In this special three-part series, Relocurious explores relocation through the perspectives of three members of the same family.

When Darren joined the Canadian Foreign Service, it set in motion a series of international moves that would shape the lives of his wife Heather and their son Nick as well. Across three episodes, we hear each of their perspectives on the same family relocations — revealing how differently a shared experience can be lived and remembered.

In the first episode, Darren reflected on relocation through the lens of career and public service. In this episode, we hear from Heather.

Part 2: A Life in Motion – Heather’s Story

While Darren’s work determined the family’s postings, Heather’s experience of relocation centered on building a life within each new place.

With every move, she helped create stability and continuity for the family — establishing routines, building community, and helping their children navigate the emotional realities of leaving one home and adapting to another.

At the same time, Heather was also shaping her own path. Over the years, she built a rewarding career for herself while adapting to the constraints and opportunities of life across multiple countries.

In our conversation, Heather reflects on:

* The importance of making decisions together

* Helping children process loss and adjustment

* Balancing the excitement of international life with the practical considerations of moving a family abroad

* Finding purpose and identity while repeatedly starting over in a new country

Her story offers a powerful inside view of the quieter work that makes international family life possible.

About Heather

Heather Johnston is an educator, trainer, and interculturalist. She has worked as a special education teacher in Canada, a volunteer English teacher in Malawi, an in-country orientation coordinator in Honduras, and an intercultural education specialist for the Canadian International Development Agency and Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. She has also taught online for UBC. She is a diplomatic spouse, mother of three boys. She has lived in Canada, Malawi, Honduras, the US, Egypt, and Ghana. She self published a book called Please Be Upstanding about her time in Ghana. She also has a rather large bead collection.

Links:

Please Be Upstanding: Letters from Ghana - Book

Where are you on your relocation journey? Got a big dream, or are you already “there”? Follow others’ stories — and share yours when ready!

For the first time on Relocurious, we’re exploring relocation through the unique lenses of individual members of a family.

When Darren joined the Canadian Foreign Service, it set in motion a series of international moves that would shape not only his career, but the lives of his wife, Heather, and their children. Across three episodes, we speak with Darren, Heather, and their son Nick individually to understand how the same relocations were experienced from three very different vantage points.

Darren moved for work.Heather moved as a partner.Nick moved as a child — before he was old enough to choose.

Together, their conversations reveal the nuance, complexity, and emotional layers of family relocation: questions of agency, belonging, identity, sacrifice, and adaptation. What does it mean to share a life in motion? And how differently can the same experience be lived and remembered?

Part 1: A Life in Motion – Darren’s Story

In this first episode of the series, we hear from Darren.

Darren’s story of relocation began long before his diplomatic career. Having grown up between countries, movement was already part of his identity. Later, after teaching in Malawi and Canada, he joined the Canadian Foreign Service.

Rather than one defining move across borders, Darren’s life unfolded through a succession of postings — from Canada to the United States, Honduras, Ghana, Egypt, and beyond — before eventually returning to Canada.

In this conversation, Darren reflects on:

* The importance of shared decision-making

* The trade-offs embedded in career-driven mobility

* The challenges of feeling a sense of belonging in each new place

* The ongoing longing for a place you no longer live

His perspective offers a thoughtful look at what it means to build a life shaped by service, movement, and responsibility, and how those choices ripple through a family.

About Darren

Darren Schemmer grew up in Canada, Germany, and the United States. After teaching in Malawi and Canada, he joined the Canadian Foreign Service in 1989. He served abroad in Egypt, Honduras, Kenya, and at the Organization of American States, and later as High Commissioner of Canada to Ghana and Ambassador to Togo.

Since retiring from the federal government in 2014, Darren worked for three years as Executive Director of Simon Fraser University International and has served on the boards of four non-profit organizations. He and his wife now live in Vancouver, with their three sons and two grandchildren nearby.

Where are you on your relocation journey? Got a big dream, or are you already “there”? Follow others’ stories — and share yours when ready!

Today’s episode is a story about a move that didn’t unfold as planned.

Maria, a Romanian educator, anthropologist, improviser, and poet, set out with a clear plan to move to Canada. Instead, unexpected events gradually shifted her path toward an unplanned settling in Portugal.

Shaped first by the pandemic and then by a long stretch of uncertainty, Maria’s journey became less about arrival and more about letting go, recalibrating, and finding her footing again. In this deeply personal conversation, she speaks about the difficult work of releasing old plans and re-taking control of her life, and reflecting on the quiet realization that she has, in fact, arrived. If you’ve ever found yourself suspended between places, identities, or possible futures, this episode may feel familiar – and, we hope, quietly reassuring.

Links:

Maria’s Website: https://meadows.today/

Viola Spolin Improvisation Method: https://www.violaspolin.org/

Center for Courage & Renewal: https://couragerenewal.org/program-calendar/

A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life - Book by Parker Palmer

The Genius Myth - Book by Michael Meade

Living Myth Podcast

Where are you on your relocation journey? Got a big dream, or are you already “there”? Follow others’ stories — and share yours when ready!

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Charlie, whose relationship with travel began early, and whose positive first experiences abroad shaped her desire to keep exploring.

Born and raised in Germany, Charlie first ventured out into the world at 14, when a semester in Australia planted the idea that she was capable of adapting to — and even thriving in — new places far from home. What may have began as something “daunting” soon turned into excitement, curiosity, and confidence, eventually leading her to study in Sweden, complete graduate studies in Canada, and spend extended time backpacking through Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Now living in the Cayman Islands and beginning what she calls “her adult life” — in a committed relationship and with her first full-time job — Charlie reflects on what “home” looks like after a life shaped by movement.

Where are you on your relocation journey? Got a big dream, or are you already “there”? Follow others’ stories — and share yours when ready!

What if “home” wasn’t a place, but a way of being?

In this episode of Relocurious, we’re joined by Kristy Halvorsen, whose life challenges conventional ideas of relocation, relationships, and purpose.

After serious health wake-up calls as a firefighter-paramedic, Kristy let go of most of her belongings, hitched up an Airstream, and just got on the road. What began as an experiment in freedom became a way of life she calls coddiwompling — wandering with no destination.

Living off-grid and migrating with the seasons, Kristy carries her sense of home with her. She speaks candidly about loneliness, trust, saying goodbye, and staying open when nothing feels certain.

Kristy is the author of Perfect Unfolding, a reflective adventure memoir about a year that “broke her open” and reshaped how she lives. This conversation invites us to rethink what home can mean, and whether it might be something we carry, rather than somewhere we arrive.

Links:

Kristy’s Book: https://perfectunfolding.com/

Kristy’s Website: https://kristyhalvorsen.com/

What makes relocating so rich in emotions and insights? How does it transform people’s lives? Follow powerful stories as a subscriber.

P.S. Would you like to share your story of moving across borders? Get in touch.

A series of steps brought Kathy to imagining a life overseas: First, she realized early in her adult life that creative pursuits and travel fulfill her. She then set the goal of leaving full time work behind by the time she turned fifty. And, she sought out a financial planner to discuss what was possible.

The planner’s words of wisdom? The lifestyle you are dreaming of is available to you — if you are open to relocating.

Fast forward ten years, Kathy is reflecting on the enthusiasm and curiosity that guided her (well, our) quest for finding a new home, and the sense of gratitude that living the dream has brought. Since our move to Porto, Portugal a couple of years ago, we have not only appreciated our welcoming community and the ease of exploring Europe, but also how much more connected we now feel with our families — both in Europe and back in Canada.

This conversation takes us to Kathy’s reflections on attachments — to places, pursuits, and people — and to the notion that putting your intention to relocate out to the world can help you be accountable to yourself for the steps you take, and it can help others support you on your journey.

Join us for more insights into relocation journeys: from dreaming to creating the imagined life, including hiccups and emotions.

Ready to share your relocation dream, or how you experienced your own move? We would love to meet you and hear your story. Get in touch.

Growing up in former Czechoslovakia, freely travelling the world once felt out of reach for Michal. It all changed with the fall of the Iron Curtain: borders opened, opportunities presented themselves, and Michal was ready. His curiosity about the world led him from Europe all the way to North America … and back, years later.

In this special episode, Kathy interviews Michal about his passion for travelling, his relocation experiences, and how a lifetime of moves has reshaped his relationship with freedom, belonging, and what it really means to call a place “home.”

In 2023, Kathy and Michal made their new home in Porto, Portugal. To Michal, this place feels both like home and as a gateway to so many places yet to be discovered!

Enjoy his story!

What makes relocating so rich in emotions and insights? How does it transform people’s lives? Follow powerful stories as a subscriber.

P.S. Would you like to share your story of moving across borders? Get in touch

When Michelle and Sean visited Portugal for a beach vacation in 2015, they felt an unexpected connection to the country — one that kept pulling them back again and again. Michelle quickly became keen on moving there, so she quietly set the wheels in motion. Sean joined the plan a bit later, but with an open mind. Along the way, the couple encountered a few surprises, some challenging, others more light-hearted.

In the episode, Sean and Michelle share their everyday experiences of finding their way in Portugal, from navigating daily tasks to staying connected with loved ones overseas, learning the language, and a few realizations from their own relationship.

We hope you enjoy their story!

Michelle (American) and Sean (British) are expats who relocated to Portugal one year ago after falling in love with the country on their first visit a decade earlier. While Sean enjoys retirement, Michelle coaches midlife women online, helping them regain control over impulses to overeat, overspend, and overdo.

The couple have embraced the “unknowing” of expat life, celebrating each successful day as a “boss day.” Thankfully, such days are becoming more frequent in their life. You may contact Michelle at [email protected]

What makes relocating so rich in emotions and insights? How does it transform people’s lives? Follow powerful stories as a subscriber.

P.S. Would you like to share your story of moving across borders? Get in touch

This week on the podcast, we meet Tracey Zhang.

Having left home at 16 and relocated across six cities worldwide, she understands firsthand the loneliness, identity shifts, and cultural disorientation that often accompany major moves.

Tracey shares how uncertainty and unmet expectations after moving solo from Hong Kong to Canada, seeking a “fresh start” after a series of personal setbacks, put her on a path of deep personal exploration and transformation. Those experiences shaped her life path, and inspired her work as a relocation coach and somatic practitioner. She now helps expats and immigrants navigate the emotional side of moving abroad.

In our conversation, Tracey names something that many of us experience, but rarely acknowledge: Moving doesn’t fix what hurts. On the contrary, it often magnifies it. Thankfully, that realization can become the beginning of a journey towards healing, clarity, and what Tracey beautifully calls “coming home to yourself.”

Today, she guides others through these emotional challenges through workshops, online sessions, and somatic practices – supporting people in cultivating a genuine sense of belonging from within.

If you are looking for deep insights into the emotional journey that many immigrants experience, this is the episode for you. And, even if you don’t have a relocation on the horizon, Tracey shares gentle wisdom that may help you discover something new about yourself and your journey through life.

Links:

* Tracey’s website: https://traceyzhang.com/

* Free ebook: https://traceyzhang.com/e-book-1

What makes relocating so rich in emotions and insights? How does it transform people’s lives? Follow powerful stories as a subscriber.

P.S. Would you like to share your story of moving across borders? Get in touch

This week, we speak with Matej Adam Balint, a Slovak student whose university program has taken him to Lisbon, Paris, and Berlin over the past three years. Each new city has brought a fresh beginning, then all too soon, it’s time to move on again. Matej shares about the cycle of unpacking, repacking, building friendships, and redefining what it means to belong.

For Matej, relocation isn’t just a practical challenge, each move is an opportunity to learn more about himself. In our conversation, he reflects on how each move has revealed a different layer of his identity, and how living between cultures and languages has given him a deeper understanding of authenticity, freedom, and adaptability.

He speaks about learning to let go of places, routines, and even versions of himself — without feeling loss. Instead, he sees those attachments turn into memories, lessons, and confidence for the next step.

We talk about belonging as both comfort and constraint, about how a new culture can unlock new dimensions of self-expression, and about why taking action — “testing your hypothesis,” as Matej puts it — may be the only way to find clarity.

This is a story for anyone who’s ever wondered what keeps us grounded when everything around us shifts, and how movement itself can become a form of home and self-discovery.

What makes relocating so rich in emotions and insights? How does it transform people’s lives? Follow powerful stories as a subscriber.

P.S. Would you like to share your story of moving across borders? Get in touch.