A Season of Change

Autumn Trees + Snow in Salt Lake City

Good afternoon from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA!

The past few months have been incredibly up and down for me. I moved to Utah from the United Kingdom at the end of July 2025, and from that moment until about five days ago, I felt that I had made an absolutely massive mistake.

Let me be clear - this wasn’t because I didn’t see value in what Utah has to offer. This place is drop-dead gorgeous: vibrant, colorful, and very much alive in a way that’s different from the UK. People here are doing things. Outside. Yes, in all caps. 

Sometimes it’s quite overwhelming - everyone is skiing, biking, running, climbing, camping, exploring - at a level I’ve never experienced before. It’s all part of everyday life here, not just an activity you do on holiday in an outdoorsy place.

From what I’ve gathered so far, people here live with an impressive amount of intention. I’ve met many who live in Salt Lake purely for skiing - it’s genuinely their main reason for being here, if not the only reason. They don’t worry too much about what they do outside of ski season, as long as it allows them to afford to live and ski as much as possible during the snowy months.This kind of single-minded focus extends to other sports too. Some people just want to mountain bike, trail run, or dirt bike - the list goes on.

Despite all of this amazing energy and the beautiful natural backdrop, leaving London behind felt deeply overwhelming and sad. At 28, I’ve now spent 11 years in the UK - about half in Southampton (where I was born) and half in London (where I moved for grad school). Before that, I spent 17 years in Michigan - a very special state in the Midwest. My family moved straight to Michigan from Southampton, so it’s the only part of the U.S. where I’ve ever been fully immersed as a resident, before Utah.

As I started to transition out of the initial shock of moving back to North America, I kept telling people that Utah just wasn’t an America I recognized at all. I tried not to ascribe any value to that statement - it was, and still is, simply just  a fact. I don’t yet feel confident or comfortable navigating the massive freeways and grocery stores that are part of daily life in Salt Lake.

I drove in Michigan all the time- but mostly out of convenience- because almost anywhere I needed to go, I could have biked, walked, or run to if I truly wanted to. In London, I’d often map out a route and see that it was, say, a 30-minute drive or a 45-60-minute walk. In Salt Lake, I’ll see that something is a 15-minute drive and think, “That’s so close! I bet I can walk!” - only to learn it’s actually a two-and-a-half-hour journey on foot. These big, wide roads just cut straight through the noise to get you from A to B.

Recently, I traveled to London for work and spent two glorious weeks in a place that still feels like home. I left Salt Lake City not at all sad to see it disappear behind the clouds and landed in London feeling immense relief. I spent two weeks surrounded by my old communities, eating at my favourite restaurants, and connecting with some of the most special people in my life. I ran in Hyde Park, walked along the river, practiced lots of Pilates, and laughed more than I had in weeks since the move.

I fully expected to feel devastated upon returning to Salt Lake, but, with cautious optimism, that hasn’t been the case. For starters, the season has begun shifting from a baking-hot desert summer to a crisp and breathtakingly beautiful autumn. I finally have a car, which has opened up a lot of freedom, and I’m beginning to understand my surroundings more and more each day.

I think what I really needed was that trip back to London, to be reminded that it’s still there. On the day I moved, a good friend texted me about London and said, “God knows that city isn’t going anywhere.” At the time it felt sweet, a reminder that I could embark on this new adventure and still return to a London where Albert Bridge and Richmond Park would be standing.

It turns out I desperately needed to see that in action. I had been gone for about six weeks, then returned and was able to slip right back into the spaces I love so much. I feel incredibly grateful that my main job is still based in London, at Pi Studios, which lets me stay connected to many of my London people on a daily basis. Knowing they’re all still there, working and living their lives, gives me a sense of relief.

Of course, things always change, and one day I’ll return to London and find it different, but for now, I’m reminded that I’m changing too, from seven hours behind on Mountain Time. That shift in perspective has opened me up to experiencing Salt Lake a bit more. I was admittedly resistant at first, but now I’m learning to love trail running and being in the mountains, slowly finding coffee shops I enjoy, and thinking of this move as an adventure to embrace rather than a loss to mourn.

It’s funny how the mind works! If someone had told me in July, “Wait! You don’t have to move! You can stay in London!” I probably would have been happy…but also a little disappointed to not be embarking on this unknown course. This move has absolutely pushed me out of my comfort zone, and as a result, I’m feeling my feelings deeply, connecting more strongly with friends and family who support me so well, and being exposed to new people and places unlike anything I’ve experienced before. It’s such a gift.

I still have days when I’m incredibly homesick for London- and more than anything, for the people in it. I’m not sure yet when we’ll leave Salt Lake. It could be in four months, or (at most) two years, but I know that when we do, I’ll miss this phase too.

If you’re moving or have just moved and are struggling, I hear you! This stuff is not easy! I’m still up and down with it every day. I encourage you to embrace whatever adventure you’re on- it turns out that this one is definitely changing me for the better.