Have you ever found a place that made a difficult season of life feel a little easier?

In Story 11 of Stories From Somewhere, I'm taking you to my favorite café in Lisbon, Portugal a place that became so much more than somewhere to order a chai latte.

When you move abroad and begin building a life in a new country, it's often the smallest routines that bring the greatest comfort. A familiar table. A favorite drink. A place where you can sit, breathe, and feel a little more at home.

In this personal story about living in Portugal, finding belonging, and starting over, I reflect on how one ordinary café became a source of peace and familiarity during a challenging chapter of my life.

Because sometimes the places that change us aren't extraordinary. They're simply the places that give us somewhere to go while we're figuring things out.

And sometimes, finding home in a new country happens one chai latte at a time.

I'd love to know: Do you have a café, park, bookstore, or special little place that has helped you through a chapter of your life?

Tell me your somewhere.

Stories From Somewhere is a collection of personal stories about moving abroad, life in Lisbon, Portugal, finding home, personal growth, and the ordinary moments that shape who we become.

Until then...

I'll meet you somewhere. ✨

What happens when you move abroad and realize there are things about your old life you don't miss at all?

In Story 10 of Stories From Somewhere, I'm exploring the other side of leaving home. After moving from Los Angeles to Lisbon, Portugal, I started noticing things about my life in the United States that I had once considered completely normal but no longer wanted to carry with me.

From everyday routines and the pace of life to the unexpected freedom of slowing down, this is a personal story about living abroad, starting over, and discovering what really matters.

Because moving to another country doesn't just teach you what you miss. Sometimes, it shows you what you're relieved to have left behind.

Portugal isn't perfect, and neither was my life in Los Angeles. But living somewhere different gave me a new perspective on both.

Maybe starting over isn't about rejecting your past. Maybe it's about deciding what deserves to come with you and what you're finally ready to leave behind.

What's something from an old chapter of your life that you don't miss? I'd love to hear your story. Tell me your somewhere.

Until then...

I'll meet you somewhere. ✨

What do you miss most when you leave a place you once called home?

When I moved abroad, I expected to miss certain things. But the longer I’ve lived away, the more I’ve realized that what I miss most isn’t really things at all.

It’s people. Familiar routines. Spontaneous plans. Places I once passed without thinking twice. And ordinary moments I didn’t know I should be paying attention to while I was living them.

In Story 9 of Stories From Somewhere, I’m reflecting on what it means to miss a life you were completely ready to leave and why missing something doesn’t mean you want it back.

Sometimes it simply means it mattered.

Maybe finding a new home doesn’t erase the homes that came before it. Maybe we just learn to carry pieces of them with us.

So, what do you miss most? Not the obvious answer the tiny, ordinary thing you never expected to miss.

Tell me your somewhere.

I’ll meet you somewhere. ✨

Can you love the life you chose…and still feel lonely in it?

In Story 8 of Stories From Somewhere, I’m telling you about one very ordinary afternoon in Lisbon when, despite being happy with the life I had built, I suddenly felt incredibly far away from the people I loved.

Nothing terrible happened. There was no dramatic turning point. Just one of those quiet moments when distance feels a little heavier than usual.

This is a story about loneliness, independence, missing the people who already know you, and learning that two things can be true at once: you can be grateful for where you are and still miss what and who you left behind.

Maybe loneliness isn't always a sign that something is wrong. Sometimes it's simply a reminder that connection matters.

If someone came to mind while listening, send the message. Make the call. Tell them you've been thinking about them.

What helps you feel connected when you're far away from the people you love? Tell me your somewhere.

Until then...

I’ll meet you somewhere. ✨

When was the last time you wanted to do something but wished you had someone there to do it with you?

For me, one of those things was dinner.

A table for one. An empty chair across from me. And that slightly uncomfortable feeling that maybe I wasn’t supposed to be there alone.

But somewhere along the way, living abroad began to change my relationship with solitude.

In Story 6 of Stories From Somewhere, I’m talking about learning the difference between being alone and being lonely and what happened when I stopped waiting for someone else before allowing myself to experience my own life.

It started with dinner.

Learning to enjoy my own company didn't mean I stopped wanting friendship, love, community, or people to share my life with.

It simply meant I stopped needing someone beside me before giving myself permission to live.

Maybe independence isn't about never needing anyone.

Maybe it's knowing that when the chair across from you is empty, nothing is necessarily missing.

And maybe “table for one” can sound a little less like loneliness…

and a little more like freedom.

If there's something you've been waiting for someone else to do with you, this story is your invitation to try going anyway.

You might discover you're pretty good company.

Until next time…

I'll meet you somewhere.✨

Have you ever wanted something badly…and still almost talked yourself out of it?

Before there was Portugal, before there was Lisbon, before any of this became my life there was a suitcase. And I almost didn’t pack it.

I had made the decision to move abroad. I knew what I wanted. But as leaving became real, so did the fear. The questions started getting louder.

What if I’m making a mistake?
What if this doesn’t work out?
What if I’m not ready?

And for a moment, staying with the life I already knew felt a lot easier than stepping into one I couldn’t predict.

Story 5: The Suitcase I Almost Didn’t Pack is about that moment.

About fear, second-guessing yourself, leaving your comfort zone, and discovering that courage doesn’t always feel courageous when you’re in the middle of it.

Sometimes courage looks surprisingly ordinary. Sometimes it’s buying the ticket. Sometimes it’s closing the door behind you. And sometimes…it’s simply packing the suitcase anyway.

If you’re standing at the edge of something you want but fear is giving you a hundred reasons not to do it, maybe this story will remind you that you don’t have to know exactly how everything will turn out before you take the first step.

Every Monday, I’ll share another story about the places, people, and moments that shape who we become.

Until then…

I’ll meet you somewhere.✨

What happens when the life you have is no longer the life you want?

Leaving the U.S. wasn't one sudden decision.

It was a question that kept getting louder.

What if there was another way to live?

I wasn't running away from a life I hated. I was moving toward something I wanted to experience a different pace, a different perspective, and the chance to discover who I might become somewhere else.

In Story 4 of Stories From Somewhere, I'm sharing why I ultimately chose to leave the United States and build a life abroad.

Not because I believed another country would magically solve everything.

Not because starting over would be easy.

But because eventually I realized that wondering “what if?” scared me more than actually going.

This is a story about listening to the quiet voice that tells you something needs to change, giving yourself permission to want a different kind of life, and realizing that sometimes we have to leave what we know to discover what else might be possible.

You don't have to hate the life you're leaving to know you're ready for something different.

Every Monday, I'll share another story about the places, people, and moments that shape who we become.

Until then...

I'll meet you somewhere.✨