Somewhere Unfamiliar

Stories about what it really feels like to build a life far from where you started.

Through honest conversations about identity, belonging, reinvention, relationships, and personal growth, Somewhere Unfamiliar explores how people rebuild, adapt, and create meaningful lives through change.

Whether you’ve moved across the world, across the country, or simply found yourself in a chapter of life you never expected, these conversations are a reminder that you’re not alone.

When you spend your life moving between countries, what happens to your sense of home?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Eimad Houry, whose life has been shaped by relocation, cultural adaptation, and decades of living between different countries and communities.

We talk about:

• Identity and belonging across cultures

• The loneliness of constantly starting over

• Losing childhood connections and ties to place

• Building relationships and community in unfamiliar environments

• Faith, family, and raising children between cultures

• The challenges and opportunities of relocation

• How travel, study abroad, and international experiences can transform the way you see yourself and the world

A conversation about home, belonging, resilience, and what happens when a lifetime of movement shapes who you become.

⁠Check out How Studying Abroad Changed My Life ⁠by Eimad Houry & Chinekwu Obidoa⁠⁠

What happens when you stop living the life that’s expected of you and start building the life you actually want?

Big changes are exciting. They’re also uncomfortable, uncertain, and often lonelier than we expect.

In this conversation, Laura reflects on what it means to take a chance on yourself, embrace uncertainty, and create a life that feels more aligned with who you are.

We discuss:

• Following the life you’ve always imagined

• The courage to start over

• Building friendships and community from scratch

• Why going home can feel different after you’ve left

• Reinventing yourself in a new environment

• Creating a life on your own terms

This episode is for anyone standing at a crossroads, wondering whether to play it safe or take a chance on something bigger.

What happens when the places that shape you don’t match the place you’re “supposed” to be from?

For some people, home is a country. For others, it’s more layered.

In this conversation, Ossama from Sultan + Shepard reflects on growing up between cultures, navigating a constantly evolving sense of identity, and learning that the places that shape us don’t always fit neatly into a single box.

We discuss:

• Why “Where are you from?” can be such a difficult question

• Growing up between cultures and identities

• The difference between where you’re from and who you become

• Changing his name after 9/11 and reclaiming it years later

• Why home can be people, not geography

• Building a sense of belonging when you don’t feel tied to one place

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt caught between worlds, struggled to explain where they belong, or discovered that home is more than a location.

Sometimes the places that shape us matter more than the place we come from.

What do you do when your life looks good on paper, but something inside you knows it’s not the right fit?

Silvina left behind a life she loved in Argentina. Not because she had to, but because she felt pulled toward something bigger. What followed was years of rebuilding, learning a new language, creating community from scratch, and discovering that belonging doesn’t happen by accident.

This conversation is about intuition, personal responsibility, friendship, resilience, and the choices that shape who we become.

We discuss:

• Knowing when you’ve outgrown your environment

• Why building a meaningful life requires action

• Making friends and creating community as an adult

• Learning to trust yourself through uncertainty

• Finding belonging in a new place

• Taking responsibility for the life you want

This episode is for anyone standing at a crossroads, questioning what’s next, or feeling the pull toward a different version of their life.

What do you do when life forces you to start over?

Whether it’s moving countries, losing a community, becoming a parent, or watching life take an unexpected turn, rebuilding isn’t easy.

In this conversation, Nadine shares what starting over taught her about resilience, friendship, identity, motherhood, and creating a life that feels like home.

We discuss:

• Starting over when the choice isn’t yours

• Building friendships and community as an adult

• Growing up between cultures and identities

• Why resilience comes from continuing to move forward

• The loneliness of motherhood and major life transitions

This episode is for anyone navigating change, rebuilding their life, or trying to create a sense of home wherever they are.