Transplants by Laura Peruchi - Conversations With Women Thriving Abroad
Episodes
#41 The Courage to Just Do the Thing | Maria Sakr | Lebanon → USA
23 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Sakr has always occupied that “in-between” place that a lot of transplants know so well. She was raised in Dubai by her Lebanese parents, su...
#40 From Teaching English to Building a Food Tour | Lauren Aloise | USA → France
16 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
While living in rural Massachusetts, Lauren Aloise would travel the world in her imagination by exploring travel magazines. Her trips to New York City...
#39 From Corporate Life to Becoming an Artist in Paris | Leah Alexander | USA → France
09 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
She is an American artist based in Paris. But it took her a long time and some serious life decisions to the point she could call herself that. Art ha...
#38 How One Trip Outside Asia Changed the Course of Her Life | Jasmine Wu | Taiwan → The Netherlands
02 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jasmine Wu had never traveled outside Asia when she decided to take a gap year. She was not even planning to travel during that period - the idea was ...
#37 She Took One Year Abroad to Heal - and Never Came Back | Kay Fabella | USA → Spain
26 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kay Fabella moved to Spain in 2010 with a one-way ticket, a student visa, and plans to stay for just one year. The main goal was to heal from burnout ...
#36 From“Coward by Default” to Finding Her Voice Abroad | Florencia Cariddi | Argentina → USA
19 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
I guess one of my favorite parts of doing this podcast is searching for guests. Usually, I do that online — Substack is my favorite platform for tha...
#35 From Survival Jobs to Helping Immigrants Thrive | Tayo Oriowo | Nigeria → Australia
12 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Moving abroad was supposed to be the beginning of Tayo Oriowo’s dream life. Instead, after leaving Nigeria for Australia at 21, she found herself na...
#34 Walking Away From a “Perfect Life” | Samantha Nazareth | USA → France/Thailand
05 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Samantha Nazareth was a gastroenterologist based in New York City, with a stable career, tons of media appearances, and a 10-year relationship. What e...
#33 The beauty of Trying, Letting Go, and Starting Again | Mary Vass | Australia → Greece
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a life looks good on paper… but doesn’t feel quite right?In this episode, I talk to Mary Vass, an Australian who grew up in Pert...
#32 Growing Up Between Two Cultures and leaving a Stable Career | Claudia Valdiviezo | Peru → US
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Claudia Valdiviezo’s story doesn’t follow a straight line. She was born in Peru and moved to the U.S. when she was just 4 years old. When Claudia ...
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14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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#31 Starting Over Abroad Without a Safety Net | Elise Maclin | US → Brazil
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Elise Maclin was living a good life in Chicago, in the US, when a random encounter switched something in her mind and her plans for the future. She me...
#31 Starting Over Abroad Without a Safety Net | Elise Maclin | US → Brazil
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Elise Maclin was living a good life in Chicago, in the US, when a random encounter switched something in her mind and her plans for the future. She me...
#30 Dreaming big as a Latina | Monica Morales | Colombia → Switzerland
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Monica Morales was encouraged to dream bigger from an early age. Growing up in Colombia, she heard from her parents that there were better opportuniti...
#29 That weird feeling when you visit your home country | Solo episode with host Laura Peruchi
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this solo episode, I reflect on my recent trip back to Brazil, and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it. The familiarity, the distance, t...
#28 Growing Up Between Countries: Identity, Exile & Belonging | Négar Chahkhalili | Iran → Switzerland
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Négar Chahkhalili’s life has been shaped by movement, resilience, and the art of adapting across cultures. She was born in Tehran and left Iran at ...
#27 Leaving a Marriage Abroad, Independence & Finding Love Again | Gabriella Zarowsky | Brazil → France
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Gabriella Zarowsky’s first move abroad was over a decade ago, when she and her then-husband left Brazil to pursue graduate degrees in New York City....
#26 Finding herself abroad after a divorce | Asia Dawn | USA → Spain
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Asia Dawn had waited for a ring for years - so, when her long relationship ended, she was left heartbroken and suddenly questioning her entire life, i...
#25 From Lawyer to Founder & Leaving Home to Grow | Lisa Baisl | Germany → USA
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lisa Baisl grew up in a small town near Munich, in Germany — a place she eventually moved to in order to attend law school, something that seemed li...
#24 Starting Over and Building a Solo Life Abroad | Trish Estuart | Philippines → Spain
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the famous book The Artist’s Way, the author Julia Cameron suggests reframing failure by asking not “Why me?” but “What’s next?” And wh...
#23 From the Belgian Dream to Off-Grid Freedom | AnnSophie Salomez | Belgium → New Zealand
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
AnnSophie Salomez had what many would call a perfect life in Belgium: steady jobs, a renovated house, pets, stability. It was the Belgium dream, as sh...
#22 She is more Afraid of a Flat Life Than of Risk | Consuelo Cantisani | Italy → South Africa
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Consuelo Cantisani grew up in a tiny village in southern Italy, and she knew early on that she wanted to study languages, perhaps inspired by the trip...
#21 Leaving the Corporate Ladder for Horizontal Growth | Cate de Leon | Philippines → Spain
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Cate de Leon had a very clear goal when she decided to move from Manila, in the Philippines, to Madrid, in Spain. She wanted to ditch the corporate la...
#20 Three countries, five languages, & 20y living abroad | Emanuela Buccafurri | Italy → France
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When Emanuela Buccafurri left her tiny village in southern Italy for an exchange program in Lyon, France, she thought she would stay for just six mont...
#19 Finding Creativity Again Through Life Abroad | Soldana | USA → France
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Immigration has been part of Soldana’s life since forever. It’s part of her roots: her grandmother left the Philippines to pursue a better life in...
#18 Languages as a Passport & Building an Inclusive Spanish School | Sandra Romero | Spain → Mexico
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sandra Romero knew early on that she wanted to explore the world and live abroad - she was inspired by her mom, who shared stories about living abroad...
#17 A Hungry Romantic in a Tuscan Village | Monique Kreis | Australia → Italy
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When Monique Kreis booked a one-way ticket to London from Australia, she felt called to make a leap - much like when she moved alone from Australia to...
#16 15 Immigrant Women Share Advice That Will Change Your 2026 (Best Moments So Far)
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to this special episode featuring some of the best moments from the episodes that were published this year. I selected highlight from the c...
#15 Staying abroad on her own terms | Marion Müller | Switzerland → Singapore
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Marion Müller is originally from Switzerland and now calls Singapore home. What was meant to be a temporary move for her boyfriend’s job became a l...
#14 Leaving home twice and finding herself as a mom | Olga Kudrick | Lithuania → USA
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Olga Kudrick took a 36-hour bus from Lithuania to London, she was just a young woman looking for new opportunities and hoping to support her fami...
#13 When Paradise Stops Being Paradise | Kaila Krayewski | Canada → Thailand
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From a 21-year-old English teacher in rural Japan to 15 years on a Thai island and now a future in Valencia, Kaila Krayewski has been chasing belongin...
#12 Immigration Setbacks & Career Reboot | Celia Alves | Portugal → Canada
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Celia Alves was a math teacher in Portugal in 2012: her life was stable; she had a house, a husband, and two kids. But Celia was pretty tired of her c...
#11 From Workaholic in NYC to Flâneuse in Paris | Karen Bussen | USA → France
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When she was a kid, Karen Bussen always dreamed of moving to New York City. Eventually, that dream became reality: she moved to the Big Apple and buil...
#10 Grief, identity, and reinvention in a foreign land | Fernanda Santos | Brazil → USA
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Fernanda Santos first moved to the U.S., she had a clear plan: study journalism and return to Brazil. But everything changed after a chance encou...
#9 From arranged marriage to financial independence | Aneri Desai | India → USA
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Aneri Desai was born and raised in India, and expected to follow a path shaped by tradition, including getting an arranged marriage. When she went to ...
#8 The plan was not having a plan | Gabriela Dutra | Brazil → Thailand
25 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gabriela Dutra landed her dream job as a fashion designer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before even turning 30. But she soon realized that path wouldn’...
#7 Moving Abroad Solo, on a Budget - at 56 | Kimberly Anne | USA → Portugal
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kimberly Anne always dreamed of living abroad, and while she only made it happen at 56, she had already lived quite a life before moving solo from the...
#6 From International Student to CEO | Milena Berry | Bulgaria → USA
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Milena Berry is originally from Bulgaria and she is the co-founder and CEO of PowerToFly - a platform that connects underrepresented talent to inclusi...
#5 A 3-month plan turned Into a new life abroad | Carolina Malis | Chile → NYC → London
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Carolina Malis is from Chile. She studied acting and dreamed of moving to London - that eventually happened, but it took a 10-year detour. Imagine you...
#4 A Leap from PhD to Creative Life in South Korea | Aisha Ba | Italy → South Korea
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Aisha Ba is a model, dancer, content creator, and immigrant mom living in South Korea - and the path that brought her to Asia is a story in itself. Le...
#3 From Au Pair to Fashion Stylist in NYC | Raquel Paiva | Brazil → USA
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Raquel Paiva learned about the Au Pair Program, she realized it would be the perfect opportunity for her to improve her English to them chase her...
#2 One-Way Ticket to Napoli | Ambika Mathur | USA → Italy
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After ending a long-term relationship, Ambika Mathur found herself back at her parents’ house, wondering what her next step would be. As a model wit...
#1 Seeking dreams and freedom after her 40s | Adalia Aborisade | USA → México
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Adalia Aborisade is an American (from Texas) living in Mexico City. Former public teacher, she did everything society expected her to do it - she got ...
Episode ZERO - Meet the host and her story + presenting the project's idea
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I figured a solo episode would be useful - nice to meet you! I'm Laura Peruchi, a Brazilian journalist based in NYC and your host!On this episode,...
Welcome to Transplants - conversations with women thriving in new roots abroad
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hosted by Laura Peruchi, a Brazilian journalist calling NYC home since 2014 .Each episode, we unpack the transitions, culture shocks, setbacks, and jo...