Running a boutique hotel wasn't supposed to make me a relocation coach.
Or so I thought.
Yet over the past few years, that's exactly what has happened.
Guests arrive planning to talk about Rio.
Instead, many end up talking about their lives.
During my interview with Sarah Riley, she asked why I began creating relocation and hospitality retreats.
The answer was surprisingly simple.
People kept asking the same questions.
Not once.
Not occasionally.
Almost every week.
At first I assumed people wanted practical information.
How difficult is it to move?
How do visas work?
How do you open a business?
What paperwork is involved?
Those questions certainly come up.
But they aren't the real questions.
The real questions are much quieter."Am I too old?"
"What if I make the wrong decision?"
"How did you find the confidence?"
"How do I know this country is right for me?"
"What if I'm leaving a good life for something uncertain?"
Those are the conversations we end up having.
One guest told me she had spent nearly a year researching countries online.
She had joined Facebook groups.
Watched YouTube videos.
Read countless opinions.
By the time we sat together, she had more information than clarity.
The problem wasn't a lack of knowledge.
It was that none of the advice had been tailored to her.
During our conversation, I asked a question I often come back to.
"What are your priorities?"
Not someone else's priorities.
Not the country's marketing brochure.
Not what social media says.
Yours.
Climate.
Family.
Career.
Community.
Healthcare.
Lifestyle.
Purpose.
When we built her list together, something interesting happened.
The countries she'd spent months researching weren't actually the best fit.
She had unconsciously been following someone else's dream instead of defining her own.
That's something I see often.
People become emotionally attached to a destination before they've become clear about what they're actually looking for.
Once you understand your priorities, decisions become much easier.
You stop asking,"Where does everyone else want to live?"
And you start asking,"Where would I thrive?"
Sarah also asked me where I found the confidence to move my family to Brazil.
The honest answer surprised even me.
Confidence wasn't the starting point.
Action was.
Confidence came later.
Every challenge I solved made the next one feel possible.
That's true whether you're moving countries, changing careers, opening a boutique hotel or completely redesigning your life.
People often think they're searching for the perfect answer.
I don't think they are.
I think they're searching for permission.
Permission to imagine a different future.
Permission to admit that what worked ten years ago may not be what they want next.
Permission to choose a life that fits them better.
Those are the conversations I never expected to have when I opened Casa JOMO.
They're also some of the most meaningful.
Because sometimes the biggest journey isn't crossing a border.
It's becoming honest about the life you actually want to build.