Welcome to Episode 20 of Profiles in Franceformation. In this episode, I speak to Jen Lesaigle, who has lived all over the world and settled in France with her French husband, many years after they originally met and lost touch. We jumped right in talking about her adventures, navigating OFII during COVID and she'll share how she started a pet concierge business helping people navigate bringing their pets to Europe when they move to France. We’ll also hear about…

• Jen’s experiences dealing with immigration in the UK and how this differed in other countries she has visited or lived in including France, Turkey and Bosnia
• An unfortunate incident that Jen witnessed at her OFII appointment, highlighting the importance of being respectful, appreciative and keeping your cool with government officials in France
• Her review of the French healthcare system and the level of care she has received while in France, in comparison to care she received in the US
• Specific tips from Jen to travel with your pet as easily and stress-free as possible, including how to obtain a passport for your pet
• Also, a nifty trick to keep a bottle of champagne from going flat once it’s been opened

Be sure to check out Jen’s pet concierge business, LJL Collection, to learn more about their available services: https://ljlcollection.co/

If you are considering moving to France like Jen, 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!

In this episode, I spoke with Zachary Miller, who moved to France with his French wife for a year in 1990 to write the Great American Novel - and never left. When they decided to stay in Paris and he discovered he couldn’t continue to practice psychology, Zachary pitched a television series to the French television channel, Arte, about American Jazz musicians in Europe, and launched his career as a bilingual film producer helping international filmmakers make movies in France. 

We’ll also hear:

• How he never intended to move to France and how this gradually changed over time
• Details about his change in career path from working as a psychologist to a filmmaker
• How he proposed the idea for his series on Arte, “Jazz Life: American Jazz Musicians in Europe” featuring Steve Lacy and Mal Waldron, as well as a funny anecdote that lead to one of the best scenes of the series featuring jazz pianist, Mal Waldron
• An interesting discussion between Zachary and Allison about raising bilingual children in France
• How he created his American and French companies, and the differences between the two
• The various film festivals he has attended and why the Cannes Film Festival is his favorite
• Zachary’s comparisons between Paris and large cities in the US
• His favorite parts of French and Parisian culture including French foods, wine, cheese and different neighborhoods to explore

For more information about Zachary and the films he has made: 

• IMDB - imdb.me/zachmiller https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1694433/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 
• Cinanado - https://cinando.com/en/Company/2_bulls_on_the_hill_productions_24905/Detail
• Twitter - @ZachJamesMiller https://twitter.com/zachjamesmiller?lang=en
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-miller-161bb28 

Discover the two musicians featured in "Jazz Life: American Jazz Musicians in Europe":

• Steve Lacy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Lacy_(saxophonist) 
• Mal Waldron - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mal_Waldron 

To learn more and support Zachary’s next upcoming documentary, "Beauford Delaney: So Splendid A Journey", click here: https://fiscal.thegotham.org//project.cfm/2267/Beauford-Delaney-So-Splendid-A-Journey/ 

If you are considering moving to France like Zachary, 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!

In this special bonus episode of Profiles in Franceformation, our online business manager Chelley Wild interviews Your Franceformation's creator, Allison Grant Lounes, to talk about how she first moved to France, the challenges she faced when she first arrived, and what inspired her to start helping others make the move.

Allison Grant Lounes is a consultant helping clients move to France, and the author of Foolproof French Visas and the Five Decisions Big Dreamers Make Before Their Franceformation. She's also the creator of online courses, including Fast Track to France, the Complete French Business Incubator and Intro to Microentrepreneur. She's admin of the Americans in France Facebook group with over 14,000 members and creator of the unique Franceformation system, helping dozens of clients annually to bring their dreams of moving to France, to reality.

In this special interview, we talk about:

• How Allison fell in love with learning French and with the idea of going to France after her aunt spent a year doing a postdoc in Paris
• Her experiences studying French at the Middlebury College French Language School, and how that prepared her for actually speaking French when she arrived in France
• Her year studying abroad with Columbia University at Reid Hall, and why she decided to enroll directly in a French university to come back to Paris
• The administrative challenges of learning how to be a grownup in a foreign country and a foreign language, and why she thinks it's so difficult to navigate French bureaucracy
• The one secret she tells her clients about how to actually get help from a French administration
• The loneliness of living in France as a student with the intent to stay, and why she wishes she'd integrated the American community in France sooner
• Her favorite parts about living in France
• ...and more

If you are considering moving to France, 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!

In today’s episode, I speak with Ricky Glass, co-founder of Colorado Craft Beverage based out of Paris. Their craft hard seltzer, Snowmelt, was the first to launch in France in late 2020. Prior to founding a successful business in France, Ricky fell in love with France during a high school trip, before attending business school at the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Pau, and starting his bicultural family with his French wife. 

Listen to our conversation to hear how that trip to France changed his life and impacted his choices moving forward. You’ll also learn about:

• What brought him back to France after his trip in high school.
• How working in France differs from working in the US.
• Some of the challenges his business faced when launching Snowmelt in France.
• What impacted his decision to pursue French nationality.
• His favorite French foods and pastry.
• Some of his favorite places to visit in Paris.

To learn more about Snowmelt craft hard seltzer, check out their website and online shop: https://www.snowmelt.fr/

If you are considering moving to France like Ricky’s, 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!

Today my guest is Nicola Rose, an actor, film producer and director whose films include Creative Block; Gabrielle; and Goodbye; Petrushka. While currently living in the US, Nicola has previously lived in Paris twice and she hopes to move back to France one day. Today, we’ll hear about Nicola’s experiences in France including:

• How a spur of the moment decision about visiting France changed her life.
• The big impact a Parisian bookstore closing had on her.
• How she finds inspiration and creativity in French arts.
• Bureaucratic and administrative issues she faced at the Préfecture.
• An anecdote about the mispronunciation of Tupperware.
• Her favorite French foods, desserts and rosé wine.

If you are considering moving to France like Nicola Rose, 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!

In today's episode, we’ll be speaking to Summer Jauneaud, an American expat from Los Angeles living in the town of Amboise, located in the Loire Valley of France. Summer is the Loire Valley Concierge. She and her friend, Christy, also have a YouTube Channel called FrenchDish, in which they share their love for the country and the “joie de vivre'' of France with their viewers. We’ll learn about what brought Summer to France over 20 years ago as well as:

• The interesting sites and attractions to see within her hometown of Amboise.
• What made her decide to move to France.
• Her experience of applying for French nationality after marrying a Frenchman.
• What it has been like raising her children in France.
• Differences between French and American cultures, and how she helps her clients to navigate those differences as the Loire Valley Concierge.
• Her favorite French foods, wines, cheeses and most importantly, dessert!

Summer references one of Allison’s previous podcast episodes with Harriet Welty-Rochefort, follow this link here to take a listen: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/2020/12/30/episode-1/

Be sure to check out Summer’s YouTube channel, French Dish: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC38F_VrVnPR4Hr04R7oxupQ/featured

You can also find links here to her Loire Valley Concierge Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Loire-Valley-Concierge-103824868439925 and Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/loire_valley_concierge/ 

Also, check out the other cohost of the FrenchDish Christy’s website https://www.traveloffthebeatenpath.com/ and her Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/franceotbp/ 

If you are considering moving to France like Summer, 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!

Today we are talking to Shannon Pratuch, an American expat in France who splits her time between Paris and Brittany. Shannon runs the successful instagram account and blog, This French Life. You can hear how much joy she has for France just by listening to this episode! 

We’ll learn:

• About her first trip to Paris and how she fell in love with the city, staying for a bit longer each time she came back to visit.
• How she planned her move to France over several years.
• Which type of visa Shannon used to travel to France as well as her move to France.
• The level of French language comprehension that Shannon had prior to her move, and how having a French bulldog has increased her comprehension of the language!
• The challenges she experienced when learning to speak more French.
• Her favorite places to visit in both Paris as well as Brittany.

Be sure to check out and subscribe to Shannon’s Instagram account and blog This French Life. Instagram: thisfrench.life Website: https://thisfrench.life

Allison also mentions a client’s awesome Instagram account with pictures of Dinan. Be sure to check her account here, https://www.instagram.com/agruber17/,  as well as her blog, https://talesfrombrittany.com/. 

If you are considering moving to France like Shannon, 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!

Today, David Sargent is going to tell us about his experience moving to France from the US over 15 years ago as the spouse of a French citizen, and his experiences adapting to living and working in France. 

We’re going to learn about:

• How his job at a technology company was able to transfer David to France and what type of work contract was needed.
• He registered his marriage in France, obtained a livret de famille, and whether or not he has applied for French nationality at this time.
• The differences in attitudes between Americans and French people.
• Challenges he faced in moving to France, including driving cars in France and experiencing a minor snow storm in Toulouse.
• David’s favorite things about living in France, what he enjoys most about Toulouse, and the first restaurant he plans to visit once the French government allows for eateries to reopen.
• His advice for anyone moving to France.

If you are considering moving to France like David, 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!

• Her recommendations of places to visit within France.
• How she created a cookbook and tested recipes with the help of her podcast listeners.
• What types of foods she misses most from the US.
• Her love for audio mediums like podcasts and how this inspired her to become a self-guided audio tour guide.
• The importance of the word “bonjour” in French culture.
• Her advice to someone wanting to move to France.

Today, Annie Sargent she tells us about her journey from France, to Utah, and back to France again. We’ll learn about her experiences in the US and in France including:

• Why she moved to Utah and her experience living in the US as a technical translator.
• What prompted her move back to France and the impact the move had on her family, including her young daughter in school.
• The inspiration behind starting her podcast, Join Us in France.
• What sort of challenges she experienced when reintegrating back into French life, including her thoughts of French administration and how important it was to have both she and her husband’s names on bills.
• The things she misses from America, including American service.

For more information about Annie’s podcast, as well as her self-guided audio tours and books, visit her website at joinusinfrance.com

If you are considering moving to France like Annie, 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