautiful two-year-old daughter named Skye, who is full of energy and kindness. Balancing motherhood with a busy career is challenging but incredibly rewarding. Claudia says, "Life in Australia is wonderful." 

For more information and to get in touch, please visit Claudia's website: 

https://splendidflow.com.au/

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the cultural conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

CONTACT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Clare is joined by Charme to discuss being settled when you move countries or move to a different region in your new home. Charme has recently moved from Brussels to Bruges, she explains why that meant she needed to learn a 3rd language and learn about a new culture.

Charme likes to throw herself into new situations and has travelled to 60 countries. She explains what not being afraid to try something new has taught her and the skills she has developed as a result of this approach.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Stay curious and excited with life and count your blessings.
• You need to be true to yourself but also be open to taking inspiration from your surroundings.
• Throwing yourself into new situations, builds your confidence and teaches you to trust your instincts.
• When you get frustrated take a step back and narrow down what you can do about the situation and look for the positive.
• Putting yourself in new situations teaches you to adapt and cope better when things don´t go your way in life.
• Everything starts within, if you are not in the right mindset, it does not matter where you are, you will not be happy.
• Give your time to the ones you love and help your community.

BEST MOMENTS

‘I really like to knock on doors and see which ones open for me. ´

‘We should also try to learn to travel within us.’

‘Time is the most expensive gift I can give to somebody and also the most expensive gift I can receive.’

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the cultural conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

CONTACT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Clare is joined by Jennifer Brester of Joy Coaching, a wellness and transition coach from Oregon who now lives in Mexico. Jennifer specialises in helping people who want to address their health holistically.

She shares how her holistic approach to wellbeing works and how you can use it to protect and improve your health when moving countries. Equipping you to handle what is usually a stressful change well.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• If you want to rent long-term in a tourist destination you need to get in before properties start to be booked for the year by vacationers.
• Mental and physical health are best addressed together. One feeds the other. Jenny shares several examples of this during the podcast.
• When you move country, you may struggle to maintain some of your healthy habits.
• If you can´t take care of yourself the same way when you move, look at it as an opportunity to craft something even better e.g. try new fitness activities.
• Be realistic, moving will impact your mental, emotional, and physical health.
• Give yourself time to pause, think, reframe, and get things in perspective.

BEST MOMENTS

‘it took a little while to get out of that mind space, that I am not on vacation.’

‘Your new habit can be letting those good habits go.’

‘Stress is basically resistance, it´s wanting something to be different than it is.’

GUEST AND EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.jenniferjoycoaching.com

Email: [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/jenniferjoycoaching

https://www.instagram.com/jenniferjoycoaching/

www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-j-brester-cpc-eli-mp-a4b504a

ABOUT THE GUEST

Jennifer is a certified professional coach, who works with people all around the world to help them break out of autopilot and optimize their health through conscious wellness practices and education, so they can create and experience their second half of life with true vitality and fulfilment.

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the cultural conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

CONTACT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Clare is joined by Lena Sheehan who is from Ireland and now lives in America and has raised her family there. She works for Boston University of Massachusetts in the Department of Journalism. Clare and Lena discuss what ties us to our home country and can make us reluctant to fully settle in a new country.

Lena spent several years living emotionally in two countries, she explains why that happened, the negative impact it had and how she eventually solved that problem. She also talks about the differences between the American and Irish cultures and how being an immigrant changes your perspective.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What ties you to your home country evolves over time, especially if you arrive in a new place without the intention to stay there permanently.
• Once your family understands that you will never live in your home country again, the relationship shifts.
• Accepting the life you have now and taking advantage of the opportunities it offers helps you to settle.
• Immigrants are very driven. They have a strong desire to succeed and fit in.
• Eventually your emotional connection becomes weaker so that when you return to your home country, you feel like a holidaymaker.

BEST MOMENTS

‘I was still caught up in this notion that I was going to return to Ireland. ´

‘I got very tired of the freelancing, it can be very demeaning and demoralising.’

‘You can choose the bits that you want to keep from both places.’

‘I don't mind if they want to pretend to be Irish. But you have to do the work. You know, look at a map.’

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the cultural conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

CONTACT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Clare is joined by Andrew Thomas, a retired fire officer who is also a serving magistrate who recently moved from the UK to Antigua. He and Clare discuss why Andrew made the move and how CoVid brought the move forward.

Andrew talks about the differences between the culture of the UK and Antigua and how he and his wife have adapted to and learned to enjoy living on “island time”. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Andrew was born, raised, and lived in London, but recently moved to Antigua where his and his wife´s parents were born.
• Being able to bring your family out to stay really helps keep everyone close.
• Everything on Antigua happens on island time. When someone says Monday, they actually mean Thursday.
• You need to accept that things are different, once you do and go with the flow more, you feel better and soon learn to do it the new way.
• There is no rat race in Antigua. It is a much more friendly place.
• Any training you have had in the UK is viewed as valuable on the island, which is something you can leverage to earn a living.
• If you want to move to another country, don´t just talk about it, sit down, and physically write out a plan to do it. Once you do that it is far more likely to happen.
• Create a couple´s dream. 

BEST MOMENTS

‘We know it was god´s plan because it worked. ´

‘Chase them, but don´t be annoyed when chasing them.’

‘You´ve got to do it, you can´t just talk about it.’

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the cultural conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

CONTACT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Clare is joined by Jihyun from South Korea who is a high performer in the world of E-Commerce, and who now works as a mindset coach. She helps high-performing professionals to step things up even further while staying healthy and happy. Jihyun moved from South Korea to New Zealand then the UK.

Clare and Jihyun explore the differences between the cultures of South Korea and the UK. Jihyun explains how moving to New Zealand, then the UK improved her self-perception and confidence. A transformative experience that eventually led to her becoming interested in psychology and launching her mindset coaching business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Language revolves around the culture. So, learning it helps you to fit in better on all levels.
• South Korean culture is all about food, this is reflected in the language.
• The language you use with older people is more formal which reflects how they are viewed in society.
• South Korea is far more technologically advanced.
• In South Korea there are still strong societal hierarchies. In the UK, it is much easier to be your true self.
• Having a perfect appearance is important in South Korea.
• South Korean dramas have started to challenge perceptions and societal norms.
• 
  

BEST MOMENTS

‘Overall societal belief systems are the same in every country.’

‘I had a very hard time to love myself and to accept myself.’

‘People accept me as who I am.’

GUEST AND EPISODE RESOURCES

Korea Town UK - https://www.cordonbleu.edu/news/online-learning-student-article-sarah-geard/en

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the cultural conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

CONTACT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Clare is joined by Christine Mullaney, TEDx speaker and host of Connected Communication podcast. Christine shares her journey from Ireland to China, Australia's Outback, Poland, and Spain. She explains what was behind each of these moves, how she adapted, and the role empathy and the language of the universe played in helping her communicate and feel at home in these countries.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Use your regrets to learn lessons in life and stop yourself from missing more opportunities
• There are stages to culture shock. Understanding what they are and preparing for them will help you to settle in faster
• Culture shock happens when you move back to your home country as well as when you move abroad
• You need to learn to adapt, but you have to be careful not to over-adapt and lose yourself
• Empathy and authenticity matter, people across the world respond positively to those qualities
• Empathy enables you to communicate effectively, despite language barriers and significant cultural differences
• When you feel fear, acknowledge that you are feeling it, ask where it comes from, and decide what to do about it

BEST MOMENTS

‘Spain is where my soul sings.´

‘Opportunity costs. There is always. a cost to pursuing opportunities.’

‘Language isn´t just words.’

GUEST RESOURCES

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/connected-communication/id1678060305

Christine TedX - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMJpC0HOdXs

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemullaney?originalSubdomain=es

The Alchemist - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alchemist-Paulo-Coelho-ebook/dp/B00U6SFUSS

Culture Shock - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Culture-Shock-Living-Working-Abroad/dp/1606088106

Terrence Howard Hidden Frequency Rhythms - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPN17LvF4BU

ABOUT THE HOST

Clare Kay is a seasoned global mover – with an international career in sales, customer service, personal development, and as a flight attendant. She has sold books and TV programs globally, taught English as a foreign language, and supported non-native speakers through proofreading. Her own global moves – from the UK to Zambia, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, and the USA – bring direct experience, and her global outlook has given her the growth and connections to support others in creating a life abroad. Through her podcast Moving Countries 101, she inspires listeners with the confidence and courage to make their own move – and deepens the conversation in her Facebook Group – Moving Countries 101 with Clare Kay

https://www.facebook.com/groups/movingcountries101withclarekay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@movingcountries101

www.linkedin.com/in/clarekay

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.