Gabriela Encina. Licensed psychologist and keynote speaker for expats and globally mobile professionals.
Feel at home wherever you live. Move with confidence. Excel across cultures.
I’ve lived as an expat for more than 20 years, and I bring an HR insider’s view to my work.
I help expats and international couples move through transitions, strengthen their emotional skills and perform well in demanding environments.
On stage, I bring the human side of international success to conferences and summits around the world.
Sessions and talks in English, Spanish, and German.
Gabriela Encina. Licensed psychologist and keynote speaker for expats and globally mobile professionals.
Feel at home wherever you live. Move with confidence. Excel across cultures.
I’ve lived as an expat for more than 20 years, and I bring an HR insider’s view to my work.
I help expats and international couples move through transitions, strengthen their emotional skills and perform well in demanding environments.
On stage, I bring the human side of international success to conferences and summits around the world.
Sessions and talks in English, Spanish, and German.
My work in numbers
200+
Workshops and conferences around the world
500+
International individuals and couples supported
100+
Media features, summits and podcasts
20+
Years of evidence-based, solution-focused practice
Expat life is a puzzle where the pieces keep moving.
→ You can close million-dollar deals in your second language, and freeze in the supermarket searching for the word for “dish soap.”
→ You can plan a life together abroad, and get blindsided by cultural curves at home.
→ You can lead a team across five continents, and watch motivation fade as connection wears thin.
→ You can spend years training as a coach or psychologist, and stall when expat challenges laugh at textbook answers.
I’ve been in the middle of these stories
The executive excelling at work and lost at home, the couple rebuilding after culture shock, the team carrying pressure across time zones, the colleague learning to guide globally with heart and precision.
Success abroad starts with understanding what you feel and choosing what to do next. Belonging grows from there, through work, love, and each transition in between.
I help you build it, step by step.
I’ve been in the middle of these stories
The executive excelling at work and lost at home, the couple rebuilding after culture shock, the team carrying pressure across time zones, the colleague learning to guide globally with heart and precision.
Success abroad starts with understanding what you feel and choosing what to do next. Belonging grows from there, through work, love and each transition in between.
I help you build it, step by step.
Three ways to work with me
Individual and couples counselling
For internationals and couples working through life abroad: a new country, a demanding role, a relationship adjusting to a new culture. Together we work on clarity, confidence, and balance.
Conferences and events
For international conferences, summits and leadership events. Real stories, evidence-based psychology and humour, built to hold a room from the first minute to the last. Workshops for teams on request.
Mentoring for colleagues in international contexts
Support for psychologists and coaches working with global clients. Drawing on 20+ years across therapy, HR and life abroad.
Organisations and media I’ve worked with
Organisations and media I’ve worked with
What clients and organisers say
I’ve spoken on stages around the world, partnered with international organisations, and appeared in leading media. What matters most to me are the people I’ve helped: leaders, professionals, and couples who left lighter, stronger, and more connected.
Keynote speaker
Individual counselling
Couples counselling
Hi! I’m Gabriela. I’ve been the expat who struggled, the HR manager who saw behind the numbers and the psychologist who knows what international life asks of people.
For more than 20 years, I’ve worked with international professionals, couples, and companies. I know the glossy surface, and I know the stories people share once the camera is off.
I bring those stories, heard in sessions and conference halls across five continents, into talks and therapy grounded in evidence and built for lasting change. I’m based in Spain and work with clients around the world. Learn more about me here.
1:1 counselling
I help individuals balance career success with personal fulfilment, so they perform at work and feel at home in their own lives.
Couples counselling
I support couples in building relationships that stay strong through distance, cultural differences and moving countries.
Keynotes and workshops
I speak at international conferences, summits and leadership events about the human side of international success, with stories built to stay with audiences long after the talk.
Mentorship for colleagues
I guide fellow psychologists and coaches working in international and multicultural contexts as they sharpen their global practice.
From my blog
Expat life myths: the good expat book nobody gave you
Expat life myths make a hard life look effortless. I open “the good expat book”: six quiet rules expats live by, and how to let them go for good.
When language difficulties abroad take over your sense of self
Language difficulties abroad can shake your identity to the core. Here’s what’s really happening, and how to find your footing again.
Loneliness being abroad and the myth of the good expat life
Loneliness being abroad is real, even for high-achievers. Here’s what’s actually driving it and how to rebuild social confidence on your terms.
Belong. Act. Excel.
Expat life asks for anchoring, deliberate action and a life you own.
Whether you are:
an individual moving through stress and change,
a couple building connection across cultures,
an event booker building a programme for a global audience,
or a colleague refining your global practice,
my work helps you turn each challenge into clarity and committed action.
