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 life-changing decision - even after their relationship ended. Yes, Marion decided to stay in Singapore, far away from the place she used to call home, to start a new life, by herself.Previous to the move to Asia, her life back in Zurique was pretty good and she was convinced she would spend the rest of her life there - she was finishing her Master's in Political Science and the her plans after that included finding a job, getting married and starting a family.

But when she arrived in Singapore, it was almost like love at first sight. And everything changed... In this episode, we talk about her decision of staying abroad alone - and how she did that - cultural differences between Europe and Asia, how moving abroad changed her life, and how she built a new career as a content creator in Singapore.

Connect with Marion:

• Youtube Channel @Swizzyinsg
• Instagram - @swizzyinsg
• TikTok - @swizzyinsg

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Why the name “Transplants”?

I've always loved the meaning this word can have. To be a transplant is to carry one life while learning to live another.

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Connect with Transplants:

• Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.pod

• Substack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/

• Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchi

• Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplants

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 family. Sleeping on the floor, nearly becoming homeless, and being harassed were definitely not on her bingo card — but little by little, after overcoming a series of obstacles, she began building a new life. Olga met her husband, they had their daughter, bought a house, and everything finally felt settled… until another big move happened, and the whole family relocated to Jersey City in the United States.

In this episode, we talk about her life in Lithuania, the struggles of her early years in London, why the move to the U.S. was such a difficult decision for her, and how she has been dealing with her evolving identity as a mother. You’ll see that sometimes we don’t have everything figured out — and that’s perfectly fine, as long as we allow ourselves to keep trying.

Connect with Olga

• Check her podcast - The Messy Mom Chronicles
• Olga's Instagram (@the_messy_mom_chronicles)

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Why the name “Transplants”?

I've always loved the meaning this word can have. To be a transplant is to carry one life while learning to live another.

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Connect with Transplants:

• Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.pod

• Substack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/

• Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchi

• Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplants

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 belonging across continents.

Being originally from Canada, Kaila's first experience abroad was in Japan - moved by the belief that Canada was not the right place for her and inspired by her parents, she thought that living in Japan to teach English would be a great idea.

And although her experience was not the greatest, that gave her the opportunity to visit Thailand, where she fell in love with Koh Phangan, a tropical island. And then, after backpacking in South East Asia and meeting her husband, they moved to that magical island for good. Kaila created different businesses, she had her son and built a whole life in that tropical paradise... until, she felt literally trapped.

In this episode, we talk about some highlights of her story: her move and adventures, relationship struggles, dealing with lost of both her parents while living abroad and the reasons why she finally decided to leave Thailand.

Connect with Kaila:

• Home Abroad Substack

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Why the name “Transplants”?

I've always loved the meaning this word can have. To be a transplant is to carry one life while learning to live another.

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Connect with Transplants:

• Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.pod

• Substack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/

• Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchi

• Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplants

In 2012, Celia Alves was a math teacher in Portugal: her life was stable; she had a house, a husband, and two kids. But Celia was pretty tired of her career; she felt burned out, and she knew that being a teacher forever was not something she was excited about.

Then, while some European countries were facing an economic crisis, her brother invited Celia and her husband to attend a job fair focused on immigration - specifically for New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. There, they discovered there was demand for her husband’s skills, and they decided to take the leap and move to Canada.

Although the beginning of this new life was not easy, they eventually settled and were happy - until circumstances changed and they were suddenly facing a deadline to leave the country. Since going back to Portugal was not an option for Celia and her husband, she went all-in on a study permit, started from scratch in a new field, and began rebuilding everything.

In this episode, we talk about the real cost of immigration - the fear, the paperwork, the setbacks - and the story behind Celia’s new career. While taking freelance jobs to help support her family, she honed her Excel skills and reinvented herself as an Excel specialist and community leader, which later landed her a job.

Connect with Celia

• Website - solveandexcel.ca
• Youtube Channel
• Instagram @solveandexcel
• Linkedin

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Why the name “Transplants”?

I've always loved the meaning this word can have. To be a transplant is to carry one life while learning to live another.

_______________________________________

Connect with Transplants:

• Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.pod

• Substack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/

• Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchi

• Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplants

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 built a successful, creative career. After more than two decades working as a wedding planner and even creating her own startup, she truly believed she would live in the city forever.

Until Paris happened. Led by her love for the French capital and the French language, Karen decided to spend some extended time in Paris to live like a local and practice her French. And after a friend convinced her that going on dates could be a great way to practice the language, she gave it a chance — and met the man who would become her husband.

In this episode, Karen shares all the details of that story, as well as how she integrated herself into Parisian life, put herself out there, and built an entirely new life.

Connect with Karen

• Substack - https://karenbussen.substack.com/
• Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@karenbussen
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karenbussen/

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Why the name “Transplants”?

I've always loved the meaning this word can have. To be a transplant is to carry one life while learning to live another.

_______________________________________

Connect with Transplants:

• Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.pod

• Substack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/

• Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchi

• Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplants

• 
  

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 encounter at a job fair. She met the love of her life, decided to stay, and built an extraordinary career, becoming the first Brazilian staff writer at The New York Times, contributing to major publications, publishing a book, and now serving as Editor-in-Chief at The 19th News.

But Fernanda's story is not just about professional milestones; it’s also about navigating love, loss, and identity as an immigrant. After losing her husband to cancer, she found herself starting over again - this time as a widow and single mother, raising her daughter, and searching for a new sense of “home” in another country.

In this episode, we talk about how Fernanda rebuilt her life, how she found confidence in her voice, how grief reshaped her story, and how she eventually found love again - without losing herself in the process.

Connect with Fernanda:

• • Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heyitsmefernanda/
  • Substack: https://byfernandasantos.substack.com/

• __________________________________________

  Why the name “Transplants”?

  I've always loved the meaning this word can have. To be a transplant is to carry one life while learning to live another.

  _______________________________________

  Connect with Transplants:

  • Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.pod

  • Substack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/

  • Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchi

  • Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplants

  
  

  
  

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 London to study abroad for a while, she discovered another world - and then she decided to pursue an MBA in the United States. And her arranged marriage… turned toxic. But Aneri had the courage to walk away - with nothing. With no money - and no choice - she rebuilt her life from scratch in the U.S. Today, Aneri is a career coach, immigrant women advocate. In this episode, we talk about reinvention, resilience, and how she landed her job after 300 job rejections and, later, launched a coaching business for immigrant women.

Connect with Aneri:

• • Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aneridesaipatel
  • Website: https://aneridesai.com

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Why the name “Transplants”?

I've always loved the meaning this word can have. To be a transplant is to carry one life while learning to live another.

_______________________________________

Connect with Transplants:

• Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.pod

• Substack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/

• Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchi

• Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplants

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’t be enough. Inspired by her grandmother, travel blogs, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, and even pineapple plantations in Hawaii, she made a bold decision: she moved back in with her parents to save money, grabbed her backpack, and left everything behind to begin a global journey with no fixed plans.

The original idea was to travel for just one year. For a while, she followed that vision - drifting to wherever destiny led her, living off her savings, and volunteering in exchange for food and accommodation. But then, life took a turn: she met the man who would become her husband, and they eventually settled - at least for now - in Thailand.

In this episode, Gabriela shares insights on solo travel, redefining freedom, money strategies, love on the road, and what it really means to live a life true to yourself, even while in a relationship.

Connect with Gabu:-

• Youtube channel ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Noplansfortomorrow⁠

• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/noplansfortmr/

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Why the name “Transplants”?

I've always loved the meaning this word can have. To be a transplant is to carry one life while learning to live another.

_______________________________________

Connect with Transplants:

• Follow on IG https://www.instagram.com/transplants.pod

• Substack/newsletter - https://wearetransplants.substack.com/

• Laura's IG https://www.instagram.com/laura_peruchi

• Follow on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetransplants