“In my first month here, I told myself: just Look, Listen, and Learn.”
But what if the very skills that helped you survive back home… became the very edges you needed to soften to belong somewhere new?
In Episode 12 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story, Anton and Ben sit down with
Pierre De Villiers, whose journey has taken him from ironing school shorts in Durban, to boardrooms across the world, and finally to a new life in Australia.
Pierre’s story is one of contrasts: accountant-turned-HR leader, world traveler-turned-root builder, South African rugby fan raising Wallabies supporters. Through it all, he’s had to wrestle with the classic migrant’s question — how much of myself do I hold onto, and how much do I adapt?
He reveals the “Three L’s” that carried him through his toughest early years in Australia: Look, Listen, Learn. It’s advice that seems simple, but hides a lifetime of wisdom about patience, perspective, and the slow work of building trust in a new land.
This episode goes beyond career shifts and visas — it’s about identity, family scattered across continents, and the quiet courage of starting over when it would have been easier to stay put.
🎧 Listen now at https://3spod.com Or on your favourite channel: Apple, Spotify, YouTube.
Because sometimes migration isn’t just about moving countries. It’s about moving yourself.
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