Transplants by Laura Peruchi - Conversations With Women Thriving Abroad

Laura Peruchi
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Weekly

A podcast featuring interviews with women thriving in new roots abroad. Each episode, we hear perspectives from women taking leaps of faith, chasing dreams, and building a life on their own terms. Living abroad is often the backdrop, but these conversations go deeper: into identity, reinvention, relationships, and the courage it takes to start over. These are real stories from real and incredible women.

  1. 14h ago

    #55 The Art of Starting Over: Building a Life, Community and Home Abroad | Pretti Varma | Japan → U.S.

    Preeti Varma was born in Tokyo to Indian parents — a place where she lived until she was 18, when she moved to New York City to go to college. Then, at some point, she felt the need to move to India to reconnect with her culture. There, she met her husband, and they both decided they wanted to live a very international life. And, so far, I guess we can say they are achieving that. They have lived in Singapore, Sydney, London, Ethiopia — and are now in San Francisco, in the United States. Add to that the fact that they became parents along the way, and each of their two children was born in a different country. So, from that summary, you can imagine it was not easy to put together a script without feeling FOMO, but I think I managed it well. We did talk for a while about her life growing up in Tokyo, but rather than exploring each of their moves, we discussed topics that will probably resonate with anyone living abroad — from the meaning of belonging to tips on how to build community in another country, and from the meaning of home to what happens to our identity when we suddenly lose the ability to work. We also talked about what changes when you start moving around the world with kids, why she believes vulnerability can be such a powerful tool for creating connections, and the skills she has developed after a lifetime of adapting to new cultures and environments. Connect with Pretti LinkedIn: Preeti VarmaSubstack: Culture Broth Substack: An Object Story Connect with Transplants: Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.podSubstack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchiFollow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplantsQuestions, suggestions, or random thoughts you’d like to share? Or maybe you’d like to pitch yourself for the podcast or suggest a guest? Send me an email at laura@lauraperuchi.com.

    #55 The Art of Starting Over: Building a Life, Community and Home Abroad | Pretti Varma | Japan → U.S.

  2. Sep 29

    #54 Trusting Your Gut and Designing a Life That Fits | Patricia Ordoñez | Venezuela → Spain

    When Patricia Ordoñez describes her relationship with Spain, she compares it to a good first date with “a really nice person, but it’s not your person.” She describes the country as a lovely place, with lovely people. She loves her apartment, she loves having access to the beach, and she has built a strong community there — but, at the end of the day, it just doesn’t feel like home. And rest assured, she is not a beginner when it comes to living abroad. She left Venezuela in 2015 and, since then, has lived in Colombia, Argentina, Poland, and finally Spain, where she was able to obtain citizenship. Along the way, Patricia also changed career paths a couple of times and had to overcome a limiting belief that work should mean sacrifice. That belief delayed her decision to fully pursue design — a skill she had been developing since she was a kid, but for many different reasons, chose to ignore for years. This conversation happened while Patricia was counting down the days until she left Spain, so we talked not only about her decision to move, but also about how she is intentionally designing what comes next. She shares how she is applying principles from design to her own life, why she is “auditioning cities” to find her next home, and what years of moving abroad have taught her about trusting her gut, asking for help, and being willing to change direction. We also talk about burnout, the pressure to struggle in order to feel successful, and the importance of community — especially for women living and working abroad. Patricia’s story is a reminder that starting over does not always mean something went wrong. Sometimes, it simply means you learned enough about yourself to realize it is time to build something different. Connect with Patricia Website / RARA Design Studio: holarara.com Personal site: patriciaordonez.com LinkedIn: Patricia Ordoñez Casa Profe: casaprofe.com Casa Profe podcast on Spotify: El podcast para profes de idiomas con ambición Connect with Transplants: Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.podSubstack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchiFollow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplantsQuestions, suggestions, or random thoughts you’d like to share? Or maybe you’d like to pitch yourself for the podcast or suggest a guest? Send me an email at laura@lauraperuchi.com.

    #54 Trusting Your Gut and Designing a Life That Fits | Patricia Ordoñez | Venezuela → Spain

  3. Sep 22

    #53 Quitting the 9-to-5: Leaving a Successful Career to Build a Different Life Abroad

    I guess a lot of people would agree that a 9-to-5 job is comforting and it is - allegedly -safe. But what happens when you start to question that? What happens when you’ve built a successful career — and then realize you might want a completely different life? I believe we are seeing that shift. People are realizing they can change their minds and transition into a different career. And some people are learning to let go of the idea that their success and self-worth are defined by their job. When you let that go, other opportunities can open up for you. In this episode, I’m revisiting three conversations with women who walked away from established professional paths and chose to start over. But don’t limit your source of inspiration to these four - this podcast features other tons of episodes with similar stories. In this episode, you will learn more about these stories: Sometimes reinvention is actually a return. After around 15 years in corporate life, burnout forced Leah to reconsider a passion she had pushed aside. So she quit her job to become an artist - in Paris. Your profession doesn’t have to be your permanent identity. Lisa trained and worked as a lawyer in Germany - but when her side gig as a content creator took off, she had to reconsider both her career path and the assumptions she had built around what a successful life was supposed to look like.Growth can mean starting from the bottom again. Cate left an established media career in the Philippines and moved to Madrid, trading professional status for the chance to discover who she could become in a completely different environment. Connect with Transplants: Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.podSubstack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchiFollow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplantsQuestions, suggestions, or random thoughts you’d like to share? Or maybe you’d like to pitch yourself for the podcast or suggest a guest? Send me an email at laura@lauraperuchi.com.

    #53 Quitting the 9-to-5: Leaving a Successful Career to Build a Different Life Abroad

  4. Sep 15

    #52 What Happens When a One-Month Adventure Changes Your Life? | Taylor Kane | USA → Czech Republic

    Have you ever looked back at your journey and noticed how some small decisions ended up changing your life in big ways? From the street you decided to turn down one day that leads you to find a cute new café, to turning down a job offer and later having the opportunity to get a better one. Or perhaps changing the destination of your month abroad can lead you to meet the love of your life... That's exactly what happened to Taylor Kane. Taylor had never dreamed about living abroad, and when she decided to spend one month overseas during college, Prague wasn't even her first choice. She was thinking about Amsterdam. But she changed her mind after following her uncle's advice — and during her very first week there, she met Mark. It has been seven years since her life took that turn, and now she is building a life with him in Prague. Besides chatting about her love story and the decision-making process that led her to take a leap of faith and bet on this relationship, we also talk about how living abroad challenged some of the beliefs she grew up with in the United States, how moving away actually improved her relationship with her mom, and what she has learned about independence and trusting herself. She also shares some useful advice about the importance of building your own friendships and community, and making sure the life you're creating abroad also feels like yours. Connect with Taylor: Packing Up and Peacing Out PodcastInstagram @TaylorTakesPrague TikTok @taylortakesprague Connect with Transplants: Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.podSubstack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchiFollow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplantsQuestions, suggestions, or random thoughts you’d like to share? Or maybe you’d like to pitch yourself for the podcast or suggest a guest? Send me an email at laura@lauraperuchi.com.

    #52 What Happens When a One-Month Adventure Changes Your Life? | Taylor Kane | USA → Czech Republic

  5. Sep 8

    #51 Moving Abroad Alone as a Woman | 4 Stories of Starting Over in Another Country

    Do you dream about living abroad - but is afraid of doing it solo? Starting a new life in another country can be really intimidating - but guess what? A lot of people do that every day - including lots of women, in different stages of their lives. Yes, it's not easy to starting a new life from scratch without a partner - or without friends and family. But if these four women did it - you can also do it. For this themed episode, we are revisiting conversations with four previous guests who moved to different countries in different circumstances. But don't limit your source of inspiration to these four - this podcast features other tons of episodes with similar stories. Check the full episodes: Elise https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NRxKe2sc0lHfpb9bHMUq0Trish https://open.spotify.com/episode/5abtamkbEBlgl6xrcBi0LQJasmine https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Oriyw4KxtI24WMTZkkKT8Gabu https://open.spotify.com/episode/03z9BRrxkMkpOEy3uTHEkw Connect with Transplants: Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.podSubstack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchiFollow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplantsQuestions, suggestions, or random thoughts you’d like to share? Or maybe you’d like to pitch yourself for the podcast or suggest a guest? Send me an email at laura@lauraperuchi.com.

    #51 Moving Abroad Alone as a Woman | 4 Stories of Starting Over in Another Country

  6. Sep 1

    #50 How to Adapt Without Losing Yourself | Alexandra Popkova | Russia → Colombia

    Alexandra Popkova grew up in Russia, and she learned early on how places can impact and shape behavior when her parents moved from Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East, to Saint Petersburg. It was a huge shift, even though it was within the same country. And that was only one of several moves she would go through in her life: she lived in India, Bahrain, and Nicaragua, and now she is based in Colombia. Besides moving between countries, she also went through career transitions. While she was still at university studying Art History, Alexandra started working with AIESEC, the international youth and leadership organization, and eventually pivoted into coaching and organizational consulting, which is what she does now. In this episode, we talk about culture shock, identity, intercultural relationships, the invisible mental load of starting over, and the challenge of adapting without feeling like you are betraying yourself. Alexandra shares many examples from her own journey, especially the cultural shocks she faced in Nicaragua, as well as her learnings and advice for navigating an intercultural relationship. This is a thoughtful conversation about change, belonging, and learning how to grow without losing yourself along the way. Connect with Alexandra: Alexandra's website https://www.alexandrapopkova.com/ Instagram ⁠@empower_leaders Connect with Transplants: Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.podSubstack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchiFollow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplantsQuestions, suggestions, or random thoughts you’d like to share? Or maybe you’d like to pitch yourself for the podcast or suggest a guest? Send me an email at laura@lauraperuchi.com.

    #50 How to Adapt Without Losing Yourself | Alexandra Popkova | Russia → Colombia

  7. Aug 25

    #49 Moving abroad as a woman after your 40s/50s

    No matter how old a woman is, we all know there’s a fear around aging. Whether it’s because our society glorifies youth and looks, because of our biological clocks, or because we’re somehow supposed to have everything figured out within an impossible timeline. Then there are those intrusive thoughts: “I’m too old to do XYZ” or “I’m running out of time for XYZ.” For this new themed episode, I bring you three perspectives from women who completely changed their lives in their 40s and 50s. They come from different backgrounds and have very different journeys, but they all have something in common: the desire to do something different with their lives. These are highlights from previous episodes — and if you’re interested in hearing their full stories, check out the complete episodes. Adalia - Episode 1Karen - Episode 11Kim - Episode 7 Connect with Transplants: Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.podSubstack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchiFollow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplantsQuestions, suggestions, or random thoughts you’d like to share? Or maybe you’d like to pitch yourself for the podcast or suggest a guest? Send me an email at laura@lauraperuchi.com.

    #49 Moving abroad as a woman after your 40s/50s

  8. Aug 18

    #48 From Au Pair in Germany to Grad School in Ireland | Brittany Brooker | USA → Ireland

    Brittany Brooker grew up in a small town in Virginia, in the U.S., but from an early age, she was already dreaming about a life somewhere else through reading fairy tales. Although she stayed close to home for college, Brittany eventually had the opportunity to study abroad in Sweden — and something shifted. When she got back to the States, she was determined to leave the country as soon as possible. So, at 21, after graduation, Brittany moved to Germany through the au pair program — and later on, she transitioned into her field, navigated visas, relationships, the pandemic, and built a life in Hamburg. But after almost five years abroad, she made a decision that many people might misunderstand: she moved back to the U.S. Brittany then spent a few years in Los Angeles, reconnecting with creativity, career goals, and parts of herself that needed space. And then, it was time to move again, now with her husband. They both went through a decision-making process with specific criteria — and the path Brittany chose was through grad school. That’s how they landed in Ireland. In this episode, we talk about how Brittany pivoted from being an au pair to working in her field in Germany, how returning to the U.S. became a necessary pause and creative reset for her and what it means to go to going to grad school and start over abroad in your 30s. Connect with Brittany: Brittany's Substack: Thriving Elsewhere Instagram @brittany.brooker Connect with Transplants: Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.podSubstack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchiFollow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplantsQuestions, suggestions, or random thoughts you’d like to share? Or maybe you’d like to pitch yourself for the podcast or suggest a guest? Send me an email at laura@lauraperuchi.com.

    #48 From Au Pair in Germany to Grad School in Ireland | Brittany Brooker | USA → Ireland
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A podcast featuring interviews with women thriving in new roots abroad. Each episode, we hear perspectives from women taking leaps of faith, chasing dreams, and building a life on their own terms. Living abroad is often the backdrop, but these conversations go deeper: into identity, reinvention, relationships, and the courage it takes to start over. These are real stories from real and incredible women.

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