Repatriating to Canada after growing up in Australia was more than a move—it was a complete transformation in how I lived and who I became.

Misty forest in British Columbia | reflection on repatriating to Canada from Australia and the personal transformation of coming home.

Albeit me trying, they say you can’t outrun yourself, but apparently you can hop on a one-way flight from Adelaide to Vancouver and end up meeting a version of yourself you didn’t even know existed.

She’s still me—just with slightly different pronunciation, new coffee habits, and a surprising enthusiasm for wearing winter clothing.

I grew up in Australia. I knew the streets, the shops, the shortcuts, and exactly which café would steam the milk just right. My routines were second nature—weekend markets, ocean swims, the same walking path where I’d pass the same people at the same time of day.

Life was familiar, comfortable and a little boring… and then I moved from Australia to Canada, where the roads made no sense to me, I didn’t know a soul, and I had to Google where to buy everything from bed sheets to Vegemite.

At first, it was terrifying—like being dropped into a video game without the tutorial. But slowly, I started noticing something.

It wasn’t just my lifestyle changing—it was me.

The way I spoke, the way I handled problems, what I found important, how I spent my time… all of it was subtly shifting. And when I went back to Australia to visit family, I realised just how much had changed and I knew there was something more to it.

That’s when I discovered something fascinating: science actually backs this up.

The Science Bit (Don’t Worry—It’s Interesting)

Research in behavioural genetics shows that personality traits are about 40–60% heritable, but the rest? That’s shaped by environmental influences—and not just the big, obvious ones like moving countries, but also the small, unique experiences that no one else in your family shares.*

And here’s where it gets wild: the emerging field of behavioural epigenetics shows that our environment can literally switch certain genes on or off. Your culture, diet, relationships, and lifestyle don’t just influence your mood—they can alter the biological expression of traits linked to personality.**

There’s also a new area called sociogenomics that explores the feedback loop between genes and environment. Basically, your genes might nudge you toward certain experiences, and then those experiences reshape how your genes are expressed. It’s less “nature versus nurture” and more “nature and nurture are in a long-term situationship”.***

Camping in the Canadian outdoors | repatriating to Canada from Australia and embracing slow living, transformation, and a new way of life.

Micro Shifts, Macro Change

I’d noticed this on a micro level before—going on holiday somewhere new and feeling subtly different. But moving countries amplified it. Suddenly I was:

Picking up new habits and dropping old ones.
Adapting my way of speaking without even trying (goodbye “no worries mate,” hello “Sorry”).
Rethinking what I valued in my day-to-day life.

Visiting Australia again made it even clearer. I wasn’t just older—I was different.

Your Turn

You don’t have to move continents to feel this.

Change your city. Your job. Your morning routine.

Even a small shift in environment can be enough to spark new ways of thinking, moving, and being.

And here’s something I’ve learned: if you keep getting a little inkling—a tug in your gut that says “take that dance class,” “quit that job,” or even “move countries”—there’s probably more validity in it than you think.

Those quiet inner nudges are often your future self trying to get your attention.

The key? Action is what creates change. Thinking about it forever won’t move the needle—doing something will.

👉 I’ve shared more about this part (and how you can use it in your own life) in my complete Substack letter & guide. Check it out here.

Full Circle

Airplane on the runway before takeoff | global travel guide, international journeys, and intentional slow living adventures.

When I boarded that flight from Adelaide to Vancouver, I thought I was changing my postcode, not my personality. But the version of me who landed—snow boots on, vowels slightly altered—has taught me something I’ll never forget:

Our environments shape us more than we realise, right down to the cellular level.

So if life is whispering for you to shake things up, even in a small way, maybe it’s worth listening. You never know—you might just meet a version of yourself you didn’t know was waiting.

If you’re feeling the itch for change, make sure to checkout my complete Substack post where I guide you through 5 steps around making a big change.

Sources:

*pressbooks.bccampus.ca, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

**en.wikipedia.org

***time.com