Profiles in Franceformation

In episode 74 of Profiles in Franceformation, my guest is Sophie Hargreaves, owner of La Petite Ferme d'Alpaga - a small alpaca farm in Sanzay, located in the Deux Sèvres in the western French countryside. Sophie, along with her husband Will, moved to France to start their alpaca farm in the period between COVID and Brexit. They are now the proud parents of a small herd of alpacas and, more recently, one human child. La Petite Ferme d'Alpaga welcomes guests and parties, has an on-site gîte, offers glamping experiences, and also sells gorgeous products made from soft alpaca wool. https://www.lapetitefermedalpagas.com/ Instagram: @lapetitefermedalpagas/

In episode 73 of Profiles in Franceformation my guest is Lacey Bertrand-Reilly, the new Franceformation Team Member. In this episode, we discuss how Lacey ended up living in France, and why they have opted for Countryside living over the Big City Lifestyle. You will also hear: 💜 Why a courtesy robe or scarf is a top tip for people using the healthcare system 💜 What career advice and tips Lacey would give to those embarking on work in France 💜The challenges applying for French Nationality 💜Lacey’s role and involvement in Your Franceformation. If you are considering moving to France, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

In episode 72 of Profiles in Franceformation my guest is Michael Yuille, a British financial advisor living in the south of France near Toulouse. After deciding to move to France with his family, Michael became aware of the many challenges people face when trying to do retirement and financial planning while living abroad. British and American clients, and clients of other nationalities, struggle to understand the financial and tax implications of their move, and strict regulations normally prohibit financial advisors from working outside of their own country withoutn Special Certifications. In this episode, we'll discuss the most important aspects of financial planning for an overseas move, and Michael, who is certified in France, the UK, and the US, can help. You will also hear: 💜 Why they ended up moving to France? 💜 What led Michael to helping people with their finances 💜 How ‘Hand holding’ helped him with relocating to France 💜What you can put in place before you move to France to help protect your finances 💜 How to avoid costly mistakes 💜 What Michael’s top 3 tips are for people before they move to France If you are considering moving to France, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

In Episode 71 of Profiles in Franceformation. Allison is joined by Jacqueline Menoret and Maria Laura Ribadeneira. Jacqueline studied abroad in Montpellier and then at the London School of Economics before marrying her French husband and working in higher education in Paris. She founded the Immigrant Book Club in 2020, where she was soon joined as a co-host by Maria Laura, who is originally from Quito, Ecuador, and who studied at Vassar College. Together, they have recently launched Versions Originales, a multilingual literary review in Paris. In this episode, you will hear: 💜 Why they ended up moving to France? 💜 Why they don't identify with the term 'expat' 💜 Maria Laura's experience of moving from Ecuador and how that differs from the process of moving from the US 💜how the book club started and how it led to their literary review 💜 How they aim to bring bilingual people together. 💜 What French Traditions they love and what they love about living in France To find out more about Jacqueline and Maria Laura's Literary Review, you can visit their website https://revueversionoriginale.com/ or follow them on instagram @revueversionoriginale If you are considering moving to France, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to Episode 70 of Profiles in Franceformation. I'm your host, Allison Grant Louness, and this week our guest is John Frederick. John worked in government and lived many lives in the U. S. before coming to France as a visitor to follow his dream of living in Paris. Since arriving, he's written multiple books, including Prosperity Now and Paris Histories and Mysteries. After living in Paris for several years, John began working with us so he could work as a life coach in Paris, and the epic tale of the administrative hurdles we had to jump through to change his status will go down in Paris Histories and Mysteries. To find out more about Joanna you can visit her website here:https://www.johnafrederick.com/ If you are considering moving to France, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to episode 69 of Profiles in Franceformation. I'm your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and this week my guest is Lounes, and this week my guest is Joanna of Happy Hugs. Joanna is originally from Romania, and she moved to the UK, where she trained as a doula, and then to France with her French husband. She now helps pregnant women navigate the French healthcare system during pregnancy, hosts birth preparation classes for first time moms, and has multiple free resources for English speaking women to prepare for pregnancy and for giving birth in France. Today, we'll talk about the challenges of navigating maternity care for English speaking women in France who are used to different systems and options, and the resources she has for any woman planning to have a baby in France. To find out more about Joanna you can visit her website here: https://happyhugs.fr/ If you are considering moving to France, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to episode 68 of Profiles in Franceformation. I'm your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and this week my guest is Fabricio Carminati, a real estate agent and creator of French Riviera House Hunting. His goal is to help English-speaking property hunters find the right property and navigate the process of buying their new home in France with ease. Fabricio talks about: To find out more about French Riviera House Hunting, you can find all the details here: https://linktr.ee/frenchrivierahousehunting If you are considering moving to France, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to Episode 67 of Profiles in Franceformation. I’m your host Allison Grant Lounes, and this week, I’m back with Lisa Vanden Bos, who has been a pillar of the American community in France, since she arrived three decades ago. Lisa launched FUSAC in the 90's, a print magazine that was the go-to resource for English speakers in Paris to help them find jobs, housing, and much more. Lisa has also recently launched Bill and Rosa's Book Room, a used English bookshop at Poitou Sacou. Listen to Lisa's story and love for France including… If you are considering moving to France, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to episode 66 of the Profiles in Franceformation podcast. I’m your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and today my guest is author Erin Zhurkin. Erin moved to Paris to follow her husband’s job and has lived in 6 different countries, including France, and she now lives in Seoul, South Korea, with her family. Her novel, Plus-Size in Paris, is out this week, and available on Amazon. Plus-Size in Paris@ErinZhurkinWrites@plussizeinparishttps://erinzhurkin.com/

Welcome to episode 65 of Profiles in Franceformation. This week’s guest is Robynne Pendariès, a professional organizer and ADHD coach who found her calling after joining Message, the Paris-based group for English-speaking parents in France. Robynne followed love to Paris after school and discovered her knack for organizing during the early years of motherhood. She is involved with many groups and associations in Paris, including Message and AAWE, the Association of American Women in Europe, and Cancer Support France. She has also created an excellent organizational resource and checklist for international couples that will be useful for anyone living in France. AAWE: www.aaweparis.org Message Paris: www.messageparis.org Cancer Support France: http://paris.cancersupportfrance.org/paris-home www.robynnependaries.com Instagram: @robynnependaries T‌o receive Robynne's "Checklist To Complete LONG Before You Need It", send an e-mail to robynnependaries@noos.fr

Welcome to episode 64 of Profiles in Franceformation. This week’s guests are Mark and Kim Jesperen, an author and artist from Maine who fell in love with their home and village in southern France and purchased their French house in 3 days when their trip was unexpectedly extended. Mark Jespersen - Author www.facebook.com/lapetitefantome www.mark-jespersen.com Jespersen & Associates LLC - www.ja-online.com

Welcome to episode 63 of Profiles in Franceformation. This week’s guest is Fiona Warren, a currency transfer specialist with Currencies Direct who moved from the London suburbs to southwest France in 2009. In this episode, we talk about how transferring money has evolved significantly and become much easier and cheaper since the early days, and the different ways you can transfer money internationally so you can pursue your dreams of buying property, starting a business and establishing your life in France. To register with Currencies Direct, click here.

Welcome to Episode 62 of Profiles in Franceformation! This week, my guest is Marta Hobbs, author of Unraveling: A Woman's Search for Freedom and the Journey of Coming Home, a memoir about her spiritual healing journey. Marta has been an immigrant twice, in very different circumstances. The first time, she was a young girl fleeing communist Poland in a cloak-and-dagger operation, and she arrived in the unwelcoming city of New York, not speaking a word of English, to compound the trauma of escaping by abandoning herself and her identity to fit in and become American. The second time, after creating outward business and family success, she moved to Paris by choice. And once she arrived, with financial security, and distance, and space, everything started to unravel. I am delighted that Marta was willing to share her beautiful story of healing, and I encourage you to read her book. You can purchase her book on Amazon: Unraveling: A Woman's Search for Freedom and the Journey of Coming Home Purchase on Amazon France Marta's website: www.martahobbs.com Instagram: @martahobbs

Welcome to Episode 60 of Profiles in Franceformation. I’m your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and this week, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day with an episode on a very important topic that can affect any woman moving to France. Sarah McGrath is an Australian woman who volunteered as a advocate for domestic violence survivors at home, before moving to France and becoming the founder of Women for Women France. Women for Women France is a non-profit organization that helps immigrant women in France who are subjected to physical abuse, coercive control, and administrative and financial abuse to navigate the complex legal system which is difficult to navigate in a foreign language and which so often fails to adequately support victims. Women for Women France also provides an informational portal in 15 languages, including English, which provides information on legal procedures and helps women to understand issues like child custody and their immigration situation in the event it’s tied to their relationship status. Women for Women France is doing incredibly important work supporting immigrant women in France, and I am proud that Your Franceformation made an €1800 donation in December to help fund these important resources. This week, I’d like to ask you to join me in donating, and I would love it if our community of listeners and Americans in France could collectively donate another €1800. Please check out the link in the show notes or on my Facebook page to join our efforts. Before we begin, I want to warn you that usually, the Profiles in Franceformation podcast is fairly light and child-friendly, but in this episode, we’re going to talk about feminicide, male violence against women, and domestic violence and coercive control, so you may want to listen away from little ears. And now, it’s my pleasure to introduce Sarah McGrath, of Women for Women France. Sarah founded Women for Women France in 2018 and has 17 years of financial governance and complex project delivery experience in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors across three continents with budgets ranging from 5m to 750m USD. An Australian immigrant living in France since 2016, and close to the stories of her family’s journey as refugees from Eastern Europe to New Zealand, Sarah is engaged in the fight against the vilification and dehumanisation of migrants from all countries of origin. She advocates for cultural and systemic change within first-contact victim services and within the French judicial system, and is calling elimination of the culture of intersectional discrimination currently present. Women for Women France's multilingual portal can be accessed through their website: https://womenforwomenfrance.org/ and you can follow Women for Women France on social media: @womenforwomen on Instagram and WFW France on Facebook. In today's conversation, we talk about male violence against women and the many challenges that face immigrant women in France who are subjected to coercive control, financial and administrative abuse, and physical abuse, and the resources Women for Women France has put together to help women navigate these complex issues. Please join me in making a donation to Women for Women France in honor of International Women's Day: https://www.womenforwomenfrance.org/en/about-us/make-a-donation Your donation is tax-deductible in France and it helps fund important resources like the multilingual informational portal providing support to victim-survivors. Sarah and the team at Women for Women France will be grateful for your support.

Welcome to Episode 59 of Profiles in Franceformation! I’m your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and this week, I’m speaking with Charlotte King, my friend, an art history and wine expert, and the co-owner of two companies in France. Bacchus and Clio offers customized tours of France focusing on wine, gastronomy, and French history and culture, while Kira Consultants offers trainings on food and wine to professionals in the restauarant industry. Charlotte moved to France at the same time as me, and we sang in choirs together in Paris while she explored various careers, from teaching at the university level, to becoming an art history tour guide at the Louvre, to working as an interpreter in the wine department at Le Cordon Bleu, where she met her business partner. You can follow Bacchus and Clio @bacchusandclio and learn more about wine and gastronomy tourism with the God of Wine and Muse of History here: https://www.bacchusandclio.com and Kira Wine Consultants @kira_consultants Charlotte talks about… If you are considering moving to France like Daniel, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Introduction: Welcome to Episode 58 of Profiles in Franceformation. I’m your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and this week, my very special guest is Amy Gruber. Amy is a former educator turned communications consultant who made the decision to begin her Franceformation in January 2020 - right before covid closed the borders. She finally received her Profession Libérale visa and moved from Michigan to Côtes d’Armor, Brittany, in November 2021, where she lives with her dog, Stella, and her cat, Albus. Amy has a blog, Tales from Brittany, where she writes about her life in France, she’s a contributor to the My French Life website, and, as one of our favorite clients, she also works with Your Franceformation on some of our writing projects. Welcome, Amy. Amy talks about… You may reach her out through: https://talesfrombrittany.com/www.myfrenclife.org If you are considering moving to France like Daniel, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Introduction: Welcome to episode 57 of the Profiles in Franceformation podcast! I’m your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and this week, I’m interviewing Daniel Tostado, an American attorney who was a teaching assistant with TAPIF in La Réunion, before attending law school in France and becoming an immigration attorney registered with the Paris bar. Daniel does all kinds of things to serve the American community in France, including hosting a regular free legal clinic at the American Church in Paris, and serving with 100 Nights of Welcome, which provides refuge to homeless people in the ACP gym during the winter. Welcome, Daniel. Daniel talks about... The idea that pushed him to move to France and make a living.The process of getting a seat in French Law and how he became a lawyer.His inspiration of becoming a lawyer and the idea of getting into immigration law.When he started learning French and how he started it.The process of what kind of work he wanted and how much he expected to earn and how long he wanted to stay in France.The difference between American and French immigration procedures.The different challenges that he faced outside Law school.The things he loved and enjoyed about living in France.The advice he could give to someone who might be thinking and planning of moving to France.If you are considering moving to France like Daniel, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to episode 56 of the Profiles in Franceformation podcast! This week, I’m interviewing Maquita Guild-Schwarz, a retired pediatrician who moved to Montpellier, France, with her husband in 1998 after living in Nairobi, Kenya, and 5 other countries. Throughout her time in France, Maquita has joined several volunteer organizations, such as the American Women’s Group, Restos Bébés du Coeur, and Cancer Support France. - Restos Bébé du Coeur Montpellier - Cancer Support France Maquita talks about… The reasons behind her decision to move to France after having lived in many different places, and how she and her husband chose to settle in Montpelier.How she fell in love in France and her observations towards the people of France and the beauty of it.How she learned French before they totally settled in Montpelier.The places she visited when she first arrived in France and how she enjoyed it so much.The kind of things she does to get integrated and how she becomes part of the community, where or how she learned her French Speaking. Basically, how she and her husband build their life together here in France.The hardships they encountered when they first got here in France and how they overcame it. And to whom they look for help at those times.The reasons behind achieving French citizenship.The basic assumptions in life and the culture shock she encountered.Her involvement with groups such as the American Women’s Group, Cancer Support France, and Restos Bébés du Coeur If you are considering moving to France like Maquita, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!

Welcome to Episode #55 of Profiles in Franceformation, I'm your host, Allison Grant Lounes and in this episode, I'm speaking with Kylie Lang, a British copywriter, author, and amateur line dancer who lives in the Charente region, and who runs Life in Rural France on Facebook and Instagram. Kylie talks about… The reasoning behind her decision to move to France after having lived in many different places, and how she and her husband chose to settle in CharentesHer experience of purchasing a home in France and how that experience compared to previously purchasing a property in AustraliaAdjusting to the different of the pace of life when living in FranceIntegrating into the local culture in rural France and what she has come to love in her new hometownHer online business and the process of moving it from the UK to FranceThe local group she joined to better integrate into her local communityHer goals for 2023 and what she plans to accomplish in her professional lifeWhat she typically orders in a French restaurantThe thing she enjoys most about her French home and what she finds most annoyingFavorite places to visit within her region of France, as well as other regionsHer advice for anyone wishing to move to France To follow Kylie and her adventures in the rural countryside of France, check out her Facebook and Instagram accounts here: https://m.facebook.com/lifeinruralfrance Instagram: @lifeinruralfrance If you are considering moving to France like Kylie, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call If you liked this episode, please leave a positive review and be sure to subscribe so you won't miss next week's episode!