I’m a self-made business woman and mother traveling the world with my family and living life on my own terms.

Hi there! My name is Sonja and I’m excited to have you here on my blog. As a mum of four children, two of whom are young adults and two younger children, I have always been passionate about finding ways to balance my busy career and family life.

In my younger years, before having kids, I travelled all over the world, lived in many countries and enjoyed my freedom, but at some point I returned to my home country, got an education, a career and a family. Travel was now limited to holidays of 6 weeks max.

In 2016, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 64 and passed away after only 6 months later. It was a wake-up call for me. I realized that life was too short and that we needed to make the most of the time we had together. So, we decided to completely change our lives.

We bought an old hotel in France and started renovating it during our holidays with the intention of eventually living there full-time and running it as a luxury boutique resort. However, in 2020, the world changed completely, and we had the opportunity to take our work and kids’ schooling online, which meant we were no longer bound to a certain place. However, as it was the middle of the global Covid crisis, traveling was going to be challenging. So, we packed up and moved to Ras al Khaimah in the UAE. This was perfect for us, as we could spend the summers in our holiday home in France, as they get scorching hot in the UAE.

Once Covid had subsided we started traveling the world for part of the year, taking our work and school with us on the journey. Our journey as digital nomad family began. In one of my blog posts I share how to get started as a digital nomad family.

We now visit the most beautiful parts of the world and live the life we always dreamed of. It’s not always easy, and we need to overcome many challenges along the way, but it’s been an incredible journey so far.

I was lucky to have a career that I could easily do from anywhere, as long as there is WIFI. I have over 20 years of experience as a project manager and specialized in implementing and optimizing HR and Payroll systems for global organizations. Over the years, I have worked with some of the world’s leading companies, helping them streamline their HR and Payroll processes, reduce costs, and improve employee satisfaction.

I am a firm believer in the power of technology to transform the workplace, and I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the most innovative HR and Payroll systems in the industry. From cloud-based solutions to AI-powered chatbots, I have seen firsthand how these tools can revolutionize the way we work and how they ask for optimizations’ of the HR processes in place.

But for me, the most rewarding part of my job has always been the people. I love working with virtual, international teams. I am passionate about helping organizations achieve their goals and reach their full potential when it comes to HR and resource management. Whether it’s making sure new parents can navigate their company’s leave policies, implement a global payroll system or working with a global team to develop a more inclusive culture, I am always eager to lend my expertise and support.

In addition to my work, I am also an avid reader, cook, and traveler. I love nothing more than exploring new cultures and cuisines, and I believe that experiencing new things is the key to personal growth, development and happiness.

I hope that you’ll find my blog to be a valuable resource and a source of inspiration as you navigate your own career and personal journey.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lekahena/