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Why I Created Live Well Mexico

My name is Dawn Stoner and I created this blog to address some of the toughest challenges expats face when moving to Mexico.

In 2022 I relocated to Guadalajara with my husband and two cats. Despite having passable Spanish skills and extensive travel experience, it was altogether different navigating life as “Mexpats.”  We struggled to … 

  • ​Find the right place to live in a fragmented and opaque property market.
  • Navigate government bureaucracies, with their copious paperwork and myriad unwritten rules.
  • Adjust to a cash-oriented economy after years of relying on payment apps, online banking, and credit cards.
  • Manage our money without paying huge fees.

 

I’ve created this blog to help new expats navigate these challenges with more knowledge and flair than we did. 

About Me

I‘m an incurable nomad, preferring foreign cultures over the predictable and familiar. My travels spanning 4 decades have taken me to 37 countries, while work took me to San Francisco, Portland, OR, Washington, DC, Denver, and Atlanta.

Now semi-retired, I spent my career optimizing e-commerce websites, helping nonprofits improve their digital  fundraising, and working as an equity analyst on Wall Street.

After years of chasing fancier titles and bigger paychecks, I had a nasty case of burnout. In 2022, I quit my job as Director of Website Optimization for a Silicon Valley startup. It was time for a reset.

Feeling increasingly insecure living in a city notorious for mass shootings and a high cost of living, my husband and I decided to act on our dream of living in Mexico.

Now, instead of long days on Zoom calls or immersed in Powerpoints, we live healthy and balanced lives. 

Viva Mexico!