In this episode of PlusFortyNine, we talk to life and career coach Simon de los Rios about what really happens when you reinvent yourself far from home.
Simon grew up in Colombia, spent almost two decades in Miami, studied in Europe and eventually chose Germany as the “hardest” next step: new language, coldest climate, barely any prior connection. Behind that decision were years of high-pressure leadership jobs, a pattern of burning out every five years and several long sabbaticals that ended in a silent retreat in Indonesia – and the realisation that something had to change.
Together they talk about migration as a permanent transition, the pressure to just “take any job” to keep the visa, how to make space for intuition in the middle of bureaucratic chaos, and why he now makes decisions based on excitement rather than fear. Sigrid shares her own crash-landing from diplomat to suddenly visa-less in Berlin – and why she still chose to stay.
This episode is a reminder that if you’ve managed to migrate, you’ve already done something incredibly hard. You’re allowed to be proud of that, even while you’re still figuring out what comes next.
