San Diego · International Professionals
Where International Professionals Become Locals
A community for internationals building a career and a life in the U.S. — whether you landed last month or you've been here for years. Real events. Real connections. Real support, professional and personal.
Moving your career to a new country doesn't come with a manual
You figure out the visa. You figure out the job. But nobody hands you the unwritten rules — how to network here, how to read the room in a meeting, how to build a real friendship instead of just LinkedIn connections.
And even after you've "figured it out," there's often still a quiet sense of being an outsider looking in.
You don't need another networking app. You need people.
Meet Autumn, your guide
I’ve spent over sixteen years teaching English to adults in South Korea, San Diego, Oklahoma, and New York. I noticed the same thing everywhere: my students didn’t just want to learn grammar. They wanted to fully experience the city, understand it, and make genuine connections with the people who lived there. That’s why I started Belong Here Co. — helping international professionals become locals. Whether you’re staying six months or the rest of your life, we believe in three things: learn, connect, belong.
What it’s about
For every step of the journey
Belong Here Co. is a community of international professionals in San Diego — newcomers and longtimers alike — built around one idea: Learn, Connect, Belong. Think: the practical education you wish someone gave you on day one, plus the kind of network that actually shows up for you — professionally and personally.
Learn
Practical, honest sessions on U.S. workplace culture, communication norms, and the unwritten rules nobody hands you on day one.
Connect
Real networking — built on genuine conversation, not business cards. Monthly events designed for actual relationships, not transactions.
Belong
A standing network of people who show up for each other — personally and professionally — long after the first event ends.
Who it's for
Two stages, one community. All welcome.
Stage One
New Here
Internationals in their first chapter in the U.S., still getting their footing. Walk in confused, walk out with a plan and a few new friends.
Stage Two
Rooted Here
Internationals who've been here a while and want to go deeper: career growth, mentorship (both giving and getting), and friendships with people who get it because they've lived it too.
Many of our most active members move from New Here to
Rooted Here — and end up mentoring the next person coming up behind them.
Upcoming Events
The Insider Series
An in-person gathering for international professionals in San Diego to have real conversations about the unwritten rules of working and connecting in the U.S.
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Workplace Culture & Unwritten Rules
August 15 - 2-3:30pm
Spill the Beans Coffee & Bagels, Mission Valley San Diego, CA
$15 (includes one beverage)
Limited spots — intentionally small.
Hosted by Autumn Garrett -
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Workplace Culture & Unwritten Rules
August 19 • 6–7:30pm
Castelli & Pizarro Coffee Shop – Wine Bar, San Diego CA
$20 (includes one drink) ·
Limited spots — intentionally small.Hosted by Autumn Garrett
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Communication & Confidence at Work
September 16 • 6–7:30pm
Castelli & Pizarro Coffee Shop – Wine Bar, San Diego CA
$20 (includes one drink) · Limited spots — intentionally small.Hosted by Autumn Garrett
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Networking & Small Talk
Oct 21 • 6–7:30pm
San Diego CA
Limited spots — intentionally small.Hosted by Autumn Garrett
Optional · 1:1 Coaching
Ready to go deeper?
Some members want to go deeper than the community alone can offer. If that's you, I offer 1:1 coaching and mentorship built on the Outsider to Local Blueprint — a personalized path for the professional and personal terrain the community can only partly cover.
Program length: 90 Days
1:1 Personalized format
Full scope support
Email autumn@belonghereco.com to learn more
In Their Words