Après-Midi Recap

In her talk, “Finding Purpose in France,” author and coach, Lisa shared her story, and talked about how disrupting your life (whether intentional or not) can set you on a path toward self-discovery, reinvention, and renewed purpose as it did for her!

The facility at La Brasserie Félix Faure is ideal because it has a built-in screen and projector for such presentations, but we had a bit of a challenge with technical difficulties. Our attendee, Jacques Francoeur, tried to keep those in check during her presentation. He did an excellent job and you will see him in the background throughout the recording of the session.

Our attendance for this second event was just as good as our first, filling the room with (mostly) our clients and friends as well as some newcomers who were a pleasure to meet. There is not doubt that many friendships were made as we got set up for Lisa’s talk.

Lisa has spent most of her professional career in magazine publishing, working on such iconic brands as People, InStyle, and Allure. She’s been everything from a creative director to an opera singer, but ultimately, she has followed her passion for storytelling and inspiring people. She started traveling to France regularly more than 15 years ago—at first, to cover the fashion trade shows for a lifestyle website. But soon, she had cultivated friends—both Parisians and expats—and eventually built another life across the ocean. After losing her mother to breast cancer, she was motivated to make her other life official, buying an apartment on Paris’s Right Bank.

Lisa is the author of the memoir My (Part-Time) Paris Life: How Running Away Brought Me Home (St. Martin’s Press), a candid story of a woman searching for hope and healing in France. Her Youtube series of the same name showcases Parisians and expats who, like her, have taken a risk to change their lives.

Her articles have appeared in New York Magazine, AARP, People, The Local France, and Bonjour Paris. She has been featured in New York magazine’s The Cut, Bustle, Travel + Leisure, the BBC, HGTV’s House Hunters International, Rudy Maxa’s World, Taste of France magazine, and International Living, to name a few.

Even if you couldn’t be there, you don’t have to miss the session! Be sure to watch the video of the entire session.