Most memorable journeys

I met Dr Olivier Seiler at an International travel insurance conference to which I accompany my husband Hector every year. In a restaurant in Athens he recited parts of the Odyssey in ancient Greek and I was impressed, not only by the ancient Greek but by his kindness. For nearly 30 years, Olivier Seiler was the Chief Medial Doctor of REGA, which is a private, non-profit air rescue service that provides emergency medical assistance to people in Switzerland. Having a travel insurance is important because when the unexpected happens, it is good to receive the necessary care. In this episode we talk with Olivier about how he decided to become a "flying doctor" and why he did this challenging but also very rewarding job for nearly 30 years. It is not an easy task to be confined to the space of an air ambulance jet even though it is equipped with every possible medical appliance. We also talk about the importance of good communication between doctors and respecting local customs and practices anywhere in the world. https://www.rega.ch/en

When I walked into a conference room at a hotel in Dubai recently, a very kind and beautiful blond lady smiled at me and said hello to me in Swiss German. I knew that I had seen her before, and we were debating about where this could have been until she told me that she used to be on a TV program called "Fenster zum Sonntag" which can be translated as "Window towards Sunday". It turned out that I had seen her but she had obviously had not seen me, because I had seen her on TV. She was a TV presenter for 10 years.She was a rebel in her young years and travelled around the world as a singer of the band E-Rotic, and at some point she was nominated for the title of Miss Switzerland. As a young women she was attacked by someone with a knife and talks about he incident in this episode. She also talks about how she found more harmony in her life through God and how she ended up living with her family in Dubai because of her husband's job. She is the President of the the Swiss Ladies Club of Dubai which was initiated in 2004 to organise meetings for all Swiss ladies resident in Dubai. It is a forum and platform to share experiences and mutual interests in an informal, constructive and positive way.https://www.swissladiesdubai.com/

On a recent flight from Dubai back to Cyprus on Emirates Airlines I watched the documentary "The Last Tourist" which points out that travel is at a tipping point. In the movie, various tourism expert reveal the real conditions and consequences of one of the largest industries in the world. One of the cast members of the above documentary is Dr Rachel Dodds, who is the Director of Sustaining Tourism – a boutique consulting firm. She is also a full Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada where she joined the Ted Rogers School of Tourism & Hospitality Management in 2006. I was delighted when this busy lady decided to take the time to be on my podcast. Having been trained to look at many different aspects of tourism, Rachel knows that sustainability means long term planning and management and that experience and understanding of diverse cultures and environments is a fundamental part of tourism. She also has seem many of the issues that lead to overtourism and perhaps undertourism and understands how to plan for them. Rachel has furthered her understanding of the industry through both her personal and work travels. She has now has traveled extensively to six continents and over 80 countries.Rachel has written, co-authored and edited articles about sustainable tourism, tourist motivations, CSR, islands, tourism development and planning and urban sustainability. She has published a book about sustainable tourism policy (2005), planning and island sustainable tourism (2010) and overtourism in 2019. Her latest publication is a children's book called: Are We There Yet?Traveling More Responsibly with Your ChildrenThis book will help you make responsible and sustainable choices before, during and after your trip. It will also help you to navigate travelling with children and will give you tips and inspiration for how to raise resilient, responsible kids who will grow to love travel as much as you do!https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61261282-are-we-there-yethttps://sustainabletourism.net/

I met my soul sister Leila during my master coach training in Dubai and I felt very drawn to her from the very beginning. She is a beautiful soul and has a beautiful smile and that fact that we can converse in French made her even more attractive to me. She studied Microbiology in Algeria but due to political instability and unrest in her home country she moved to Abu Dhabi nearly 25 years ago and worked as a French teacher and head of Department at a private school before she educated herself in the Personal Development field In this episode, she talks about her first trip to France, her trip around the world on a ship as the wife of the captain and how Nelson Mandela was freed while they were in South Africa and how they got stuck in the Port of Constanza during the time that Nicolae Ceausescu was executed in Romania. She is also telling me her journey about how she decided to remove her hijab and that her love for God has not changed because of it and how she thoroughly enjoys the swimming in the sea. She is a Master NLP Coach and Master Hypnotist and the co author of one the international bestselling books series "Magnetic Entrepreneur. A Personality that Attracts. She is also a certified Business Coach. https://leilaatbi.com/

Tatiana Stupak (piano) started learning the piano at age five, studying at the Special School of the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, and after that, for a further five years, continuing at the Conservatory itself. She is the winner of international music competitions including the Leipzig Bach competition. Tatiana is very well known in Cyprus, having played piano at more than 80 events in the last few years, both as a solo pianist and accompanying other musicians. Since 2018, she has played piano solos at The Big Choir Project concerts.She has developed a second major interest since early 2019: mountaineering! Her goal is to climb the 7 highest mountains of 7 continents. Having had no previous climbing experience, she succeeded in reaching the summit of the highest mountain in Europe (Elbrus) and Africa (Kilimanjaro). Just recently she climbed Mount Damavand, the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia and the highest volcano in AsiaShe plans next to climb the highest peak in South America, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina while playing music and she is attempting to get in the the Guiness Book of records; she loves adventures of all kinds. For example, in 2018, she took a hot-air balloon flight in Cappadocia; in the summer of 2019, she did her first sky-dive, at Kingsfield Airfield in Cyprus. She also took a trip to frozen Lake Baikal early in 2020, where she played the Russain Gusli instrument. And she leaned free diving in 2020 as well, and proved it, by being filmed playing a piano on the bed of the Mediterranean. She like to combine her musical talents with her adventures, whenever possible. She arranges charity concerts for children and for the church, and brings famous musicians from Russia, for example from the Bolshoi Theatre.She opened the Tatiana Stupak School of Music in 2018, where students can enter for examinations set by the Royal Schools of Music and by Trinity College. Students may also take part in public concerts, to gain experience in performing before audiences.In 2018, Tatiana won awards on being chosen in competition, as Russian Cultural Woman of the Year in Cyprus.In the summer of 2019, having organised fund-raising concerts on several occasions for the Institute of Neurology and Genetics, she was invited to play piano solos at a concert at the Presidential Palace, where President Anastasiades presented her with an award on behalf of the Institute.She has been interviewed many times on Cyprus radio and TV channels. Early in 2020 she was interviewed on the subject of children and music, and the interview was shown on Smile TV; previously she appeared live on TV ONE’s charity show, DanSing for You, not as a pianist, but as a dancer. Most recently, she was interviewed by RIK1 TV, and the interview was broadcast in July 2020. Also during 2020, over a period of a few weeks, she made live broadcasts on the Internet, giving illustrated talks about ten classical music composers.Tatiana maintains two YouTube channels: one for herself, and another for her music school.http://tatianastupak.com/biographyhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPa-fpO17yX0y1aN51Yu_WA

Gil Antolin founded Luxury World Traveler as a way to share his passion for travel with the world. What started as a hobby by creating an Instagram account in 2013, has now become much more.Antolin visited Uganda, Africa ten years ago as part of a mission trip. While there his group spent time volunteering at an orphanage, help fund the school and take to the needs of the children. Antolin became overwhelmed with gratitude at the reaction of the students and had a life altering experience. From that day on he was convinced that whatever path he took would incorporate travel and create a positive impact on the world. Shortly thereafter, Luxury World Traveler was born and has gradually become one of the globe’s most trusted travel marketing companies, focused on the future and how we can impact the industry and the rest of the world positively, meaningfully, and sustainably. He has tapped into a unique market of over 5 million globetrotters worldwide who seek something more of their travels. More than just a social media platform, he aims to bring these extravagant opportunities to life by booking these experiences for his community of avid travelers via their travel booking agency. It’s why he partners with over 400 luxury hospitality brands to showcase the most compelling destinations in the world. By harnessing ideas that appeal to discerning travelers, he creates maximum reach across all social media channels and helps his clients succeed by reaching the widest base of engaged consumers possible. To date, he has created over 10 billion social media impressions for our clients. A sense of wanderlust. A desire to see more. A commitment to life as an adventure. The journey begins with Luxury World Traveler, a global travel community that celebrates the nomadic spirit with a rich combination of inspirational and aspirational experiences, photographs, and opportunities for luxury seekers all over the world.https://www.luxwt.com/about-gilantolin

Traveling without insurance is a gamble. Nobody knows that better than my friend Dick Atkins, owner of Dick Atkins, Esq. an attorney from Philadelphia who specializes in assisting companies and individuals on legal issues in foreign countries. He is an owner of International Recoveries, LLC and lectures at travel insurance conventions. He is on the Board of Directors for the United States Travel Insurance Association.Atkins has literally been bailing out North Americans and North American Corporations abroad since over 30 Years. He also represents foreign nationals on U.S. soil. U.S. Embassies, U.S. Insurance and other large corporate entities. For those who remember the movie "Midnight Express" and how Billy Hayes, a young American got caught trying to smuggle 4 1/2 pounds of hashish out of Turkey in 1970. Thrown into a hellhole of a Turkish prison, he's tortured by sadistic guards, betrayed by corrupt lawyers and toyed with by capricious judges before he finally escapes. This movie is based on a real story.Each year, on average, 1,000 Americans are arrested in foreign countries on drug charges. While many are quickly released, roughly 1, 600 are currently rotting away in foreign prisons, often in conditions similar to those endured by Hayes.Prison conditions in much of the world are pretty horrible, acknowledged Dick Atkins, and the criminal justice systems in a lot of countries are just as bizarre as the one in the movie. It's important to remember that when you travel abroad, your rights as an American citizen don't come with you."

I met Monica in a Facebook group of Swiss living abroad because I wanted to talk to someone who was born in my homeland but grew up in another country and so I asked in the group if someone would be interested in talking to me. Monica came forward, not only was she born in Switzerland but also in my hometown Lucerne but only until she three years old and I wanted to talk to her about a recent trip down memory lane with her family.When I started doing a little research, which I always do before I speak to my guests, I discovered something amazing: Monica and her husband William are both survivors of the TANS Peru airliner that crashed in 2005 near Pucallpa, Peru. They were on their honeymoon. In the crash, over 40 people were killed while 57 survived, some of them ended up badly burnt. The plane crashed in Peru's northern jungle during a storm. Definitely worth listening to.

His Instagram handle is @aptraveler and we met on Clubhouse. He has explored 107 countries so far and loves the world. His Swiss roots come through when he talks about punctuality, correctness and being polite. As a cancer survivor, Andre has realised how precious our time on earth is and has decided to see it all and savour every moment. His stories are heartwarming and colourful. His pictures have won several photo competitions even though he just uses an Iphone 12. Initially I thought he was a country counter but he is not, he enjoys every country with all his senses, find out and listen.

I met Irene in a Facebook group of Swiss Women Abroad and loved her positive and joyful manner. In September 2018, my kids and I travelled to Canada and started a road trip from Calgary to Vancouver through Banff and Jasper National Park. On this occasion, we met with Irene for dinner and she gave us lots of great tips for our tour.When I asked Irene to be my podcast guest, she was a little hesitant and not so sure because she felt that her English may not be good enough or that she won't be interesting enough. Little does she know that she has so many amazing stories to tell, like that she visited Zurich airport with her parents at the age of 6 and ended up unexpectedly on flight. She tells stories about her life as an au pair girl in England or how she invited her husband for a dinner at the River Cafe in New York and sat next to Steve Martin.She talks about her work as a bus driver through the Canadian Parks and driving a school bus in the Canadian winter when the temperatures are way below zero. She also talks about her love for baking and that life is not meant to live in only one place. She is amazingly entertaining and I so enjoyed recording this episode, It's definitely one that you must listen to. Check out her cakes and creations.

I met James Hammond because he invited me to be his guest on his travel podcast "Winging it" where he talks to travel aficionados about anything to do with globetrotting. Originally from the UK, he is currently based in Vancouver, Canada but he has plans, big plans indeed. So far he has visited 50 countries and talks about his experiences and the different kind of travellers he has met. James has a great sense of humour and talks about things as they are. His stories are inspiring and will make you book your next trip. Here are the answers to his quick fire favorite thingsQuick fire favourite thingsFavourite beach? – Anywhere on Aitutaki in the Cook IslandsFavourite coffee? – Tanna Coffee in VanuatuFavourite city? – New York City, USAFavourite trek? – Poon Hill, NepalFavourite country? – JapanFavourite party place? – ThailandFavourite landmark? – Temples in Bagan, MyanmarFavourite cuisine/food? – IndiaFavourite activity? – Skydiving in Taupo, NZFavourite country to live in? – AustraliaFavourite lake? – Lake Moraine, Alberta, CanadaWhich country is the best value for your money? – Boliviahttps://jameshammond.org/wingingitpodcast/

Martina Kwan is an International Best Selling Author. Born in Hong Kong to a German mother and Chinese father, Martina Kwan was destined for a life that was different. She spent her childhood in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, but credits living in war torn Beirut, Lebanon between the ages of 8-10, as an experience that defined much of her fearlessness today. Her unique path in life has shaped her into a woman of drive and determination.After earning two Master of Science degrees, she worked in the male dominated finance and accounting fields in New York City with KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Wall Street’s Lehman Brothers. Eventually, she landed Senior Management roles with Ian Schrager properties, the Hudson Hotel and the Paramount Hotel. Ultimately, Martina's strong entrepreneurial spirit led her to leave the corporate world to open her own business, the award-winning furniture company, Neoteric Luxury Outdoor Collections. She had previously won Telly and Emmy awards with the first company she founded, So! Animation.​Daring to be different is what drives Martina today...literally! Three years ago, at the age of 50, Martina knew it was time to take a car racing hobby she occasionally enjoyed to the next level. Proving that it’s never too late, she decided to become a race car driver.Her marque of choice is Porsche, which she drives exclusively. She started going to racetracks in California in 2015 with the Porsche Owners Club and quickly picked up the right line around a track. She’s earned a first place with the Porsche Owners Club MS racing class in 2017 and a first in the Club’s M4 racing class as well as picking up the Most Improved Time Trial Driver Award. She holds track records and is a National Certified Porsche Club of America Driving Instructor. Martina’s goal is to inspire young women and girls to be themselves and Dare to be Different! https://www.martinakwan.com/

Did you know that Veronica Tan was an arms dealer? (only joking but in fact in her first job she worked for a company that was selling arms. Her first long distance flight ever was from Singapore to Athens (Greece) which is very near me and I hope that she'll visit me in Cyprus soon. Veronica co-founded Success Resources with her husband Richard Tan in 1992 and little did they know that their company would turn into the world's largest education seminar company. Annually they host and produce 500+ entrepreneurial events across 37 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, USA, Europe, Middle East, South America, and the UK. SR will empower 350,000+ entrepreneurs this year alone and have impacted 12 million people over its history.Success Resources has attracted internationally acclaimed speakers for its events, including Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Michael Porter, Tom Brady, Sara Blakely and former US President Bill Clinton.Veronica's mission is to be a force in helping individuals, enterprises, and organizations to succeed. She believes in life-long learning and with Success Resources she works to establish this culture globally. She loves discovering new places and combining business and pleasure.

Jennifer K. Hill is a successful entrepreneur, author, speaker, TV & Radio host, and thought leader. She has written two books, and has authored two popular white papers. In this episode, she shares many travel stories, covid adventures with us and how she moved to Lisbon.Hill built and sold her first company by the age of 38 to Marcum Search LLC (a subsidiary of Marcum LLP), where she became President of their California Division. She has hosted popular TV shows on Awake TV Network with Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Rollin McCraty, Dr. Dain Heer, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Dr. John Demartini and many other leaders from around the world.Hill has also moderated events including a 2020 talk at UCI with Dean Bill Maurer, Professor Don Hoffman, and Dr. Deepak Chopra. She recently hosted the Global Coherence Initiative’s largest event of the year with over 600 people from around the world, which featured Gregg Braden, Howard Martin, and other noted thought leaders.Hill has worked for years with renowned celebrity vocal coach, Arthur Samuel Joseph. She recently collaborated with Joseph to create the “Achieve, Reclaim and Command your Destiny” program. When she is not hosting or speaking, Hill loves to give back and has built two schools in 3rd world countries. She recently co-founded Om-Heals.com, an energy medicine marketplace platform to connect energy practitioners with users seeking to reconnect with their health and vitality.https://www.vocalmasteryforleaders.com/https://metabizics.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkhill/https://www.instagram.com/jenhillspeaker

I love talking to Caroline and we zoom quite often, this time we recorded our conversation and turned it into a podcast episode. She gives great natural heath tips and makes every exchange valuable. Caroline is a trained Master Herbalist, Naturopath, Nutrition Consultant, Holistic and Behavioural Iridologist with over 25 years of experience in the natural health field. We are talking about how she grew up in Oman, how she ended up in a small village in Cyprus looking after a huge herb garden and creating her own little heaven on earth but also how she found the love of her life in Cyprus and travelled in a double cabin car over land from Cyprus via Turkey, Bulgaria etc back to the UK where she lives with her husband and three children and works now. Caroline is well trained in seeing the connections between symptom manifestation, their physical, mental and emotional origins and the root cause of any dis-ease in the body. She works by unravelling the layers, bringing you back into symptom less health-filled balance.She believes strongly, “Your health is your greatest wealth” and educates and guides her patients to achieve this.

I am talking to Paul Lambis who is an award-winning screenwriter, author, playwright and director, born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Educated at the Johannesburg Art Foundation, he is based in Cyprus and is the Founder and CEO of Silver Thespian, an independent theatre and film production holding company. As an established and award-winning playwright in Cyprus, Lambis has written, produced and directed theatrical productions such as 74 and Melina: The Last Greek Goddess to widespread critical acclaim.​In 2016, Lambis received the “Best International Screenplay” award from the Screenwriter’s Guild of Greece for his full-length feature 74 – based on his original theatrical production of the same title. In 2018, his theatrical production Melina: The Last Greek Goddess received first prize at the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York and was awarded the “Best International Show” on Broadway. In 2019, his multiple award-winning screenplay 74 received first place for "Best Screenplay" at the 14th International Cyprus Film Festival. The screenplay is currently in development and planned to be filmed on location in Cyprus.​Paul Lambis is also the host of #Culturescope - a lifestyle and entertainment web show, exclusive to Cyprus Mail.https://www.paullambis.com/

Dimitris Pierides is 85, an absolutely charming gentleman of the old sort with a beautiful mind and a heart full of amazing stories. We talked about Art, cars, Cyprus and life, definitely worth listening to. He is the son of one of the most emblematic families of Cyprus, born in 1937, luckily in a house that mostly resembled a museum and belonged to his grandfather Dimitirs Pierides, who also bore the name of his own grandfather, a renowned scholar of the 19th century, who was one of Kapodistria’s partners and an antiquities collector. Their colonial home in Larnaka was filled with antiquities that on one hand made it hard for little Dimitris to play in the house, but on the other, prepared him to welcome his illustrious destiny. “Those were the years of innocence” he remembers. “Growing up in a big home, filled to the brim with ancient Cypriot artifacts collected by five generations of Pierides’, it was obviously not the ideal playground for my friends and I. At the age of 18, Dimitris Pierides enrolled at the University of Lausanne where he studied Economics and Law. He soon became very popular and during the period between 1957 and 1960 he served as chairman of the Greek Students’ Union. According to him, those were wonderful years that formed the basis of his subsequent cosmopolitan spirit. “I studied in the heart of Europe, in an exquisitely civilized place. I frequently travelled by car to many of the neighboring countries, very often to Paris and London. I also travelled to Germany, as well as Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria. As for Italy, the European jewel, I have visited her dozens of times over the years” he adds with emphasis. In the summer of 1974, the Turkish invasion changed everything. Dimitris Pierides emerged from the ashes, not unscathed though: “A huge part of my fortune (approximately 85%) was simply gone in just a single morning of August 1974. I was bluntly told then, that whatever I had created during my most productive years, no longer belonged to me” he remembers. But the great damage to Cyprus’ historical heritage had already started in the mid-60’s. According to him it was some years before the invasion, in 1964 to be precise, when Turkish-Cypriots isolated themselves in their villages and systematic large-scale illegal excavations took place, making antiquity smuggling a thriving activity. “I managed then and for a period of 10 years, to prevent the smuggling of over 600 unique ancient Cypriot artifacts, by buying them”. From then on, “things went from bad to worse”.https://www.visitcyprus.com/index.php/en/discovercyprus/culture/museums-galleries/111-pierides-museum-bank-of-cyprus-cultural-foundation

I met Tatiana because of the Global Woman Club when she joined a speakers campaign and then realised that she also lives in Cyprus and here is what she says about herself: “The more you give the more comes back to you”. I know it sounds a bit cliché, but it is absolutely true. I give the following metaphor/analogy when I teach children about giving back: “ Imagine you have a big cup full of goodies: Good health, a lot of toys and clothes, cleverness, good at sports, pretty face, a lot of friends… and God gives more and more. Your cup now overflows and it spills out. What can you do? You can only give some to someone else whose cup is not full, so that you can keep the extra that God is giving you.” This is such a nice vivid picture and is the way I learned to act. If you have extra time, go help people, if you have extra clothes give some. If you have a good appearance, give a compliment.As an adult, I joined different NGO’s and offer my time as much as I can. This is how I feel I show my gratitude to God for always filling my cup with goodies!My passion and my purpose in life is to help people (and lately ladies) achieve their goals. I believe we are all born with enormous inner strength. Through my skills as an NLP and RTT Practitioner and as a hypnotherapist, I can help my clients find this inner strength and create the life they dream!What I have come to realize through the years, while moving from different skills and industries, is that you should never feel stuck at where you started. Myself being an example: I started with a Business Administration Degree, then moved on and combined it with Interior Design. I then got educated on creating programs and educating children to empower them with important Life Skills. Then I moved on to be a certified NLP practitioner, and last but not least I became a certified RTT® Practitioner and Certified Hypnotherapist. My absolute conviction is that it is never too late to help people at any age, be what they always wanted to be. This is what gave me the drive to go onto these last two skills. I know now, that your results are linked to an imprint and to the beliefs that were created inside your subconscious mind from past experiences and to your present constant thoughts. The good news is that we can create or re-create your present status by changing that imprint, the beliefs and your thoughts. My personal experience due to my personal results are what drove me to this path of getting to know my deeper self. I am married to a wonderful husband and I have two great sons, and all three of them are my best supporters. I could not have made it through all these stages of my life without their true belief in me.Of course, my great belief in God and the continuous gratitude I feel for my great life, helped me surpass different challenges, and finally reaching the place I am now, a place I always belonged. And this is to help people.

I met Sami at the Global Woman Summit in London and he is one of the most approachable and kind people I have ever met. He immediately agreed to do this interview and I so enjoyed talking about life and the world and listening to Sami singing :)Sami Zeidan is an award-winning journalist who for more than a decade, has anchored, reported and executive produced with some of the biggest names in television: CNN, CNBC, NBC and Al Jazeera.Prior to joining Al Jazeera English, Sami presented a number of shows broadcast on CNBC Arabia, CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia. He also presented and wrote news shows with CNN International (USA).Over the years Sami has reported from many a seat of power including the United Nations, the White House and The European Commission, as well as from conflict zones ranging from the Korean Peninsula to the different hotspots in the Middle East, including live war correspondence.Sami Zeidan has years of experience in training, teaching, and practicing journalism. - Sami has trained anchors, reporters, and producers at Al Jazeera, CNBC, and NBC. - Sami has presented, reported, and produced with the biggest names in television including Al Jazeera, CNN, CNBC, and NBC affiliates. - His assignments have taken him from the White House to the UN, and through war zones from Gaza to Syria. - Sami has taught at the 1st School of Journalism in the world, the University of Missouri-Columbia, USA, established in 1908.Check out Sami Zeidan's podcast "Essential Middle East"https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/essential-middle-east-2

Ajay Goyal is a global entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist and writer. He is the founder and owner of Europe's first five star yoga themed sustainable resort hotel Zening Resorts and he invested millions of Euros in Cyprus during the financial crises in 2013. Unfortunately he came across some unethical people and had to deal with many bureaucratic obstacles as a foreign investor. Even though he had to give up his Zening dream in Cyprus, he talks very highly of the island and is a Cypriot Citizen now. In this interview he talks about how he grew up in India in a very academic family and how he decided to expand his horizon in Russia where he ended up being in front of the tanks on the Red Square in Moscow in 1991. Ajay Goyal founded the Norasco Group in Cyprus in 1993 with branches in Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Singapore and India . He is the founder of over than 20 ventures. He is presently founder and CEO of AGV ( Ajay Goyal Ventures, a Norasco company), an E learning, E commerce, Travel, Reg Tech and Health Tech incubator investing in European startups. Goyal is author of book Uncovering Russia. Goyal was Publisher and Editor in Chief of The Russia Journal newspaper published from Moscow , Russia and Washington DC, United States group from 1998 until 2005.

I met Jay Noland on Clubhouse and liked the sound of everything he said but I also liked the sound of his voice. He grew up on a hog farm in Kentucky with his grandparents. The wealth his grandparents had was not in their bank account, but in the lessons and values they instilled in him… INSTILLED in him as was the determination to succeed. He was naturally gifted in sports and mostly as a baseball player. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1988. During his career, he also played with the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners. He won 2 Minor League Championships in 1991 and 1992 with San Diego Padres. He was the back to back Stolen Base League Champion in 1991 and 1992 as well. He signed his Major League Contract (ML Invite) with Seattle Mariners in 1995. He retired from baseball due to a career ending injury in 1995.Jay Noland started his entrepreneurial career in November 1995. He has since built multiple multi-million dollar companies. His main focus is on Confidence Training. He believes "a strong person can do anything." He believes in experiencing life all-out, all the time, and he believes in anyone who is willing to take steps to believe in themselves.He says true success is mastering the 6 pillars of life. The 6 pillars are emotional, mental, physical, social, financial, and spiritual. Check out Jay's annotated version of Wallace D. Wattles "The Science of getting rich" https://www.amazon.com/Science-Getting-Rich-Annotated-Universal-ebook/dp/B0B1TCC4F3

Savvas Perdios was born and raised in Nicosia and has been the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Cyprus since January 2019.He studied Accounting and Finance at Warwick University (2002-2004) and International Hospitality Management (BA, 2004-2008) at the École hôtelière de Lausanne, SwitzerlandIn this podcast episode we talk about how lucky Savvas considers himself because he can practice his hobby for a living. He is a hospitality expert through and through and has started summer jobs at a very young age inhotel departments like kitchen, maintenance, service, banqueting, housekeeping and guest relations.Between 2008 and 2010 after completing his studies, Mr Perdios worked for internationally-known companies like Design Hotels in Mykonos and Kempinski Hotels in Switzerland.Savvas Perdios has lots of wonderful plans and ideas for Cyprus and wants to show the world how much more than sun and beach this island has to offer and I couldn't agree with him more. Listen to the episode and come and visit us.

Doug is Global Goodwill Ambassador for Dublin, Ireland which was awarded for his inspirational work giving back to the community where he did talks and mindset training and then gave all the money to charity.At the time when we recorded this interview, Doug was nominated for the “Global man of the year award” with Global Woman’s Magazine over the last year for doing thousands of hours of Mental Wellness work for free to help people during the pandemic. In the meantime he has won the award. He also runs a radio show called Inspirational People, Inspirational Stories on 103.2 Dublin City FM which again he does to give back to the community. He has had a super mix of NY Times bestsellers, heroes, sports stars and up and coming authors giving them a platform to promote their services and tell their story. The show goes out to over 2 million people every week.Doug has just finished writing a book to help and inspire people to better lives which is due to be published with an American publisher and has testimonies from 3 NY Times bestsellers, a film star, a Guinness book of records holder and a multimillionaire TV Celebrity businessman.Previously Doug spent 21 years in the investment world as an Investment head for some of the largest fund managers in the world. He was recognised in the national press for growing an Asset Management business from $50m pa sales to $1.75Bn pa sales in 6 years.Since then stress and health issues led to a near death experience and then him changing his career into becoming a master teacher healer, a coach, business consultant and international speaker, having spoken on some of the largest stages in the world.He has coached and consulted with Hollywood stars, NY Times bestsellers, large corporations like Dell, Facebook, Salesforce, Bank of Ireland, Oeey Asset Management, Davy, Ocuco, and many more.He also played hockey at national league top division level in the U.K. and Belgium captaining and coaching international level playershttps://dougdgordon.com/

I loved going down memory lane with Angelos Loizou and talk about tourism in the eighties and how things have changed. Angelos is a Chartered Accountant Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). He has retired from PWC in Cyprus from the position of COO and member of the Management Board. During his 30-year career with PwC he has served in a number of positions and was in charge for the development of various services of the firm including Corporate Legal and Secretarial, Local Compliance and Hospitality and Leisure Services. His role in Operations included interalia IT and Property management and has traveled extensively. He is a member and past Chairman of the board of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) and a Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Cyprus, having wide experience on various financial consultancy matters.He has served as the Chairman of the Board of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (2014-2018) during which period tourism has increased by 63%.He has assisted the District of Pafos as the Project Manager, in their successful bidding endeavors as the European Capital of Culture for 2017.

Rita Jammet was born in Saudi Arabia to parents of Iraqi origin, she went to boarding school in Lebanon and Switzerland, married André Jammet, a French man and ended up living in New York. She has led an exotic and charmed life as the co-owner of the acclaimed La Caravelle restaurant for 20 years, as the proprietor of La Caravelle Champagnes / Wines, and as the mother of three accomplished sons (one of whom is the cofounder of Sweet Green). Rita has been an inspiration and role model for women in hospitality for decades. It’s frankly no surprise she’s now known as the Chief Bubble Officer of her company, and if New York were to have an ambassador of hospitality, it would be her. She talked to me about her childhood in Saudi and Lebanon, about moving to Switzerland and her honeymoon to the US. She is a very charismatic lady who you would want to listen to forever. Rita is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier NY. She was awarded the Order of Agricultural Merit by France's Ministry of Agriculture and Food. She is also a board member of the New York State Restaurant Association, Manhattan Chapter. Her many charitable involvements include: Mount Sinai Hospital, French American Aid for Children, Les Dames d’Escoffier, the Comité Colbert, Spoons Across America, AIWF Days of Taste* New York, and the Food Council of City Harvest. https://www.lacaravelle.com/ritajammet

A few weeks ago, I was invited by the POAXIA – Greek Federation of Police Officers to spend three days in Crete on the occasion of the 11th Congress of CESP (Comité European des Syndicats de Police). I was honored with an award for my services as an interpreter and administrator for 17 years.In 2003 I started doing occasional interpreting at the Limassol Police station and one day someone asked me if I would be interested in accompanying delegations of police officers to conferences and translating for them. I said yes even though I had no idea if my Greek would be good enough for the job but I also know that some opportunities only come once and we have to grab them before the door closes. 17 years and over 100 trips later, I can look back at so many most memorable journeys, from meeting statesmen, presidents, and ministers to river rafting from Montenegro into Bosnia, running through airports with people who didn't like to run, being more or less left on my own to run the association for a year and giving interviews to radio stations while I was attending my coaching training. The highlight was attending a congress organized by the NYPD (New York Police Department) in Las Vegas and find out how things are done in a big way.Find out more about me:https://thesoulkit.com/

I met Edna by pure coincidence on Facebook and when she contacted me, I was fascinated by her story. She was born in Zurich, Switzerland to a mom who was born in Argentina to parents from Ukraine and a dad whose parents had fled Nazi Germany to Israel.She met her South African husband on a dating site which she was following while she was studying in Jerusalem and they finally met up in Australia. Are you dizzy yet?Edna Schur has started her career with Naturopathy, Nutrogenomics, then with Traditional Chinese Medicine. After studying in Israel, Australia and Switzerland, she has developed an interest in Genetic Mutation such as MTHFR, COMT etc. together with her interests in psychosomatics and therefore epigenetics, she got to know about Functional Medicine and studied it in 2018. She is a natural or functional Medicine PractitionerI loved her openness about her IVF story and how she traveled to South Africa and the Czech Republic to "make/create" her babies. She is a beautiful conversation partner with a wonderful sense of humour. Listen in.https://www.ednaschur.net/

txtThroughout her life, Giselle Rufer has experienced spectacular highs and devastating lows, shed tears that would overflow a river, laughed so hard it would make the angels smile, and felt unbelievable pride—as a daughter, as a woman, a wife, a mother, and an entrepreneur. That is the wonder of life and living it to its fullest glory is the gift we can all create. She says that she was born a dreamer and in fact, she has made all her dreams come true, starting from studying in Lausanne and Berne while bringing up her children and ending up being the first women in Switzerland to receive an engineering degree. She launched the children's watch brand Flik Flak for the Swatch group and later on worked as a marketing manager for OMEGA in a very male dominated watch industry. In 1994, at the age of 50, she quit her job, enrolled in a six-month university course on entrepreneurship, learned how to write a business plan and went to banks in search of a loan, but no one wanted to lend her money when she presented her ideas to launch her brand Delance, a watch made for women by women. Refusing to admit defeat, she cashed her pension plan, borrowed money from friends, and amassed enough capital to introduce her first collection of 50 watches in 1995. The collection, with an instantly recognizable signature diamond shape, finely crafted, jewel-like but ruthlessly reliable in the best Swiss tradition, sold like hot cakes. The next edition ran to 500 pieces.Delance makes watches to order and tailors them to celebrate specific occasions. Buyers can customize them by choosing the color and material, or having their birth stones and personal symbols encrusted in the case.She beautifully tells her story in the book "Butterfly in a storm" and has been a featured speaker at many conferences. She enjoys to share her experience with all those who dream of creating their own business or achieving a dream.https://delance.com/en/https://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Storm-Watch-Giselle-Delance-ebook/dp/B01CGFBGBI

Farah Shammas is the Managing Director of the St Raphael Resort and Marina in Limassol, Cyprus an award winning 5Stars resort which was created by her renowned grandfather Shukri Hanna Shammas who was featured in who is who before Google, when we had books. She is also an award winning motivational speaker and author. That alone sounds impressive but she is so much more than that. She is a passionate mother to her three children and a huge advocate for veganism. She is the author of the book, "40 delicious vegan recipes: Cook book and guide" and she recently launched a children's book called "Theo the Pig" for which she did the art work herself. Her "Cook Vegan" Facebook group has over 6000 members. Last but not least, she is an amazing human who contributes as much as she possible can and treats everyone with kindness, respect und responsibility. She is a very supportive member of the Global Woman Club Cyprus and I am proud to call her my friend.https://www.straphael.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/cookveganhttps://www.amazon.com/40-Delicious-Vegan-Recipes-Guide/dp/B08ZBJFMFSTheo the Pighttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09Z6MBV2M/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_i_HG6GTKE1QV91P35Q5PP2https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09Z6MBV2M/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_i_ZN2DAXZF4KZGKZMBZCY4https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Z6MBV2M/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_i_YBNWWWXD0QP17DA3TST6

I met Zoran when I was looking for a job after my first child was born and we worked together here in Cyprus for two years. He had moved to Cyprus from the then called Yugoslavia to escape a looming war which broke up the country. He was and still is one of the most charismatic people I have ever met and you will hear in this episode that with his boyish but so convincing charm he actually convinced a beautiful lady who is now his wife with just one phone call that she is the one. Today he is a leading international master coach, notable author, sought after speaker, visionary and a passionate activist of the evolution of human consciousness. As a TNM Coaching Academy trainer and mentor, he brings 20 years of coaching and mentoring experience and helps people tap into their highest potential. He has been coaching hundreds of people all over the world but mainly in China, being the visionary he is, he recognised the potential. He lives with his family in Ibiza and guess where he is planing to live in the future? You will have to listen to the episode to find out. https://zorantodorovic.space/https://tnmcoaching.com/

When you are born in India to parents from Algeria and you study in France and the US and you meet your Austrian husband at the Turkish Residence in Teheran, you have lots of most memorable journeys to talk about. Amel Derragui is a business and marketing coach, speaker and podcast host at Tandem Nomads. After a career in advertising, she quit her job to join her husband abroad and launched her first business consulting corporate companies while living on the move. Six years later, as she saw a critical need to support other expat spouses and global nomads in finding their own source of fulfillment and financial independence, she launched Tandem Nomads. Through her podcast show, online courses, workshops and coaching services she helps global entrepreneurs start or grow a successful portable business that is aligned with their lifestyle. Amel often speaks for various international organizations such as the IMF and World Bank to provide guidance on how to use entrepreneurship as a solution to dual career challenges and how to make a business truly portable. Her work on the topic of entrepreneurship and women empowerment is featured in various media such as Forbes Magazine and Global Living Magazine.https://tandemnomads.com/

Constantinos Yiorkadjis has been the Mayor of Nicosia since December 2011 and is on his second term. Nicosia is the capital of the Republic of Cyprus, and it is the last divided capital in the world. The scars of the past conflict are brutally evident and come in the form of an UN-patrolled buffer zone. Roads end at barrels and barbed wire and buildings with bullet holes decay slowly. It has been 48 years since the invasion of the Turkish Army in 1974 and since the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots have been apart when Turkey invaded and occupied one-third of the island. Mayor Yiorkadjis is the son of Polycarpos Yiorkadjis who was a Minister of Interior and Fotini Papadopoulou, a descendant of the Leventis family and foundation which supports educational, cultural, artistic, and philanthropic causes in Cyprus, Greece and elsewhere. His stepfather was Tassos Papadopoulos who served as the 5th President of the Republic of Cyprus. Constantinos Yiorkadjis studied at the University of Boston and before he moved back to Cyprus worked in Greece and Romania. He lives with his family in Nicosia.https://www.nicosia.org.cy/en-GB/home/

Christina talks about many of her travel memories all over the world with friends and later on with her family.She is an amazing organiser whether it's for a family trip to Greece, a huge conference in Cyprus or bringing the President of Rotary International, Ian Riseley to Beirut during her year as the first female District Governor of District 2452 and arranging that the conference is held under the patronage and participation of the President of the Lebanese Republic General Michel Aoun.She is a very dedicated Rotarian ever since she was a young woman, following in the footsteps of her father. She is the founder and President of the first Rotaract Club in Limassol (Amathusia) and a charter member of the Rotary Club Limassol Berengaria Cosmopolitan. Most of all, she is a wonderful travel companion, a friend and when I am at my wit's end, I call Christina. Our kids have grown up together and attended the same school, we have shared many meals which we cooked together and many inspiring and supportive conversations over coffee. I look forward to new adventures and to another interview in 10 years. https://thesoulkit.com/

End of March 1982 I arrived in Cyprus for the first time, and I have been talking in the first episodes of this podcast about how I had no idea where I was going. I very much enjoyed my 6 summers as a holiday Rep and I so appreciated the life here. However, my personal life wasn't working out, and so I left in 1988, not planning to ever come back but as John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans"I came back in 1994, got married in 1995 to my husband Hector, and by 1997, I was the mother of the two most beautiful babies in the world. Even though I loved spending time with them, I needed something to do, and I started importing quality wooden toys from Germany and opened two shops; it wasn't a very successful mission and I gave up after a few years. My most enjoyable appointment was working for the Cyprus Police Association as an interpreter for 17 years, predominantly because I got to travel again and met amazing people all over Europe and beyond. Cyprus has become my home, I became a Cypriot citizen, I speak perfect Greek. Our children are now grown up and live abroad but they love coming back because the island grounds them. I trained as a Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner and I wrote a book called "The Soul Kit - first aid for the soul"I am the Regional Director of the Global Woman Club Cyprus and I love connecting women and networking, I love people. I love my island in the sun as I lovingly call it, I love nature, the sea, the mountains (this winter I did what I had wanted to do for many years, I swam in the sea in the morning and skied in the afternoon). I love the traditions, the cooking, and baking and most of all, I love the community and my beautiful friends. I love this podcast which also celebrated its first birthday. Basically, I love my life.https://thesoulkit.com/

She is a born-and-raised California girl and was Mrs Globe in 1996. Also in 1996 when Albania hosted the Miss Europe contest and she helped presenting it, she decided to visit neighbouring Greece and find her husband's birthfather. Her mission was successful and she's been in love with Greece ever since and spends half of the year there and the other half in California. She organizes "The Divine Conference" every year in Greece. Dr. Tracy is the owner of Mrs. Globe®, the world's largest international beauty event for Misses in the world. Celebrating 20 years of success, the MG brand is licensed in over 70 countries, globally. Dr. Tracy is also the registered brand owner of Mrs. U.S.of A.®, Mrs. North America®, and Mrs. Globe Classic®.She is the founder of The W.I.N. Foundation, a non-profit that specializes in programs of recovery and empowerment. Her life-changing program "Right Living" has been taught to over 60 countries around the globe and translated into 3 languages. Founded in 1996, over 150,000 lives have been helped through the programs of empowerment offered by WIN. In 2010, Dr. Tracy and WIN was commissioned and endorsed by Miller Coors Social Responsibility for her break-out program "Raise Your Standards"; a "drink responsibly / date responsibly" program that was implemented in over 50 universities across the USA. Due to her 20 years of transformational work with women, Dr. Tracy has been recognized by media and world figures, including Hilary Clinton and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Jemima Cooper (Jem) is a former professional classical ballerina turned endurance athlete, psychology grad, entrepreneur, multi-passionate ‘life-go-getter’ business consultant and coach. Jem brings her experiences from the world of sport, peak performance mindset, overcoming severe illness and business to support ambitious entrepreneurs to step up to a higher level of alignment, personal power, autonomy, and ultimately - RESULTS. Her signature program is the MOMENTUM Mastermind - supporting entrepreneurs to scale to 6+ Figures with lifestyle-aligned (overwhelm free!) businesses! Jem currently lives in Mallorca Spain and splits her time between Spain & Switzerland and jet-setting as often as possible!Find out more about Jem @jemcooper on instagramLearn more the Momentum Mastermind at www.momentum-formula.com

She is a multi-award-winning, highly connected journalist with 30 years of experience working with national media and PR.She started her training in a local newspaper before moving up to national newspapers and magazines including The Daily Star and The Daily Express She has worked in television production and post-production such as ITV and Carlton Food Network on programs such as Emmerdale, Heartbeat, and HollyoaksShe is the founder of the award-winning Lifestyle Magazine in Liverpool and Lifestyle magazine in CyprusShe is a regular contributor to radio and television panel discussions on consumer, fashion, lifestyle, and parenting issues ( as a mum of 6)She is the producer of Liverpool Fashion Week and runs shows in Los Angeles and CyprusShe understands the media and is well connected in the media and fashion industry. She is a social media micro-influencer with over 30,500 followers across her platforms, with high engagement levelsShe is a passionate, authentic professional who understands the needs of her clients. She maintains strong relationships with all her clients who return year after year, creating campaigns that make a difference. She makes it personal, your business is her businessPlease subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis

Kicki Pallin is a publisher, author, editor and artist. At Pallin Publishing, she looks for miracles around her every day, and lets them inspire her work, her live and her art. At the Global Woman Club, she is a project manager and helps women turn into bestselling authors, and she is a journalist at the Global Woman Magazine. Her book ”East, the Long-Trunked Elephant” has travelled to all corners of the world, and it is part of her mission to do all she can to make the world a better place for future generations. She wrote the book about East to teach small children that even though we're all different, we can all find self-love, compassion and kindness on this journey called life. Both for ourselves and others. We are more alike than different ... and our perceived weaknesses can turn out to be our greatest gifts. As a host of "Most Memorable Journeys" I was especially interested in Kicki the Regional Manager of Trans World Airlines when she was a young woman and how travelling was different then. Tune in and find out how people were chosen for an upgrade to business class. Kicki is a very warmhearted and caring woman who's dream it is to one day have an orphanage, and we all know that dreams come true when we really believe in them. https://www.pallinpublishing.se/Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis

I met Eden Dema on Facebook and I had never met anyone from Bhutan before. I was immediately intrigued by her posts, talking about nature, culture and cooking and I wanted to find out more. Eden has a Bachelors Degree of Arts (Economics and Mathematics) and she did a Masters Degree in Economics in Paris and she loves France. Through her work for the Central Bank of Bhutan she got to travel the world and told me about her favorite places and how my home country Switzerland made her feel a little bit like her home country Bhutan. We also talked about how her dad saved money all year to take the family on a yearly holiday to India. Eden and her family love cooking, local and international dishes and once more I realise that no matter where we come from, we have so many things in common. Bhutan is a fascinating country in the Himalayas and according to the latest report from the World Population Survey on the happiest countries in the world. Tune in and find out.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis

Miranda Tringis is a Dutch-born entrepreneur and herbalist, living in Cyprus for 30 years now. She studied Traditional Western Herbalism and French Aromatherapy. Miranda and her husband Adamos are the founders of Cyherbia Botanical Park in Cyprus, where visitors can learn about the herbs of Cyprus in 9 themed herb gardens, witness the extraction of essential oil in the distillation room and go on a green adventure in the maze and woodland walk around Cyprus. In the woodland, there is a fairy village to discover, and a witch’s cottage where the door to childhood imagination is opened once again.The Cyherbia project started out as a wild dream, turning a barren field into a green oasis where many bird species find refuge. The park opened in 2012 and has been growing ever since. Miranda is a regular guest on Cyprus TV shows, where she shares her herbal knowledge with the public. She teaches seminars and workshops at the park and at conferences and leads a research program at a local university. She has created educational programs for schools through which children learn in a playful way about the benefits of local plants and how to nurture and care for the natural world. Miranda has created a large variety of organic herbal products at Cyherbia, ranging from tea blends to essential oils, tinctures, and cosmetics, available at the botanical park and online. Cyherbia now employs 8 staff and has won several business and environmental awards. https://www.cyherbia.com/

In August 1994, we had driven our green Range Rover from England via Switzerland to Cyprus and I had moved in permanently with my then-not-yet husband. I started working as a Sales Executive at the Sheraton Hotel in Limassol and luckily also got to do a little traveling for this job which otherwise I didn't like and decided to give up after not even a year. I was 35 years old and partly ready to settle down and on the other side terrified to commit to anything "forever" because I hadn't lived anywhere for more than 2 years in one stretch since I had left home at the age of 18.I needed a little time to think and decided to get in touch with the tour operator which I had worked for and asked to be assigned to a round trip in the US and was offered a tour that started in Boston and ended in Toronto. Little did I know that I was already pregnant when I left Cyprus.My then not yet husband joined me at the end of the round trip in Toronto and I broke the news to him on the 34th floor in a downtown Sheraton. He nearly fainted but got used to the thought after spending some time in New York and Boston before we both went back to Cyprus.Long story short, two years later, me, the globetrotting party girl was a mother of two babies.... tune in and smile. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisIf you want to support me, buy one of my products, here's the website: https://thesoulkit.com/shop-now/

Dr Anna Grichting is a Swiss architect, urbanist and musician who’s spent her career using arts and design to create a more beautiful, biodiverse and sustainable world, through co-creative, interdisciplinary and holistic approaches to design projects - especially at the city level.Dr Anna has lived, practiced and studied in England, Ireland, Switzerland, the USA, and the Gulf region, and conducted research in Cyprus, Korea, Berlin and Qatar. She is interested in holistic and systems approaches to Design and her academic experience includes teaching at the Universities of Geneva, Harvard and Qatar, developing an Education Initiative for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and teaching the Balkans Peace Parks Academic Expedition Summer Course. She’s also an accomplished jazz singer and recording artist who has worked with musicians all over the world, incorporating different spiritual traditions. During lockdown, she entertained her neighbours with her songs from the balcony.https://www.annagrichting.com/

Vakis Papanastassiou graduated from the University of Manchester and obtained the title of a special Neurosurgeon from Oxford University / Royal College of Surgeons. He's also a part-time clinical professor at the University of Nicosia but I was less interested in Vakis the doctor but much more in Vakis the multifaceted human. He was bitten by the travel bug as a young boy when his family loaded their car on a ferry to Greece and took him on road trips through Greece and Italy and ex Yugoslavia. I was fascinated by the fact that he has visited both the Arctic and Antarctic and during the interview I also found out that he climbed Kilimanjaro.He loves watching nature and taking photographs and has published a book called "The birds of Evretou Dam" and talks about what nature can teach us about life. Prof Papanastassiou isn't only a brilliant neurosurgeon but a man with a wonderful worldview and a love for nature, food, and wine.

I was immediately impressed by Adamos' personality, a gentleman and true aviator of the highest class. I met him to talk about the last landing at Nicosia Airport but then I got so much more than I had hoped for. He was born to a family of 8 children and told me that his dream was from a very young age to become a pilot because he was fascinated by anything that flies. He talks about how he got to England to learn how to fly and how he found work as a pilot and how he ended becoming chief pilot at Cyprus Airways.On July 15,1974, a military coup took place in Cyprus instigated by the junta in Athens, giving Turkey the pretext to invade five days later.The plotters overthrew the President of the Republic of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios and installed a “marionette” government under journalist Nikos Samson.Their aim was to unify the island with Greece, the Union being a nationalist ideal for some Greeks and Cypriots as well. Five days later, the Turkish army invaded Cyprus and their occupying forces remain on the northern part of the island to this day.Adamos' story did not finish at the airport during that morning of July 20th 1974. He was also very lucky to survive the next couple of days and then continued working out of Larnaca airport which was hastily developed towards the end of 1974 after Nicosia was forced to close and opened in February 1975.He ended his fascinating aviation career as the personal pilot to HM The Sultan of Brunei and is now retired.

Ever since their adventures have been broadcasted on Swiss Television SRF DOK, Markus and Sabrina Blum are well known throughout Switzerland.In this podcast, Markus Blum talks with pleasure and much enthusiasm about their impressive adventures in the wilderness of Canada and the Outback of Australia but also about how it all began and how he met Sabrina in Australia. Which real outdoor fan does not dream of the legendary wilderness of Canada! Sabrina and Markus Blum have fulfilled this dream. Inspired by the world bestseller “The Snow Child” by the adventurer Nicolas Vanier, the Swiss family goes on a great journey and follows the traces of the snow child to his homeland.On a farm they learn the vital handling of riding- and pack horses. Together with their 18-month-old daughter and five newly purchased horses, they ride through the magnificent mountain world of British Columbia, without meeting a single person. Despite the heavily loaded horses and the food they carry, the family is dependent on feeding on nature. Their food often consists of what they have caught or hunted: Fish, grouse and ptarmigan.On their way they experience countless adventures until they finally find the dreamlike little log cabin at Lake Thukada. In recent years, the family has lived not only in summer and autumn, but also in deep winter and high-risk spring in the Cassiar Mountains of western Canada, and also spent many months in the log cabin at Lake Thukada.After their trips to Canada, Markus and Sabrina Blum wanted to set off for another horse adventure with their two daughters. But a new idea had to be born when their youngest daughter suddenly got a horse allergy. Their new plan: Crossing the Australian Outback with camels and a wagon. Six months of preparation on site and a three-month trip through impressive desert landscapes follow.In November 2016, the Blum family leaves for Australia. While the children Amira and Naira go to school in the small South Australian village of Hawker, Sabrina and Markus start training untamed camels coming directly from the desert. Dealing with the still wild, stubborn animals and temperatures up to 50° Celsius demanded everything from them. After six months of hard work, great persistence and many setbacks,Markus and Sabrina harness the camels in front of the wagon they have built especially for this purpose and travel with their children through the impressive desert areas of Australia for three months. On this journey they trust in themselves and in the reliability of the animals, far away from the rhythm of everyday life.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis

I had tried to live a "normal" life back in my home country Switzerland after 11 years of living and working all over the world but somehow I realised that I wasn't cut out for "normal". In August 1994, I decided to take a leap of faith and move to Cyprus where I had lived and worked 6 summers as a tour guide but this time, I was moving there to stay, forever as they say. We had decided with Hector, my husband to be to give it a shot and move in together after we had known each other for 10 years but never actually lived together.I decided to exchange my bright red sexy sports car with a boring green Range Rover and it had to be bought in England because we were going to drive it to Cyprus where they also drive on the "wrong side of the road" or the left hand side. In this episode I am talking about how we drove from England to Switzerland, filled the Range Rover to the brim with my belongings and went on through Italy, via ferry to Patras in Greece, across the Peloponnese Peninsula to Piraeus and on another ferry to Limassol, Cyprus where I have been living happily ever after since then. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis

Dominick Domasky is an inspirational author, storyteller and founder of the inspiration sharing and publishing platform Motivation Champs. Dominick is the author of the inspirational books, The Journey of a Grunt, How to Write a Book in 2020, and creator and co-author of the hit book GoAsk Your Dad. His greatest accomplishments are his two children, and he aspires to be the best husband father he can be. Dominick and MotivationChamps share inspiration, smiles, and positivity 24/7 and help others do the same. This mission is accomplished through publishing, screenwriting, a large social media footprint, in person events and work with nonprofits.My Name is Sharon, the newest book by Dominick chronicles the pain a family feels when their mother's advanced memory loss collides with a global pandemic. This timeless love story attempts to put a face on Alzheimer's Disease and explain the grief and guilt felt by the familiesquietly mourning the loss of the living. The loss of a loved one is never easy; however, we attempt to find comfort in the special memories we shared together. My Name Is Sharon is a journey through a collection of precious family memories. We uncover the deep bond between mother and son and learn Sharon will be remembered as far more than a victim of disease.Dominick’s inspirational book The Journey of a Grunt was not written from a pedestal, but from the trenches of digging ditches, picking up cigarette butts and overcoming countless failures. The Journey of a Grunt is a positive, humorous story that takes us from adolescence to adulthoodand tackles life’s teaching moments along the way. This book look is a pop culture, modern-day look into the meaning behind each job, task, and chore. Its pages will make you laugh, smile, reflect, and most of all inspire.Go Ask Your Dad was conceived by Dominick be a tool for fathers and caregivers to refer to in times of triumph or turbulence. Domasky admits he is not a perfect father; so, he enlisted the help of twenty-one passionate fathers from across the globe to answer the questions offatherhood. The dads who co-author Go Ask Your Dad are from different faiths, cultures, and upbringings and come together to create a tool that will help today’s father succeed in an ever-changing world. Today’s fathers must be prepared to navigate the subjects of broken homes, teenpregnancy, social media updates, and drug addiction, but be strong enough to understand that true fatherhood is all about unconditional love and raising your children to be the best that they can be.Mr. Domasky is not a gold medalist or business titan, and he’ll be the first to admit he’s just a guy who has failed, been benched, suffered setbacks, lawsuits, punches to the face, and got up and brushed himself off. Dominick has no ill will of the past but looks back and finds humor andstrength. As the old saying goes, “That which does not kill us only makes us stronger!”Dominick can be contacted for events, speaking engagements, or publishing opportunities at www.motivationchamps.com He can be found daily at Motivation Champs across most social media platforms sharing smiles, positivity and messages of inspiration.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis

It's been a fascinating year and we all had to deal with challenges which we never thought we would face. Covid crossed many plans and drove us up the wall. When I couldn't travel anymore the way I was used to, I felt like I was missing a limb but then I decided that if I cannot travel anymore, at least, I can talk about it, and so I started this podcast. Despite everything, I managed to leave Cyprus four times and loved every minute of my travel as usual. Let's have a look at the past year together, yours and mine. Let's start dreaming again and be hopeful for 2022. I want to thank you for subscribing and listening to my episodes, for your contributions and for your love and I want to wish you and your loved ones a very happy new year. Always believe that everything is happening for your highest good, may your heart be filled with happiness.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis

My first Australian podcast guest...The ethical entrepreneur and creative powerhouse Tamara Loehr has spent her life making disruptive change for good by ‘doing the opposite’. Now she’s encouraging other women to leverage their personal power for global impact.She is the Co-Founder of the House of Beusail brands which is a range of Beauty and Wellness brands that are 100% vegan, female founded, cruelty free, sustainable, indie, made in non-polluting countries and gives back and committed to zero waste. She is also the author of the book "Balance is BS"! A handbook that will change the 42%+ of women who are now the breadwinners. We know “balance” doesn’t work. Tamara has figured out a solution after 20+ years as a global entrepreneur. A new way to approach your busy work and life.How to ditch expectations, uphold your values and embrace a work-life blend.https://www.loehrblend.com/

She is the founder and CEO of the Global Woman Club and with her background in media and psychology, she helps women go global. She has shared the stage with Grant Cardone, Gary V, Robert Kiyosaki, Kim Kiyosaki, Les Brown, Jack Canfield etc. and she shares her experience and helps female entrepreneurs start their business, leverage it, scale it and take it global.She has come a long way and her story is very inspiring. From a small village in Albania where before 1991 not even dreaming of having a career abroad was allowed, she made it the hard way but with lots of determination. The motto is: If you want to empower a women, give her a microphone and thousands of women in the world have had the opportunity to hold this microphone thanks to her. Improving public speaking skills is a huge boost for the self esteem and getting the opportunity to speak at an even like The Global Woman Summit is a very empowering experience. She is also the CEO and editor in chief of the Global Woman Magazine and helps people share their stories by contributing to the magazine. I am proud to be the Regional director of the Global Woman Club Cyprus and New York where I have the opportunity to help business women and female entrepreneur grow and get more exposure because as Mirela says: "If you are amazing but don't tell anyone about it, you are just a hidden talent."www.globalwomanclub.comwww.globalwomanmagazine.comwww.globalwomansummit.comwww.globalwomanacademy.comPlease subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis