We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maiah Hollander a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Maiah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

This is actually a blog post I have written that I think covers this topic well! The link for it is here: https://www.doucoaching.com/how-dou-do/the-big-decision

My decision to finally move abroad was born from a panic attack in a parking garage. But let’s back up a bit. This story is a bit longer than that and needs a little context.

I always dreamed big as a kid. And incredibly detailed if I do say so myself. I wasn’t just going to move abroad, oh no. I was going to be a world-renown journalist, writing for the Rolling Stone, living in a loft in London. I was ten.

I kept that dream alive for years, even going so far as to get my bachelor’s degree in journalism. And while I was able to achieve that first part of my original goal, I could not get the “abroad” part to take off no matter what I tried.

At first, I was going to apply to colleges abroad. I researched a few and narrowed down my choices, but others told me I had never lived away from home. Maybe start smaller and move to another state. I did just that.

I applied to my department study abroad opportunity. I was not selected.

My family moved abroad, taking my youngest brother with them. I was a sophomore in college in Seattle.

I got an internship and was working two jobs, so I decided to apply to be an au pair in France. I had a family that was interested, only to be offered a full-time job from the internship. I took the job.

My career was taking off, and I applied to jobs across Europe. No one even replied to my applications.

I saw so many people on social media who were sharing their adventures online. I had friends who had gone on month-long trips across the globe. Friends who took gap years to travel before getting a job. I was so incredibly jealous, and angry at what I thought was my own failure. I had regrets.

Why didn’t I try harder to study abroad? Or heck, why didn’t I just apply to a school in Europe for kicks? Why did I take the marketing job instead of waiting to be accepted as an au pair?

All these whys were crushing me.

It wasn’t until I had reached a real breaking point in my job that I sat with these whys. Really took a moment to figure out where I stood after all the disappointment. After sitting in my car, staring at the concrete walls of the parking garage, working on my breathing, I came to a cold conclusion. If I don’t make the decision to truly make this happen, I will never achieve my dream. And to me? That was simply unacceptable. I would not be the reason that ten-year old version of myself cried.

As I drove home that evening, I called my mom to ask what she thought of the whole thing. She knew how badly I wanted this, and having another voice encouraging me always made me push that much harder. She mentioned people getting Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification in order to move abroad. I signed up that same night.

I worked hard, getting my schoolwork done in the evenings and weekends while keeping my head above water at work. Finally, I completed the program and got my certificate, in March 2020. Right as COVID was rearing its ugly head.

At this point, it felt like a higher power was constantly shutting me down after I was trying so hard to see the world. How many times had I tried to make this happen? How many different ways had I approached this? Why was it so hard?

It came down to a serious choice to make. Do I give up on this thing, continue to build my career, and be satisfied with my yearly trips abroad? I had changed jobs, was making good money, and I had established myself comfortably in Seattle. But I thought back to that day sitting in my car, staring at the concrete, completely fed up and wanting so bad to see a change.

I’ve been told over the years that I have this “watch this” mentality when someone tells me no, or when I am told I can’t do something. A more spiteful version of “hold my beer” if you will.

I started looking into the countries I wanted to teach in. It was hard when every new iteration of COVID seemed to block my efforts, but I didn’t stop looking. I reached out to recruiters and researched the lives of teachers in these countries.

When Covid restrictions finally relaxed, I was accepted to teach in Taiwan. In April 2022, I left my corporate job, packed up my life, and started on my adventure as an expat.

Since then, I’ve traveled the world and realized the dream of that ten-year-old girl.

Now, I’m always the one friends and family have turned to when asking for travel advice, or a walkthrough of how I did things on my travels. Some have even talked to me about their own “parking garage moments” and wanted to hear how I had made my jump abroad. These moments and people have inspired me to assist others with similar ambitions and help fellow wanderlust enthusiasts achieve their expat dreams.

To bring this inspiration to life, I founded DoU Coaching. It seemed like the perfect way to share my expertise and support others. This practice is dedicated to guiding future expats in building their lives abroad with confidence and excitement. I’m here to support others in taking on their dreams and starting their own adventures!

Maiah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started dreaming about living abroad at the age of ten. I was convinced I would live in a loft in London writing for Rolling Stone.

That particular version of expatdom didn’t happen, and honestly, my journey would take many more years before it was realized. Despite my enthusiastic attempts—college searches, au pair interviews—my dream of living abroad always seemed out of reach. My family at this point had moved to Switzerland on an executive assignment, all while I was in college in the U.S. Each time, circumstances derailed my plans, leaving me feeling trapped despite eventually developing a successful corporate career.

Even though I traveled abroad every year, it never quite fulfilled that desire for more. As years passed, I realized that if I didn’t act now, I might never achieve my dream. This simple yet profound realization spurred me to finally commit to the pursuit of living abroad.

I planned carefully over the next three years, saving money and working on my Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification after my day job. Just as I began making real progress, COVID-19 struck, threatening to derail my plans once again. At this point, I was wondering if I was ever going to reach my goal of living abroad. But, I kept at it and, after Covid restrictions finally loosened, was accepted to teach in Taiwan. In April 2022, I left my corporate job, packed up my life, and started on my adventure as an expat.

Since then, I’ve traveled the world and realized the dream of that ten-year-old girl.

Now, I’m always the one friends, and family have turned to when asking for travel advice, or a walkthrough of how I did things on my travels. This in turn has inspired me to assist others with similar ambitions and help fellow wanderlust enthusiasts achieve their expat dreams. To bring this inspiration to life, I founded DoU Coaching. It seemed like the perfect way to share my expertise and support others. This practice is dedicated to guiding future expats in building their lives abroad with confidence and excitement. I’m here to support others in embarking on their thrilling new adventures!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I wasn’t really interested in Spain when I was initially looking to move abroad. I knew I wanted to teach in Asia. But this was in the middle of the pandemic. I had officially gotten my TEFL certification in March 2020, which of course meant that I couldn’t go anywhere. As the time went on, I was waiting for Taiwan to open its borders, but they had enacted one of the strictest lockdowns at the start of the pandemic so I wasn’t sure if they were going to open their borders in one month, in one year, or who knows when. Rather than wait and twiddle, my thumbs, I decided to look at other programs that were available, and the countries had opened their borders. By that time, Spain was a viable option. I had put in my application to teach, and miraculously one month later, Taiwan opened its borders. I asked the program in Spain if I could defer for one year and teach in Taiwan first. They told me yes, and I got to have my one year in Taiwan. I am now in my second school year in Spain, and I’m finding that I really miss Asia in general. Even though my Spanish has improved a lot, and I’ve made some great friends here in Spain, I am working to go back to Asia this next year.

I am constantly looking for opportunities, and if one option is close to me, I am all too happy to pivot and find another way to get to where I want to go.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I would say that there was a lot of Silience necessary prior to me moving abroad. But I feel like I speak to that in a lot of situations. What I would love to share is the resilience I’ve developed as an expert already abroad.

One thing that people need to realize when they travel out into the world is that you are going to be wrong. This can be a Cultural faux pas, Language misuse, or even something bigger, But it is going to happen. What people need to realize is this isn’t something to necessarily be afraid of. These mishaps and upsets our opportunities to learn if you take the time to do so. Several times I’ve made mistakes when it comes to language. I’ve made assumptions and have been corrected. But rather than double down and insist, I’m correct, or maybe let those situations get me down on myself, they have given me the opportunity to look at things a new way. And I like to think I now I’m able to do that first, rather than jump to conclusions or assumptions. Now, of course, I’m not perfect, but that resilience has allowed me to become a better person I think.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.doucoaching.com/
• Instagram: @doucoaching
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maiahhollander
• Other: Blog: https://www.doucoaching.com/how-dou-do

  Travel Album: https://www.doucoaching.com/dou-travel-album