One evening in April 2007, my husband suddenly asked me: “Do you feel like moving from Zurich to Beijing, China? I got offered a job there…”.

Rationally, I answered to him “Yes! What a great career opportunity! We should go!” But then, was I ready to give up my good job, my support network of inspiring friends and my rather fulfilling and comfortable life?Well, after all I had 7 years work experience, I was a chartered management accountant, so finding a job in China - land of opportunities - should be no problem.Otherwise, I could always pursue some further studies. Peking University even seemed to offer an international PhD in Health Economics, which would boost my career in the Pharmaceuticals industry. Also, I was convinced I would soon find various support networks to help me build a fulfilling life project in China.

In September 2007, my husband, my two children and I landed in Beijing. We moved to our new home and quickly felt comfortable in our new surroundings. Life was so exciting. After a few months, my husband was very busy with his highly demanding project and my children were very happy at the British school they were attending.

It was time I got involved in something. More than sorting out the problems in the house and finding the freshest meat in town. Something that would leave me feeling inspired and energized. Something that would open doors to this land of opportunities.Following the initial plan I had mapped for myself back in Switzerland, I started taking Chinese classes. I truly enjoyed them. The second part of the plan was to look for job opportunities and get more information about the PhD I was interested in. Unfortunately, the third part of the plan, which was to start working, ideally part-time, or to become a PhD student, did not have much success. Most recruitment agencies I contacted informed me that there were enough Chinese chartered accountants who were also fluent in English and with previous international experience. If I was not going to be the CFO of a big multinational, mandarin was a must. Then, the PhD that I thought was about Health Economics turned out to involve Strategic Management. Not quite what I wanted.Fine I thought, I would take it easy for a few more months.

But taking it easy was hard. I met some very nice friends so my social life was pretty busy. But I missed my job. I missed my professional identity. I missed the inspiring, energizing and empowering opportunities I had left behind in Zurich. On top of those career introspections, I had all those other, broader questions nobody seemed to be able to answer:

ð      How can I make this Beijing expat experience as rewarding as possible for me and my family?

ð      How can I first get more clarity about how I want to spend my time in Beijing?

ð      Where can I go and hear about inspiring expat success stories?    

 ð      How can I bring more creativity and innovative thinking in my life?

ð      Shall I make changes to my career path, maybe minor adjustments or a more radical career transition? 

 ð      Shall I take this opportunity to rediscover my true passions and follow them?

ð      How can I experience in my daily life the exciting China dimension? It really seemed as though I was looking for an inspirational platform specifically designed to support the personal and professional development needs of an expat accompanying a spouse in Beijing. In June 2007, I decided to undertake a survey among the expat spouse community who confirmed a real need for such a platform.Within a few months, I decided to launch INSPIRED with a clear vision and mission: to become a learning and inspirational platform designed to support the personal and professional development needs of expatriate accompanying spouses in Beijing.

I am proud to announce that “INSPIRED” now organizes regular workshops, seminars and luncheons on the topics of “My Career”, “My Self”, “My Inspiration” and “My China”.

For more details, go to www.inspiredbeijing.com