A heart-to-heart with Jasmin Braun, life coach for expat women, fellow expat, and life lover!

Her Expat Life recently had a wonderful chat with Jasmin Braun to learn more about her experience as an expat and coach. Jasmin Braun has been living abroad for over 10 years and has seen it all; from culture shock to the joys of discovering new countries. Her enthusiasm for expat life is infectious and she shared with us her valuable tips for making the most out of life as an expatriate.

1. How did you begin your expat lifestyle? As a student, entrepreneur, trailing

spouse, professional, retiree, etc? And tell us about that journey!

My expat journey began during my studies when I went to Dubai for an internship. Little

did I know that this experience would change the trajectory of my life completely. It

allowed me to discover and connect to the global soul within me and I have since been

living abroad as a young professional, new-mom, trailing spouse and entrepreneur. I

have been on the expat journey for over 14 years so far and what a journey it's been!

2. Where has been your favourite place to live and work?

Having lived abroad in Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok, I honestly cannot pick one as a

favourite. Each of these places were special and felt perfect for the respective phase of

life I was in. I lived in Dubai as a young professional and loved the buzzing world of

consulting firms. I became an entrepreneur and mother of two in Singapore, so it is a

place that holds a lot of special memories for me. And Bangkok was a place of

tremendous growth and vibrancy for me. I feel like each of those places was perfect for

the phase of my life and I wouldn't change a thing about my journey so far.

3. What challenges have you faced along the way as an expat? How did you

overcome them?

As many other expats, I have experienced times of loneliness and feeling lost as I had

to figure out what my life was going to look like in each of the places I lived. I also had to

learn to deal with the uncertainty of expat life, knowing that we could move on within a

few months’ notice. Being a trailing spouse and new-mom in Singapore probably felt the

most challenging as for the first time in my life, it seemed as if I was defined by factors

outside of me which left me feeling quite disempowered at times. But I stepped out of it

by setting up my own coaching business and while I was empowering myself again,

helped my clients – expat women like me – define their own unique path abroad.

Ultimately, what helped me overcome all the different challenges I have faced abroad

has always been a belief that no matter what, I could find a way to make this a

meaningful and fulfilling experience for myself. I often ask myself: when I look back on

this phase in my life when I am 80, what do I want to remember it for. The answers to

this question have always inspired me to overcome the challenges and create

something beautiful from it.

4. As an expat coach, how do you help other women?

As an expat coach I work with expat women who feel lost and unfulfilled abroad. I help

them find belonging, purpose and direction so they can wholeheartedly thrive and feel at

home, wherever they are.

My work is very much focused on mindset as well as emotional well-being. I combine

coaching with EFT Tapping, a powerful method allowing us to release blocks to

emotional well-being. Hearing my clients say “Wow, I finally feel like myself again” is

what it's all about for me.

5. What advice do you have for females who may be transitioning into self-

employment? How do you handle the professional pressures alone?

My advice would be