Perfect Strangers

Follow Perfect Strangers
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Have you ever wondered where you belong? Did you struggle to fit in at some point in your life? In this podcast you will hear the stories of people who by choice or by obligation have moved to a different place. Expats, migrants, refugees, we may seem Perfect Strangers to each other but by sharin…

Valerie


    • Dec 20, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 27m AVG DURATION
    • 27 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from Perfect Strangers with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Perfect Strangers

    You can fall in love with who you want but ...

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2022 25:40


    Wally's story is a tale of a self made woman in the US, of love at a time in which she couldn't legally get married, of a journey that will bring her back to Italy after a life abroad.Music: trailer's music: Paris Gipsy Swing By Dieter Van der Westenmusic ending episode: Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre by Kevin Mac Leod

    Being black but not African American in the US

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2022 25:04


    Kirk grew up in Florida from Jamaican parents. As a child and then a teenager it was a bit complicated for him. He was not recognized as African American by African American kids but was seen as one by other kids. He had to learn how to navigate different groups and be accepted. Today he considers the skills he acquired along the way to have been essential to his success as an adult.To reach Kirk Nugent http://kirkrnugent.com/Let's Meet! Grab 15 minutes on his Calendar - http://kirkrnugent.live/bookmeJoin the Community of Support - https://www.kirkrnugent.com/supportDigital Business Card - https://www.kirkrnugent.com/cardMusic: trailer's music: Paris Gipsy Swing By Dieter Van der WestenReal Avatar (Jamaica) by Jah Henchmanmusic ending episode: Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre by Kevin Mac Leod

    When going Home means being an outsider again

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2022 21:16


    What can go wrong when you have an American accent, an American passport and your parents tell you you are going home after living 7 years in Uzbekistan? You will totally fit in, finally! At least that's what Jessi thought. I discovered her story while reading a blog she wrote for Families in global Transition, an NGO which serves as a forum for mobile individuals. I was touched by the very authentic way  she described her 13 years old self facing difficulties she didn't expect.  I also discovered that she created a company named Kaleidoscope to help kids that go through the same type of difficult transitions. trailer's music: Paris Gipsy Swing By Dieter Van der Westen music ending episode: Danse macabre by Kevin Mac Leod

    Portable business for a portable life

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2022 30:20


    As daughter of a diplomat, Amel moved to new places from the day she was born. As an adult, she wanted to pursue a career in advertizing but it turned out to be incompatible with her nomadic life. Now she helps her clients create their portable business through her own portable company: Tandem Nomads. Tandem Nomads https://tandemnomads.com/

    Look at me in the eyes

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2021 31:07


    Jean-Michel arrived in San Francisco when he was 17. His own family history has taught him that sometimes life throws you lemons. He has worked tirelessly to end homelessness with new programs at Friendship Place since 2006.

    Why is it hard to get along?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2021 12:30


    To understand why it is hard to get along we have to look at how human evolution developped our capacity to cooperate specifically inside groups and how our intuitions guide our decisions and our behavior. In this episode you will find a short summary of the book The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt and his hypotheses on why it is hard to get along.

    If you don't know where you are going you may well end up there

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2021 28:13


    Hella shares witht us why it made sense to create her own business. The learning curve can be steep but it allowed her to build a bridge between her roots in Tunisia and the US in which she arrived when she was 10.

    I connect with people heart to heart

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2021 22:26


    Lea left the Yvory Coast to study in Paris. She then moved to Kazakstan and realized she was the only black woman in Astana. She shares her "weapons" to feel welcomed and at ease everywhere and how she learned to use emotional intelligence as she moved and worked in different places.

    Back to the roots. Now I understand

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2021 24:27


    Paolo Battaglia's book : Italian American Country: Finding Italy in small-town America

    All you need is love... and a rabbit

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2021 23:50


    Danny works four jobs and lives with a rabbit and a cockatiel. Life can be lonely but at 62 he knows what is REALLY important.

    I made it to Tokyo. How David's childhood dream became real.

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2020 25:58


    Unlike many of us, David chooses carefully the places he moves to. It all began with his childhood's dream to live in Japan. Berlin and Porto followed. His podcast "Expat Empire" gives tips about moving through expats stories.

    Home is where you are loved

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2020 30:14


    Hala's Book: Bridge Between Worlds, a Lebanese-Arab-American Woman's JourneyI also recommend Amin Maalouf's book: In the Name of Identity 

    We are moving! How do we tell the kids?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2020 29:09


    Pascale Brady is Founder and CEO of The Challenge CoachShe does Life and Business Coaching in these areas:- Challenge coaching in life and at work through transitions or in relationships- Expatriate and international coaching,- Parent coachingShe also is a certified Parent EducatorShe teaches PEP classes and workshops on  practical parenting skills geared to each stage of a child's development, whether you're looking for new parenting techniques or faced with serious parenting concerns.

    Why do we love? Make friendships?What have our genes to do with that?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2020 11:28


    Review of Nicholas Christakis book : Blueprint, the evolutionnary origins of a good society.

    17 years old Juliette is ready to jump

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2020 22:44


    17 years old Juliette is about to take a gap year. She will travel on two continents, work and improve her language skills, discover herself. Why did she decide not to go straight to college? Have some of her friends made the same decision? Where will she go? What does she hope for? it's all in her interview.

    Amanda is an expert on chinese language and culture and long time expat

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2020 26:24


    Amanda has a long expat experience and shares with us how she manages to feel at home in every country and how kindness goes a long way. She teaches her chinese culture and language to children and gives us advices on how to pass on our own culture and language to our children. She also shares a few insights on her job as consultant for professionals who go to China or Taiwan.

    Bonnie adventurous life began when she was 16

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2020 34:36


    Bonnie experienced cultural differences for the first time when she was a 16 year old exchange student. Austria after WWII was very different from New-York and it was only the beginning of rich life experiences abroad. She worked in different countries, languages, jobs, married three times and now looks back on her life with a smile.

    Rene is a Latino who arrived illegally to the US when he was very young.

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2019 21:57


    Rene fleed from Guatemala with his parents when he was a toddler. They were refugees in Canada and entered illegally in the US. His father was later caught by immigration services and sent to prison. He speaks about his experience in the US as a Latino.

    My dad American Dream

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2019 21:00


    My dad became an orphan when he was 10, began to work when he was 13 and met American tourists through his job in an hotel in Florence, Italy. The more he learned the more he wanted to move to the United States. Listen to his journey to get there and his love for cultural diversity.

    Kiana is a Third Culture Kid, listen to her for the inside story

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2019 30:39


    Kiana is a third Culture kid, growing up in different countries none of which the country of origin from her parents. She doesn't belong completely somewhere and she feels home when she is with other international kids like her. She has learned to adapt and be resilient, taking the positive parts of each culture. She shares her experience from childhood to today as a college student in the US.

    Felix experienced a big culture shock when he arrived in the US

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2019 31:12


    Felix tells us about his childhood with deaf parents in central Switzerland, his travels to work and learn languages while still in high school, his journey to South America during his gap year and how it helped him choose his field of study, his culture shock when he arrived in the US and everything he learned along the way.

    How does moving change us? Why do we need to belong? Ever experienced reverse cultural shock?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 37:56


    Roya left Iran as a young woman in order to study without knowing she wouldn't come back

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2019 35:55


    Noelle voulait quitter Paris et sa routine, elle partage son expérience américaine avec nous.

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2019 36:03


    Noelle a déménagé plusieurs fois enfant, elle a toujours gardé le goût de la nouveauté. Elle partage avec nous l'expérience de venir vivre aux USA avec ses enfants.

    Ken was 23 when he moved to a place he had never heard of before

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2019 33:07


    Ken didn't know anything about Asia when he was offered a job abroad at age 23. He learned a lot even founding his own business oversees. He lived in many different places and experienced reverse culture shock coming back home. Now he is a little bit of a world citizen even if as he says he will always be American.

    Arlette migrant journey begins with WWII

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2019 46:44


    Arlette was born in Cuba from a single mother who crossed the ocean to flee WWII France. She later moved to New-York. A vibrant story of a migrant child who struggles to fit in but finds her way.

    Claim Perfect Strangers

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel