Shows
Living the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastYacht Crew to Global Brand: Luxury Crewwear from the French Riviera - 28 min Radio Cut - Lu KenhardAt 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 back to the South of France this time as a mother of twins and unable to return to life on board. What began as casually walking the docks with a suitcase of samples turned into a shop in Antibes, partnerships with international suppliers, and...
2026-02-2328 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastNo Job, No French, No Investor: When a Collapsed Plan Led to Freedom on the French Riviera - 28 min Radio Cut - Bogdana (Dana) VerbytskaDana 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 French language skills, no guaranteed income, and a family depending on her.
In this episode, we explore what it really takes to build a sustainable yoga business after relocation. From navigating French bureaucracy and tax systems to finding an international clientele and creating retreats that actually sell...
2026-02-1628 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastThird Culture Child: Feeling Alien on Return, Language and Identity - 28 min Radio Cut - Emilie GauthronetWomen, 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 foreign.
In this episode, we explore what it means to grow up internationally and come back to your country of birth feeling slightly out of place. Emilie reflects on studying and working in a language that once felt secondary, building confidence in French professional settings, and creating a...
2026-02-0927 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastWhy Career Transitions Abroad Are Harder Than Expected and How to Navigate Them - 28 min Radio Cut - Flavia WahnfriedFlavia 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 career and transition strategist whose own journey from Brazil to New Zealand, the UK, Portugal and finally the French Riviera has shaped a deep understanding of what relocation really does to identity, ambition and professional direction.
They explore why career transitions abroad are rarely just about jobs or skills, but ab...
2026-02-0227 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastTiming, Regulation and Strategy: A Move to France Planned to Perfection - Rachael Dickens - 28 min Radio CutRachael 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 meticulous planning, foresight, and sheer determination allowed her to turn a bold relocation into a thriving, high-end practice serving an international clientele.
From carefully orchestrating her move and navigating French bureaucracy, to finding her first clients through clever networking and free advertising, Rachael demonstrates how to build a career abroad with precision and creativity. She opens...
2026-01-2628 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastNot Love at First Sight: When Moving to France Doesn’t Work the First Time - 28min Radio Cut - Valentina GarganoMoving 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 moved to the South of France in her mid-forties full of hope, only to realise that life there was far more complex than expected. The excitement faded, professional stability was hard to find, and eventually, she made the difficult decision to leave and return home.
Later, something pulled her back. This time, without illusions, but wi...
2026-01-1928 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastFrom Air Crew to Cake Maker: Reinvention Never Stops When Building a Life in France - 28 min Radio Cut - Suzanne ShieldsSuzanne’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 Airways stewardess. What followed were multiple relocations and a series of professional reinventions, from villa management to running a creative ceramic café in Biot, and eventually creating her own bespoke cake business, Les Gâteaux Sucrés.
Together, they explore what it really takes to make relocation work long term: resilience, adaptability, strong work...
2026-01-1228 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastLearning French as an Expat: Immersion, Culture, Confidence & Real Life in France - Patricia Pedditzi - Radio CutWhat does learning French really involve when you live in France and want to feel comfortable in everyday life?
In this episode, Cecile Liconnet talks with Patricia Pedditzi, a Riviera-based French teacher who works through immersion, real situations, and cultural context rather than classroom methods. Her experience comes from years spent living abroad herself and from helping expats navigate daily life in France, from simple conversations to more complex interactions.
The conversation also opens up a less visible side of life on the Riviera: how people in France, can access support when they want to...
2026-01-0528 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastFrance as a Non-EU Expat: Visas, Income Survival & Real Stability – 28 min cut - Roberta JubramWhat 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 radio-edited episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, Cecile speaks with a Brazilian entrepreneur who rebuilt her professional life from scratch after leaving the yachting industry and settling in the South of France.
After years working at sea, she made the decision to step ashore, only to discover the realities many expats face: low local salaries, language barriers, long commutes, seasonality, and the pressure of securing lega...
2025-12-2928 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastFrom Expat Side Jobs to a Global Business: Scaling a Tech Company from the French Riviera - Catherine Hemingray - 28 min Radio CutWhat does it really take to build and scale a serious business after relocating abroad?
In this radio edited 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 global communications and technology business headquartered in Cannes.
Starting with the typical expat mix of side jobs, she shares how necessity, adaptability, and a solutions-driven mindset led to unexpected opportunities: from serving individual expats to working with major international companies across Europe, North America, Asia and beyond.
...
2025-12-2227 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastPilates, Barre & Nutrition: Reinventing a Wellness Career Abroad - Christine Kjeldbjerg 28 min Radio EditionStaying 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, barre, and nutrition since relocating from Denmark nearly 20 years ago.
Christine shares how she turned a lifetime of movement, holistic health, and personal resilience into a meaningful profession on the French Riviera; beginning with teaching Pilates to her elderly neighbours and growing into a respected international wellness practitioner. From early challenges with the French language and na...
2025-12-1528 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastHow to Rebuild Your Professional Life Abroad: Best Coach Insights from 30 Years on the Riviera - Luus KeserIf 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 and coach, and who has spent years observing how women adapt, reinvent their careers, and rebuild their identities after relocating abroad.
Luus offers a rare, expert perspective:
she has watched many of women arrive in France, struggle with language and confidence, lose their professional identity and eventually find a path that fits.
Dr...
2025-12-0828 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastTurning a Passion for Food into a Riviera Business: The Story Behind a Homemade Granola Brand - Ariana Shahbazi 28 min Radio CutWhen 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 unexpected conversation at a local market pushed her to explore a completely different path; one that led from colourful hummus to the artisanal granola business she runs today.
As a French Canadian, Arianna arrived fluent in French but eager for a fresh start. After years in Dubai working in HR marketing and qu...
2025-11-2828 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastFrom Corporate Life to Pilates Studio: Finding Purpose and Clients in a New Country - Mel Morcom 28 min Radio CutWhat does it really take to rebuild your career (and your life) on the French Riviera?
In this episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, Cecile speaks with Mel, who first arrived in the South of France as a young newlywed with a corporate career in London. Years later, life took an unexpected turn, bringing her back to the Riviera as a single mother ready to start again.
Mel shares how she went from organising events at Goldman Sachs to opening her own Pilates studio in Valbonne. We dive into the realities behind the glossy...
2025-11-2826 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastCreating a Language School from Scratch: Building Confidence and a Business on the French Riviera - Catherine Aygen 28 min Radio CutWhat does it really take to build a sustainable career in France as a foreigner?
In this episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, Cecile sits down with Cat, an English teacher who transformed her freelance work into a fully accredited training centre, now helping hundreds of professionals in France gain confidence in English.
Cat shares her remarkable professional evolution:
• arriving in France with no job and navigating the shock of French administration
• piecing together freelance work in Paris’ top universities
• relocating to the Riviera only to discover a very different job market
• de...
2025-11-2827 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastA Jazz Journey from London to the French Riviera: Reinventing a Music Career in the South of France - Lizzy Parks 28 min Radio CutIn this episode of Living the Dream: French Riviera, we meet Lizzy Parks, a jazz musician who reinvented her professional life after relocating from London to Cannes.
Lizzy first arrived on the Riviera for a music conference, and within hours, she felt something shift. The sunshine, the atmosphere, the creative energy. It all sparked a life-changing realisation. Within three months, she had moved to France, started learning the language from scratch, and begun building a new life, both personally and professionally.
In this candid conversation, Lizzy shares how she went from feeling isolated and unable...
2025-11-2828 minLiving the Dream - Radio Edition PodcastBuying Property in France: What Every Foreigner Needs to Know - Jo Franceschini 28 min Radio CutIn 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 law, why buying under the wrong status can create long-term complications, and what actually happens from the first viewing to signing with a notaire.
She also shares the unexpected challenges of settling into local life, from making friends to realising that the Mediterranean isn’t made for surfing.
Wh...
2025-11-2727 min