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ABOUT NINA
Hello, I’m Nina—a nomad of the heart, a language coach by trade, and a mom whose life has taken on a shape I could have never imagined. My journey has led me from Serbia to London, Paris, Geneva, and now Zurich, and each place has asked me to strip down and start again, reinventing myself from the inside out. What I have learned—over miles, memories, and missteps—is that this expat life isn’t just about finding home in a new country. It’s about finding home within ourselves, no matter where we are.
LONDON, 2017: LOST IN THE SHADOWS
London was the first step, the big leap. I landed in a city that pulsed with life and opportunity, but I felt like an outsider, someone trying to read a book in a language I hadn’t yet learned. I left behind everything I knew in Serbia, thinking that a fresh start would mean excitement and adventure. But what I found, almost immediately, was isolation. I wasn’t sure where I belonged. Conversations felt out of reach, and I wasn’t the person I’d been back home. The difference was stark, unsettling. And then, in the midst of all this turmoil, my father passed away. Then my father passed away, and grief set in. I was in this vast, unfamiliar place, aching to feel at home, yet feeling even more lost.
Still, there were moments that breathed life into me, even in the darkest days. I’d take long walks through London, letting the sights and sounds wash over me. I started working with a few clients, took courses, devoured books on psychology, and even picked up tennis. One day, I stood in the shadow of The Shard, its steel and glass towering above, and I promised myself that no matter how hard it got, I would find a way to keep going. London, with all its pain and beauty, became my first real lesson in mental and emotional survival.
PARIS, 2019: THE GOLDEN CAGE
Paris arrived like a dream—one wrapped in romance, sophistication, and whispers of “what could be.” But Paris turned out to be as lonely as it was lovely. I was surrounded by elegance but felt encased in glass, watching life unfold while I stood on the outside. The language was unfamiliar, the culture felt impenetrable, and my soul was starved for connection. Then, just as I was finding my footing, the world shut down in a lockdown that severed ties and deepened my isolation. I lost my grandmother, my mother’s health began to fade, and our family home back in Serbia was sold—a final goodbye to a place I could never return.
But Paris was also the place where I chose not to break. I threw myself into small routines—cooking, therapy, a little exercise, and reaching out to a few Serbian friends I could confide in. When I broke my arm, it felt like life’s cruel joke. Yet it was in that stillness, in the forced pause, that I confronted the truth: I couldn’t keep waiting for life to happen. I had to create it myself. Paris, for all its struggle, was the beginning of my awakening—a city that pushed me to choose myself, even if it meant facing the fears I’d buried.
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GENEVA, 2022: A PLACE TO RECONNECT
Geneva was the balm I didn’t know I needed. I arrived feeling raw but hopeful, ready to reconnect with people and myself. I found an expat community who, like me, knew what it was to start over. There was a shared understanding, a warmth that Geneva offered almost immediately, something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Here, my language didn’t have to be perfect, my French was good enough, and the people around me—old friends, new acquaintances—were open and ready to connect.
Geneva became the city where I remembered who I was and started to piece together who I wanted to be. I dove into my coaching work with more passion, guided by a sense of purpose I hadn’t felt in years. I wasn’t just “getting by” anymore; I was growing, dreaming, reconnecting with the parts of myself I’d left behind in each city before.
In Geneva, I felt seen. I found someone I could share my whole story with, someone who reminded me of my own spontaneity, a quality I thought I’d lost. I had a community, real friendships, and a purpose that was bigger than just making it to the next day.
ZURICH, 2024: THE TURNING POINT
And now I find myself in Zurich. At first, it felt like just another city on the map, another place to get lost and found again. But Zurich has become my turning point, a place where I’m no longer following a script or living up to someone else’s idea of what I should be. This time, I’m here on my own terms.
Zurich is where I’ve stopped trying to prove myself to anyone, even to myself. I don’t need to be fluent in the local language or to check every box on the expat checklist. I’m here to live deeply, openly, and unapologetically. I may never be “one of the locals,” but I am part of this city in my own way. I’ve stopped trying to be “enough” by anyone else’s standards, and I’m carving out spaces where I can be exactly who I am. I know now that being an expat isn’t about erasing my roots or forcing myself to fit in. It’s about showing up, time and time again, as the truest version of myself.
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NOW I'M HERE TO HELP YOU
Today, I’m here to help other women on this journey, especially those who’ve felt lost in the shuffle of expat life. I know what it’s like to question your worth, to feel invisible, to miss the person you were before the move. My mission is to guide you through this maze, to help you reclaim the confidence to build a life abroad that feels like yours.
Because, at the end of the day, expat life isn’t just about the cities we live in or the languages we learn. It’s about who we become along the way, and who we choose to be next.
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