The Bougie Expats
Welcome to The Bougie Expat Podcast, a show for Black women over 40 who are ready to imagine a different kind of life abroad.
Hosted by Sable, your bougie girlfriend, this podcast speaks to the woman who has spent years showing up for everyone else — family, friends, work, and responsibilities — and is now asking, “What do I want my next season to look like?”
Through honest conversations and lived experience, Sable shares what it really takes to relocate abroad with clarity, confidence, and intention. Having lived and worked in more than seven countries across four continents, she brings real insight into the emotional, financial, and practical side of building a life overseas.
Each episode will cover topics like relocating abroad, planning your money, managing fear, leaving behind familiar routines, building a clear vision, and creating a life where you are thriving instead of simply getting by.
If you have been quietly thinking about moving abroad, starting fresh, or choosing yourself in this next chapter, this podcast is for you.
Subscribe to The Bougie Expat Podcast and join Sable for conversations about freedom, relocation, reinvention, and living abroad with purpose.
The Bougie Expats
Ep 23: What If My Financial Plan Fails After I Move?
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What happens when the financial math you relied on suddenly changes? It is one of the deepest, most quiet anxieties people carry before and after moving overseas: What if my savings don't stretch as far as I calculated? What if my remote client or income stream vanishes? What if living costs end up higher than expected?
In this episode of The Bougie Expats, Sable tackles these financial fears head-on and shares why an unexpected economic curveball doesn't mean your international dream is over. A setback isn't a signal to abandon your vision—it's simply an invitation to recalibrate your strategy.
Let's unpack the crucial mindset shift that separates thriving expats from those who throw in the towel: understanding that pivoting your financial plan is never a failure.
The women who build lasting, successful lives abroad aren't those who execute flawless, uninterrupted plans—they are the ones who master flexibility, emotional control, and financial resilience. Whether you are currently mapping out your move, building your exit cushion, or already living overseas and navigating an unexpected shift, this episode gives you the blueprint to respond with strategy instead of panic.
This episode is for Black women over 40 who are ready to build an adaptable financial mindset, protect their long-term vision, and navigate the realities of international living with confidence and grace.
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Just because things don't go the way you plan doesn't mean you are a failure, doesn't mean your plan fail, and it definitely doesn't mean I should go home. She's done waiting, she's done shrinking, and she's done building empires in rooms that were never designed for her. This is the Bougie Expat, the podcast for black women over 40 who are ready to reinvent their lives, rebuild their income, and relocate with intention. If you're done settling in corporate, tired of environments that no longer feel aligned, or quietly planning your next move, you are in the right place. Hosted by Sable, live from Panama City, Panama. Seven countries, four continents, one move she made in five months flat. Income strategies, exit plans, a life designed to actually fit you without starting over broke. Let's get into it. I mean, those $200 apartments that they told you that was all over the place, you couldn't find one. So now you're paying $800. You realize that the cost of living is a lot more. There's expenses that you didn't really expect to have to pay. Or perhaps maybe while you were there, you had a healthcare incident and now some of your savings was tapped and hit harder than you expected. Or perhaps maybe the market shifted and your investments are not producing the way they used to. Or that contract that you went with, it's over. Or the job that you thought you were going to be doing, it's over. Any one of these things could happen and it could change how your financial status is in the country that you're in. I want to say this do not quit, pivot. So today, what I want to talk to you about is what happens when your financial plan doesn't go the way you expect it. Because I know this is a question many people are asking before they have even left, and what is holding them up from even leaving. And I want to tell you just because things don't go the way you plan doesn't mean you are a failure, doesn't mean your plan failed, and it definitely doesn't mean I should go home. I want you to ask yourself a different question. Because some of the biggest mistakes can happen. Not because plan A didn't work, it's because life changes. Things happen. And your dream doesn't have to be over. The life that you wanted in abroad does not have to be over. That was not a single decision to move, and a single thing happening doesn't have to change it. Now I don't know all the circumstances behind what could happen, but I do know I want you to realize you have choices. And I want you to make those choices from an empowered place. So if you move and things are not going financially the way you thought they were, or all of a sudden something happens, instead of saying, I need to go home, I want you to say, now what could I change so I can stay? What needs to happen so I can stay? Because simple changes could actually really be all you need. It may not be a whole new strategy. It doesn't have to be a major shift. It doesn't even have to be a different country. It could just be simple shifts right where you are. Perhaps maybe you may have to get some remote work. Maybe you were not working before, and now it may mean, hey, I might need to get a job. And that job may be just remote work. Maybe it's just like being a fractional CEFO or CEO or a fractional somewhere where you're just doing something part-time, using all that knowledge and skill that you brought with you. You may have to tap into that. You may have to start doing some freelancing, getting on some sites and taking up some gig work. You may have to start doing some consulting from where you are. You may have to go back and forth for a little while of doing some work in the States and coming back with that money to fund your life abroad. It may be something like that. It may be picking up maybe a teach online job. Any one of those could be your option before going home. Maybe local employment, depending on what where you're living and what kind of visa you have. It may be getting some local work and seeing if you can do that. I work locally. When I made my first move to Nigeria, I was running a nonprofit. And then when my husband's business went upside down, I needed to get a J-O-B, making some money. And I did. And so I started my own consulting firm then. And I also started even getting clients and being contracted out by other places. Things shift and change. It doesn't mean you have to go home. And that local employment could just be a bridge to your finances, get resettled again, or it could be the way you're sustaining yourself while you're staying there. Because remember, prices are going to constantly go up. So how are you going to survive? Well, maybe it's time to start something. Maybe you were thinking about starting a business, you were thinking about a little side hustle. Maybe you want to do something on Etsy. Maybe you want to do something with drop shipping. It could be any one of those things, or maybe you can even do something local, depending on what the regulations in are in the country that you're living. Think about that. What service is missing? What business is missing? I met someone yesterday, oh my gosh, and he was telling me that his wife makes, she has an academy for teaching other people to make cake. She has four cake stores, and she also goes around and teaches people to cake, to bake cakes, to decorate them. Is it because she went to culinary school? No, it's because she saw a gap in the market and she filled that gap unexpectedly right after she lost her own job. That could be you. Looking at the gap in the market. You don't have to always go home. Or you can just change your lifestyle. Because some of us arrived, and you know, you're looking at how much money you got coming in, and you're looking at what it costs, and you're like, oh, I can afford this. I can live on the beach. I can have this luxury apartment. I can live in three bedrooms, four baths, and go, it's only me. But maybe you just like to adjust your lifestyle a little bit. Maybe you have to downsize your apartment or wherever you're living and live in something smaller. Maybe you have to live further out from the city and maybe not, maybe you're not going to live on the beach. Maybe you have to change your neighborhood or where you're living. Perhaps maybe you're not going to be able to hit every Tuesday tacos and tequila. You may have to slow it down and do it every once a month. Any one of these things could adjust your finances and allow you to stay in the country where you are. Maybe you can't take all these weekend excursions that everybody is doing. Think about it. Or maybe you have to start taking public transportation when you weren't doing that before. You were hiring, you know, private drivers. But I just want you to know because you absolutely moved into a new country and things change with your finances doesn't mean that your dream is over. It just means you might have to make some adjustments. They could be temporary or they could be permanent. But that is not necessarily a signal to go home. Evaluate your situation, see what changed, see what was not planned for, see how the plan versus what's really happening, um, where there's mismatches and make adjustments. Because honestly, it is not until you land into that country and start living daily life that you can really, really say what your cost of living is going to be. All the videos in the world, everybody's showing you this is what I shop, this is what I bought, this is what it costs, is not going to be the same for you because your shopping cart is going to look totally different than theirs was. They can give you an indication, but remember that your life is totally different. The things that are important for you are totally different. Lots of my friends take public transportation. They love it, they enjoy it, they find it a way to really see the city, they find it a way to um meet other people. I'm a New Yorker. I used to live in Maryland, worked in DC. I am done D-O-N-E with public transportation. That's just me. Right? Now, does that mean that the people who are taking it, they did they're doing it because that's what they want. That may be something one day, hopefully not so, that I would have to adjust in my budget. But that's what I'm saying. It doesn't mean I need to go home. It doesn't mean that I need to now start, you know, you all get to make that decision. So I want you to think about that. Finances can become very stressful when you move and you realize that the money that you thought you have was going to do amazing things are not doing all the things that you thought. That is okay. But I want you to never forget why you moved. You move for more than just $200 rent. You move for other things. You move for freedom. You move for venture. You move for a slower pace. You move for a beautiful uh weather. You move because you wanted to get out of that place that was causing you so much harm and stress, and your nervous system was going crazy. And you can still have all of that. You just have to make a choice on how you're going to have that. And it may not be according to your original plan, but it doesn't mean that it's totally over. Until then, I am Sable, your pushy girlfriend. Continue to live an elevated life. That's a wrap. And if this episode resonated with you, go ahead and follow the podcast and share it with another woman who's ready for her next chapter. And if you're ready to move beyond thinking and start building your exit strategy, I invite you to join me inside my live experience, the elevated exit masterclass. You'll find the link in the show notes. Until next time, make your next move a bougie one.