A French Lens Podcast

Stories of building a new life in France — from Americans abroad to the French entrepreneurs welcoming travelers to the Loire Valley.
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Places & Travel

A French Lens is part memoir, part conversation — Abbie and Jeff's own story of building a new life in France, paired with honest interviews with others who have made the leap and the French business owners shaping what it means to truly experience this country. afrenchlens.substack.com

Episodes

  1. Episode 4: 29 Visas and a Master's Thesis

    9h ago

    Episode 4: 29 Visas and a Master's Thesis

    There are 29 (and maybe more!) different ways to move to France as an American — and we spent months feeling that we were on the right path, until something happened that almost blew the whole plan apart. This episode walks through the visa landscape: things we read, who we hired, and the almost absurd moment we discovered that a Master's thesis Abbie wrote years ago on French formal gardens was the credential that made our application possible. We also get into the three weeks we nearly scrapped everything for a quieter, lower-stakes option — and what it took to come back from that doubt and submit anyway. From a government approval email read in a parking lot to a visa that came back in six days, this is the part of the story where the dream started becoming real. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Books, businesses, and people discussed in episode four: Foolproof French Visas by Allison Grant Lounes Valérie Aston of Start Business in France Jason and Raina of Baguette Bound Johnny Benoit of French Lifestyle This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afrenchlens.substack.com

    26 min
  2. Why Blois? How We Chose Our French Home

    1d ago

    Why Blois? How We Chose Our French Home

    On this podcast, we piggy-back on our last episode, making the decision to move to France. But France isn't one place and we needed to decide where exactly we were going to settle. This episode is about the research that followed: the Loire Valley cities we considered and ruled out, the practical case for Blois, and Jeff and Abbie's thoughts behind moving to this town of 50,000. Woven through it, a story Abbie has been carrying for twenty-five years — a few days in the Loire Valley at age twenty, studying abroad in Paris, that planted something she didn't fully understand until now. Sometimes the place chooses you as much as you choose it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afrenchlens.substack.com

    28 min
  3. Episode 2: When Your Husband Says, "I Don't Want to Move to France"

    2d ago

    Episode 2: When Your Husband Says, "I Don't Want to Move to France"

    You’ve thought it through, made the spreadsheets, half-packed the metaphorical bags. You’re all in on the dream of a life abroad. And then your person says, “I don’t want to move to France.” This episode picks up at a normal weeknight dinner, the kind where Jeff and I were supposed to be talking logistics — visas, timelines, next steps — and instead I heard him say, with a confidence that surprised even me, “I don’t want to go to France.” This is the episode about what happens when you and your person aren’t actually on the same page — and what it takes to get there anyway. If you want to follow along in real time, we're on Instagram at @AbbieinFrance and @SuhoinFrance, and on Substack at The French Lens. You can also find my photography work at AbbieSmithPhotography.com. And if this episode resonated, we'd genuinely appreciate a follow, a subscribe, or a review wherever you listen — it's how other people find their way to us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afrenchlens.substack.com

    22 min
  4. Episode 1: How We Decided to Move to France

    3d ago

    Episode 1: How We Decided to Move to France

    Jeff is a teacher. I’m a psychiatric nurse practitioner. We are, on paper, two fairly unremarkable Americans who decided, in the fall of 2025, to move to France. This podcast is that decision, and how it unfolded in real time. We will be talking about the Loire Valley, the paperwork, the language mistakes, the people we meet along the way — fellow Americans who’ve made their own leap, and the French entrepreneurs whose small businesses are the reason travelers fall in love with France. It’s not the polished version of moving abroad. It’s the one that is real… and full of heart. We hope you will join us. You can follow along with us on social media: Instagram: @suhoinfrance @abbieinfrance This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afrenchlens.substack.com

    22 min
  • 4 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

A French Lens is part memoir, part conversation — Abbie and Jeff's own story of building a new life in France, paired with honest interviews with others who have made the leap and the French business owners shaping what it means to truly experience this country. afrenchlens.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Stories of building a new life in France — from Americans abroad to the French entrepreneurs welcoming travelers to the Loire Valley.
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Abbie S.
  • Show Website
    A French Lens Podcast