Somewhere Unfamiliar

About Somewhere Unfamiliar

If you’ve ever felt between places, between versions of yourself, or unsure where you belong, you’re not alone. The podcast shares stories about what it really feels like to build a life far from where you started 🌍 Through honest conversations about identity, belonging, reinvention, relationships and personal growth, Somewhere Unfamiliar explores how people rebuild, adapt, and create meaningful lives through change. New episodes every other Monday 🎧 👀

Publisher

Alina

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Mar 2026

Latest episode

23 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

17 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Oct 2026

   I'm From Nowhere | Finding Home After 5 Countries

   What happens when you’ve lived in five countries, but can’t give a simple answer to where you’re from? Born in Saudi Arabia, Abeer grew up between Dubai and Karachi, later lived in London, and now calls New York home. But of all the places she’s lived, Karachi had the biggest impact on her identity, even though it was where she first felt she didn’t fit in. In this conversation, we explore: * What it means to feel like a foreigner in your own country * Being laughed at for your accent and judged by how you speak* Teaching yourself your family’s language as an adult * Becoming the unofficial ambassador for an entire country * Why friendships don’t always require shared backgrounds * The loneliness of feeling you can’t show every part of yourself * Why we sometimes miss who we were, not just the people we knew * Learning to feel comfortable with all the different parts of your identity * Why home might be less about a place and more about being yourself So if you’ve lived in different places and become different versions of yourself along the way, where do you really belong?

2. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Can You Start Over Without Losing Who You Are?

   What happens when the life you build no longer fits neatly into one place? Flor Garcia left home at 22 and began rebuilding her life in a new country, without speaking English and without being able to carry her career identity with her in the same way. Years and several moves later, even her definition of “home” had to change. In this conversation, we explore: • losing a career identity and rebuilding in a new country • being told to get rid of your accent• the pressure immigrants can feel to prove themselves • following a partner’s career across countries • why global experience can be misunderstood at work • moving by choice versus moving by necessity • what happens when your family ends up spread across countries• how your definition of home changes over time • why people who move may feel “chronically brokenhearted” • how friendships change when you keep moving So if the people and places you love are everywhere, what is home now?

3. 

   19 Sept 2026

   I'm More Comfortable Off Autopilot

   What if you feel more at home somewhere unfamiliar? After nearly 20 years living overseas, Jon Jensen, a senior executive producer and longtime international journalist, moved back to the United States and found himself feeling like a stranger in his own country. Jon has spent much of his life moving between places and starting over. He says he’s more comfortable “off autopilot”. We discuss: • Why “Where are you from?” is the question Jon dreads • What it feels like to return to your own country after nearly 20 years away • Why unfamiliar places can force us to pay attention in a way familiar ones don’t • The instant connection that can happen between people who have lived internationally • The grief and loneliness that come with repeatedly leaving friends and communities behind • Whether being good at adapting can also make it harder to know where you belong • Starting over socially and building a new community as an adult • Why we can carry pieces of every place we’ve called home with you From feeling foreign in the country on his passport to finding unexpected moments of familiarity in New York, this conversation gets into the parts of moving we don’t always talk about: what we gain, what we leave behind and how starting over again and again changes the way we relate to people, places and ourselves.

4. 

   1 Sept 2026

   Every Place Brings Out a Different Version of Me

   What if growing up between cultures means never having one simple answer to who you are? For years, “Where are you from?” felt like Tala’s nightmare question. Over time, she became more comfortable with the fact that different places and different people can bring out different parts of who she is — and that she can’t control how other people perceive her. We discuss: • Growing up between cultures • Why “Where are you from?” can feel so loaded • Fitting in and adjusting to different people • How other people shape the way we see ourselves • Feeling at home around people with international backgrounds • How moving changes the way we see the world • Why Tala’s paintings literally change with the places she lives• Relationships when you have a multicultural background • Using art to understand identity when words fall short This episode is for anyone who has ever felt different depending on where they are, who they’re with, or how other people see them. Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: YFFLPOUV0DMEC30Z, WLVIS3F00ZEZWULI, LIQPIOHJA6ISKOM3

5. 

   18 Aug 2026

   Would I Be the Same Person If I Never Left Home? | Moving Abroad & Starting Over

   What if leaving home is what finally gives you permission to become yourself? Bianca grew up in a small town in Brazil, where an experience in childhood left her feeling like one day, she needed to get out. At 25, she moved to the United States, eventually building a life in Los Angeles that gave her something she hadn’t expected: the freedom to reinvent herself. But years later, going back to São Lourenço changed the way she saw the place she came from, and the version of herself she had left behind. In this conversation, we explore:• How childhood bullying and severe scoliosis shaped Bianca’s desire to leave• Starting over in America with one suitcase and no idea how credit, taxes or renting worked• Why Los Angeles became the place where she felt free to become herself• Trying to lose an accent and adapt to a new culture• The difference between fitting in and actually belonging• Why finding people from your home country can matter when you move abroad• How travel can reshape identity, perspective and tolerance• What it feels like to return home after you’ve changed• Why “Where are you from?” becomes more complicated after living in multiple places• The American dream, opportunity and why Bianca still believes in it• Whether identity is something we inherit or something we buildThis conversation is about reinvention, belonging, and what can happen when you get far enough away from the place that shaped you to finally see yourself differently.

6. 

   3 Aug 2026

   5 Conversations That Changed How I Think About Belonging | Identity, Home & Starting Over

   What happens when the conversations you’ve been having start changing you? I started Somewhere Unfamiliar to understand identity, belonging, and what it means to build a life somewhere new. I never expected those conversations to change me. In this reflection episode, I share the biggest lessons I’ve learned from guests who’ve moved across countries, rebuilt their lives, and redefined what home means. In this episode: • Why home can become people instead of a place• What loneliness taught me about belonging• Why one person can change your entire experience• What surprised me most after 10 conversations• The question I still can’t answer: Do we create belonging, or do we find it?

7. 

   15 Jul 2026

   I Left Home And Became A Different Woman | Identity, Belonging & Motherhood

   What if moving countries didn’t just change where you live, but who you become? Shruti never imagined she would leave India. But after building a life in Ireland, Finland and the United States, she realised something far bigger had changed than her address. Each country challenged what she believed about success, body image, womanhood, motherhood and belonging until she no longer recognised the person who had left home.In this conversation, we explore: • How moving abroad can completely reshape your identity • Depression, loneliness and rebuilding from scratch • Body image, skin colour and beauty standards in India versus other countries • Women’s roles and how different cultures changed her beliefs about freedom and independence • Raising a daughter between Indian and American cultures • Why trying to fit in made her lose herself • The hidden guilt of leaving family behind • Why home can become a feeling instead of a place This conversation isn’t just about immigration. It’s about the powerful ways our environment shapes who we become, and what happens when we finally start questioning those beliefs.

8. 

   23 Jun 2026

   The Freedom of Knowing Who You Are

   Success changes as you get older. Bob was seven years old when his family left Iran for what was supposed to be a temporary move to the United States. Fifty years later, he reflects on identity, belonging, ambition, family, and how his definition of success has evolved over time. We discuss: • Starting over in a new country • Identity, culture, and belonging • The immigrant experience • Raising children between cultures • Community and finding your people • Why we spend so much of life trying to prove ourselves • Confidence and self-acceptance with age • Redefining success and happiness This episode is for anyone navigating change, building a life between cultures, or rethinking what matters most.

9. 

   9 Jun 2026

   What If the Life You’re Supposed to Want Isn’t for You?

   What if the life you’re supposed to want isn’t the life you actually want? Anya moved from Belarus to the United States twice. The first time, she felt lonely and disconnected. The second time, she arrived with a completely different mindset — and everything changed. We discuss: • Starting over in a new country • Reinventing yourself at different stages of life • Motherhood and raising children across cultures • Finding purpose beyond your career • Redefining success and happiness • Building a life aligned with your values • Finding joy in the small things • Learning to trust yourself when life asks you to take a leap This episode is for anyone navigating change, questioning their path, or redefining what success means to them.

10. 

    26 May 2026

    What It Takes to Start Over From Scratch

    What does it really take to start over from scratch? In this episode, Fer shares what it was like leaving Venezuela, unexpectedly building a new life in the U.S., and rebuilding his career in New York after arriving with no clear plan. We talk about starting over in a new country, rebuilding confidence, creating community, and the mindset it takes to keep moving forward when everything familiar is gone. A conversation about reinvention, resilience, identity, belonging, and building a new sense of home.

11. 

    12 May 2026

    The Superpower of Being a Chameleon

    Aisha grew up in Nairobi, New York, and Abu Dhabi, and this conversation explores what it feels like to navigate different cultures and identities from a young age. We talk about adaptation, belonging, immigrant families, changing accents, identity, and the experience of becoming a “chameleon” — learning how to shift naturally between cultures, environments, and social settings. The episode also explores friendship, community, growing up internationally, and the complicated feeling of trying to figure out who you are underneath all the adaptation. This conversation felt especially personal to me because I’ve actually known Aisha since childhood, even though our lives took very different paths over the years.

12. 

    4 May 2026

    Trailer | Somewhere Unfamiliar

    Somewhere Unfamiliar is a podcast about moving, identity, belonging, and what it really feels like to build a home in a new place. Through personal stories and honest conversations, it explores the excitement, the loneliness, and everything in between that comes with starting over.

13. 

    28 Apr 2026

    Growing Up Across Countries Without Belonging

    When you grow up moving between countries, you don’t just change places...you start questioning where you belong. What does that do to your identity over time? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Eimad Houry, someone I’ve known and looked up to for many years. He grew up moving across countries and continents from a very young age and spent much of his life as a study abroad student himself. That experience shaped his career and led him to spend decades at Mercer University building study abroad and international affairs programs that had a lasting impact on students and how they saw the world. This conversation goes beyond the idea of study abroad as just an experience. It’s less about where you go, and more about what those experiences do to you over time. We talk about the parts people don’t always mention, including the loneliness, the adjustment, and what it takes to build real connections, and how these experiences continue to shape identity and decisions long after. Resources: How Studying Abroad Changed My Life (https://www.amazon.com/How-Studying-Abroad-Changed-Life/dp/0881469661)by Eimad Houry & Chinekwu Obidoa⁠⁠

14. 

    14 Apr 2026

    Why Going Back Feels Different After Living Abroad

    You move abroad… and suddenly going back doesn’t feel the same. Why does returning “home” feel so different after living somewhere else? In this episode, I sit down with Laura to talk about her move from Glasgow to San Diego and how something that started as a work opportunity turned into a complete life change. We talk about the moment it finally felt real, the pressure of starting from scratch in a new country, and what it’s actually like trying to build friendships in your 30s when everyone else already has their life set up. Laura also shares what surprised her most about moving. Not the leaving, but what happens when you go back. Realizing that home doesn’t feel the same anymore, and that you’re no longer fully part of the life you left behind. This is a conversation about identity, change, and what it means to build a life somewhere new while still feeling connected to where you came from.

15. 

    31 Mar 2026

    What "Home" Means When You've Lived in Multiple Countries

    When you’ve lived in multiple countries, “home” stops being a place. So what does it actually mean when you don’t feel tied to just one? In this episode, I talk with Ossama from Sultan + Shepard about growing up between cultures and never having a simple answer to “where are you from.” We talk about his path into music, the failures along the way, and the moments that shaped how he sees identity, family expectations, and what it means to build a life on his own terms. It’s a conversation about figuring out what “home” really means…when it isn’t a place.

16. 

    17 Mar 2026

    Moving Abroad and Losing Your Identity Overnight | Argentina to the U.S.

    You move to a new country… and suddenly everything you built no longer translates. What does it feel like to lose your identity overnight? In this episode, Silvina shares her journey of moving from Argentina to the United States in her twenties and what it really means to start over from scratch. After graduating top of her class in Argentina, she arrived in the U.S. and realized that her accomplishments didn't translate. She talks about what that felt like and how she rebuilt her life from there, while also learning to speak English. We get into what it takes to build a community in a new place, how long it can take to feel like you belong, and the emotional side of immigration that people don’t always talk about. That includes the guilt of building a life far from family, and the mindset shifts that helped her move through it. This is a very honest conversation about identity, resilience, and taking responsibility for the life you want to create, no matter where you are.

17. 

    10 Mar 2026

    Why You Feel Like a Foreigner Everywhere | Beirut to LA

    You move to a new country… but you never fully stop feeling like an outsider. Why does that feeling follow you, no matter where you go? This conversation explores Nadine's journey in Lebanon and in the US, detailing the challenges of cultural transition, language barriers, and the impact of war on identity. Nadine reflects on the importance of community, the complexities of adult friendships, and the search for belonging in a new environment. Through her stories, the discussion highlights resilience, growth, and the significance of family and cultural connections in shaping one's sense of home.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

16 ratings