What happens when you don’t leave your home, but your home leaves you?
Watch my new video (click on picture below)
In my previous video, we explored how major life transitions completely shatter and rebuild our identities. We looked at the foundational work of academic Russell W. Belk, who proved that our physical houses and neighbourhoods are the strongest anchors of the “extended self.” When those environments are violently or suddenly taken away, the psychological impact is profound.
But there is another kind of identity loss occurring across the globe today. It is less sudden than a natural disaster, but it is deeply sorrowful, disorienting, and incredibly difficult to explain. I call it modern-day displacement – the heavy, isolating feeling of being completely homesick while standing right inside your own hometown.
In this video, I share a deeply personal chapter of my life. Growing up in Belgrade, I watched my city transform almost overnight in the late 1990s under the weight of economic collapse, international sanctions, and a fracturing social fabric. Without moving an inch, the city that once represented pride, history, and grand dreams became a psychological purgatory. Trust vanished, communities dissolved, and I found myself mourning a living city.
Years later, living in Victoria, British Columbia, I recognized that exact same grief in the eyes of locals who were witnessing their neighborhoods rapidly shift due to gentrification, tourism, and changing demographics.
Life has a fascinating way of putting us in the shoes of “the other.” It forces us to ask a critical question: Is there a way to ease these massive transitions? Can we build a society that protects both economic progress and local community connection?
Bridging the Chasm
There are ways to build bridges. In the video, I discuss a beautiful local initiative in Victoria called “Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown” – a project that reframes commercial interests as an annual invitation for residents to reconnect with and support the spaces they love. We need more of these creative, community-first frameworks globally.
I Want to Hear From You
This platform is not only a lecture; it aims to become a collaborative space to figure out how we navigate the modern world together.
- Do you still feel at home in your city or town?
- What are you struggling with the most when it comes to these rapid collective shifts?
- How can we better bridge economic needs with our human need for belonging?
Watch the full video above, and share your perspective in the comments below or join our newsletter community to download our latest transition frameworks.
PARTNERSHIPS & INVESTORS
I am interested in expanding this channel from a media project into a scalable educational ecosystem and digital curriculum. If you are an impact investor, strategic collaborator, or organization passionate about emotional intelligence and creator-led education, reach out via email.
Nataša Ċeċez-Sekuliċ 