Welcome to Episode #46 of Profiles in Franceformation, I’m your host Allison Grant Lounes and in this week’s episode, I’m speaking with Kate Plummer. Kate, and her husband Marc, are full time senior Yoga teachers who lived and worked in Cheltenham, England for ten years. They bought a house in France 5 years ago with a view to retiring there in 10-15 years' time. A chance conversation with their business mentor a year later led to a late night “what if” conversation. Three months later, they had sold up in England and were living full time in France! They are now based in rural Deux Sèvres with their rescue dog, Brock. When they're not renovating their 200 year old stone farmhouse or negotiating with the French administration, they still teach Yoga full time. However, if you have an idea of what a Yoga teacher should be, you'll probably find they don't conform to it and their teaching style reflects this. Their classes are fun and accessible to all whether you can touch your toes or not!

Kate also talks about…

• What happened after making the decision to move to France
• The challenges she and Marc faced when starting their business in France
• How COVID affected their yoga business
• What she and Marc have done to integrate and get  involved in their local community
• How their hobby has opened doors for them to learn more about French culture and family life
• Some of the administrative challenges they experienced, especially due to Brexit
• The places she has visited within France
• What she enjoys most about living in France
• Things she will probably never understand or come to terms with in French culture
• Her favorite French foods and patisserie treats
• The advice she would offer to anyone wishing to move to France

To learn more about Kate and Marc’s yoga classes, check out their website and Instagram account linked here: 

• https://www.phoenixyogafrance.com/meet-the-team
• https://www.instagram.com/phoenix.yoga/

If you are considering moving to France like Kate, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call     

If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode! 

Welcome to Episode #45 of Profiles in Franceformation! This is your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and this week, I’m speaking with Patricia Brooks, who moved to France on a visitor visa in 2018 to learn French and write her book, before deciding to stay and launch her business as a life coach. In this episode, we talk about the courage it takes to leave your home and your comfort zone behind, and to navigate the many new daily challenges of life in a foreign country and a different language.

Patricia also talks about:

• How she fell in love with the French language
• What encouraged her decision to move to France and how she feels about the challenges associated with living in a new country
• The exhilarating feeling she experiences while navigating her life in France successfully conversing in French
• Some of the administrative challenges she experienced when she first arrived in France
• Her experience setting up her business in France
• What she enjoys most about living in France 
• How she has made friends and connections since her move to France
• Some of the cultural and societal differences she has noticed between the US and France
• Her work as a coach for women wishing to move abroad
• What advice she would give to anyone wishing to move to France or to move abroad
• Offers suggestions of what to do when visiting the south of France

Check out Patricia’s YouTube channel for more information about her coaching business: https://www.youtube.com/c/PatriciaBrooksCarefreeExpat

If you are considering moving to France like Patricia, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call     

If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode! 

Welcome to Episode #44 of Profiles in Franceformation, I’m your host Allison Grant Lounes and today I’m speaking with Mallory Nettleton, who inexplicably fell in love with France as a child, before ever setting foot on its soil. This love was cemented when she and her husband, Ben first visited in 2010 and has continued to grow into a passion over the years. They vowed to move to France one day and finally achieved that dream in March 2022. As serial entrepreneurs, they are now building a multi-day tour company called France of a Lifetime to share their love for all things French with others. Besides France, Mallory is also passionate about photography, history, animals, writing, uplifting others, and spiritual practices including meditation, yoga, and crystal singing bowls. She writes about their experiences moving to and living in France on their France of a Lifetime Facebook page and soon-to-be completed website. 

In this episode, we’ll also hear:

• Why Mallory fell in love with France at a young age and what made her decide to move to France
• The different business ideas Mallory and her husband thought of bringing to France
• How she decided to move to the Loire region of France
• The various steps she and Allison went through when planning her tour guide business
• How Mallory decided to choose working with Allison and the Franceformation team when planning her move to France
• Her experience applying for a visa and what challenges she faced throughout that process
• What she and her husband have been doing since arriving in France
• Some of her favorite places and chateaux to visit
• Mallory’s experience discovering French wine and foods
• What other regions of France she has visited beyond her home region of Loire
• Her advice to anyone wishing to visit France and also for those wishing to move to France like she did

Check out France of a Lifetime Tours on Instagram: @franceofalifetime and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/FranceofaLifetime 

If you are considering moving to France like Mallory, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call     

If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to Episode #43 of Profiles in Franceformation. I'm your host Allison Grant Lounes and today I'm speaking with Cherie Mitschke, a foreign language curriculum designer, and editor who moved to France in 2021 after working with Your Franceformation. She's the editor of Allison's very first French textbook Allez, Viens!, and currently works to develop language learning materials for French and Spanish for various publishers in Europe and the US. Welcome Cherie.

Cherie explains:

• Where her affinity for the French language and French culture came from
• How she and her husband made the decision to move to France in 2021
• Her experience applying for a visa and first arriving in France, as well as her experience applying for a visa during COVID
• Her advice to women dealing with administrative procedures in France, all due to a name change
• What she loves most about living in France and what she has found challenging adjusting to within French culture
• Where she sees herself in the next 5 years in France
• The challenging aspects of French bureaucracy that she has experienced since moving abroad
• What she has done to meet new friends in her French town
• Her advice for anyone wishing to move to France

If you are considering moving to France like Cherie, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call     

If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to Episode #42 of Profiles in Franceformation. I'm your host Allison Grant Lounes. And this week I'm speaking with Jacqueline Reddin-Williams, an English real estate agent in the south of France who moved with her family in the nineties to François Mitterand's childhood home. To find simplicity and quality of life while giving her children an old fashioned childhood in the French countryside. We talk about reinvention, about cherishing, the privilege of making someone's dream of moving to France come true, and about the ins and outs of purchasing a home in France, and what you need to know before you start the process. Welcome, Jacqui. 

Listen along to learn…

• What Jacqui enjoys most about her job as a real estate agent
• Her motivation behind moving her young family to France in the nineties and what she has loved about her time in France
• The different quality of life Jacqui has found in the South of France, and how she explains this to her clients when looking to buy a home
• The challenges Jacqui experienced when first arriving in France
• Jacqui’s advice for someone who is interested in purchasing a home in France and how this experience may differ from purchasing a home in the UK or the US
• A bit about the process of buying a home in France and how this has changed over the past few years
• The bureaucracy involved in becoming an estate agent
• Jacqui’s advice to someone planning to move to France

Follow Jacqui and the rest of the team at Beaux Villages here:  www.beauxvillages.com 

You can also follow Jacqui on instagram at @jacquirw as well as on LinkedIn and Facebook. If you have questions, you can contact Jacqui directly at jacqui.reddin at beauxvillages.com 

If you are considering moving to France like Jacqui, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call     

If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to Episode #41 of Profiles in Franceformation. I'm your host, Allison Grant Lounes. And this week I'm speaking with Kate Matthews, originally from the UK, she moved to Paris 9 years ago to pursue her dream career as a professional dancer. She has worked at the Moulin Rouge, Cirque d’Hiver and the Lido de Paris and also gives yoga and dance classes. She transmits her passion for dance through her classes, which are designed to boost body confidence and self-worth by connecting to the femininity and sensuality of cabaret dance.

For Kate there is nowhere in the world quite like Paris- a city of beauty and magic, where dreams come true. As an adopted Parisian her favorite activity is sipping an apéro while watching the world go by.

We’ll also hear about:

• Kate’s audition at Moulin Rouge that led to her working and dancing in Paris
• Her experience learning French while in Paris
• The challenges she experienced when she first moved to Paris
• Her tough decision to leave Paris to pursue other opportunities and what eventually brought her back to Paris dancing at Lido
• The impact Brexit has had on Kate’s ability to work and live in Europe
• Kate’s ideas for her future career path
• How COVID impacted Kate’s dance and yoga classes
• The things Kate enjoys most about living in France, as well as what she dislikes
• How often she travels back to England to see her family and what English items she brings back to France with her when she returns to Paris
• Where she sees herself in the future
• Her advice to anyone wishing to move to France

You can follow Kate’s adventures in Paris on her Instagram: katematthewsyoga

If you are considering moving to France like Kate, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call     

If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to Episode #40 of Profiles in Franceformation. I’m your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and this week, we’re speaking with Marie Grout, an American who has lived outside of the US since age 19, who raised three children in 8 different countries, and who is now retired with her French husband near Versailles, France. Since moving to France, she has been active with the American Church in Paris, and is a main organizer of the Bloom Where You’re Planted orientation that has welcomed expats and English-speaking immigrants to Paris for over 50 years. In this episode, we talk about how Marie keeps getting involved and her passion for helping others adapt to a new country and way of life wherever she goes. Welcome, Marie!

During my conversation with Marie, you’ll also learn…

• How Marie came to find herself at the American Church in Paris and working with the Bloom Where You’re Planted organization
• Marie’s first experiences with Bloom and how things have evolved since then
• What challenges Marie faced when applying for her carte de séjour
• The changes that Marie and Allison have observed over the years when it comes to immigration in France
• Why Marie always tries to speak the native language as a guest in a host country
• Her experience raising three children in various countries
• Marie’s thoughts on being part of an expat community
• What she’s most looking forward to about the upcoming Bloom Where You’re Planted event

For additional information on the upcoming Bloom Where You’re Planted event, check out the following link: https://www.acparis.org/bloomhome 

If you are considering moving to France like Marie, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call     

If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to Episode #39 of Profiles in Franceformation. I’m your host Allison Grant Lounes and today I’m speaking with Steve Wilkison and his wife, Carole Richmond. Steve is a web designer, writer and photographer who lives in Vence, France, with his wife Carole and their dog Myla. Originally from southern California, he first became enchanted with France when he backpacked throughout Europe at the age of 18. He fell in love with Vence the first time he saw it in 2007 while passing through one day on his bike. It only took him 12 years to talk Carole into moving there! He loves to explore France, especially Vence, the Alpes-Maritimes and the Côte d’Azur, be it by car, bike, or foot. On any given day, you might find him exploring a medieval perched village in the southern Alps, cycling along the Mediterranean coastline or hiking in the Mercantour National Park. He writes about his adventures and discoveries on their website Steve and Carole in Vence.

Carole Richmond grew up in Minneapolis, MN. And some more in Austin, TX. She's also lived in San Marcos TX, Nashville TN and Glen Cove NY. Carole worked as a nurse and as an Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper at Dejadisc, E-Squared Records and The Americana Music Association. She loves cats, dogs, wildlife, music, books, the outdoors and Austin. It wasn't her idea to move to France, but she's making the most of it! Some days are better than others as she adjusts to life in a new country. If you need someone to talk to about the ups and downs of being an expat in France she’s a good listener.

In this episode, we learn…

• Why Steve wanted to move to France, and how he and Carole made the decision to turn that dream into a reality
• The process of obtaining their visas, first as Americans and then as British citizens
• Some of the obstacles they had to overcome in their first year of living in France
• How they integrated into their community of Vence in the south of France
• About their day to day life in Vence
• Their favorite places to visit in France
• A hilarious anecdote that involves a simple misunderstanding of two very similar sounding French words
• What Steve and Carole miss most about the US, but also what they’re looking forward to exploring in France and Europe
• Their advice to anyone wishing to move to France

Check out Steve and Carole’s website here: https://steveandcaroleinvence.com

If you are considering moving to France like Steve and Carole, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call     

If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to Episode 38 of Profiles in Franceformation. I’m your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and today I’m happy to introduce our first British guest on the podcast. Paul Herbert moved to the Dordogne region, in southern France, with his wife Julia and their three young children at the age of 40 after losing everything in the UK. In the 29 years since, he’s reinvented himself several times, starting new businesses and making local friends in his community, before an accident sparked his most recent entrepreneurial endeavor, a CBD product business. Paul also runs the large and quickly-growing Facebook group South, West, & Rest of France, which he launched during the pandemic, for people to share their love of traveling in France and support France-based small business owners. Welcome, Paul.

We’ll also hear about…

• The challenging first few days after arriving in France and how his family adjusted to their new home
• What led to Paul and his wife creating a new business venture, France One Call
• Paul’s experience purchasing a publishing company
• How an accident changed Paul’s life and eventually led to the start of his new business
• The success of Paul’s Facebook group, South, West and Rest of France
• How Paul and his family integrated into their new French community
• The things that Paul enjoys most about living in France

To see Paul’s Facebook group, South, West and  Rest of France, click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/southwestfrance

Welcome to Episode 37 of Profiles in Franceformation, I’m your host Allison Grant Lounes, and in this episode, my guest is Caroline Connor, also known as Wine Dine Caroline, a Lyon-based British American wine expert, who went from winning the Oxford-Cambridge Blind Wine Tasting Competition when she was in school to starting a career in food and wine in France, becoming a WSET level 4 while sharing her passion for France’s wine industry. Caroline is currently sharing her passion for gourmet food and fine wine by hosting the Terroir Podcast, running wine tastings in Lyon and organizing a week-long gastronomy and wine retreat, to invite us to experience France’s food and wine capital in style.

In this conversation with Caroline we’ll learn about: 

• What brought her to Lyon and how she first began her business in the wine industry
• What tourists can expect when visiting Lyon or joining a culinary or wine tour in Lyon
• Caroline’s tip for dining more affordably at a Michelin star restaurant
• The culinary world of Lyon
• The importance of terroir and what it can mean for a food or wine
• How Caroline likes to teach others about wine through comparative wine tasting
• What launched Caroline’s career in 2009
• Caroline’s reasons as to why she enjoys living in France so much
• The sustainability of local French wine and produce
• What challenges Caroline has faced since moving to France and establishing her life in Lyon
• Caroline’s recommendations for someone planning to visit Lyon and her advice for anyone planning to move to France

To visit Caroline’s website or social media pages, please use the following links:

• https://www.winedinecaroline.com/ 
• Instagram: @winedinecaroline
• Facebook: Wine Dine Caroline
• YouTube: WineDineCaroline
• Pinterest: Wine Dine Caroline
• The Terroir Podcast: https://www.winedinecaroline.com/podcast

If you’re interested in signing up for Caroline’s retreat this October: https://www.winedinecaroline.com/french-wine-tours-retreats/lyon-french-wine-tour/

If you are considering moving to France like Caroline, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call    

If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!