Meet Summer, A Health Coach and Personal Trainer Based in Tirana

I feel like nowadays it’s so easy to get caught up in everyday life and loose track with your physical and mental health. Sometimes we move through our days without even realizing it, forgetting to slow down, to breathe, to simply be present.

That’s why meeting people like Summer feels so refreshing!

Summer is a health coach, personal trainer, and yoga teacher based in Tirana. She’s passionate about helping people reconnect with their bodies, find their balance, and build a supportive community where health is a priority, not an afterthought.

It was such a joy to meet her in person and listen to the beautiful mission behind everything she does, inspiring people to move, feel, and live better.

And I hope that through this interview, you also get inspired to slow down, take better care of yourself, and reconnect with what truly matters.

Here’s how our conversation went:

Where are you from originally from and what brought you to Albania?

Originally, I am from Ohio, I grew up in the United States, and then when I was 18, I moved to Italy. I was living in Florence for about seven years, where I met my boyfriend, who is Albanian. About six years ago, I would say, I had my first trip to Albania, and upon arrival, I realized it was a beautiful country. Completely unexpected, but I really liked it!

The food was amazing, the people were all super super welcoming, and I just really liked the country. Back then, we went back to Italy, where we had our life, and it was last May when we officially decided on moving to Albania.

At that point, I’m not sure if I would have believed that one day I would be living here. A few years passed though and I began to feel that living in Florence had served its purpose in my life, I was ready for something new, a challenge and a way to expand.

So I had this idea to consider Albania. We have people here; it’s also a great place to live. As an American, I knew I could also live up to a year visa-free. Having done seven years in the Italian bureaucracy, I never once received my permesso di soggiorno, even though I had applied many times (which was a pain point of living there).

So we were trying to trial life here over the summer. To see how things would go. And probably within the first two weeks, we decided we were going to live here. Things kind of just settled into place. And I felt like I had gotten some of that stability that I had been missing for a while. That for me was really important.

I was traveling for a few months towards the end of summer, and returned to Tirana in October. I put in a lot more effort to meeting people, and making connections and, just investing in my time here.

I thought, this is where I’m living. This is my city now. So I get to create what I want it to look like.

And that’s been really nice. Very inspiring. A short amount of time, but a very full amount of time.

What made you decide to stay here longer or even settle down?

You mentioned that you found fulfilment and stability and realized you could do things here faster?

Yes, exactly.

We could create things here, both of us.

I want to create something. I want to be in charge of my day. And it feels like I really can in Albania. It will take work, of course, but those other barriers or just the legal aspects of what it takes to start a business in the United States versus here, are not the same.

It feels like there’s a lot less barriers and there are so many opportunities. It’s a growing city, a growing country, and people are open to new things. And that, for me, feels very inspiring.

I can be a part of creating something new or bringing something different to people here, and making a difference. So that also feels exciting.

What’s something that surprised you in a good or bad way about living here?

I’m thinking about the first time I was here, the juxtaposition of the city. You could see some places were very luxurious, you have these really, really nice built-up coffee shops and places and restaurants, and then there’s the women from the village selling products on the street, like herbs… and that for me was new.

I hadn’t seen anything quite like that, and I just found it very entertaining. But now, this is very normal.

But my initial impression of Albania was that it was this very contrasting place. Of new and old, and luxurious and very minimal kinds of roots. But I would say living here, I’m still amazed at how welcoming people are.

How has your experience been with locals?

There’s a very beautiful, very strong culture of hosting people, of inviting people in, of just caring for people, and it feels genuine to me. For example, in the United States, people are very polite, but it’s not always genuine. They’re polite because that’s proper etiquette, but after our interaction ends, it’s done.

Whereas I feel like here, people are a bit more genuine. Either they like you, and you know it, or they don’t like you, and you know it. Very direct, which I like.

It feels like when they do care, they really do, and they’ll make that effort, and that to me feels like an easier way of building and maintaining relationships. Even just small interactions of going to the same coffee shop, and they start to know what you order, and you start to talk to them a little bit more, and you build this relationship, you know?

People are very attentive in terms of welcoming, and I love that. It makes you feel special.

What do you love most about your life in Albania right now?

There are a lot of things I really love about my life right now. I feel like I’m in a place where I’m starting to feel the difference of moving here and kind of starting over. I’ve established my own relationships. I’ve gotten to know this city in a different way. I like that I can go out on the street and maybe run into somebody that I know, so it feels a lot more like I live here, like I’m here full-time, like this is my place. Like I am a part of the city.

Do you have a favorite place, food, or habit you’ve picked up since moving here?

Well, I really love burek. When I’m out of the country, I think about, how when I’m back, I’ll definitely get some burek. The food here, in general, is just fresh. The produce tastes like it should, and the quality is better than a lot of other places.

And is there a place that you love here?

I really love the coffee culture here. There are so many coffee shops all over and there are always people sitting, all hours of the day. Each cafe has its own community of people, you start to get to know the baristas and the other regulars and its a beautiful way of connecting. A lot of the shops also organize their own events which is super cool and something that I think makes Tirana feel special. A few of my favorite spots in the city are Rubi, Nöje, Antigua and Hana corner cafe.

And the last question, would you recommend Albania to others considering a move? Why or why not?

Yes. Yes, I would.

I would say come and visit first, not every place is for everyone.

But if you like good weather, sunshine, and good food, it’s a really easy place to work remotely from. I have found it a nice city to meet people and build relationships as well. Of course there are people here for a short time just traveling, but there are a lot of really amazing locals and people who have decided to make Tirana their home base.

And if you’re up for some adventure, it’s really easy to travel around, not only in Albania but also around Europe. So I would recommend it. It’s a great place to live.