Cageless

What if moving abroad, writing online, or starting over in your 20s isn’t running away? What if it is expanding? And perhaps where ever you run; there you are...

Valerie Estrina doesn’t just write about girlhood, comparison, self-worth, and identity—she names the things most of us are too scared to say out loud.

She is a writer and founder of club reticent—a global community based on Substack of observant, quietly powerful women who are redefining vulnerability, boundaries, and belonging on their own terms.

In this conversation, we dive into:

• Comparison hinders progress and enjoyment of experiences
• Growing a community online
• Valerie finding Substack as a safe space for her to share her work
• Re-navigating self-discovery in your 20s
• Language barriers enhancing observational skills
• So much more!

If you’ve ever daydreamed about moving abroad, becoming a writer, starting over in your late teens or twenties, or finally letting yourself take up space—this is the episode you’ll feel.

Click play.

Join club club reticent: https://clubreticent.substack.com/

Watch the full video on Substack: https://thejennijohnson.substack.com/

I just got approved for my 4-year visa in France, and it hit me how much this place has shaped me. In this episode, I talk about French bureaucracy, living far from home, and growing older in a city that once felt like a dream and now feels like real life.

If you’re navigating your twenties, thinking about moving abroad, or just craving a slower, deeper way of living—this one's for you. I share thoughts on identity, courage, loneliness, and what it means to create a life you actually want in a country like France.

Follow me on

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jennijohnson

Substack: https://thejennijohnson.substack.com/