A Look back at 2025: Reflecting on What We've Built at House of Peregrine

As we wrap up 2025, I wanted to take a moment to sit with you and reflect on everything we've built together this year at House of Peregrine. Not as a highlight reel of accomplishments, but as a love letter to this beautiful, complicated life we're all navigating abroad—the one that doesn't quite fit into anyone's boxes, but fits perfectly into our own.

Everything we've created here didn't emerge from some carefully crafted strategy. It came from late-night messages asking, "does everyone feel this way?" It came from vibe coding sessions where we literally built software side by side, bringing your big ideas to life. It came from boat rides to lighthouse islands and farm tables under December skies where strangers became friends who really get it.

The Conversations That Changed Us

This season of the podcast has blown me away. We've had conversations that go beyond logistics and dive deep into the inner journey of living abroad—the becoming that happens when you choose this life.

Finding Purpose After a Breakup

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? Her daily drawings turned personal shame into a global conversation, and her story is one I think we can all relate to. If you're trying to find your purpose in life, this episode is essential listening.

Somatic Wisdom for Landing in New Places

Amanda McRae, a somatic coach, reminded us that our bodies hold the totality of our experience—and that's amplified when we live abroad because our bodies really do have to land in the place we've come to. She said something that struck me deeply: "Symptoms and sensations are messages offering wisdom long before illness or burnout arrive."

For those of us building a life from scratch abroad, we're doing a lot more than most people realize. We need passion and endurance, yes, but we also have to stop and make sure we know where we're at in time and space. Her lessons are essential for anyone feeling the weight of this life.

Managing Money Across Borders

We also talked about taking care of our money abroad with Sophie, a financial advisor managing over 40 million euros for international clients. Her philosophy? 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 love this because when we live abroad, it can feel like you have to choose between living well now or securing your future. Sophie is an expert on people who want to live abroad permanently or semi-permanently, and she gives you the strategies to build something for the future while also enjoying the life you've built. It takes an expert like her to navigate across many jurisdictions, which so many of us are doing.

One of the hardest conversations we've had on the podcast was about divorce abroad with international lawyer Magali. She walked us through what happens when relationships end while you're living abroad and gave us essential things to consider before filing for divorce in another country.

But here's what's important: this episode contains incredible wisdom even if you're happily married or just considering living abroad. We know the divorce rate among expats is astronomical—relationships take a huge strain when you're navigating this life. Magali gives sage advice on things to discuss and agreements you might want to put in place with your partner even before you leave the country. Her question, "What do you want your life to look like in three years?" really helps you ground into your reasons and navigate the process mindfully.

We even made a guide about this because it's so important. You don't need more on your plate if you're living abroad, and divorce is one of the hardest things you can face anywhere.

Introducing Our First Columnist

All these conversations have helped us navigate the inner journey of what we might be experiencing while living abroad. I really don't like to focus only on logistics—I like to focus on the becoming that's happening when you live abroad. Because some real inner work is happening, whether you're a parent, a couple, or single. You're navigating this inner journey, and otherwise it can feel lonely, like maybe you're doing something wrong. Which is untrue. You're just going through a lot of big transitions.

In that vein, I'm thrilled 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 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. She wrote it because people in our community—whether they've lived abroad a month or 10 years—are always navigating and trying to create meaning in the holidays wherever we're from. This is a universal thing we're all going through.

We often want to honor where we're from without pretending we haven't changed, while also incorporating local traditions. But it can be so much—flying the plane while you're building it, if you will—while also making sure to take time to enjoy, whether you're traveling to family or staying put.

Change is the only constant in this life abroad. You may have changed drastically or just a little bit. Nina's reflection asks us to look inward, to confront the distance between what we remember the holidays being and what's really going on. She's a beautiful writer, and she'll have a monthly column with us for the next year.

If you think you want to write your own article, I'd love to hear from you. Reach out at hello@houseofperegrine.com if you think you might want your own column or if you have a unique take on something we're collectively experiencing as Peregrines.

Building Together: Vibe Coding Sessions

In January, we launched something new: Vibe Coding sessions for our members. These aren't meetups—they're co-creation sessions where you bring your big idea and we help you build the technology behind it. We don't just build it for you; we help you build it even if you don't have a tech background. That's why we call it Vibe Coding.

This can be a product you want to develop on your own, or if it aligns with the House of Peregrine Network, we can help you develop it further and test it within our community. If you have a big idea that might be beneficial to the international community, join the business membership and come to our vibe coding sessions. You can sit down with our CTO, and if it fits our network, we can test it there too.

Introducing Meridian: Our First Product

From those sessions, we launched our first product this year: Meridian. It's our first offering from the House of Peregrine Product Studio, and it's an astrocartography app that helps you understand your compatibility with place based on your birth chart.

You can create profiles for yourself, your partner, friends, or family—Meridian considers all of those relationships. If you're trying to figure out where to move next, planning a solo trip, or organizing family travel, Meridian helps you align your journey with your energy and what you want to experience—whether that's love, money, spontaneity, or whatever you're trying to build in your life right now.

Seeing this come to life in our vibe coding sessions has been so much fun, and it's free for House of Peregrine members. We're always trying to add value to your membership to basically make it free—that's our goal. You'll have so many benefits that the membership pays for itself.

The House of Peregrine Marketplace

I'm also excited to share that we launched the House of Peregrine Marketplace this month. It's not just another marketplace—it's a curated collection of items I love for myself and have found throughout the years that are genuinely helpful. One-of-a-kind pieces, vintage finds, things I've created, and items from creators in our ecosystem. There's art, books, and essentials for living the good life. Everything I've selected is something I would gift to people myself.

We have things like the Herkimer diamond necklace I gave my sister. It's a crystal that's supposed to keep people connected throughout space and time. When I visited her this summer, I gave one to her because they're meant to keep people in each other's orbit. I love the symbolism of that. I also imagined that if someone were telling their loved ones they're leaving—their mother, their best friend—it's like an adult version of a best friend necklace. They're beautiful.

I really think that because living abroad is an entire life stage, we need different products, gifts, services, and wisdom. The marketplace allows us to create those products for you. There's jewelry, keepsakes for living abroad—I always thought if I'd 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 stone packs that help you go home and repair relationships or make them better. Really supporting you with little things you can take on your journey.

And if you're a business member, you can apply to be in our marketplace to sell your products. This is a vital part of our ecosystem that 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.

Rituals, Not Just Meetups

Then there are the moments we gathered in person. We did two big events this year for members, along with regular happenings in the app so you always have something to do in the city.

We went to Fire Tower Island, a remote lighthouse hosting one of the Netherlands' most exclusive dining experiences. The island operates completely without electricity or running water, and we enjoyed a five-course meal prepared over open fire in a gorgeous greenhouse. Twelve of us did it together, and it was amazing—like a spa for dinner. You go on a boat, it's really fun.

This month we're closing out the year with another farm-to-table dinner, this time with culinary anthropologist Tessa Bransma from the Brothel headquarters. Four courses, a probiotic cocktail bar, and a tour through their kitchen. A table full of stories and connections with the people who make our food.

We really focus on not making things just meetups. They're rituals. We have these rituals together every year, and they're our antidote to the impermanence that can creep in when you're living abroad and make you feel a little lonely. So we have our own rituals that we do together.

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. 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.

What's Next in 2026

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—basically a link-in-bio where you can put everything you're up to without needing a website. If you have your own website, you can link it there, but this can serve as your new link-in-bio on all socials, free as a House of Peregrine member.

If you attend our content shoots, you can get a free professional headshot 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 vision: we're becoming a community of communities. What does that mean? It means you can start your own community or bring your existing 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. We're building the infrastructure that lets you support yourself and your community.

Instead of competing for attention, we're collaborating. At House of Peregrine, we believe there's an entire network of people who are disconnected right now, and we're trying to connect them so we're not reinventing the wheel every time. The bureaucracy, the loneliness, the complexity of taxes and visas and belonging—they're all lighter when we do it together.

A Thank You and an Invitation

This week, we're wrapping everything up for 2025. As I mentioned in my newsletter, I'm navigating missing family, just like you might be. I want to wish you good luck if you're traveling and chasing those moments that matter.

I want to thank you all. Thank you for coming to our vibe coding sessions, our farm-to-table dinners, and for 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. We're all looking for thriving, not just surviving—and maybe even giving some shortcuts here and there. We've built a lot this year, and I'm really looking forward to rolling out everything next year, including a new season with bigger guests who have more wisdom to share about living abroad, their own stories, tips and tricks, and stories that will make you feel like you've just heard your own.

I want to wish you safe travels, and until next year—here's how to stay connected:

Listen & Subscribe:

Explore & Shop:

Stay Connected:

Get Involved:

  • Want to write for us or have a product idea? Reach out at hello@houseofperegrine.com

If you're thinking of moving abroad, if you used to live abroad, or if you're currently living abroad, you'll feel at home with us.

Here's to 2026 and to building this beautiful life together.

 Mickelle xox

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