Episodes
A few months ago Louise and Suzi met up in a covid friendly way at Louise's lovely home in the mountains to discuss her life as a new author. Louise has written and published her book Just Like Me which discusses the topics of neurodiversity and disability. Joining forces with 4 talented illustrators, Louise has managed to bring a book to the shelves on topics that are often shied away from, ignored or forgotten. As Louise has a neurodiverse family, she is keen to increase the visibility of...
Published 01/10/21
Published 01/10/21
Suzi travelled to Pfäffikon to meet Dina of Smiqql fame, the co creator of "sprinkles of joy" - flavoured salts! Dina and Murat met, fell in love and created Smiqql as a way to share their love of food with Switzerland, Europe and eventually the world! Dina was a lovely guest who shares her story about life as a third culture kid in the USA and her return to Europe as an adult, and her journey from the corporate world to flaky salts. And it isnt just about the taste, Dina discusses why...
Published 12/01/20
Dr Mecky McNeill from Healthfirst.ch joined Gary to discuss some serious and important issues - Mental Health and suicide. To coincide with Movember, the yearly event to raise awareness for mens health, HealthFirst.ch is running a free webinar about the topic, with experts on hand to discuss it, as well as interact with the audience.  This free 1 hour online panel discussion on the subject of men's mental health, hosted by Dr Mecky and Dr Michelle Wright, will be on 30th November, and the...
Published 11/23/20
American Scott and Swiss Miriam joined Suzi (with Covid Measures in place! If you are wondering why we sound muffled, its because we wore masks!) to discuss their lives in theatre as well as their own bilingual theatre company Betwixt and Between. By having a bilingual play, children and adults alike can enjoy the story in their own language. The two friends discovered, with Basel being such a multi diverse city, that combining the languages and performing in both brings a unique and...
Published 11/03/20
Britta joins Gary and Suzi in Zurich, hometown of Kürzi Kakao, to discuss her journey from the USA to Switzerland, and how she got into the competitive but exciting world of Kakao production and her desire to make a sustainable chocolate that is also vegan. As someone who has tasted this delicious choccy, Suzi can assure you it's AWESOME! And Britta was such a great guest, she is even giving away some of her bars! See below for details. One last thing... American listeners overseas... Don't...
Published 10/21/20
Liz Voss, Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad, joined Suzi and Gary to update us on whats going on with the upcoming (Just 45 days!) US election and how you can make sure your vote counts in this very important election... For voter registration information go to https://www.votefromabroad.org/ there you can find how to get your ballot and how to make sure your vote counts. For information on events and how to get involved on a local level visit https://www.democratsabroad.org/ch_events - there...
Published 09/18/20
Suzi and Gary travelled to Zurich to interview the ever hilarious Benjamin Delahaye, who is a comedian based in Zurich. Juggling with marriage, two children, comedy gigs, a full-time job and heavy partying, Ben still believes he can have it all. His comedy will make you realize that all the stereotypes you hold about French people are not only true but also worse than you thought. He has performed all over Switzerland, in his home country France, in Los Angeles at the Comedy Store, in...
Published 08/21/20
SEE BELOW FOR A DISCOUNT FOR CARLYLE'S CD! Aussie Carlyle Christopherson came to Switzerland for love AND a job, usually its one or the other! But Carlyle moved on, finding a new love in life; his Swiss wife and his passion; music. After a long career in the corporate world Carlyle made a decision, to live a life with Authenticity and Integrity - AI. And what an inspiration! Suzi and Carlyle confuse Gary with their Aussie talk about Boxing Day and Bogans, but the thing about music is... it...
Published 07/22/20
***SEE BELOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THE PAINTING IN THE PIC ABOVE*** Natalie Corman joined Suzi to discuss her journey from Belgium, then Montreal then Basel, with falling in love and starting a family squeezed in too! Natalie brings a breath of fresh air to the usual expat stories - while she studied Biology and had an internship in Basel, her plans were not set in stone, and that lead her to discover many great passions, from working and training with dogs to her wonderful and unique art....
Published 07/08/20
Ruxi Balea is originally from Romania but it was Zurich that Suzi and Ruxi met to discuss her life and journey from Romania and economics, to Zurich and professional photography. A woman with a passion for life, her family and her business, Ruxi made Suzi feel right at home in her studio. Visit Ruxi at Ruxi.photo to see her passion that fills the lens to create awesome shots.  Gary and Suzi also discuss whats happening in Switzerland this week - holiday plans, or lack of! Are you heading...
Published 07/01/20
*** SEE BELOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A GUIDED WORKSHOP OF YOUR CHOICE! *** This weeks guests are couple Patricia and Peter with Paint it Easy, that's a lot of P's! Patricia is the the artist, Peter is the one pouring your glass of prosecco while you paint! Paint It Easy was set up with a passion for art and the desire to cultivate everyones creative side, because Patricia believes that anyone can paint in her workshops. Not only do we get an insight into the story behind Paint It Easy, we...
Published 06/17/20
This week SwissPats get a special guest, a two in one - Joe visits us as himself, to tell us about his Drag persona - Odette Hella'Grand. Odette is the best Drag artist in Basel (she has the awards to prove it!) and one of very few drag performers who live and work in Basel. Bringing shows that are suitable for all adults in Basel, regardless of if you're a Swiss native, an expat or a visitor, Odette has thrilled with glitz and glamour while aiming to make Basel's Drag scene an integral part...
Published 06/10/20
Today Shirin joins SwissPats to tell us all about coffee - from living and working in the coffee regions of Papua New Guinea, to buying and selling beans for Peets and Nespresso in USA, Singapore and Switzerland. Shirin is knowledgeable and passionate about coffee, and wants you to get to know your coffee roaster - where do your beans come from? Are you buying sustainable beans? She certainly made Suzi eager to sniff a cup of freshly roasted coffee! Visit Shirin at the Carouge Farmers...
Published 06/09/20
Cary Rick is this week's esteemed guest on SwissPats, and he joins a guest co host! Gary Colen is a friend of Suzi, and has been kind enough to take some of the SwissPats load. We think you will enjoy hearing a different voice and it’ll be nice to get back into the studio with 2 voices instead of 1! But back to this week's guest... Cary hails from Chicago, and has spent so long in Europe he feels much more at home here. Not only has he had a successful career in acting and dancing, but he has...
Published 05/27/20
Dr. Ruby Bakshi Khurdi is an award winning International Motivational Public Speaker, Global Goodwill Ambassador for Switzerland, Chairperson for All Ladies League, Charismatic Educationist, Social Entrepreneur, Leadership & Cultural Trainer. She has been nominated Most Inspirational Female Entrepreneur of 2017 by Swiss Entrepreneur Magazine. She is a Role Model and Mentor to International students from Business and Hospitality Management Colleges. WOAH! What a resume! And she joined Suzi...
Published 05/20/20
Grace joined Suzi to discuss her journey from the Philippines to Switzerland... all in the name of love. In the 9 years Grace has been in Switzerland, she has made a name for herself as a woman who really can do anything - she's hosted very successful galas all over the world, including at the Dolder Grand in Zurich. On top of that, Grace runs her own party supply business AND is the owner of the first of its kind in the Philippines - the Hello Kitty House, which brings joy to those that live...
Published 05/13/20
Maria Zioga joined Suzi this week to discuss her journey from a career in politics, hoping to change the world, to a world of wine - but not like you'd expect.  Maria also lets us know what being a diplomats wife is like, and tells us the realities of living country to country, for set periods of time. As expats we may understand to some degree, but imagine not having the choice to stay, or having to stay somewhere you hate. Maria tells us how she's coped with that, and what she has decided...
Published 05/06/20
This week Suzi caught up with Don to see how life is treating him back in the ol' US of A, finding out if he has managed to settle into life back home. It seems to be corona as usual, for Don, for Suzi... for everyone!  Suzi also discusses a birthday coming up in her home, and wonders how others have handled Corona Birthdays. To listen...
Published 04/29/20
Gary, a Stay at Home dad and Naomi, a teacher and mum joined Suzi on Zoom to discuss what the last 5 weeks have been like - with the kids off from school since 16th March. The guests discuss the difficulty in getting used to having the kids home, and continuing with some sort of school and structure. With an awesome insight into what it's like from the other side - how are the teachers coping, and what are some tips for being a good teacher/parent for your kids. Below are some links on some...
Published 04/22/20
Rylla is SwissPats Reimagined host - sharing stories of peoples life abroad, reimagined.  Rylla is the author of Trailing Spouses Reimagined, and spent a solid chunk of her own expat life preparing for, interviewing, and curating the book which delves deep into the life of men and women who've followed their partners to create a new life as an expat. This weeks episode brings Rylla and SwissPats own Don Delco together to tell us about his journey, from the beginning in Basel and the advice...
Published 04/15/20
Pragati Siddhanti joined Suzi and Don a few weeks ago, before the great Lockdown of 2020, to tell us about her journey from India to Switzerland, from being a career woman to finding a passion project all while studying and taking on new activities she wasn't used to.  Pragati hadn't been an expat until she made the leap to Basel, and there were lots of challenges, hurdles and discoveries for not only her, but her family too.  Joining forces with her sister Pragati began blogging at...
Published 04/08/20
Don and Suzi drove to Zug to meet the inspiring and fun Maricela Robles, the author of You Don't Need a Body to Sail a Boat, as well as 3 other books. Originally a lawyer in London, Maricela transitioned to published writer after finding solace in mediation, all the while embarking on a journey that took her from Mexico to London to Switzerland.  Good news for parents, SwissPats is giving away 2 copies of You Don't Need a Body to Sail a Boat. All you have to do is comment below letting us...
Published 04/01/20
Don was still with SwissPats when he and Suzi travelled in the pouring rain to the outskirts of Zurich to visit Danna Levy Hoffmann and her husband Georg to hear all about Organalicious, Danna's health coach business. Danna takes us on a journey from USA and Israel to Switzerland and explains why her family where a huge part of her healthy lifestyle story. You can visit Danna online at www.organilicious.ch/ Just because we are all stuck inside, doesnt mean this guest episode is going to...
Published 03/27/20
In the final special series on Covid19 where Suzi speaks to people all over the world, we get an insight into the different stages that some countries are currently in - with the understanding that these stages are changing rapidly - what is in place today may be ramped up tomorrow. Also, how is the community coming together to support those vulnerable members of society? In this episode we meet Maureen in Thailand, Barbora in Netherlands, Nishan in Finland, Ben in Sweden and Gemma in...
Published 03/18/20