In this week’s episode of Go Borderless, I’m joined by Rahul Shrivastava, High Commissioner of India to Namibia, whose diplomatic career spans six foreign assignments across four continents. From Moscow to Caracas, Bucharest to Windhoek, Rahul has lived the reality of representing India while navigating life in unfamiliar systems—and often under pressure.

What struck me most during our conversation wasn’t just the scope of his experience, but the quiet resilience behind it. We talked about:

– The emotional weight of moving every few years
– How diplomats adapt quickly to foreign systems and cultures
– The evacuation of 8,500 Indian nationals during the Ukraine crisis
– The nuances of moving with family—and, in his case, eventually without
– The evolving role of technology in diplomacy and relocation
– Losing a beloved pet during a relocation, and the grief that followed

Rahul offers a deeply human view of global diplomacy—one that moves beyond protocol and into connection, service, and humility. Whether you're in the foreign service, part of a globally mobile family, or simply navigating international life, this episode offers something rare: perspective from someone who’s done it all, repeatedly, with grace.

📬 Subscribe to Go Borderless for more conversations at the intersection of global living, culture, and transition.

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Links to explore Rahul’s work:
📚 Books by Rahul
🖋 Quora essays
🎨 His oil paintings on Flickr
📸 @life.in.diplomacy on Instagram

Thank you for listening—and for being part of the Go Borderless community.
— Mari

In this episode of the Go Borderless podcast, Mari Juk explores the complex experience of dealing with loss while living abroad. She shares her personal stories of losing loved ones from a distance and the unique challenges that expats face, including feelings of isolation, guilt, and the struggle for closure. Mari discusses the concept of living losses, where relationships fade due to distance and misunderstandings, and offers practical strategies for coping with grief and finding peace. The episode emphasizes the importance of acknowledging all forms of loss, whether through death or estrangement, and the need for self-compassion in the grieving process.

In this inaugural episode of the Go Borderless podcast, host Mari Juk shares her remarkable journey from growing up in post-Soviet Estonia to founding MYEXPATGO in Malaysia. Mari reveals how Estonia's extraordinary transformation from Soviet occupation to global digital leader shaped her perspective on borderless living and international mobility.

Discover how Estonia—a tiny Baltic nation of just 1.3 million people—became the world's most advanced digital society through innovations like nationwide school internet access in 1997, the revolutionary X-Road data exchange system, and the pioneering e-ID digital identity platform. Mari introduces listeners to the "Estonian Edge"—how this small nation turned limitations into strengths through agility, global mindset, transparency, and cultural pragmatism.

Mari connects Estonia's digital revolution to her vision for transforming international relocation, sharing five powerful lessons for embracing borderless living in today's interconnected world. The episode concludes with announcements about the upcoming "Moving Simplified" course launching May 19th and a preview of the next episode featuring India's High Commissioner to Namibia discussing diplomatic relocations.