A Look back at 2025: Reflecting on What We've Built at House of Peregrine
House Of Peregrine (01:03)
Hey everyone, it's Mickelle founder of the House of Peregrine. And as we close out 2025, I wanted to take a moment to sit with you and reflect on what we've been building together this year at House of Peregrine.
Everything we're building here, this community, these tools, these conversations, they didn't emerge from some strategy. They came from late night messages asking, does everyone feel this way? And does everyone see the need for us to be connected? They came from vibe coding sessions where we literally built software with you guys side by side and brought some of your big ideas to life. They came from boat rides to lighthouse islands and farm tables under December skies where strangers became friends who really get it. So let me take you through what we've created this year.
Not as a highlight reel, but as a love letter to this life we all adore and we're all navigating at the same time. The one that's beautiful and complicated and doesn't quite fit into anyone's boxes, but it does our own and we all get that. Let me start with the podcast because honestly, some of these conversations have blown me away. I'm so excited that we got to bring you this season and also I'm excited for next. This time we sat down with Jessica Stahl of Vanillacooldance who moved to Amsterdam after a breakup with nothing but a backpack and a bold question.
What do I actually want? Which I think all of us can kind of relate to. Her daily drawings, which I love on her Instagram account, turned personal shame into a global conversation. And so I really, really encourage you to check that one out if you are maybe trying to find your purpose in life. Then there was Amanda McRae, a somatic coach, who reminded us that our bodies hold the totality of our experience. And that really is amplified when we live abroad because our bodies really do have to land in the place that we've come. She said something that really struck me.
Symptoms and sensations are messages offering wisdom long before illness or burnout arrive. For those of us who live abroad, we get this. We're doing a lot more and actually building a life from scratch takes a lot of passion and endurance, but also we have to stop and make sure we know where we're at in time and space. And so her lessons in that podcast were really essential. And so I really encourage you to check that one out if you haven't already.
We also talked about how to take care of our money abroad with Sophie, a financial advisor managing over 40 million euros for international clients. She's from the UK, but is living in Barcelona. Her philosophy is design your money around the life you're building, not the other way around. She calls it now and later, enjoying the life you're creating while protecting the future you. I really love this because when we live abroad, it just really feels like you have to choose.
I don't really like that because it leaves us vulnerable and feeling maybe hopeless or like we're behind in life. And so I really love that she is an expert on people who want to live a life abroad permanently or semi permanently. And she really gives you the strategies to build something for the future while also enjoying the life you've built. Really it takes an expert like her to navigate across many jurisdictions as so many of us are. And so check that one out if you're wondering about that and you're feeling like you need to get on top of that.
We also had one of the hardest conversations we've had on the podcast, which was all about divorce abroad. We had this with international divorce lawyer Magali, and she walked us through what happens when relationships end while you're living abroad and gave us some really good things and tips to think about before we file for divorce in another country. This is if you are considering yourself or if your partner is no longer wanting to be in the relationship. Also, it's incredible wisdom if you are already happily married or considering living abroad because relationships
take, we know it's a huge strain on relationships. The divorce rate is astronomical. And so she gives us some really good advice, even if you are happily married, of things to discuss and things that you might, agreements you might want to put in place with your partner even before you leave the country, ⁓ which we also made a guide about this because it's so important just because you don't need more on your plate if you are living abroad. And divorce is one of the hardest things you can face, even if you aren't living in another country.
And her episode just really gives us some really good things to consider, really sage advice, and also her question, what do want your life to look like in three years? It really helped me to ground into the reasons you might want to get divorced or not, and also just navigate the process mindfully.
So all these conversations, really helped us navigate the inner journey of some of the things we might be navigating while we're living abroad. I really don't like to focus on logistics, but I really like to focus on the becoming that's happening when you live abroad because really some inner things are happening, especially if you're a parent or you're a couple or even if you're single, you really are navigating this inner journey that I really love to talk about, love to bring to you and love to bring people around because
Otherwise it can feel lonely and like maybe you're doing something wrong, which is untrue. You're just going through a lot of big transitions. So in that vein, I'm happy to announce we've launched our first column from Nina Aziz Justin. Nina is the author of The Home Within, a bestselling memoir about self belonging across cultures and change.
Her life spans five countries and more than 40 cultures. She weaves Eastern philosophy, neuroscience and human storytelling into her work that explores migration, identity, motherhood and the quiet architecture of belonging. Her first piece for us is called, Make the Holidays Your Own, Holiday Traditions Reimagined Abroad. It's exactly what you might need right now. And she wrote it because the people in our community, even if they've lived abroad a month or 10 years,
We're always navigating and trying to create meaning in the holidays wherever we're from. This is a universal thing that all of us are going through. And we really often want to honor where we're from without pretending like we have not changed and also incorporating those local traditions. But it can just be so much to be flying the plane while you're creating, if you will. And also making sure to take time to enjoy whether you're traveling to family or you're staying put.
These are important things to consider because change is the only constant in this life abroad. And you may have changed drastically or you may have changed a little bit. And this reflection that she gives us is really, really, it asks us to look inward, to confront the distance between what we remember the holidays being and what's really going on. And I just really think you'll enjoy that one. She will have a monthly column with us for the next year. And so please check it out. She's a beautiful writer and I'm excited to have her on.
If you think you want to write your own article, I would love to hear from you. You can reach out at hello @ house of Peregrine.com. If you think you might want your own column or if you think you have a unique take on something we are collectively experiencing as Peregrines. I'm really excited to have this ability for business members to be able to write their own columns and become part of our network. So the next thing I want to talk to you about is in January, we launched something new.
We have Vibe Coding sessions, if you're a member with us. These aren't meetups, they're co-creation sessions where you bring your big idea and we help you to build the technology behind it. So we don't just build it for you, we help you to build it even if you don't have a tech background. So that's why we call it Vibe Coding. And this can be a product that you want to do on your own or it could be something if we want it on the House of Peregrine Network that we help you to develop further. So if you have a big idea that you want to develop,
and you think it might be good to test it on the international community or might be beneficial to the international community, please join the business membership and come to our vibe coding sessions. They are incredible. You can sit down with our CTO and he helps you really get set up. And then if it fits in our network, we can also test it there. From those sessions, we launched our first product this year called
Meridian
Meridian is our first product in the House of Peregrine Product Studio and it's an astro cartography app that helps you understand your compatibility with place based on your birth chart. And this can be for yourself, for your partner, for friends, or for your family. So your profile can include all of those and consider all of those things. So if you're trying to figure out where to move next, planning a solo trip or a family travel, Meridian helps you align your journey with your energy and what you want to experience, whether that's love, money, spontaneity, what you're trying to build in your life right now.
And so it gives you some good options along that would be really good for the group or for yourself or what you're trying to bring in right now. Seeing that come to life in our vibe coding session has been a lot of fun and it's also free for House of Peregrine members. So with your membership, you get free access to the Meridian app to be able to start planning your travel. So we're always trying to add things for you in the House of Peregrine membership to basically make your membership free.
That's our goal is that you will have so many things going on in there that it's basically free for you. So check that out.
I also want to share with you that we launched the House of Peregrine Marketplace this month. It's not just another marketplace, it's a collection of items that I love for myself and have found throughout the years that are really helpful. It is one of a kind pieces, vintage finds, things that I've created sometimes or creators in our ecosystem. There's art, books, essentials for living the good life, everything I've selected I would gift to people myself.
And we have things like the necklace that I gave my sister. So this is a necklace that's a Hekmer diamond. It's a crystal that keeps people connected throughout space and time. And so when I went to visit her this summer, I gave one to her because they're supposed to keep people in each other's orbit. And I really love the symbolism of that. I also imagined in my mind that if someone were telling their loved ones they're leaving, their mother, their best friend, it's like a best friend necklace that you can give that's a very adult. They're beautiful.
And I really think that because living abroad is an entire life stage, we need different products, gifts and services, wisdom. And so the marketplace allows us to create those products for you. So if you like that idea, check it out. There's jewelry, different keepsakes for living abroad. I always thought if I had one, I would have given it to my mom as an I'm sorry gift for leaving the country. But everyone has their own experience. We also have some stones.
like a little pack that helps you to go home and repair relationships or make them better. So really being supportive of this with little things that you can take on your journey with you. Also, if you're a business member, you can apply to be in our marketplace to sell your stuff. And this, think, is a really part of our ecosystem that really brings to life the business membership and this idea that we don't have to build our own audience all the time. We can rely on each other and be part of this international life we're living abroad.
Then there are moments we gathered in person. did two big events this year along with ⁓ in the app we always have what's going on in the city so that you always have something to do. But for members we did two things. We went to Fire Tower Island which is a remote lighthouse in one of the Netherlands most exclusive dining experiences. The island operates completely without electricity or running water and it's made from a five course meal that's prepared over the open fire.
It's in a greenhouse, it's gorgeous. ⁓ And 12 of us did it together and it was amazing. It's like a spa for dinner. And you go on this boat, it's really, really fun. This month we're closing out the year with another farm to table dinner, this time with a culinary anthropologist, Tessa Bransma from the Brothel headquarters. So four courses, a probiotic cocktail bar and a tour through their kitchen, table full of stories and connections with the people who make our food.
We really focus on not making things just meetups. So they're rituals. So we have these rituals together every year. And they're kind of our antidote to feeling that impermanence that can kind of creep in when you're living abroad and make you feel, I don't know, a little lonely. So we have our own rituals that we do together. And we've also grown to 200 members this year, 200 people who understand what you're going through from around the world. I love that everyone has more in common with
these people than they do maybe with the people they grew up with. And this idea of just saying me too, when you think about why you moved or what you're experiencing is magic. But also we're giving you some of the most exclusive experiences in the city. So that is what we hope to bring to you even more in 2026. And in 2026, we're reimagining our business memberships. Business members will soon have their own space for their profile.
their own community and community tools to host your own community within the House of Peregrine Network. You'll also have a Hoplink account even if you have a free account. So it's basically a link in bio where you can put everything you're up to without needing to have a website. So if you have your own website, you can link it there, but that can serve as your new link in bio on all socials when we give that to you free as a House of Peregrine member.
If you attend our content shoots, you can get a free professional headshot still and a shout out to your business. If it aligns, we can do a collab post if you're a business member. But here's the bigger version. We have realized we're becoming a community of communities. And what does that mean? It means that you can start your own community or bring your own community. And we collaborate with each other. We invite each other to our events. We curate media and create products together from our network.
From there, you can apply to be on the podcast, have your products in our marketplace and get featured on our social channels, all while using fewer tools and reaching more people at once. So we're building the infrastructure that lets you support yourself and your community. Instead of competing for attention, we are collaborating because
At House of Paragraph, we believe there's an entire network of people who are disconnected right now, and we are trying to connect them so that we reinventing the wheel every time. So we know the bureaucracy, the loneliness, the complexity of taxes and visas and belonging. They're all lighter when we do it together. So this week, we are wrapping everything up for 2025. And as I mentioned in my newsletter, I'm navigating missing family, just like you might be.
And also I want to wish you good luck if you're traveling and chasing those moments that matter. I want to thank you all. I want to tell you I'm so excited for 2026 and I'm taking a break for the next few weeks. So I want to thank you though for coming to our vibe coding sessions, coming to our farm to table dinners and listening to our podcast conversations or being on the podcast. I've loved having you this year. Thank you for sharing your stories, your vulnerabilities, your wins.
your dreams and your expertise. This vision for international life doesn't have to mean isolation and we are all looking for thriving, not just surviving and maybe even giving some shortcuts here and there. We have built a lot this year and I am really looking forward to rolling out everything next year that we have, including a new season with bigger guests that have more wisdom to share about living abroad, their own stories.
their own tips and tricks and also just really great stories that will make you feel like you've just heard your own story. I want to wish you safe travels and until next year, please subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already, leave us a review or a some stars. Everything helps us and also join our email list. It is the best way to stay connected even if you don't live in Amsterdam.
It's houseofperegrine.com slash subscribe and that will give you access to everything we're doing. We never spam you, but those are two free ways you can be involved with House of Peregrine. If you're thinking of moving abroad, if you used to live abroad, or if you're currently living abroad, you will feel at home with us. Also houseofperegrine.com and you can download the House of Peregrine app. All of those are ways you can connect with us. If you want to write for us, if you have a product idea,
please reach out at hello @ houseofperegrine.com We always want to hear from you. And other than that, I will wish you a happy end of the year. And I look forward to what we have in store for you in 2026.