The aim of the Giving Back series is to provide space for the inspiring stories and good work of people and organizations in South Moravia that are creating positive change in society. The series showcases the journeys of ordinary people fighting daily battles to become the backstage heroes of local communities and their own lives, and invites others to contribute by volunteering, art-making, growing, healing, socializing, and committing to make the world better.
Living abroad, traveling and gathering international experiences bring countless perks, such as being independent, culturally and linguistically open, and rich in experience. On the other side of the coin, the struggles of being an expat go usually untold and overlooked. Missing family events, not being able to find a welcoming and clicking community, the detachment from your home country and delayed attachment to the new, to name just a few.
Yet the way we present our expat life to others is usually misleading, or not entirely fun and games. All expats have their own stories, some happy and some not, but there is no expat who has not experienced periods of discontentment, or a lack of energy or joy.
When we are far away from home to maintain a better life, and the familiarity element is not in our immediate reach for a quick mood uplift, how can we maintain our daily energy and happiness?
Do we share the same problematic patterns in our daily lives, and how can we find solutions? To answer these vital questions, we turn to Petra Nedbalkova, a certified coach whose work focuses on mental health practices with expats. Petra knows what it is to be an expat, from her international work experience in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East; and her holistic empathy can help us receive what we need from a local โ to feel seen, heard and understood.
