Episode 25: Trapped in the Corporate Bathroom — My Portugal Escape

The International Living Podcast

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Podcast host, Jim Santos, meets expat Glenda Cole, who quit the stress of a high-powered career in corporate America for a new home, new country, and new life in International Living’s top-rated retirement destination—Portugal.
Glenda describes herself as a typical type-A personality, but her drive to succeed almost killed her. A serious health scare brought it all home to her—she was living to work, not working to live. Having a job that was so pressing that she couldn’t even get a bathroom break, spending her life accumulating money and possessions that she had no time to enjoy…it all took its toll.
When the doctor told her she had to change her life, Glenda grabbed hold of that idea. With the same meticulous approach that made her such a success at work, she started researching retirement destinations overseas. Spreadsheets, schedules, itineraries…it was all very business-like. But no matter how organized you are, sometimes the heart overrules the head. When she got to Portugal, Glenda’s five-year plan fell apart. Instead, she decided to let her emotions win out, and followed her gut.
Now, more fulfilled than ever, Portugal has proven to be exactly what she needed. Glenda shares her true success story with Jim Santos in this week’s episode of Bigger Better World.
Read her full article in the May 2023 issue of International Living Magazine.
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Chapters

1. Episode 25: Trapped in the Corporate Bathroom — My Portugal Escape (00:00:00)

2. A Corporate Job So Stressful That Bathroom Breaks Weren’t Even Possible (00:01:37)

3. An International Living Conference, And Realizing That There Was an Alternative (00:03:43)

4. A Five-Year, Five-Destination Plan Begins With Malta (00:05:44)

5. In Love With Spain…But is This Really the Place to Live? (00:10:13)

6. Lovely People, Great Weather, So Uplifting: Falling For Portugal (00:14:05)

7. Buying a Home in the Algarve (00:15:22)

8. A Shipping Container Costs How Much?! Making the Decision to Travel Light (00:18:11)

9. ‘I Call It My Storybook Life, And It Really Is’ (00:21:48)

10. Long-Term Residency—‘I Thought It Would Be a Nightmare. And It Was Simple.’ (00:23:01)

11. ‘My House is on Airbnb—It Covers My Travel to The U.S. And Thailand’ (00:25:10)

12. Learning to Leave the Stress Behind (00:29:50)