In this episode, I spoke with Jackie Lewis on location at her spa Jackie's on the Reef, located in the deep west of West End, Negril. Jackie moved to Jamaica in 1987 to build a place where she and others could decompress, heal and recover from the stresses of life. Her spa has since become one of my favourite places to visit in Negril and where I go relax, recuperate, and rejuvenate myself.

During our discussion, Jackie spoke of what it was about Jamaica that motivated her to leave her successful fashion business in New York and move to Negril, her mindset towards life, running a spa business during the pandemic, what she misses about living in New York, and what is her favourite aspect of Negril.

This podcast was recorded on location at Jackie's on the Reef in deep West End, Negril. So if you hear any ambient sounds like waves crashing, soft meditation music or wind chimes, it’s because we were on the veranda overlooking the sea.

Please, enjoy my conversation with Jackie.

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Jackie’s Contact Info

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In this episode, I sat down with Margit Eder, who emigrated from Germany and has been a realtor with Valerie Levy and Associates for 11 years, specializing in Westmoreland, particularly Negril. She also has been my real estate agent in Jamaica since I moved here.

Our discussion covered many key aspects of the purchasing process, such as when a lawyer is required, what is covered by the 10% deposit, what to look for before entering the contracting stage and some of the documents needed to purchase a property in Jamaica either with cash or with financing. We also talked about how COVID has impacted the real estate market in Negril, buying trends in the area and a few things to think about when moving here, especially if you're relatively new to the area.

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Scotia Bank Mortgage Checklist

Little Bay Country Club Negril Property Tour Video

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Chapter Markers

0:00 Intro

2:33 Current Jamaican Real Estate Market

4:34 Foreigners Working from Abroad in Jamaica

6:03 Real Estate Demand Doubling during Covid

7:00 Cost of Rent in Negril

11:31 Buying Land in Jamaica

16:15 Cost of a Gated Community Home in Negril

21:24 The Process of Real Estate Purchase

27:17 Requirements for Purchasing Real Estate

30:58 Contact info & Closing out

My conversation with Yolanda covered several topics, such as my bumpy assimilation to the Jamaican way of life, experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out) during the early stage of living here and the Negril ex-pat community. We also spoke about how living in Jamaica makes me more appreciative, as well as what it is that’s keeping me here in Negril, Jamaica.

We spoke about many things, and I hope this conversation helps to answer some questions you might have, wherever you are in your journey.

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Part 1

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Chapter Markers

0:00 Intro

1:43 Vacation in Jamaica vs Living in Jamaica

5:42 Come Live in Negril

8:24 How I Assimilated in Jamaica

13:39 Creating a Community for Recent Expats

17:05 Ease of Travel to Jamaica

18:02 Any Regrets?

20:10 Feeling Freer in Jamaica

22:28 Jamaica then & Now

28:59 What made me stay in Jamaica

32:43 Follow Us

I had the opportunity to speak with Yolanda DuCille Murphy in this episode. She is a Jamaican American who moved to Jamaica after leaving her corporate American job as a Communication Executive. Yolanda, who is still in the early stages of her relocation here, told us what made her decide to stop everything, leave her job of 17 years, and relocate.

We also got to know Yolanda a little better; she talked about her relationship with her father and her connection to Jamaica, what it was like growing up in a multicultural family, the differences between being a black woman in Jamaica and facing racism and sexism in America, as well as her experience returning to the island after 7 years. We ended the first part of our conversation with Yolanda describing what she wants for her life in Jamaica.

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Yolanda's Socials

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Chapter Markers

0:00 Intro

2:00 Yolanda's Origin Story

4:36 Why She Started Thinking About Moving to Jamaica 🇯🇲

9:20 Managing the Health of Aging Parents

11:49 Coming Back After 7 Years Away

13:40 The Current Plan to Move

14:32 The Difference in How you Feel in Jamaica 🇯🇲 Compared to the US 🇺🇸

16:52 The Jamaican 🇯🇲 American 🇺🇸 Experience

21:45 How would You See Yourself Moving Here?

23:40 Living part of the year in Jamaica 🇯🇲

25:22 End of Part 1 Intro to Part 2

In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs Elaine Bradley, a retired nurse from England. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, including why she returned to Jamaica to retire with her late husband, Michael Bradley, healthcare in Jamaica, her community service work, and her involvement in the Negril Paediatric Orthotic Clinic. 

We also talked about what she misses most about England, and she gave advice to anyone thinking about building a home on the island while aboard, as well as anyone thinking about moving and retiring here. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Mrs Bradley.

This episode on YouTube

Negril Paediatric Orthotic Clinic

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Chapter Markers

0:00 Intro

2:21 Why back to Jamaica?

4:12 House Construction: Lessons learned

6:55 Immerse yourself in the community 

8:19 Advice to someone moving here

11:27 Church in Jamaica

12:35 Giving back

16:30 Opportunities in Jamaica

17:57 Healthcare for the Retired

20:43 The benefits of retiring in Jamaica

21:45 What do you miss most about the UK?

22:18 Advice on starting a business in Negril

24:07 Water harvesting for your home

25:19 Extending your life in Jamaica

26:27 Closing out

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kory South, a good friend who is like family to me. He runs Sunset Resort, my home away from home in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth. We talked about his transition from the United States to Jamaica, raising children in Jamaica, running a hotel during the pandemic, developing and maintaining hobbies, and the improvements in and around Treasure Beach.

This podcast was recorded on the deck of Sunset Resort, which overlooks the pool. So, if you hear the sea breeze, water splashing, or people talking, it's because we were in an active environment. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kory.

This episode on YouTube

Sunset Resort

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Chapter Markers

0:00 Intro

1:21 USA to JA 

2:38 Raising a Family in Jamaica

4:46 Running a Hotel

5:40 Treasure Beach Lifestyle

9:48 Hiking in Treasure Beach

10:33 Reason for Hiking

12:05 Treasure Beach Triathlon

12:33 Covid and Business

13:27 St. Elizabeth Upgrades

14:46 The Safety of Treasure Beach

16:39 Closing Out

In this episode, I interviewed a fellow New Yorker, Kenya Wagstaff. She previously lived and worked in Jamaica but now divides her time between New York and Jamaica. We talked about a lot of things, such as why she chose to live in Jamaica, the many differences between living in Westmoreland and living in New York, how she managed to live in two places, dating, and her advice on what to consider before making the move. 

If you like the content of this podcast, please click the follow button and the bell so you can be notified when a new episode is released.

I'll talk to you on the next pod.

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Kenya's Contact

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Chapter Markers

0:00 Intro

2:34 splitting time between JA and NY

3:11 Why Jamaica

7:00 Favorite Attractions in Jamaica

8:42 Cost of Living

11:28 Making a living on island

13:51 Dating in Jamaica

18:15 Would you recommend moving here?

21:09 Kenya's contact info

21:54 Closing out

In this episode, I spoke with Emma Watson. She's a friend of mine and a fellow Jamaican entrepreneur who moved back to the island with her twin toddlers and later founded South Coast Villas, which is a luxury villa rental company based in White House, Jamaica. Our discussion covered why she decided to return to JA, what inspired her to start a business, her experience as a young entrepreneur and a mother, as well as her quality of life in JA as a returning resident.

Her properties are absolutely stunning. I had the pleasure of staying in one of her villas when I stayed at Turtle's Nest Villa in Treasure Beach, which is where we did this interview. So, if you hear waves crashing, birds chirping, or rustling leaves in the background, that is because we were on the pool deck of the villa I stayed at with the beach behind us. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Emma.

This episode on YouTube

South Coast Villas

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Chapter Markers

0:00 Intro

1:23 Emma's Origin

3:25 Starting the Business

6:00 Plans for Expansion

7:00 The Properties

7:38 Turtle's Nest Villa

10:18 Mother and Entrepreneur

12:25 Jamaica: The Best Place to Start a Business

13:46 The Jamaican Lifestyle 

15:30 The Most Popular Villa

17:00 The Biggest Challenge of the Business

18:50 Closing out

In this episode, I sat down with Andrew Kang, a personal friend from college and my younger brother's roommate at university. We talked about a number of topics, such as why he decided to work away from his home in the US to travel with his wife and two young children, why he chose Jamaica, his experience working remotely here, and maintaining a routine, as well as some of the challenges he faced.

This podcast was recorded outside on the balcony of Pineapple House overlooking the gardens. So, if you hear birds chirping, rustling leaves, people talking, or music, it's because we were in an active environment. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Andrew.

Boxing Coach Ricardo Instagram

Chapter Markers

0:00 Intro

1:55 Working remotely

3:30 How he was able to work from abroad

4:20 Why Jamaica

5:35 Remote work with a young family

8:10 Training in Jamaica

12:48 Favorite part of the trip

17:07 Would you recommend other people to do this?

19:40 Closing out strong

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In today's episode, I sat down with Jessica Davidson, a good friend and secondary school teacher here in Westmoreland. We had an intriguing conversation about the Jamaican teachers' transition from traditional face-to-face teaching to online teaching, as well as some of the challenges they faced, such as having to use WhatsApp as a teaching platform. We also discussed Jessica's background, from why she chose to be an educator to working at her alma mater and her philanthropic work with organizations like Cornerstone Jamaica.

This podcast was recorded on the restaurant deck of Travellers Beach Resort, which overlooks Negril's 7-mile white sand beach. So, if you hear waves crashing, people talking, or music, it's because we were in an active environment. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jessica.

If you like the content of this podcast, please click the follow button and the bell so you can be notified when a new episode is released.

I'll talk to you on the next pod.

YouTube episode https://youtu.be/vOHu6h2NzhY

Chapter Markers

0:00 Intro

1:37 Becoming a Teacher

7:05 Teaching in a Pandemic

10:55 Challenges of Teaching

16:50 WhatsApp as a Teaching Tool

18:50 Google Classroom

20:20 Greatest Fear

26:30 Cornerstone Jamaica

30:45 Why Volunteer

WhatsApp as a Teaching Tool Tutorial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUNky9Lix-4&t=0s

My Family's Non-Profit - Negril Education Environment Trust - (NEET) https://neetja.com/

Organization Jessica volunteers for Cornerstone Jamaica - https://cornerstonejamaica.org/

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Travellers Beach Resort