This one is for the people romanticizing Brazil a little too hard and for the people quietly wondering, “Wait... who actually helped you get settled?”

Because that part matters.

I talk about why Brazil is not for beginners, why some relocation advice is missing key details, and why your personality type matters more than people want to admit. Some people can land, pivot, and figure it out. Some people need support. Neither is wrong. But pretending those are the same experience? That is where the nonsense starts.

A little reality check, a little buyer beware, and a little “please stop lying by omission.”

Find me (Courtney -- Sisi in Brazil) at all the things faafo.app

In this episode, I get into something that does not get talked about enough: who is actually telling the truth about moving to Brazil.

A lot of people make this place sound smoother, simpler, and more beginner-friendly than it really is. Some of that is optimism. Some of it is ego. Some of it is because they had a whole support system behind the scenes and forgot to mention that part. I did not come to Brazil with a built-in team, a relocation package, or a “call me if you panic” contact list. I got dropped at my Airbnb and figured it out from there.

So this episode is a little buyer beware, a little reality check, and a little personality test. Are you the kind of person who can pivot when plans go sideways? Do you need support? Can you tell the difference between someone who learned the hard way and someone who is selling you a polished version of the story?

Because Brazil may still be worth it. But you need the truth, not just the pretty parts.

Find me (Courtney -- Sisi in Brazil) at all the things faafo.app

Talking Points --

• - Why Brazil is often described as “not for beginners”
• - The difference between visiting Brazil and actually building a life there
• - Why surface-level relocation content can be misleading
• - The importance of asking who helped someone and how much
• - Hand-holding versus figuring it out independently
• - Why personality type matters in international moves
• - Anxiety, uncertainty, and living without a built-in support system
• - Why glossy stories leave out the hardest parts
• - Why Brazil can still be worth it, especially for Black Americans
• - How to think more clearly before choosing whose advice to trust

in this episode, i’m reintroducing myself the way i should have from the start.

i talk about why i’m back on youtube even though i’ve never been a real youtube fangirl, why i’ve been podcasting and creating online for way longer than people realize, and why platforms do not know what to do with people like me who are not built to stay in one neat little box forever.

i also get into something deeper: people love assumptions. they think they know why i moved to brazil. they think they know what i’m doing, what season i’m in, and what name to put on it. most of the time, they’re wrong. this episode is part reintroduction, part behind-the-scenes, part “i am not new to this, y’all are just late.”

if you’ve ever outgrown the identity other people had for you, this one is for you.

talking points:

• * reintroducing myself after years of creating online
• * i’m not new to the internet, podcasting, or video
• * why i use youtube even though i’m not really a youtube person
• * youtube as cheap translation and storage, not clout
• * how expensive video, audio, and multilingual transcription can get
• * why platforms punish people who are broad, deep, and multi-interested
• * the internet loves boxes, but i was never built for one box
• * what looks like “rebranding” is often just evolution and platform survival
• * there is always a story behind the story
• * privacy matters when your work touches real people and real lives
• * people assume they know why i moved to brazil, but most assumptions are wrong
• * this channel is where i’ll tell the real story of moving to bahia
• * i’m using these tools strategically, not emotionally
• * i’m too grown to keep playing small for people who are late
• * welcome back, especially to the people peeking quietly from the sidelines

faafo.app