Connection Alchemy

Barbora Dušková
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Where expats learn from expats! Here we delve into conversations about the life of an expat. The struggles and the riches. And especially everything around belonging, identity and connection as an expat. The goal of alchemy is and always has been to turn the ordinary into gold. And that's exactly what the goal of this podcast is. To help you turn your ordinary life abroad into a golden one. Learn from others with a similar yet distinct path. Learn the skills to build a home wherever you are. And ultimately, transform your life. I'll see you inside! Love, Barbora

  1. In Sync: How to Connect Deeply with Others

    Apr 8

    In Sync: How to Connect Deeply with Others

    How synchronising with others builds trust, closeness, and connection.

    18 min
  2. What If Boredom Is Where Creation Begins? - Walking Podcast Ep. 3

    Mar 25

    What If Boredom Is Where Creation Begins? - Walking Podcast Ep. 3

    What starts to happen when you step away from constant consumption... This weekend on my walk with the doggo lady, I was reflecting on what consuming less and creating more has brought into my life. And why I think you should join me on this journey! Give it a listen and let me know what YOU have been longing to create for some time now but haven’t, and why now now is the time to change that. Looking forward to reading your reflections either in the comments or as a DM.

    16 min
  3. The Power of a Question - Walking Podcast Ep. 2

    Mar 18

    The Power of a Question - Walking Podcast Ep. 2

    Whilst it seems very obvious, it is not so obvious to many people. But it is precisely the skill of questioning that will lead you to more connection in your life. My main message for you today is to ask more questions. Why and how I talk about in the podcast. Enjoy! To your belonging, Baru

    16 min
  4. Thoughts on Belonging - Walking Podcast Ep. 1

    Mar 2

    Thoughts on Belonging - Walking Podcast Ep. 1

    This weekend on a walk, I came up with a new idea for my podcast. Whilsts I love the idea of interviewing people and I will keep those episodes coming. I also have a strong need to express my thoughts about human connection out loud, and even better on a walk in the forest: for myself, for you, and for the peering eyes and ears of the passerby. I hope they are of value to you. On this particular walk, I explore the topic of belonging. The topic of belonging start at 1:35. Let me know what belonging means to you in the comments ⬇️

    13 min
  5. Navigating Friendships Abroad 101: A Conversation on Finding, Building, and Letting Go of Friendships as an Expat

    Jan 16

    Navigating Friendships Abroad 101: A Conversation on Finding, Building, and Letting Go of Friendships as an Expat

    This episode is packed with learning! I recommend you listen to the whole thing. Kim and I talk about navigating friendships abroad and all that comes with that: - Making new connections - Creating deeper bonds - Having to say goodby to the friends that leave for another adventure - Keeping in touch with friends that are all around the world Do you have any awesome tips or experiences around any of those? Share them with us in the comments. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 5:00 - How to make friends abroad 10:00 - How to navigate when your friends leave & managing long distance friendships 36:00 - Friendship rituals and making friendships work for your lifestyle 48:00 - Our takeaways 51:50 - Kim’s life lesson and recent challenge

    59 min
  6. One Heart, Many Places - An Expat’s Daily Reality

    Jan 2

    One Heart, Many Places - An Expat’s Daily Reality

    Wow, what an enriching conversation. I keep being in awe with how each conversation has it’s own life. Like you can have some expectations for a conversation, but you can be sure it will take a completely different turn. And I love the spin this conversation has taken. We talk about how it feels to leave the home country behind, about the guilt we sometimes feel when it comes to moving away from our families and missing out on the everyday moments with them, and how to navigate it all. We also share what we would do differetly next time, or what we would do exactly the same when it comes to moving countries. A text cannot do this conversation justice. You have to give it a listen. I love learning from people who are walking similar paths and this conversation is a great example of what can come out when two people share their experiences with one another. My biggest takeaway? Back home, I have friends that I can really rely on, and I haven’t experienced that same connection or loyalty abroad. But thanks to this conversation I have discovered that I have just been waiting for it to happen, rather than going towards it with my intentional actions. At minute 55, we talk about how to create loyalty friendships abroad, I call it a brave loyalty, as you gotta get out of your comfort zone to get it. If you’re short on time, give at least these 5 minutes a listen, it’ll be worth it. And what I leave you today with is this: What does loyalty mean to you? Let me know in the comments. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:50 - Coming back home 5:00 - Personality change on the outside versus on the inside 12:00 - How travelling changes you (no going back, different languages, cultural differences) 21:30: - Habit creation & reinventing oneself 26:00 - How does it feel to leave the home country behind + the guilt of leaving your home behind 45:00 - How to approach moving, if you were to do it (again) 50:00 - Loyalty friends, Roots, Perspectives 55:00 - Creating loyalty in an instant, choosing people to do it with intentionally (brave loyalty) 1:00:00 - Loyalty vs. Honesty, what is true loyalty anyway? 1:03:00 - Our takeaways PS: If you don’t have time to listen to the whole conversation, I think the end (55 minutes onward) is the most important part to listen to!

    1h 9m
  7. Navigating Home, Abroad, and Everything In Between

    12/01/2025

    Navigating Home, Abroad, and Everything In Between

    Join me for my conversation with Mai where we discuss creating new communities abroad from scratch, navigating travelling back home, and how to combine it all. Among other smaller ones, these are my biggest insights from our conversation together: - It’s important to create a home within you, that way you can take it with you wherever you are. - We have a relationship with each country like we would have with a human. A countryship! - How you feel about the country you’re in and how you feel about yourself in the country you’re in, are not always the same. Act accordingly. 0:00 - Introduction 4:40 - Navigating Travelling Between Countries 11:00 - Time Back Home & Family Expectations 20:00 - Building New Community Abroad & Adjusting to New Culture 42:00 - How Do You Decide Where to Move & Recognise If a Place Is Working for You 58:00 - Life Lesson & Life Challenge About Mai: Former classical pianist of 18 years and jazz radio host, Mai went on to earn her Master of Arts in Global Entertainment and Music Business from Berklee College of Music. Her career spans global roles across companies such as BeatStars, Nvak Collective, Bleav Podcast Network, Giant Noise PR, Bauer Entertainment Marketing, ONErpm APAC, SoAlive Music Conference, Vietnam Music Week, and more. She also spent two years at LIONS SHARE as a podcast producer prior to its acquisition by Jaded, and worked as Production Assistant for Friends:Forever Showcase at SXSW 2024. She now works between Asia and Europe, serving as Promoter (Intl.) for HOZO Fest in Vietnam, Editorial Assistant for Hypebeast, while in Spain, she handles International Partnerships for Kpopverse España, a community that organizes Korean culture events and sells official merchandise/albums from Kpop groups, and is a Booking Agent for Monochromo.live focusing on bringing Asian diasporic acts to Spain, Portugal and wider Europe.

    1h 10m
  8. Self-development abroad... are expats a little masochistic?

    11/04/2025

    Self-development abroad... are expats a little masochistic?

    Join this conversation between me and Dinara where we explore what self-development means in the life of an expat. I personally had a great insight into the masochistic nature of expat life. But you’re gonna have to give it a listen if you want to know what the hell I am talking about. Apart from the main focus of our conversation, we also explored questions such as these: - What are the lessons from moving abroad? - Can we enrich the culture we come into? - Are all of us expat insatiable explorers? Curious about our experiences and want to connect? - Connect w me: https://www.instagram.com/connectionalchemy/ - Or connect w Dinara here: https://www.instagram.com/dinaracoaching/ Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction 06:30 - What self-development means in the expat life 14:30 - Reasons to move abroad & support 17:45 - Who am I now, confused identity 20:00 - What are the lessons from moving abroad 30:00 - Are we masochists? 32:00 - Homesickness & First experiences 39:00 - Time perception 40:30 - Thrill vs Stability 45:00 - Is travelling a form of development? 47:45 - Can we enrich the culture we come into? 49:00 - Are all of us expat insatiable explorers? 50:20 - Our takeaways 54:00 - Dinara’s life lesson and a challenge

    1h 1m
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About

Where expats learn from expats! Here we delve into conversations about the life of an expat. The struggles and the riches. And especially everything around belonging, identity and connection as an expat. The goal of alchemy is and always has been to turn the ordinary into gold. And that's exactly what the goal of this podcast is. To help you turn your ordinary life abroad into a golden one. Learn from others with a similar yet distinct path. Learn the skills to build a home wherever you are. And ultimately, transform your life. I'll see you inside! Love, Barbora

Information

  • Creator
    Barbora Dušková
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Connection Alchemy