About

My name is Jeanne.

Mother of two little girls, stepmother of one older girl, a statistician by profession… and creator of the account @whenlifegivesyouleman.

I grew up in Annecy, lived in Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore, before returning to the region to settle in Geneva with my family a little over three years ago.

When I arrived, I wanted to easily find ideas for walks, activities, kid-friendly restaurants, in short… beautiful places to create memories with my children. And like many, I naturally looked for inspiration on Instagram.

But I quickly realized that local creators often focused very much on a single territory: only Geneva, only Lausanne, only Annecy. Whereas in real life, we constantly move from one place to another: we live in Nyon, we go out in Geneva, we ski in Haute-Savoie, we brunch in Annecy, we hike in the Jura…

I wanted a space that truly reflected our way of life here, in this vibrant, cross-border region.

That’s how I created an Instagram account to share places I found beautiful, inspiring, and family-friendly. Then in 2025, the account grew… and today, tens of thousands of parents come to it for outing ideas.

When it came to finding a name for it, I was looking for a pun with “Léman.”
And one day, it appeared: When Life Gives You Léman.

For those who don't know the reference: in the English-speaking world, we say "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." The idea is that when life gives you something sour, something difficult, you transform it into something sweet, something bright. At that time, I was going through a lot of professional transitions, and I loved the wink.

And today, the logical next step is:
When Life Gives You Léman, make Lémanade.

Lémanade is the desire to create something tangible, local, and joyful: small items designed for kids in the region — whether they're from Geneva, Vaud, Haute-Savoie, or simply Léman residents at heart. And for adults too.

It's still a very small project, almost artisanal.
But it was born from a true story, a deep attachment to this region, and the desire to make families here smile.

And we'll see where this adventure takes us 💛

Jeanne.