What can you say about Paris that hasn’t already been said? The French capital has been the setting for so much world history — most recently the 2024 Summer Olympics — it sometimes seems more a legend than a real place. Paris has called out to countless people over the years, a beacon of enlightenment, beauty and sophistication. Many dream of living there; some even go so far as to investigate the actual steps needed to turn the dream into a reality — passports, visas, real estate, income, etc. Such investigations, and the fiscal, cultural and bureaucratic realities they uncover, are often enough to discourage the would-be Parisienne.
Often, but not always.
In the Fall of 2024, Williams Randall became an international ad agency when one of our own, Senior Copywriter Alexa Goins, moved to Paris with her husband Charlie, an Indianapolis percussionist and UX designer.
Moving overseas usually means bidding au revoir to your old job, but the heightened acceptance of remote work that COVID brought, plus the success of another Williams Randall associate’s switch to remote work the previous year, prompted the agency’s executive board to say, “Hey Alexa, why not just keep working for us part-time from Paris?”
For Alexa, it’s been the realization of a lifelong dream.
"[I'd] been thinking about it since I studied abroad my senior year of college in fall 2015. But, really, I'd thought about living in other countries since I was a kid. Both my parents grew up overseas and I loved hearing stories about their adventures."
Alexa’s weekdays now go something like this: a little morning exercise (running, yoga, or weightlifting), after that, she’ll study French, then either work on personal writing projects, meet friends for coffee or run errands. Her Williams Randall workday starts around 2:30 pm (8:30 am, EST), and ends around 8-9 pm Paris time. Then she’ll either walk into one of the world’s great cities for some fun or stay in for a quiet night in with Charlie and the couple’s two cats, Owen and Mimi.
Charlie's dual citizenship aside, the move wasn’t exactly easy for the couple — moving to an entirely new country rarely is — but apart from occasionally missing their families, they have zero regrets and delight in their new life.
"I love how connected the city is. You can walk, bike, bus or metro anywhere. I love how much people prioritize leisure (going to parks, walking, or sitting by the river with friends). I love how much people are out and about and there's so much to do. And I love the appreciation for the arts, beauty and creativity that's just built into the city."
Everyone dreams of having a great adventure in their lives. Sadly, very few have the bravery, time or follow-through to actually make it happen. We’re happy (and just a teeny little bit jealous …but mostly happy) for Alexa and Charlie to have successfully taken this leap into their lives’ big adventure. And we’re also super happy it didn’t mean her leaving the agency …it’s like having our crêpe and eating it too.
