From Where to Here
From Where to Here explores cultural exchange, languages, and connection. Hosted by French Canadian Alexandra Lloyd, each episode shares heartfelt stories and inspiring journeys that bridge cultural gaps and spark understanding. 🌍🎙
Episodes
23 episodes
Between the Words | From Basque to Catalan — Why Spain Is Not One Language and Never Was
Spain has 17 regions. Most people know one language. What Ruben Raposo grew up knowing, and what he unpacked in his full From Where to Here conversation, is that Spanish is a family, not a single tongue. Basque has no Latin roots. No one knows ...
E21 The Spanish Kid Who Showed Up With a Dictionary and Ended Up Staying Forever
Ruben Raposo left Madrid at 15 with a dictionary, a host family he'd never met, and a one-year plan. Thirty years later, he's still in Alabama, and he never saw it coming.In this episode of From Where to Here, Ruben takes us inside what...
E20 She Wasn’t Free to Say No. The Reality of Human Trafficking Few Talk About
Espérance means Hope. And somehow, across genocide, trafficking, and 20 years in captivity on American soil, she never stopped living up to her name. In this episode of Language Legacy, a special five-part series from From Where to ...
E19 What Nobody Tells You About Japan: The Gift-Giving, the Loneliness & the Ritual That Stopped Us Cold
Japan hit different when you go not just as a tourist, but as someone visiting family who's built an entire life there, and we had no idea how much it would change us. In this episode of From Where to Here, I'm taking you inside two weeks in Ja...
E18 She Moved to Japan for a Visit… & Stayed Half Her Life
Sarah moved to Japan, thinking it would only be temporary. Nearly half her life later, she’s still there, raising a family and navigating two cultures.What happens when a short trip turns into an entirely new life?In this episode ...
E17 In Translation: What the People Who Love Me See (That I Don’t)
What happens when you let the people who love you reflect you back to yourself?In this first episode of a new solo series called In Translation, I celebrate turning 35 by reading handwritten notes from local friends and family ans...
E16 Language Legacy | We Came With No English: A 1950 Immigration Story
Welcome to Episode 2 of the Language Legacy Project Series, a 5-part community storytelling initiative capturing the powerful conversations between youth from Alabama and elders from immigrant and refugee communities.In this second epis...
E15 What Your Accent Says About Where You Belong (Fernández Family)
What happens when you learn a new language later in life, and have to rebuild identity, confidence, and belonging from scratch?In this episode of From Where to Here, host Alexandra sits down with the Fernández family to talk about learn...
E14 Language Legacy | Leaving Taiwan at 18: A Journey of Language, Identity & New Beginnings
Welcome to Episode 1 of the Language Legacy Project Series, a 5-part community storytelling initiative capturing the powerful conversations between youth from Alabama and elders from immigrant and refugee communities.In this first episo...
E13 From Damascus to Alabama: A Muslim Woman’s Journey of Faith & Freedom
When Yumna "Yumi" Yassin left Damascus at age 13, she had no idea what life in Alabama would hold. From learning English and building friendships to navigating faith, identity, and belonging as a Muslim woman in the South. Her story is one of c...
E12 Between Worlds: Cass’ Journey from Third-Culture Kid to Tech Leader
Growing up across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Cass learned to feel at home in difference and to see cultural fluidity as a strength. Her story traces how global events like 9/11 shaped perceptions of identity and belonging, and h...
E11 The Untold History of Brazil: Language, Race, and Resilience
In this episode of From Where to Here, Alexandra sits down with Dr. John Maddox, a professor of Spanish and Portuguese at UAB, to explore the intersections of language, culture, history, and identity. Dr. Maddox shares ho...
E10 How One Colombian Woman Built Two Lives Across 2 Countries
Join us for an intimate conversation with Juliana Madrid, a Colombian business operations director who transformed a simple dream of perfecting her English into a beautiful cross-cultural love story. Discover how she navigated building r...
E09 I Moved Countries for Love: What No One Tells You About Starting Over Abroad
In this deeply personal solo episode, host Alexandra Lloyd shares her real-life story of moving from Montreal, Canada, to Birmingham, Alabama, for love. What began as a spontaneous connection on a tropical island turned into a long-distance rel...
E08 From Power Outages to Plant Power: Astrid’s Journey from Venezuela to a Greener Life in the U.S.
In this heartfelt and honest episode of From Where to Here, Alexandra sits down with Astrid, a tropical plant expert from MĂ©rida, Venezuela, now thriving in Birmingham with Vivatia Plant Care Services and Botanical Workshop. Astrid shares her m...
E07 Afghanistan Beyond the Headlines: Shabir’s Untold Story
Afghanistan is more than a country in conflict — it’s a place of resilience, culture, and untold stories. Shabir Kabiri shares his powerful journey from Kabul to the U.S., reflecting on what it means to call two countries home, the impact of de...
E06 Empowering Latinas in the U.S.: Diana MartĂnez GarcĂa on Identity & Change
In this powerful episode of From Where to Here, host Alexandra Lloyd sits down with Diana MartĂnez GarcĂa, an immigrant rights advocate and cultural connector who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border as a child. From navigating two identitie...
Bonus—What Do People Really Know About Culture? | Street Interviews at Pepper Place Market
🎙️🌍 What do people really know about cultures, languages, and Québec? We hit the streets of Birmingham to find out! 🇨🇦🤔 From Charles Barkley to ranch dressing obsessions, this Vox Pop is full of surprises!From Charles Barkley to poutine...
E04 Canoes, Courtrooms, and Cultures: Chris’s Southern Story
In this episode of From Where to Here, we dive deep into the personal and cultural experiences that shape one’s connection to the French language and Québécois culture. Chris shares his unique journey, from the moment he fell in love w...
E03 From Germany to the South: Navigating Culture, Language, and Business with Johannes Eff
From Germany to the South: Navigating Culture, Language, and Business with Johannes Eff | From Where to Here Podcast 🎙️What’s it really like to move from Germany to the Southern U.S.? In this episode of From Where to Here, host A...
E02 From Ukraine to Alabama: The Sweet Journey of Cake Honeys and Finding Home Through Food
From Ukraine to Alabama: The Sweet Journey of Cake Honeys and Finding Home Through Food | From Where to Here Podcast 🎙️What does it take to rebuild a life from scratch in a new country? In this episode of From Where to Here
E01 The Art of Learning a New Language as an Adult (Solo)
The Art of Learning a New Language as an Adult | From Where to Here Podcast 🎙️Learning a new language as an adult can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be! In this episode of From Where to Here, I dive into the myths, ...