Published on
May 5, 2026
Reading Time
6-9 minutes
Last week, during the FemmExpat x Capuana Voyages workshops, many of you gathered from around the world to explore a theme as vast as it is essential: daring to take your place internationally.
Behind this expression, each woman offers a different reality. For some, taking their place means finding a job, financial independence, or a structured environment. For others, it’s about feeling legitimate in a new country, existing beyond being just a “spouse.” And for many, it’s also about learning to live in a different culture without losing themselves.
Two workshops, two perspectives, but a common underlying question: how to remain true to oneself when everything is changing around us?
When Leaving Also Means Losing a Piece of Yourself
In the morning, discussions delved into what relocation deeply disrupts: our identity. Behind the move, the boxes, the new schools, and new references, there’s often something less visible but equally impactful: the temporary or lasting loss of what defined us until then.
A profession, a salary, social recognition… The participants’ words were direct and raw, “It’s very difficult not to have a job, not to have a salary, not to have autonomy.” In those moments, it’s not just a lifestyle that’s shaken, it’s a part of oneself. As a result, the question arises: who am I here, now?
The Dizzying Feeling of Being in Between
Many described this feeling of being “in between,” of not knowing how to present oneself or what place one occupies. A form of vertigo, often heightened by others’ gaze and the destabilizing yet simple question, “So, what do you do?”
However, a different perspective emerged through discussions. What if this empty moment was also an opportunity? An opportunity to refocus on the essential, redefine oneself not by a role or status but by embodying who we are at the core.
Reinventing Without Starting Over Completely
This subtle yet powerful shift involves not only “redoing” but embodying. It’s about finding a more internal form of anchoring, less dependent on external factors. Working on posture, self-perception, storytelling, and positioning becomes essential. In expatriation, the path is rarely linear; it often involves adjustments, trial and error, and small steps. It’s in these spaces of exploration that something new can emerge.
Moving Forward Differently
How do you practically navigate a situation where everything seems like it needs rebuilding? Through discussions, simple but essential strategies emerged, not as ready-made solutions but as guideposts for moving forward differently.
Accepting that what you’re going through is part of the process. Acknowledging the phases of grieving, adapting, rebuilding, and knowing that they don’t always occur in sequence or at the same pace.
Continuing to move forward, even without full control. Not giving up on deep desires, even if they take a different form. Some discussed the importance of exploring differently: engaging in volunteering, seeking education, starting a personal project, experimenting without knowing where it will lead.
Slowly, a more flexible, less linear way of functioning takes root. Learning to navigate different time frames, adapt to constraints, and create opportunities rather than waiting for existing frameworks. In expatriation, the path is rarely straightforward, which is part of its richness.
When Culture Throws Everything Into Disarray
In the afternoon, the focus shifted to another critical aspect: encountering a different culture. On the path to finding internal balance, a new challenge emerges—navigating everyday interactions, invisible yet deeply destabilizing differences.
The relationship with time, communication, commitment, relationships…codes that vary from one country to another, unsettling our most ingrained habits. Participants accurately expressed feeling, “I feel like I’m in between, not really from here, not from there.”
Adapting Until Losing Oneself?
This feeling is even more disconcerting when it arises in places considered “close.” As if the supposed familiarity makes the misalignment even harder to accept. Faced with this, many almost instinctively adapt: make efforts, understand, adjust, smooth things over. However, constant adaptation can inadvertently lead to self-erasure.
Saying No to Finally Take Your Place
Another lesson that emerged from the workshops is learning to set boundaries. Not in opposition to others’ culture but as an act of self-respect. One participant put it simply, “I dared to say no, and I felt that was asserting my place.”
Saying no in certain situations, rejecting certain compromises, choosing what to accept and what not to, is essential.
Finding Balance Between Openness and Anchoring
It’s not about choosing between being adaptive or remaining yourself. It’s about finding a balance, a space where you can welcome differences, learn, evolve, without giving up what is essential to you.
“It’s not about compromising values; it’s about adjusting behaviors.”
You Are Not Alone
A message echoed in these workshops: what you’re experiencing is shared. Isolation, doubts, loss of confidence, feeling out of place…common experiences, even if often invisible.
“You are not alone. Many women go through this.”
These spaces exist precisely for these reasons—to articulate, share, normalize, and progress together.
Daring to Shine Your Light
Behind all these questions of finding one’s place is perhaps a deeper fear—not just of failure but of daring to fully be oneself. Taking your place may not only be about adapting, rebuilding, or setting limits. It’s also about daring to fully show your authentic self.
What If Taking Your Place Is First About Choosing Yourself?
Ultimately, these workshops remind us of one essential thing: taking your place internationally is not a fixed goal; it’s a journey. A journey where you gradually learn to redefine yourself without diminishing yourself, to adapt without betrayal, to set boundaries without disconnecting from others. It’s a demanding yet profoundly transformative path.
Above all, it’s vital to acknowledge that you’re not alone in traversing these stages. Each journey resonates with echoes of shared experiences. This is the strength of these workshops: creating spaces where you can speak, listen, understand, progress together.
The upcoming Well-Being Workshops are on the horizon, offering further opportunities to continue these discussions and progress together in your expat journey. To register for the upcoming workshops: The Well-Being Workshops by FemmExpat and Capuana Voyages.
These Well-Being Workshops are made possible with the support of Capuana Voyages.
[Context: The article focuses on the challenges and experiences of women in relocation, particularly in embracing their place internationally and navigating cultural differences.]
[Fact Check: The article addresses common themes among expats, such as loss of identity, adapting to new cultures, and finding balance between adaptation and self-assertion.]
