Over the past few months, we’ve been sharing conversations with women from our community who are navigating diplomatic and globally mobile life in completely different ways.

We went into these conversations expecting to hear stories about careers, moves, challenges and finding ways to make this life work.

But as the conversations unfolded, we realised we were learning things too.

So in this episode, we’re stepping back from the guest interviews and talking about the things we didn’t expect to learn from the women we’ve spoken to.

We’re reflecting on:

• The assumptions and stereotypes that can surround being a diplomatic or expat partner, and how even within our own community, our experiences can be wildly different
• How much the right connections can change what feels possible, whether that’s finding work, clients, collaborations, support or simply your people
• How much learning happens outside our original area of expertise, particularly when you’re building something new or navigating a different professional environment
• The different ways women are creating opportunities rather than waiting for the perfect role or circumstances to appear

After hearing so many different stories, one thing has become very clear: there is no single blueprint for making a globally mobile life work.

You don’t have to follow someone else’s path. You don’t have to fit the stereotype. And you don’t have to have the next five years figured out.

Sometimes, the most useful thing another person can give us isn’t an answer, but a different way of looking at our own possibilities.

Anna – Instagram: @notjustaspouse | notjustaspouse.com | anna@notjustaspouse.com

Emma – Instagram: @thezestielife | emma@zestie.org | zestie.carrd.co

https://tally.so/r/nP7zO5

As we continue our collection of conversations with inspiring people from within our community, we’re hearing from people who are showing us the many different ways it’s possible to build a fulfilling life and career around a diplomatic and globally mobile life.

In this episode, we’re joined by Anna Paola Crespi-Linklater, a qualified Naturopath and Nutritional Therapist and founder of Apsara Health & Flow.

Anna Paola’s journey has taken her from working in humanitarian aid and development, particularly in public health, to building her own holistic health practice. Living and working across different countries, including alongside indigenous communities, opened her eyes to different ways of understanding health and wellbeing, and the role that food, culture and traditional healing practices play in our lives.

These experiences sparked a deeper interest in how traditional knowledge and modern nutritional science can work alongside one another. Anna Paola went on to retrain in naturopathy and nutritional therapy, bringing together her varied experiences to develop her own approach to health and wellbeing through the APSARA Method.

In this episode, we explore:

• How living and working across different countries shaped Anna Paola’s understanding of health and wellbeing
• How her career in humanitarian aid and public health led her towards naturopathy and nutritional therapy
• How Anna Paola brings together traditional perspectives and modern nutritional science in her work
• Finding a way to bring together your past experiences, interests and skills to create a career that feels meaningful to you

Anna Paola’s story is a lovely reminder that our previous experiences are rarely wasted. Sometimes, the next confident step is about recognising the connections between the things we’ve already done, the things we’ve learnt along the way and the things we feel drawn to explore next.

Her journey shows us that building a fulfilling career doesn’t always mean starting from scratch. It can mean taking the knowledge and perspectives you’ve gathered throughout your life and finding a new way to bring them together.

We hope these conversations inspire you to see your own possibilities differently and remind you that there isn’t one right way to build a career, create opportunities or make this globally mobile life work for you.

Website: www.apsarahealthflow.com | Instagram: @apsarahealthflow

Anna – Instagram: @notjustaspouse | notjustaspouse.com | anna@notjustaspouse.com

Emma – Instagram: @thezestielife | emma@zestie.org | zestie.carrd.co

https://tally.so/r/nP7zO5

As we continue our collection of conversations with inspiring people from within our community, we’re hearing from people who are showing us the many different ways it’s possible to build a fulfilling life and career around a diplomatic and globally mobile life.

In this episode, we’re joined by Georgie, a corporate lawyer and entrepreneur who moved from London to Kenya in 2024.

After six years working in corporate law, Georgie has found a way to continue using her legal experience while living overseas, alongside building something of her own. She is currently developing Hera Conceive, a fertility companion designed to support women as they prepare to start trying to conceive.

Since moving to Kenya, Georgie has also used the diplomatic and expat network to expand her interests and find different ways to use her skills, including working as a legislative advisor on the East African Community Single Use Plastics Bill.

In this episode, we explore:

• Moving from London to Kenya and navigating a major change in both life and career
• How Georgie has continued her legal career while living overseas
• Finding opportunities to use your existing skills in a new country
• How the diplomatic and expat network has opened doors to new opportunities
• The deeply personal journey of creating Hera Conceive alongside her existing career

Georgie’s story is a great example of how a globally mobile life doesn’t have to mean choosing between the career you have built and the life you want to create. Sometimes the next confident step is about using what you already know in a new way, staying open to unexpected opportunities and giving yourself permission to build something new alongside it.

We hope these conversations inspire you to see your own possibilities differently and remind you that there isn’t one right way to build a career, create opportunities or make this globally mobile life work for you.

Hera Conceive – Instagram: @hera_conceive | Website: www.heraconceive.com

Anna – Instagram: @notjustaspouse | notjustaspouse.com | anna@notjustaspouse.com

Emma – Instagram: @thezestielife | emma@zestie.org | zestie.carrd.co

https://tally.so/r/nP7zO5

As we continue our new collection of conversations with inspiring people from within our community, we’re hearing from people who are showing us the many different ways it’s possible to build a fulfilling life and career around a diplomatic and globally mobile life.

In this episode, we’re joined by Heather Butler, a social entrepreneur and management consultant and the founder of Zaliwa.

After moving to Kenya in 2021 for her husband’s diplomatic posting, Heather came across a beautiful bag made entirely from sweet wrappers. Struck by the waste crisis and lack of job opportunities she was seeing around her, this unexpected discovery sparked an idea that would eventually become Zaliwa.

Meaning “to be born” in Swahili, Zaliwa is about the art of rebirth. Heather brings unique, handcrafted goods made from recycled materials to the global market, building a product-based business across three different countries.

In this episode, we explore:

• Moving to Kenya with the intention of working remotely, only to discover that remote work wasn’t feasible in the way she had expected
• How Heather created her own sense of purpose when she no longer had a paid job role
• How one bag made from sweet wrappers sparked the idea for Zaliwa
• The realities of building a product-based business across borders
• How Heather has navigated sourcing, production and selling physical products while living a globally mobile life

Heather’s story is a brilliant reminder that sometimes the opportunities we create for ourselves come from simply paying attention to what is happening around us.

What started with a move to Kenya, a bag made from sweet wrappers and a growing awareness of the challenges around waste and employment has evolved into a business that Heather is building across borders and taking with her through her globally mobile life.

We hope these conversations inspire you to see your own possibilities differently and remind you that there isn’t one right way to build a career, create opportunities or make this globally mobile life work for you.

Zaliwa – Instagram & TikTok: @zaliwa.co Website: zaliwa.co.uk

Anna – Instagram: @notjustaspouse | notjustaspouse.com | anna@notjustaspouse.com

Emma – Instagram: @thezestielife | emma@zestie.org | zestie.carrd.co

https://tally.so/r/nP7zO5

As we continue our collection of conversations with inspiring people from within our community, we’re hearing from people who are showing us the many different ways it’s possible to build a fulfilling career and life around a diplomatic and globally mobile life.

In this episode, we’re joined by Laura, a Speech and Language Therapist who specialises in working with adults with aphasia. Laura is currently living in Chile with her husband and two sons, and her journey is a brilliant example of what can happen when determination, perseverance and creativity meet the challenges of a globally mobile career.

In this episode, we explore:

• The challenges of navigating bilateral agreements as a professional living overseas
• What it meant for Laura’s professional licence
• The determination and perseverance it took to keep pursuing her career
• Why sometimes you have to find your own route when the traditional career path doesn’t fit your life

Laura’s story is a wonderful reminder that sometimes making this globally mobile life work for you means finding a different route to where you want to go. It’s about being willing to persevere, get creative and take that next confident step, even when the path isn’t straightforward.

We hope these conversations inspire you to see your own possibilities differently and remind you that there isn’t one right way to build a career, create opportunities or make this globally mobile life work for you.

The Aphasia Space – www.aphasia.space | Instagram: @aphasia.space

Anna – Instagram: @notjustaspouse | notjustaspouse.com | anna@notjustaspouse.com

Emma – Instagram: @thezestielife | emma@zestie.org | zestie.carrd.co

https://tally.so/r/nP7zO5

As we move on from our confidence series, we’re starting a new collection of conversations with inspiring people from within our community who are showing us the many different ways it’s possible to build a fulfilling life around a diplomatic and globally mobile life.

We’ll be hearing real stories of confidence, career, identity, reinvention and the choices people have made to create opportunities for themselves, wherever in the world they find themselves.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Aoife Kenny, a New Zealander born to Irish parents and a self-described citizen of the world. Through her own career and her husband’s UN postings, Aoife has lived in nine different countries and has continually evolved her career alongside an incredibly mobile life.

In this episode, we explore:

• The realities of UN diplomatic life and how it differs from embassy life
• How Aoife has used her medical degree to create different opportunities across different countries
• Finding ways to build a career that can evolve and move with you
• How her experiences in medicine, international public health, humanitarian aid and yoga have shaped what she does today
• Aoife’s current work supporting women through perimenopause and menopause
• How she is building a global women’s health offering from Bhutan

Aoife’s story is a wonderful example of what can happen when you stop trying to fit your life into one fixed definition of success and instead remain curious about what is possible.

We hope these conversations will inspire you to see your own possibilities differently and remind you that there isn’t one right way to make this globally mobile life work for you.

Instagram: @draoifekenny Website: www.aoifekenny.com LinkedIn: Aoife Kenny

Substack: https://substack.com/@draoife

ASK your questions on our anonymous link:

https://tally.so/r/nP7zO5

Anna – Instagram: @notjustaspouse | notjustaspouse.com | anna@notjustaspouse.com

Emma – Instagram: @thezestielife | emma@zestie.org | zestie.carrd.co

We’ve spent this confidence series talking about rebuilding your confidence, rediscovering who you are, and finding confidence beyond your job title. But what happens when you know what you want, yet still can’t quite bring yourself to take the next step?

In this episode, we turn confidence into action and explore what it really means to have the courage to design a life that feels right for you, even when you don’t have all the answers.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why we often wait to feel confident, ready, or certain before taking action
• How fear can hold us back from creating the life we actually want
• Using future self visualisation to get clear on what you really want

This episode reminds us to stop waiting for certainty and start taking small steps towards the life you want. Designing your life doesn't mean having everything figured out, it means choosing what matters to you and having the courage to take the next step.

And remember:

You don't need to feel ready to begin. Sometimes, confidence comes because you began.

ASK your questions on our anonymous link: https://tally.so/r/nP7zO5

🎧 Connect with your hosts:

Anna – Instagram: @notjustaspouse | notjustaspouse.com | anna@notjustaspouse.com

Emma – Instagram: @thezestielife | emma@zestie.org | zestie.carrd.co

For many diplomatic and expat partners, four simple words can feel surprisingly difficult to answer: "What do you do?" Whether you're working, taking a career break, raising children, volunteering, studying, or still figuring out your next chapter, this question can leave you questioning your identity, confidence, and sense of purpose.

In this episode, we unpack why this question feels so loaded and share practical coaching tools to help you answer it with confidence, no matter what season of life you're in.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why we often tie our identity and self-worth to our job title
• Practical ways to answer "What do you do?" with confidence and authenticity, whether you're working or not

This episode is a reminder that your worth isn't determined by your job title or productivity. You are so much more than your career, and your story deserves to be told with confidence. We hope you'll leave this conversation feeling empowered to answer one of the most common questions in diplomatic life with authenticity and pride.

🌱 Want to go deeper?

If today's episode resonated with you and you're ready to rediscover your confidence, identity, and purpose overseas, Emma would love to support you.

Find out more about Roots & Wings:

https://tinyurl.com/zestieRootsWings

Or explore The Portable You:

https://tinyurl.com/Zestieportableyou

If you'd like to find out more about Anna's coaching sessions, send her a DM on Instagram @Notjustaspouse

ASK your questions on our anonymous link: https://tally.so/r/nP7zO5

🎧 Connect with your hosts:

Anna – Instagram: @notjustaspouse | notjustaspouse.com | anna@notjustaspouse.com

Emma – Instagram: @thezestielife | emma@zestie.org | zestie.carrd.co