From Melbourne to Philadelphia: A Life of Adventure, Resilience, and Career Success
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Fiona is an Australian expat whose career and life have taken her to seven countries across Europe, North America, and beyond. A former dancer trained at the Victorian College of the Arts, she transitioned into the tech world as an HR Tech consultant, working for global companies like SAP, Coca-Cola, and BMW. Her professional success is built on a foundation of discipline, resilience, and a passion for exploring new opportunities, both in her career and her personal life.
Now working remotely in the Philadelphia suburbs where she lives with her husband and teenage sons (and with her eldest daughter at college), Fiona reflects on the emotional rollercoaster her expat journey has taken her over the past four decades, navigating life, loss, and the lessons learned along the way.
How long have you been away from Australia, and where have you lived?
I went to Swinburne University of Technology back in the 80s, and did an interview just for the experience, but ended up landing the job! SAP in Germany were just starting to open their international offices and were recruiting university students as part of an International Trainee Program. 35 of us were recruited from around the world, with 4 from Australia.
My Mum, an avid traveler, told me to take the job. She was a hairdresser on cruise ships in the 50s and 60s and had travelled the world. She used to tell me if it didn't work out or was too difficult, quit and travel Europe, then come home.
In August 1989 I flew to Germany and lived in Heidelberg, where it turns out all my ancestors are from! We trained at SAP, worked very hard, and learned to consult in German for different clients around the country.
But on Friday afternoons, we’d fill the car and take off to explore Europe - Western Germany, Eastern Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, UK, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Czech, Liechtenstein, Hungary.
We’d wander and explore every little town and village. And returned home Sunday night to work again the next day.
After the year in Germany, we returned to Sydney where the new SAP Australia office was. I was then sent to Switzerland for a few months to train in a new module: HR. I stayed 3 years in Sydney, until I was offered a role in Philadelphia with Price Waterhouse in 1993.
I then moved to Philadelphia, and lived downtown, right next to the YMCA – and I LOVED it!
Within the year, SAP offered me a job again, so I left Price Waterhouse, rejoined SAP and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, living in Smyrna where Julia Roberts is from. I then moved down to Buckhead to an apartment, then found a small house which I remodeled, which became my home.
The life of a consultant was being up at 4:30am on a Monday, and catching a flight to wherever you had to be to sell software. I was typically in 3-4 cities a week, then home late Friday night. It was usually an 80-90 hour week. And I was often sent back to SAP Germany to learn about new software being released. It was grueling but energising at the same time; there was always something new to learn and master.
After a few years, I left SAP and became an independent consultant for about 10 years, scoring a gig for 6 months in Bermuda. Not a bad place to be!
I worked for BMW, Georgia Pacific, and my favorite: Coca-Cola, who were starting a major project in Europe. I went to Belgium and stayed 2.5 years, traveling heavily. Again… by Thursday night you were wondering where you could go to explore. Ryan Air had just started and had $100 flights, so I was off and exploring again – South Africa (where I bungeed off the Victoria Bridge), Morocco (my favorite of all time), Sweden, Norway, UK (family), Scotland, and more.
After Coca-Cola I returned back to Atlanta, and met the man who would become my husband. The catch was I had just signed a contract for Nokia in Helsinki, Finland (mid-winter!) for 5 months. So I lived in Finland in -35F (-37C) degree weather and 23 hours of darkness every day. I wore thermals, and many many layers to catch the bus to work every day. I got to come home once a month to Atlanta to check on my house, lived in by a great Aussie friend. The flight with Delta was Helsinki to Stockholm, Stockholm to Brussels, Brussels to Atlanta. I knew the gate agents in Brussels after the 2.5 years with Coca-Cola, so sometimes they took me through the inside of the airport to make my connection. (I brought them back treats from the USA!)
I stayed with Nokia for five months, then came 'home' to the USA and Deloitte, which is when significant US travel took off again.
You’d build miles and status with hotels and airlines… we’d then use those for personal travel.
So I have lived in: Australia, Bermuda, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and USA. And I have traveled to 48 countries.
We went home to Australia in 2016-2018 when my Mum was failing – my husband and I, and our 3 kids. Leaving to come back was one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Can you tell us the story of how you ended up where you are?
My husband was from Philly, and I LOVED Philly, so it was not hard to move up here.
I sold my house in Atlanta, and we then lived in Jacksonville, Florida, for two years. We got hit by two hurricanes before we had even moved into the house (but after we had closed the sale). It took the roof off and flooded the house. My husband and I are very hands-on, though, and we were able to restore it. Lesson learned, we decided to move back to Philly.
We moved back to Philly to the suburbs in 2016. At the time I had one child, a girl, and was pregnant with another (a boy). We’ve lived in the same suburb ever since (except for when we went home to Australia between 2016-2018).
We went home most Christmases for Mum to meet our three babies, who then turned into toddlers, and then kids. My sons are now 15 and 17, and my daughter will soon be 20. And they are all much taller than me: at 5’7” I am the shortest. My daughter is 5’10, and the boys over 6’!
What was the most challenging thing for you?
When Mum got pneumonia in September 2019, and started to fail. My sister (who I don’t have a relationship with) wouldn't tell me. But my nephew called me and told me to come NOW.
Within two hours I was at Philly airport, then got on the flight Philly to LAX. Once on the plane I broke down and started to sob. They put an Air Marshall next to me. I told her what was happening, but she stayed.
I raced through LAX to make the next plane and landed in Melbourne, going straight to the Aged Care home where Mum was. She was unconscious. I stayed and held her hand through the night, sleeping next to her bed on the floor. She passed the next morning. But I had made it.
The funeral and the burial were all a blur, and very hard.
When I went back to the USA then back to work, I cried for a year. A smell, a song, a memory, and I would cry.
My Dad had died from ALS when I was 9, so my Mum was my champion and my cheer squad. We used to talk every Monday night for over an hour. The first Monday night back in the USA was tough, but I still keep those reminders on my Phone.
She is buried with Dad in Springvale Cemetery.
What kind of support do you have? How did you go about finding it?
I have a spectacular Sydney friend in Atlanta, Edwina Tims, who has been my rock, and a childhood friend in Melbourne from the VCA, Natalie, who has also been amazing.
My mother-in-law and husband are compassionate and kind, and my oldest child – my daughter – helped enormously when I was grieving for Mum.
I have a remaining aunt in the UK, my Dad's favorite sister, who calls once a month. She's 96, and she unloads stories of their childhood which I write down furiously. And she always ends the call with a dirty joke – she is amazing, very bright, and very very funny.
Sometimes you get support at work, sometimes you don't. But I have been part of multiple Aussie Facebook groups and enjoy the content posted. That makes me both homesick, and so glad to be an Aussie.
My traveling has pretty much stopped; I’ve now been working remotely for 4 years. I do miss the work travel, it was energizing.
What do you see as some of the advantages of living where you do (vs living in Australia)?
The Philly ‘burbs are very calm. We have four distinct seasons, which I love. Summer we go to the Jersey Shore. Fall, the leaves are amazing. Winter with snow, and spring, which rains and rains. We also try to do trips with my hubby and kids every year, teaching them to be good travelers and citizens of the world. We go to Cape Cod - Martha’s Vineyard every year as we have a timeshare in summer (the whole extended family goes), and jump off the Jaws bridge every year. My daughter is at Penn State for college, so we only have summers and Christmas with her.
I miss Melbourne very much. In Australia the kids walked to school, the shops, and got ice-cream on the way home from school. They learned to be independent. The kids loved going to school there. No shooter drills, no bulletproof glass. I want better gun control here – I’ll be scared until they get out of school and college.
We swam at Half Moon Bay on weekends and the kids became strong swimmers (my two boys are now lifeguards). I also miss Sydney and the cliff walks, and the clean air.
We all lost weight in Australia because of the cleaner, leaner food. My husband even joined the local footy team and learned Aussie Rules. It was a healthier life, but we also try to be healthy here. I’m teaching my kids to cook Thai, Indian, Italian, Greek. And they love lamb!
What is your advice for Aussie women looking to do what you’ve done? Any tips to make it easier for them?
"Be bold!" my mum used to tell me. "Take chances." And that has been my motto, all my life. Never let anything overwhelm you. Be brave.
Learn as much as you can, and read, read, read!
Get and stay engaged in your work – it can lead to amazing opportunities.
Follow-up on opportunities at work. Make sure your bosses know who you are and that you want to do more (they LOVE energised and engaged people!)
If you end up in a different country, explore, but be safe. I always tried to meet people in any country I lived in.
Be kind. Be courteous. Be a good citizen of the world.
But most of all…… Go See. Go Do!
If you live in the US and need any help with navigating the college application process for your children, Fiona has put together an SCOIR-based College Planner to help keep track of colleges, fees, application requirements, important dates, and accommodation costs. If you’d like a copy, you can get in touch with her via email: ftragemann (at) gmail.com
