Lucky to Be Here is a podcast that showcases those who took the leap to build lives and careers across countries. They share their stories, their lessons, and their advice to show us what it means, and what it takes, to build a life and career abroad.

Our first bonus episode reconnects us with Veronica Bianchini, our very first guest in Lucky to Be Here!

Since our first episode, Veronica has now completed her first year in her Master’s of Cognitive Science and AI at Birbeck College. We discuss the steps she has taken since our episode recording, in part sparked by our discussion, to align her professional steps with her long-term vision for her life and career.

In this episode, we also discuss her perspectives on AI, informed by her observations and learning as part of her program, and what she highlights as the not-so-knew discussions we continue to have about technology and how we position ourselves within its rapid change. In her opinion, it is not only about the pace of technological change, but how we also perceive it and behave as a result.

You can find Veronica and follow her journey and writing on Medium at https://medium.com/@VerBianchini or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicabianchini/

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Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/LuckyToBeHere for free to receive our episodes in your inbox and our newsletter with career development reflections and resources, including career events. Subscribers also get access to live chats with Analía and behind-the-scenes updates.

Lucky to Be Here is hosted by Dr. Analía Gómez Vidal, C.P.C. and produced by AGV Services LLC.

Sponsored by Creative Colony Spaces.

Lucky to Be Here is a podcast that showcases those who took the leap to build lives and careers across countries. They share their stories, their lessons, and their advice to show us what it means, and what it takes, to build a life and career abroad.

Season 1 is officially done... but we are not, and we want to hear from you!

This summer/winter, we will continue sharing bonus episodes before launching Season 2 of our podcast. In these episodes, we reconnect with some of our guests from our first season to explore what has changed (or not) since our initial conversation, what they have learned, and what insights and topics they want to share more about with us.

We are also working on a special episode with key insights from our first season, and I would love to hear from you. Can I count on you? All you need to do is share with us a takeaway (or many) that stood out to you from the episodes you have listened to. Share your comments on our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/LuckytoBeHere or emailing us at hello@agvservicesllc.com before the end of June 2026 so you can feature you as part of our episode.

Thank you for being a part of Lucky to Be Here. I cannot wait to hear from you, and stay tuned for our bonus episodes before officially launching Season 2 later this year.

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Lucky to Be Here is hosted by Dr. Analía Gómez Vidal, C.P.C. and produced by AGV Services LLC.

Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/LuckyToBeHere for free to receive our episodes in your inbox with career development reflections and resources and to connect in between episodes. Subscribers also get access to behind-the-scenes updates and live chats with Analía.

Sponsored by Creative Colony Spaces.

Lucky to Be Here is a podcast that showcases those who took the leap to build lives and careers across countries. They share their stories, their lessons, and their advice to show us what it means, and what it takes, to build a life and career abroad.

Veronica Sepehr has developed a career that truly embraced pivots across industries and countries, having covered from academia to corporate research to UX to product operations to now Canadian immigration, and I am very excited to discuss with her her own story, as well as her perspective as an immigration lawyer on navigating lives and careers across countries. If there is one throughline in her story, she shares it clearly: “We don’t quit.”

Veronica shares her journey moving from Ecuador to rural Canada first, coming back to her home country and deciding to pursue a Ph.D. back in Canada later on. From there, and ever since, she has experienced first hand what is to navigate immigration, career pivots, and building a life abroad across countries. Now, she is a registered Canadian immigration professional, supporting others who, like her, want to build a life and career in Canada.

Listen to our episode to find out more about Veronica’s experience, including her advice on what helps ground her throughout the ups and downs, and build each step in her life along with her husband and family. You can find Veronica on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicasepehr/ and work with her through her company, Westdale Immigration by visiting its website https://westdaleimmigration.com/ and booking a consultation at https://tidycal.com/westdale

Keywords

immigration, career pivots, Canada, Ecuador, United States, international students, resilience, cultural adaptation, professional growth, global perspective, family, immigration law, bureaucracy

Chapters

00:00 Veronica's Background and Education Journey

06:35 Initial Motivations for Moving Abroad

10:03 Adjusting to Life in Rural Canada

11:53 Experiences with Racism and Cultural Preconceptions

15:26 Balancing Personal and Professional Life

18:54 Returning to Ecuador and Cultural Reverse Shock

21:30 Building Independence and Financial Stability

24:21 Finding Home and Family Support

28:02 Reflections on the Immigration Journey

33:07 Leveraging PhD Skills in the Workforce

37:23 Parallel Between PhD and Immigration Challenges

43:47 Future Aspirations and Career Pivots

47:31 Advice for Future Immigrants and International Students

Lucky to Be Here is hosted by Dr. Analía Gómez Vidal, C.P.C. and produced by AGV Services LLC.

Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/LuckyToBeHere for free to receive our episodes in your inbox with career development reflections and resources and to connect in between episodes. Subscribers also get access to behind-the-scenes updates and live chats with Analía.

Sponsored by Creative Colony Spaces.