Camilla Quintana - Expat Coach

Bye bye & thank you, Dubai! I’ve had an incredible experience here on my book tour:

From meeting new readers, coaching clients finally in person, to building friendships and exploring this vibrant city… every moment was unforgettable!

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support “The Empowered Expat Woman” book - your interest and support meant so much!

Can’t wait to return and share more stories and special moments with you all soon! 💓💓

Mental load has become quite a catch phrase (and rightly so!) The constant mental burden and psychological strain is known to many … but what most people overlook is how it affects foreigners:

From relocation and moving stress, to navigating daily life in a different language, adapting to a different culture and norms, or balancing work and family with little support… There’s a whole lot of extra stressors we face on a daily basis!

It’s time to highlight the impacts of mental load on foreigners and to celebrate our grit, strength and creativity in moving forward! 🎉🎉

Swipe through for tips to lighten your load, and to find balance amidst the chaos!



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10 things that inspire me…

🪻Flowers - from beautiful hydrangea bushes to wild flower on the side of a highway…

☕️ The aroma of freshly brewed coffee

🌊 The sound of waves rolling in

👦 Children’s laughter

🛩️ Traveling and exploring other cultures, cuisines and environments

🙏 Random acts of kindness

☁️ Beautiful cloud creations on the sky

💓 Authentic openheartedness

🎶 Music - melodies in minor, lyrics that transport, voices full of emotion…. Like this song

📚 Learning new things - always with an open mind and curiosity

And you? What inspires you? ☺️

Admitting that you’re in need of help - and asking for it - can be difficult.

When living abroad, you may not yet have close enough friends you’re comfortable to lean on;
you might find it hard to trust a stranger with important tasks;
or it might make you feel weak, and guilty for not being able to do it all…

Can you relate?

Here are 5 compelling reasons that will make it easy to ask for help!

PS: find more empowering tips to make the most of your life abroad in my brand-new bestselling book “The Empowered Expat Woman - Your A-Z Guide to Thriving Wherever You Are!”

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- that word I so repeatedly use - is not just a catch phrase to me. It’s one of my core values that pulses through everything I do.

I wholeheartedly believe that the most precious thing we can hold onto is our faith in our own resilience and strength to somehow figure out whatever situation life throws at us. Trusting in our ability and inner resources to do this encapsulates the essence of empowerment.

It was this belief that inspired me to create The Empowered Expat Woman, a platform of support and guidance, where expat women can rediscover and reclaim their power and confidence.

I know how daunting and disempowered it can feel when you’re starting a new life in a different country, culture and language.

The Empowered Expat Woman aims to take those real, unfiltered, and often untold experiences and help you transform them into an EMPOWERING life story!

Are you ready for this? Check out the links in my bio for more information and inspiration! ✨✨

We all know that it’s important to know what we really want in life in order to be able to go after it…

But sometimes it’s not that simple: maybe what we want is so ambitious we hardly dare to dream about it. Or maybe it’s something that goes against the mainstream, making it hard to admit to it. Other times we may be so caught up in our daily grind, we’ve lost sight of what would truly light us up.

So here’s another strategy to consider: think about what it is you DO NOT want to experience in your life.

I’m sure several things popped into your mind immediately - am I right??

From these insights you are now able to derive your “want list” - and a very powerful one at that, fueled with emotion.

In my case, the sensation I did not want to experience ever again was feeling disempowered.

I still remember a time I felt so lost, helpless and like I was wasting my life. Yet, I didn’t know how to break out of it.

Eventually I found a way, and it was my aversion to the feeling of disempowerment (rather than my desire for empowerment) that prompted me to start my business - The Empowered Expat Woman - where I support women to create their own, empowered life stories.

➡️ So let me ask you: what is something you do not want? What feelings, situations or experiences do you loathe?

Write them down, then turn them around and voila - you’ll have your powerful want list!

They say childhood goes by so fast, and it never comes back… but I think that’s not entirely true:

As a mom of 3, I get to experience the world of children all over again, but this time more consciously and with a deeper understanding and appreciation of its magic!

It’s like being able to a break from the ‘real world’ and dive into the endless possibilities of enchanting stories, the carelessness of a happy tune, a different take on time and ‘reality’, and a curiosity about any and everything….

Today, as Mother’s Day is celebrated in many parts of the world, I am grateful for the opportunity motherhood has given me to experience childhood again in the company of my 3 wonderful little guides 💙💙💙

Today and every day:
! 💐

I had a fabulous conversation with about becoming an Empowered Expat Woman after 50!

Many of my clients have come to me as (almost) empty nesters, thinking about how to design the new life stage ahead of them. When living abroad - or at least not in the same place as your children - this adds an additional layer of complexity to the situation.

I hope my insights will help and inspire you to move forward and make the most of this next chapter!

Make sure to tune in via the link in my bio ➡️➡️➡️

As I was going through and organizing our thousands of family photos, I came across this pic: Taken about 7 years ago, when my first two sons were tiny bundles of joy, and we were temporarily living in my hometown Vienna 🇦🇹

Looking at it made me feel overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia. Life felt lighter, simpler, and so full of love, friendship and support.

Though we continued to create a great life for our family here in Bilbao, there were days when the weight of expat life has felt heavy on my shoulders. I often felt like the one & only go-to person, trying to compensate for the absence of family, solo-parenting a lot - and all of that while navigating a different environment myself, watching friends come and go again…

But I wonder: Would I have achieved what I have, so cozily cuddled up in my comfort zone? I’m thinking probably not.

I treasure the incredibly close bond I was able to create with my children, away from the tempting comparison and pressure to follow trends people are usually exposed to “back home”.

I’m proud about the EMPOWERMENT, strength and resilience these last years have cultivated within me, pushing me far beyond my limits. 💪

📸 Photos really have the power to spark so many memories and emotions in us, don’t they?

I’ve been using this flood of impressions to reflect on

🤔 What exactly it was about that previous time that felt so good? (Surprisingly, sometimes it’s very simple things, some of which - though not all - can be recreated elsewhere)

🤔 What does that say about me, and about what matters most to me? (So insightful!)

🤔 What other things have I gained in the meantime, that 7 years from now I’ll look back on, fondly and gratefully? (So empowering!)

What about you? Can you relate to these reflections? Share your thoughts below! 👇

Photo Credit: 💓💓

This happened yesterday! 🙏🙏🙏 My book hit the No. 1 spot on the Amazon bestseller list in two categories! 🥳

I feel beyond blessed for the wonderful feedback I’ve received, and grateful for the interest and curiosity people have shown!

If you’ve already grabbed a copy, thank you from the bottom of my heart! 💓

And if you haven’t yet had a chance to dive into “The Empowered Expat Woman”, now’s the perfect time! (See link in bio)

Whether you’re looking for compassion and comfort to curl up with, or some practical tips and inspiration to brighten your day, I promise this book has something special in store for you 🙌

Please share these exciting news with your (expat) friends and fellow book lovers - let’s keep the excitement going!

I’d also like to give special thanks to:

💐 my publisher for their professionalism, attention and care.

💐 my mentor .sula_globalwoman for setting me up on the journey of writing a book at the business mastermind

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I’ve been so exhausted all weekend… even though it didn’t feel like it, the past weeks were intense!

✨ the excitement and nervousness about publishing my first book

✨ hosting a virtual and an in-person book launch event within a week

✨ posting and promoting the book (a lot of “putting myself out there”, which can also be draining)

✨ the frustration about Amazon’s technical issues (esp regarding hardcover and ebook), checking back daily - why is it not working? Why is it not available anymore?? 🫠

✨ and then too little sleep and too many glasses of wine after celebrating the book release until late on Thursday 🥴

I’m happy to report that I’ve caught up on sleep, screen time and laziness since 😆😆 and hopefully restored my energy for the next few exciting months ahead (that will include lots of traveling, and international book presentations and events!)

What have you been up to this weekend??

Ready to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone Abroad?

Living in another culture takes courage - courage to adapt to unfamiliar norms, to assert yourself respectfully in new situations, and to forge your own path beyond your social script back home.

If your international experience has you craving more confidence when venturing beyond your usual routines, join Helena Demuynck and me on April 15th on LinkedIn:

In „Breaking Barriers Abroad: Navigating Cross-Cultural Confidence“, Helena and I will share our strategies for stepping bravely outside your comfort zone while living overseas.

It’s time to stop playing it safe and start fully immersing yourself abroad.

Register now at https://shor.by/LL150424 to walk away with tools for stepping out of your comfort zone with ease - and boosting your international career in the process.

See you there!