PODCAST · society
Living the Dream: Women Reinventing Their Careers Abroad | Stories from the French Riviera
by Cecile Liconnet | Expat Life, Career Change, Women Abroad, Life in France
Living the Dream: French Riviera is a podcast celebrating women who have dared to reinvent their lives on one of the most captivating coastlines in the world. Hosted by Cecile Liconnet, each episode offers an intimate conversation with women who relocated to the South of France and reshaped their professional paths in order to build a sustainable life under the Mediterranean sun.From entrepreneurs launching unexpected businesses to creatives redefining their careers, guests share their personal journeys with honesty and warmth: the challenges of starting over, navigating French administration, finding financial stability, learning the culture, and discovering the courage to create a life that truly fits.Through these candid stories, the podcast explores the real side of “living the dream”, beyond the postcard-perfect scenery. It’s about resilience, reinvention, community, and the practical realities of making a new country feel like home.Whether you already live on the Riviera, drea
Episodes
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Living in English on the French Riviera: Mystical Experience and Career Limitations - Kirsti Formoso
Living in English on the French Riviera can feel easy, especially in a region where so many people speak your language. But what does that ease really cost when it comes to building a career? In this episode of Living the Dream, Cecile Liconnet explores the professional journey of Kirsti Formoso,...
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How 9/11 Redirected a Nicola Horlick-Level Career to Life on the Riviera - Helen Bates
What happens when a high-achieving career no longer aligns with the life you want to build? In this episode of Living the Dream: Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera, Helen shares her journey from a career in finance to building a new professional life in the South of France. At the…
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Trailing Spouse in France: Rebuilding a Regulated Architect Career - Nita Sharma
Relocating abroad is challenging for anyone. But what happens when your profession is highly regulated and your qualifications don’t automatically transfer? When Nita moved as a trailing spouse from London to the French Riviera in 2006, she left behind a prestigious career working on major...
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Never Retiring: Love and a Tranquil Life on the Riviera - Faye Villalba
Faye arrived on the Côte d’Azur in the late 1990s after a decade in Madrid and a career in film production that had taken her across Europe. Monaco was glamorous. The Riviera was quieter than she expected. The beaches were pebbled, not white sand. Life looked different here. What she could not...
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Investing in France as an Expat: Financial Confidence & Wealth Management - Vicky Kirby
Vicky moved from Manchester to the French Riviera with a plan, savings in place, jobs secured, and a dream built years earlier on a beach in the South of France. But building a long-term professional life abroad is never as simple as the dream. In this episode, we go deep into what it really…
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Yacht Crew to Global Brand: Luxury Crewwear from the French Riviera - Lu Kenhard
At 18, Lu arrived on the French Riviera with a plane ticket, a job on a yacht in Golfe Juan, and no idea that the industry would shape her entire life. The job lasted 24 hours. The career lasted decades. After years working as a yacht chef and travelling the world, yachting eventually brought her...
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No Job, No French, No Investor: How a Collapsed Plan Led to Freedom on the French Riviera - Bogdana (Dana) Verbytska
Dana relocated from London to the French Riviera with the promise of a position at a high-end fitness club that was still in development, where she would continue her successful career in wellness. Shortly after arriving, the investor pulled out. Suddenly, she was unemployed in France with no...
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Third Culture Child: Feeling Alien on Return, Language and Identity - Emilie Gauthronet
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: Emilie grew up between France, the UK, and Belgium. A third culture childhood that shaped her language, identity, and sense of belonging long before she realised it. Returning to France as a young adult felt both familiar and unsettling: home, yet...
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Why Career Transitions Abroad Are Harder Than Expected and How to Navigate Them - Flavia Wahnfried
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: Flavia has lived and worked across five countries, but what sets her apart is not the number of moves, it’s what she has learned by staying long enough to be changed by them. In this episode, host Cecile Liconnet speaks with Flavia Wahnfried, a…
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Timing, Regulation and Strategy: A Move to France Planned to Perfection - Rachael Dickens
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: Rachael Dickens arrived on the French Riviera just days after osteopathy became legal in France: a move that could have been risky, but she treated it like a masterclass in strategy. In this episode, hosted by Cecile Liconnet, Rachael shares how...
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Not Love at First Sight: When Moving to France Doesn’t Work the First Time - Valentina Gargano
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: Moving to France is often described as a dream. But what happens when it doesn’t feel like one? In this episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, Cecile Liconnet speaks with Valentina Gargano, an independent educational consultant, who first…
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From Air Crew to Cake Maker: Reinvention Never Stops When Building a Life in France - Suzanne Shields
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: Suzanne’s story is a powerful illustration that building a life abroad rarely follows a straight line. In this episode, Cecile Liconnet sits down with Suzanne Shields, who first arrived in the South of France in 2000 after a career as a British...
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Learning French as an Expat: Immersion, Culture, Confidence & Real Life in France - Patricia Pedditzi
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: What does learning French really look like when you are living in France and trying to find your place there? In this episode, Cecile Liconnet speaks with Patricia Pedditzi a Riviera-based French teacher whose approach is built around immersion,...
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France as a Non-EU Expat: Visas, Income Survival & Real Stability – Roberta Jubram
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: What does it really take to build a business in France when you’re not European, don’t speak the language fluently, and have no safety net? In this episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, Cecile speaks with a Brazilian entrepreneur who rebuilt...
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From Expat Side Jobs to a Global Business: Scaling a Tech Company from the French Riviera - Catherine Hemingray
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: What does it really take to build and scale a serious business after relocating abroad? In this episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, Cecile speaks with a former UK nurse who rebuilt her professional life in France and went on to co-found a...
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Pilates, Barre & Nutrition: Reinventing a Wellness Career Abroad - Christine Kjeldbjerg
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: Staying True to Your Path: Christine’s Wellness Journey from Denmark to the French Riviera. In this episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, Cecile welcomes Christine Kjeldberg, a wellness expert who has built a thriving career in Pilates…
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How to Rebuild Your Professional Life Abroad: Best Coach Insights from 30 Years on the Riviera - Luus Keser
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: If you’re considering a move to the French Riviera, or already here and feeling stuck, this episode is a goldmine. In this conversation, Cecile speaks with Luus, an engineer who went through extensive professional retraining to become a therapist…
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Turning a Passion for Food into a Riviera Business: The Story Behind a Homemade Granola Brand - Ariana Shahbazi
Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera: When Ariana moved back to the French Riviera in 2020, she knew one thing for certain: she was ready to leave her corporate marketing career behind. What she didn’t know was what would come next. In this inspiring episode, Ariana shares how an...
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From Corporate Life to Pilates Studio: Finding Purpose and Clients in a New Country - Mel Morcom
What happens to your career when you relocate to the South of France after a major life change and have to start again from zero? In this episode of Living the Dream: Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera, Mel shares how she rebuilt her professional life after returning from London as a...
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Creating a Language School from Scratch: Women, Work and Relocation on the French Riviera - Catherine Aygen
What does it really take to build a sustainable career in France as a foreigner? In this episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, the podcast discussing women, work & relocation on the French Riviera, Cecile Liconnet sits down with Catherine Aygen, an English teacher who transformed her...
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A Jazz Journey from London to the French Riviera: A Creative Career Rebuilt Abroad - Lizzy Parks
What happens to your career when you relocate to the South of France without speaking the language? In this episode of Living the Dream: Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera, Lizzy shares how she rebuilt her professional life after moving from London to Cannes. Like many women…
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Buying Property in France: What Every Foreigner Needs to Know - Jo Franceschini
In this first episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, Cecile welcomes Jo, a real estate agent who has spent nearly two decades guiding international families through the complexities of buying property in France. Jo shares what most newcomers never expect: the impact of French inheritance…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Living the Dream: French Riviera is a podcast celebrating women who have dared to reinvent their lives on one of the most captivating coastlines in the world. Hosted by Cecile Liconnet, each episode offers an intimate conversation with women who relocated to the South of France and reshaped their professional paths in order to build a sustainable life under the Mediterranean sun.From entrepreneurs launching unexpected businesses to creatives redefining their careers, guests share their personal journeys with honesty and warmth: the challenges of starting over, navigating French administration, finding financial stability, learning the culture, and discovering the courage to create a life that truly fits.Through these candid stories, the podcast explores the real side of “living the dream”, beyond the postcard-perfect scenery. It’s about resilience, reinvention, community, and the practical realities of making a new country feel like home.Whether you already live on the Riviera, drea
HOSTED BY
Cecile Liconnet | Expat Life, Career Change, Women Abroad, Life in France
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