Living in English on the French Riviera: Mystical Experience and Career Limitations - Kirsti Formoso

Living in English on the French Riviera can feel easy, especially in a region where so many people speak your language.

But what does that ease really cost when it comes to building a career?

In this episode of Living the Dream, Cecile Liconnet explores the professional journey of Kirsti Formoso, whose path has evolved from yoga and massage therapy to a deeper, more complex field shaped by mystical experience and spiritual psychology.

After relocating to the Côte d’Azur from the international yachting world, Kirsti built a life without speaking French. Like many expats, she was able to get by, working with an English-speaking clientele and navigating daily life with relative ease.

But over time, that reality quietly limited her opportunities.

From setting up multiple businesses in France, to navigating administration without the language, to repeatedly reinventing her work in response to both personal evolution and external changes—including the rise of AI—this is an honest look at what it really takes to create a sustainable professional life abroad.

As her work deepened into the exploration of mystical experience, her career became more aligned, but also more niche, raising new challenges around visibility, credibility, and finding clients in a foreign country.

This conversation explores the intersection of:

• women, work and relocation

• language as both a support and a limitation

• building a niche career on the French Riviera

• and the reality behind a life that can look idyllic from the outside

This is the full-length episode. If you would like to listen to a condensed 28-minute version, it is available on Living the Dream – Radio Edition. 🎙️ Living the Dream: Women, Work & Relocation on the French Riviera Real stories of women building meaningful, sustainable lives in the South of France. https://livingthedreampodcast.com