Mindful Expat, with Dana Nelson, Ph.D.

What you’ll hear in this episode: • I’ll introduce you to the concept of the “rentrée” in France (basically back-to-school but for adults and kids alike!). • We’ll discuss how this time of year can be an opportunity to take stock of what we have accomplished and learned in the past year and set our intentions for the year to come. • I will provide you with some tips for how to begin to build habits in the service of your goals so that you can continue to make progress throughout the year on the things that are most important to you.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • For those of you currently focused on helping kids make a transition to a new school (possibly in a new country), be sure to go back and listen to my conversation with Kate Berger from the Expat Kids Club in episode 22, where we talk about how parents can support their kids through relocation. • In talking about how we can take care of our future selves, I mentioned a funny episode of the show Seinfeld with “Night Guy” and “Morning Guy.” While the entire episode does not seem to be available online, here is a short Seinfeld sketch on this topic. • And here is a great article from the Atlantic on the same subject, entitled, “Self-Control Is Just Empathy With Your Future Self.” Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • Today’s episode will be a brief welcome back to the podcast. I’ll share with you a bit about what I have in mind for Season 3! • I’ll invite you to connect with me and stay in touch as we move into Season 3. • I’ll request YOUR participation in the podcast by leaving me an audio message! I'd love to be able to share some of your voices and stories in a future episode! Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Claudia Neiman! Since moving away from the US at the age of 18 for school, Claudia has lived in Spain, Brazil, and Portugal. Although she has never actually lived in the UK, she has dual US/British citizenship, which lowers administrative hurdles to her living in the EU long-term, and she considers herself a global citizen. Rather than doing just a semester or year abroad, Claudia actually enrolled directly at the University of Grenada in Spain, where she completed her undergraduate degree in sociology. Still in Grenada, she is now working on her masters degree in teaching while also working as a researcher at the university there. Claudia and her friend Dani (who we heard from in Part 1 of this series) started a website together called Sincerely Spain, where they share their experiences and insights on topics related to living in Spain and cultural adaptation for students studying abroad. What you’ll hear in this episode: • Claudia's experience of being an international student for the entirety of her undergraduate (and now graduate) studies and some of her observations about how this experience can differ from that of a student studying abroad for a single semester or year. • Claudia's experiences of transitioning from being a student to a young professional while living abroad. • What is "cultural competence" and how can students studying abroad work to develop their own cultural competence during their time abroad. • Some suggestions for current or prospective international students to help them develop their own cultural competence. Resources mentioned in today’s episode: • The motivational quote Claudia shared with us comes from the podcast, That's So Retrograde. • Claudia also recommended the YouTube channel, Yoga With Adrienne (which I have become totally obsessed with since our conversation, by the way!). More about Claudia and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Claudia, you can visit her website, Sincerely Spain, where she and her friend Dani share their experiences of studying and living abroad in Spain. (You can learn more specifically about Claudia here.) Some articles on their website that you might find especially interesting after today's discussion include this one about cultural competence, this one and this one (two-part series) on getting a degree abroad, and this one on culture shock. Claudia and Dani also provide consulting services to students who are either currently studying abroad or planning to study abroad (especially in Spain, but elsewhere too). For more information about their consulting services, check out this page of their website. You can also find Claudia on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can connect with her through this page of her website. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Dani Jauregui! Dani is originally from the Chicago area. While studying at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois – majoring in Sociology and Hispanic Studies – she decided to do a semester abroad in Alicante, Spain. After returning to the US to finish her degree, Dani then decided that she wanted to move back to Spain, so in 2013 she moved to Granada, where she worked as a teaching assistant in a bilingual elementary school. After a brief stint also teaching in Costa Rica, Dani missed Granada and decided to move back. Since then, she has been working full time as an online English teacher, reaching students around the world from Granada, which she now considers to be her home. Dani and her friend Claudia – both of whom live in Granada and also both of whom have studied sociology – started a website together called Sincerely Spain, where they share their experiences and insights on topics related to living in Spain and cultural adaptation for students studying abroad. What you’ll hear in this episode: • Dani’s experience of studying abroad for a semester and how this experience inspired her to move back to Spain after finishing her studies. • Some of the common challenges that young adults face when studying or living abroad during this time in their lives (and some tips on how to navigate these challenges). • Some of the amazing benefits of studying or living abroad during this formative time in our lives and how this experience can increase our own self-awareness and lead to personal development. • Some tips to keep in mind when planning or navigating a study abroad experience. Resources mentioned in today’s episode: • Dani mentioned an article on her website about how we have different personalities in different languages. This article can be found here: “Confessions: I am a Different Person in Different Languages.” (See more below for links to a few more articles on Dani’s website that relate to our conversation today.) • Dani also recommended The Lively Show Podcast, with Jess Lively. More about Dani and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Dani, you can visit her website, Sincerely Spain, where she and her friend Claudia share their experiences of studying and living abroad in Spain. (You can learn more specifically about Dani here.) Some of the articles on their website that you might find especially interesting after today’s discussion include this one about how studying abroad can be scary and challenging but why we should do it anyway, and this one on how living abroad can increase our own self-awareness. Dani and Claudia also provide consulting services to students who are either currently studying abroad or planning to study abroad (especially in Spain, but elsewhere too). For more information about their consulting services, check out this page of their website. You can also find Dani on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can connect with her through this page of her website. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Amanda Zetah! Amanda is originally from the United States, from the state of Colorado. While she was in college, inspired by the dream of becoming a travel writer, she started traveling independently and soon caught the travel bug. As soon as she graduated, she jumped at the opportunity to start traveling full-time. Over the past 6 years of traveling independently, Amanda has been to over 60 different countries. She has spent time living in Sierra Leone, Iraq, Myanmar, and she now lives in Azerbaijan, where she works as an English teacher. In addition travel, Amanda is also passionate about staying healthy – both physically and emotionally. From her own first-hand experience, she knows that travelers face some extra challenges in this realm, so she has started a website and blog for fellow health-conscious travelers called Health Nut Nomad, where she shares ideas and insights on ways to stay healthy and grounded while on the move. What you’ll hear in this episode: • About Amanda’s experiences of facing the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone as well as a car bombing in Iraq — and how she has learned to both face her fears as well as continue to live in the present moment as she continues her journey of traveling the world. • Amanda’s journey of discovering a mindfulness practice that works for her and allows her to feel more present in her day-to-day life. • Breaking down some misconceptions about mindfulness and discussing how the simple practice of coming back to the present moment can actually get us out of our heads and back into our lives.  Resources mentioned in today’s episode: • Amanda mentioned the book, The Alchemist, by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. This international best-seller (translated into at least 70 different languages) shares the simple story of a young man on a journey and has been widely interpreted to represent the journey we must all undertake to find our path in life or our destiny. • The quote Amanda shares with us (which can be found here) is actually not from an anonymous source, but rather from Lebanese-Canadian poet and speaker Najwa Zebian. • After we finished our interview (not included in today’s episode), Amanda also shared another helpful resource with me — a book written by her aunt, Terri Leichty, called Body Love Food Peace: Ten Practices to End the War, on mindful eating and developing a more compassionate relationship with our own bodies. Amanda also recently wrote about this topic on her blog, and this article can be found here. More about Amanda and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Amanda, you can visit her website, Health Nut Nomad, where she brings together ideas from fellow travelers on how to stay fit and healthy while traveling and living abroad. Some of her articles that you might be interested in checking out include https://healthnutnomad.com/yoga-travelers-meditation-practices/this one on meditation practices for travelers, or this one on coping with anxiety. You can also find Amanda on Twitter, and you can connect with her through this page of her website. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Claire Handscombe! Claire is a freelance writer, blogger, and fellow-podcaster (host of The Brit Lit Podcast) living in Washington, DC. Born in London to a British father and French mother, Claire then spent much of her early adolescence in Belgium before returning to the UK at the age of 12. She later returned to Belgium as a young adult, before moving to DC to do her MFA in Creative Writing at American University. From 2005-2012, Claire taught English, French, and Spanish to adults of all levels in both London and Brussels. In 2011, she published a book called Conquering Babel: A Practical Guide to Learning a Language. What you’ll hear in this episode: • Claire's experiences of moving abroad to countries where she spoke the language, but where subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle!) language differences still impacted her cultural adaptation. • We discuss the interplay of language and culture, including some metalinguistic cultural differences that can lead to misunderstandings. • Claire's experiences of the differences in academic cultures between the UK and the US. • A discussion of why it's important to learn at least the basics of the language where you're living and some of the ways doing so can positively impact your life. Resources mentioned in today’s episode: • Claire recommended Passion Planner as a helpful resource that she uses to think about her goals for the future and break them down into manageable steps. • Claire also mentioned the website Wordery, an online bookshop offering original editions of books from around the world -- with free delivery to anywhere in the world! • Claire's personal essay, "How to Be British," (which we mentioned toward the end of our conversation and which is great!) can be found here. • To learn more about Claire's book, Conquering Babel: A Practical Guide to Learning a Language, visit this page of her website. More about Claire and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Claire and read some of her essays, be sure to check out her website, www.clairehandscombe.com. To learn more about Claire's podcast, The Brit Lit Podcast, where she discusses the latest news int eh world fo British books and publishing, you can visit the Brit Lit Blog or visit the podcast's Facebook page.  To check out Claire's upcoming book, Unscripted, check out it's Unbound page, where it is available for pre-order. You can also find Claire on Twitter, and you can connect with her through this page of her website. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • How self-care is really having empathy for your future self (and what this really means). • A fun Seinfeld clip to illustrate this concept (in the inverse) • Some ideas for what this type of self-care might mean for you. Resources Mentioned in Today’s Episode: • I mentioned our wonderful New Year's episode, featuring all of the past year's Mindful Expat guests, sharing their self-care tips! Be sure to listen in for some great ideas to add to your own self-care repertoire. • Here are a couple of articles on this same topic that you might enjoy: - Thought Catalogue article: “This Is What ‘Self-Care’ REALLY Means, Because It’s Not All Salt Baths And Chocolate Cake,” by Brianna Wiest (mentioned back in episode 37). - Atlantic article: “Self-Control Is Just Empathy With Your Future Self,” by Ed Yong (obviously very relevant!) Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today's Mindful Expat Guest is Carolyn Parse Rizzo! Carolyn is a certified Child Life Specialist and Life Transition Coach focusing on healthcare and vitality abroad. From her home in Italy, she works as a health coach and consultant, supporting people who are dealing with various types of health conditions while living abroad. Through her company, Interval Coaching, she helps her clients navigate some of the challenges of managing health conditions in a foreign medical system, while also assisting them in shifting their perspectives toward their health, developing positive coping strategies, increasing their resiliency, and nurturing creativity and connectedness in their lives. What you'll hear in this episode: • Some of the common challenges that expats and other internationals face when managing a health condition in a foreign medical system. • How our mindset can impact our experience of health issues and our experiences navigating a foreign medical system -- and how we can shift our interpretations in a way that can ultimately feel more empowering.  • Some concrete, practical tips for expats and others navigating health challenges in a foreign medical system Resources mentioned in today's episode: • Carolyn recommends William Bridges' book, Transitions, as her helpful resource. • Carolyn also recommends, Travwell, an app designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that helps you plan safe, healthy travel.  • Carolyn mentioned a wonderful resource to improve our cultural awareness, Cultural Detective (a free online webinar).  • Carolyn mentioned her mindful morning walks as a central part of her self-care routine. To learn more, you can read this article that she wrote for the I Am a Triangle blog.  More about Carolyn and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Carolyn’s coaching and consulting services, you can visit her website, www.intervallifecoach.com.  Carolyn mentioned that she hosts quarterly Vibrant Women's Circles. To be notified about these and other related resources and events, you can sign up to receive her newsletter. You can also find Carolyn on Facebook and Twitter, and you can connect with her through this page of her website (here you can also listen to a free sample guided relaxation that she shares there).  Stay in Touch!   Click HERE to access the show notes for this episode – including links to all of the helpful resources we mentioned. Want to make sure that you never miss an episode of Mindful Expat? Hit the “subscribe” button in your podcast app and click HERE to sign up for the newsletter! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please click HERE to rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews will help other Mindful Expats discover the podcast too!   And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!  Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Mindful Expat!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • We'll talk a bit about New Year's resolutions and making sustainable self-care a priority in 2018! • We'll hear from all of our Mindful Expat guests from the 2017, listening to their self-care tips from their own experiences as inspiration for our own self-care in the coming year! Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: • If you're interested in thinking more about setting New Years' resolutions, check out this previous episode of the podcast, Episode 26, which I mentioned in today's episode. • Show-notes for all previous episodes (including all guest episodes featured in this episode) can be found here.  • Thought Catalogue article I mentioned, "This Is What ‘Self-Care’ REALLY Means, Because It’s Not All Salt Baths And Chocolate Cake," by Brianna Wiest. • Atlantic article (not mentioned directly in the episode, but very relevant!), "Self-Control Is Just Empathy With Your Future Self," by Ed Yong. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Lois Bushong! Lois is a licensed marriage and family therapist living in the state of Indiana in the United States. She is originally from the US, but grew up in Central America (mainly in Honduras) as part of a missionary family, and she also spent 10 years working in Honduras as an adult. Having grown up as a Third Culture Kid (or TCK) herself, Lois has specialized in working with TCKs, adult TCKs, and intercultural couples.  Lois is also the author of the book, Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere: Insights into Counseling the Globally Mobile, which is how I first came across her work. In addition to her therapy practice, she also offers services as a consultant and coach for TCKs and others navigating this intercultural space. What you’ll hear in this episode: • About Lois' experiences growing up as a TCK missionary kid in Central America and how she came to want to help other TCKs find their true sense of belonging. • How frequent moves can lead some TCKs to experience unresolved grief, which can lead to some difficulties as they get older.  • How parents and other adults can help TCKs make room for both positive and negative emotional reactions to their experiences growing up abroad and allow them to work through and process grief.  • How many TCKs find their true sense of belonging with other TCKs.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • To learn more about TCKs, check out episode 8 for my conversation with Josh Sandoz (who we mention in the podcast). • Lois mentioned a number of great resource books: • Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child: Practical Storytelling Techniques That Will Strengthen the Global Family, by Julia Simens • The new edition of Ruth Van Reken & David Pollock's book, Third Culture Kids 3rd Edition: Growing Up Among Worlds. • Writing Out of Limbo: International Childhoods, Global Nomads and Third Culture Kids, edited by by Gene Bell-Villada, Nina Sichel,‎ Faith Eidse, and‎ Elaine Neil Orr. • Pico Iyer's book, The Global Soul: Jet Lag, Shopping Malls, and the Search for Home (and his TED Talk entitled, "Where Is Home?"). • We also briefly mentioned Lois's blog post, "TCKs Make Great Therapists."  More about Lois and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Lois' work as a counselor, coach, speaker, and writer, you can visit her website www.loisbushong.com. To read some of her blog articles, you can also visit her blog, mangotreereflections.com (the contents of which will be transferred over to her main website in the next few months). Lois' book, Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere: Insights into Counseling the Globally Mobile, is a fantastic resource especially for therapists and counselors, but really for anyone working with TCKs. To learn more about the book, you can also visit this page of her website.  You can also find Lois on Twitter, and you can email by going to this page of her website. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!  

What you’ll hear in this episode: • Why the holidays can be an especially challenging time of year for expats — whether we’re traveling home or staying in our host countries. • Some specific tips for meaningful expat holidays when we’re far from home that you can implement in your life this holiday season! Resources mentioned in this episode: • I mentioned a number of ways you can stay in touch with friends and family back home over technology. Some great tech resources include Skype, Facetime, Whatsapp. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here! Why Not Share? Know someone who could benefit from tuning into this discussion? Why not share this episode (or the whole podcast) with a friend? Support for Mindful Expat: Support for this episode of Mindful Expat comes from Audible! Mindful Expat listeners can now get a free audiobook of your choice and a free 30-day trial of audible’s monthly subscription service by following this link (or clicking the button to the right). Any subscriptions or purchases you make will support the podcast at no additional cost to you!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • How not all issues in relationships can be completely resolved, but how this may actually be ok — we just need to learn how to manage them! • Some problematic patterns that couples can fall into (what John Gottman calls the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” — criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling — because in his research these variables have been used to predict divorce with impressive accuracy) — and how to shift away from these into healthier, more productive dynamics with your partner • Some specific examples of how you can word things to address problems that may come up in relationships.  Resources mentioned in this episode (and related resources): • I mentioned the research of relationship expert John Gottman as well the organization that he cofounded with his wife, The Gottman Institute. To learn more about the research discussed in this episode, you can go here. • You can also check out John Gottman’s book, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, which is a fantastic resource for couples (whether they’re married or not). • If you’re interested in looking into other books that I think are excellent for couples, check out this section of my resources page. • We also discussed some options for looking for a couples therapist near you. The International Therapist Directoryis a wonderful resource for finding English-speaking therapists around the world who are familiar with some of the unique challenges of people living abroad. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here! Why Not Share? Know someone who could benefit from tuning into this discussion? Why not share this episode (or the whole podcast) with a friend?

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Claudia Landini! Claudia is an intercultural trainer and mobile careers coach. Originally from Italy, Claudia has been living abroad for the past 27 years, since 1989! She has lived in four African countries (Sudan, Angola, Congo Brazzaville and Guinea Bissau), two Latin American countries (Honduras and Peru), in Jerusalem, and she now lives in Jakarta, Indonesia. She also speaks quite an impressive number of languages – Italian, English, French, Spanish, and German – and as if that weren’t already enough, she also knows a little bit of Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia, and Arabic. Claudia is the founder of the non-profit organization ExpatClic, which is an online platform and community supporting expat women in a number of different ways through their transitions abroad – both personally and professionally. She is also an intercultural trainer and cross-cultural transitions coach with a focus on helping expat women develop and maintain their careers as they move abroad. What you’ll hear in this episode: • Some of the challenges that expat partners may face in their careers when they move abroad and how this can impact their sense of professional (and personal) identity. • The importance of finding meaningful, satisfying activities that allow us to continue to learn and grow -- whether or not we have an official job that pays the bills.  • How our professional paths can evolve and shift when we move abroad in ways that we might not have envisioned but that can be incredibly enriching and satisfying.  • How moving abroad and navigating some of these challenges can actually teach us important things about ourselves and foster not only profession but also personal development. Resources mentioned in this episode: • Claudia mentioned "MOOCs" or Massive Open Online Courses, which are often available for free. To learn more about MOOCs, click here (this Wikipedia entry has a great list of MOOC platforms that you can explore further). Some other great resources for finding MOOCs include: www.mooc.org, www.coursera.org, and www.edx.org. • Claudia mentioned the book, Exile, by Turkish author Ciler Ilhan (the source of her inspirational quote!). • Claudia also mentioned the book, Lost in Translation by Eva Hoffman, which she recommends for anyone moving or living abroad and navigating cultural challenges. • We also discussed the platform that Claudia developed, ExpatClic, which supports expat women in a number of different areas of their lives when they move abroad. Some sub-projects associated with ExpatClic also include: Expat à Table, Expat Books, Expat Women at Work, and What Expats Can Do. These are wonderful resources, and I highly recommend you check them out!  More about Claudia and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Claudia's work, you can visit her website at www.claudialandini.it or her profile on Expatclic. You can also find Claudia on Facebook or Twitter, and you can email her directly at claudiaexpat@expatclic.com. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • The benefits of practicing gratitude (to our emotional, psychological, and physical health!). • What it even means to "practice" gratitude. (And how doing so can help you experience more spontaneous gratitude as well!) • A short gratitude practice that you can incorporate into your daily routine that is supported by a bunch of research. Resources mentioned in this episode: • I mentioned Robert Emmons (from the University of California, Davis) and his research on gratitude. To learn more about this fascinating research, check out this article from Greater Good magazine. • To check out Robert Emmons' book on this topic, go here. • I also referred back to a previous episode of this podcast, where we talked about some related topics: www.mindfulexpat.com/episode24. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Karen Wilmot! Karen was born and grew up in South Africa. Growing up with a mother who was a midwife, Karen was exposed from an early age to inspiring stories of women giving birth. She followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a midwife herself. Karen’s love of travel led her to live in many different countries – including Saudi Arabia, Mauritius, and Mexico. For the past 13 years, she has been living in Oman, where she established the first private community services there supporting expat women during pregnancy and birth. More recently, Karen was inspired to take her work online to reach women around the world in search of support and guidance as they navigate the birth process while living abroad. She started the Virtual Midwife, an interactive online platform where she provides personalized care, information, and support for expat women around the world, many of whom who have limited or no access to quality prenatal advice and care. An advocate for a holistic approach to birth, Karen incorporates mindfulness, yoga, and other methods for working with the mind and the body to promote health and wellbeing for the women she works with. What you’ll hear in this episode: • Some of the cultural differences that women and families may encounter when navigating pregnancy and birth in a foreign medical system. • The importance of being informed about the medical system in your host country and knowing the right questions to ask to make sure you get your needs met. • The importance of mindset and expectations in our experiences of pregnancy and birth (whether in a foreign country or not). • How to recognize the factors that are within your control and accept those thing that may be outside of your control as you navigate pregnancy and birth in a foreign country. • The importance of self-awareness and mindfulness (the ability to remain truly present) in pregnancy and birth.   Resources mentioned in this episode: • Karen mentioned Jack Canfield's book, Chicken Soup for the Soul. • Karen also recommended Pam Grout's book, E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality (which I will be adding to my own reading list!). • Karen recently released a Birth Breathing App to help women practice breathing techniques to prepare for birth. This app is currently a free download for either iPhone or iPad! More about Karen and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Karen's online program, including her online course, you can visit her website at www.thevirtualmidwife.com. There you can also find a blog and other helpful resources. As mentioned above, you can find Karen's Birth Breathing App on iTunes.  You can also find Karen on Facebook or Twitter, and you can email her directly through the contact page of her website. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

In this special bonus episode, I share with you Dr. Carmen Roman's interview with me for her podcast, Emotions in Harmony. (Carmen was a guest on the Mindful Expat back in episode 27.)

What you’ll hear in this episode: • Some of the different contexts in which students may study abroad and how these contexts might impact their experiences as international students. • Some of the amazing benefits of studying abroad! • Some of the common challenges that international students may face. • Some of my recommendations for current and future international students to help them make the most of their experiences abroad. Resources mentioned in this episode: • I mentioned that there is a bunch of interesting research on the benefits of learning a foreign language (beyond being and to communicate with other people, of course). For a taste of some of this research, check out this article from The Atlantic and this one from The Guardian. • In this episode, I mentioned that back in episode 5, we discussed culture shock and some of the ways that the stress of adaptation to a new environment can add up and take a toll in different areas of our lives. • I also mentioned the International Therapist Directory, which is a great resource for searching for therapists around the world who speak English and who are familiar with the particular changes that those living abroad face. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Louise Wiles! Louise is an expat coach who works with international assignees, expat partners, and international organizations to help expats and their families not only survive but thrive in their lives abroad! Louise is originally from the UK, but she has spent much of the last 18 years living in Spain and Portugal. Three years ago, she repatriated back to England with her husband and 2 daughters. When Louise first moved abroad for her husband’s career, she left behind a corporate career of her own, so she is intimately familiar with the challenges that dual career couples face when deciding to move abroad and navigating their expat experience. Along with her (former) business partner, Evelyn Simpson, both trained coaches, she began a business called Thriving Abroad, to help expat partners and expat assignees navigate these challenges and create a life they love. Louise also has her own podcast, also called Thriving Abroad, where she interviews guests and covers topics related to helping expats face personal and professional challenges in their lives abroad, and I highly encourage you to check it out. What you’ll hear in this episode: • About Louise's experience of navigating multiple overseas moves and her professional journey of creating her coaching business, supporting expats and expat partners. • The importance of our expectations and really thinking through our decision to move abroad ahead of time. • Some tips for people already living abroad who feel like they're in survival mode to help make the shift from just surviving to actually thriving in their lives overseas!  Resources mentioned in this episode: • Early in our discussion, Louise mentions a book (although not by name) having to do with building a portable business. The book she is referring to is called A Career In Your Suitcase, by Jo Parfitt and Colleen Reichrath-Smith. • Louise mentions some of the work of social psychologist Barbara Frederickson on positivity. To learn more about some of her work, you can check out her website, book (Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive), or this TED Talk. • Louise also mentioned the book The Mobile Life, by Diane Lemieux and Anne Parker. • Louise also mentions some research on the importance of morning routines. To learn more about some of this research, check out this article from More about Louise and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Louise and her coaching business, Thriving Abroad, you can visit her website at www.thrivingabroad.com. To check out her book that recently came out (co-authored by Evelyn Simpson), you can read more on the website or find it here on Amazon. You can also follow Louise's Thriving Abroad podcast here on iTunes. You can also find Louise on Facebook or Twitter, and you can email her directly at Louise@thrivingabroad.com. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • My reflections on foreignness during my travels in South Korea. • Some of the pros and cons of being an obvious foreigner vs. a hidden foreigner (or "hidden immigrant"). • Some of the benefits of living abroad and experiencing being "the other" first-hand -- and how this experience can make us reflect differently on our own cultures as well as become more compassionate to other people's experiences. • How all of this relates to my idea for starting this podcast in the first place. Resources mentioned in this episode: • In this episode, I mentioned Third Culture Kids (aka TCKs). If you aren't familiar with this term, be sure to go back and listen to episode 8 where Josh Sandoz and I discuss this topic in depth. • I also mentioned Ruth van Reiken's book, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, which is a great source of information about the TCK experience (and which actually has a new edition that just came out!). Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Dr. Carmen Roman! Dr. Roman is a licensed psychologist in the state of California. She is originally from Mexico and practiced as a psychologist there for a number of years before moving to the United States in 2007. Dr. Roman is bilingual in English and Spanish and offers bilingual and bicultural psychotherapy to her clients in the San José region of California, where she lives. She also has a specialty in creative expression and art therapies. Dr. Roman also has her own podcast, called Emotions in Harmony, which is a bilingual podcast (in English and in Spanish) and which focuses on topics related to emotional wellbeing – so very relevant to things we talk about here on this podcast too, and I highly recommend you check it out! What you’ll hear in this episode: • About Dr. Roman's experience of moving to the United States from Mexico and her journey of becoming a licensed psychologist in the US, specializing in working with Latinos living abroad and navigating this intercultural space.  • Some of the particular stressors that Latino immigrants to the United States face as well as some of the factors and mindsets that may positively impact their immigration experience. • About the importance of creativity in helping all people (but perhaps especially those living abroad) come back to their core sense of self, develop a new sense of identity, and find community abroad.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • Dr. Roman mentioned the app, Insight Timer, which she recommended to help in establishing or support a mindfulness practice. • We discussed Dr. Roman's own podcast, Emotions in Harmony (see below for more information). More about Dr. Roman and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Dr. Roman, you can visit her psychotherapy website, www.armoniaemocional.com, where you can also read more about the various services she provides. To listen to Dr. Roman's podcast, Emotions in Harmony (with episodes in both English and Spanish), you can visit the podcast’s website here or view it on iTunes. There she interview experts on various topics related to emotional wellbeing, with some episodes in English and some in Spanish (appropriate for monolinguals and bilinguals alike!).  You can also find Dr. Roman on Facebook (where she regularly holds Facebook live discussions that you can tune in for), Twitter, or YouTube, and you can email her directly at carmen@ArmoniaEmocional.com. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • I'll introduce you to the concept of the "rentrée" in France (basically back-to-school but for adults and kids alike!). • We'll discuss how this time of year can be an opportunity to take stock of what we have accomplished and learned in the past year and set our intentions for the year to come. • I will provide you with some tips for how to begin to build habits in the service of your goals so that you can continue to make progress throughout the year on the things that are most important to you.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • For those of you currently focused on helping kids make a transition to a new school (possibly in a new country), be sure to go back an listen to my conversation with Kate Berger from the Expat Kids Club in episode 22, where we talk about how parents can support their kids through relocation.  • In talking about how we can take care of our future selves, I mentioned a funny episode of the show Seinfeld with "Night Guy" and "Morning Guy." While the entire episode does not seem to be available online, here is a short Seinfeld sketch on this topic. • And here is a great article from the Atlantic on the same subject, entitled, "Self-Control Is Just Empathy With Your Future Self." Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!  

What you’ll hear in this episode: • Today's episode will be a brief welcome back to the podcast after our break in August. I'll share with you a bit about what I have in mind for Season 2! • I'll invite you to connect with Mindful Expat (and me!) and stay in touch as we move into Season 2. Resources mentioned in this episode: • Mindful Expat is one Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! (Facebook is probably the best way to connect on social media, since I share a lot of articles and other resources there that I don't always share on other platforms.) • Be sure to sign up for the Mindful Expat Newsletter! Mindful Expat Podcast Survey! It's not too late to fill out the survey! I’d like to get some feedback from you as we move into Season 2 to help me know what you’d like to hear more about in upcoming episodes. I would really appreciate it if you’d take a few minutes to complete this brief survey that I’ve designed to learn more about you and your needs and interests. Thanks in advance! Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • I’ll share with you some updates about the podcast and invite you to take a short survey I've designed to help me know what you'd like to hear more about in Season 2 of the podcast. • We'll discuss a quote from Thich Nhat Hahn that says, "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."  • I'll share with you some fascinating research that shows that this quote is literally true, and we'll also discuss some ways you can work to subtly shift your perspective to feel more joy in your life.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • Buddha Doodles is an adorable comic illustration series by illustrator Molly Hahn. It makes me smile, so it might make you smile too! The particular illustration that inspired today's episode (with a quote from Thich Nhat Hahn) can be found here.  • If you're interested in learning a bit more about some of the research I mentioned in today's episode, check out this article from Scientific American or this one from the Atlantic.   Mindful Expat Podcast Survey! As I mentioned in today's episode, the podcast (and I) will be taking a break for the month of August, but we'll be back in September with Season 2 of Mindful Expat! In preparation for Season 2, I'd like to get some feedback from you, my listeners, to help me know what you'd like to hear more about in upcoming episodes. I would really appreciate it if you'd take a few minutes to complete this brief survey that I've designed to learn more about you and your needs and interests. Thanks in advance! Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Dr. Nazanin Moali! Dr. Moali is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of California in the United States. She is not only a practicing psychologist, but also a consultant, researcher, sex educator, and fellow podcaster! She has two wonderful podcasts – one in English and one in Farsi – both called Sexology, where she shares research, insights, and interviews with experts in the field of sexuality to help people better understand their own sexuality and enhance their sexual intimacy and satisfaction. Dr. Moali was born in Iran, and moved to the United States with her family at the age of 17. From a young age, she traveled extensively and has long been fascinated with different cultures – which led her to pursue a multicultural counseling emphasis in her clinical training and to write her dissertation on post-traumatic growth following immigration. (Which is not our topic for today’s podcast, but I’m thinking we may need to see if she’d be willing to come back at some point in the future to talk about this important topic!) What you’ll hear in this episode: • How stress -- including the stress of adapting to a new culture -- can show up in the bedroom (with useful information about how to understand what's going on physiologically in our bodies when we're under stress), and what to do about it. • How adapting to a new culture can impact our confidence and sense of identity, and how these challenges can impact our sexuality. • How to talk about your sexual relationship with your partner -- outside the bedroom! • How to navigate different (or changing) levels of sexual desire in a relationship. • How to remain connected and enhance intimacy even during times where one or both partners may be traveling frequently for work. Resources mentioned in this episode: • Dr. Moali mentioned the app, Gratitude 365, to help with a daily gratitude practice. • Dr. Moali also mentioned another app, Happy Couple, that couples can use together to learn more about one another and enhance their intimacy. • Dr. Moali's own podcast, Sexology, is a wonderful resource on topics related to sexuality! • We didn't mention this in the episode, but Dr. Moali and I actually did a podcast exchange, where she also interviewed me for her podcast, which was a lot of fun! To listen to the episode of her podcast where we discuss sex in intercultural relationships, check it out here.  More about Dr. Moali and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Dr. Moali, you can visit her psychotherapy website, oasis2care.com, where you can also read more about the various services she provides. To listen to Dr. Moali's podcast, Sexology (available in both English and Farsi), you can visit the podcast's website at www.sexologypodcast.com. There she interview experts in the field of sexuality to help listeners expand their knowledge of sexuality and feel empowered to make healthy choices and enhance their sexual satisfaction. This is a wonderful podcast, and I highly encourage you to check it out! You can also find Dr. Moali on Facebook or Twitter, and you can email her directly at drmoali@oasis2care.com. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Kate Berger, MSc! Kate is a child and adolescent psychologist based in Amsterdam. Her private practice is called the Expat Kids Club, and -- as the name would suggest -- she specializes in working with expat and Third Culture Kids and their families. She is originally from New York, completed her bachelors degree from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and then moved to the Netherlands to continue her studies at Leiden University, where she received her masters degree in child and adolescent psychology. Kate’s own experience of living abroad has shaped her interest in working with young people in this intercultural space. Kate not only works with expat kids and their families in Amsterdam, but she also does consulting and outreach worldwide on issues relevant to the community of expat families. What you’ll hear in this episode: • Some of the common struggles that Kate sees expat kids struggling with in her practice. • How the stress of relocation impacts kids' emotion regulation skills and ability to plan and make decisions (and a bit of brain science behind this). • What parents can expect as their kids adapt to a new culture and how to know when it's time to seek outside help. • How parents can help prepare their kids for an overseas move by creating an emotional language and modeling their own ability to reflect on and articulate their emotions. • Some of the real gifts that an expat life can offer kids and some of the strengths that expat kids tend to develop through their experiences. Resources mentioned in this episode: • At the beginning of the episode, I mentioned the term "Third Culture Kids" or "TCKs." If you aren't familiar with this term, be sure to check out Episode 8. • Kate shared a quote with us from author and mindfulness researcher Jon Kabat-Zinn. While I can't find the exact source of this quote (and Kate said that she heard him say it, so it may not be in any of his written works), Jon Kabat-Zinn is a wonderful writer and I would highly recommend almost anything he's written. You can learn more about him here. • Kate mentioned the Families in Global Transitions (FIGT) organization, which we've mentioned here on the podcast before. FIGT is a wonderful organization for anyone living abroad or anyone who works with expats, so I highly recommend that you check it out. More about Kate and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Kate, you can visit her website, www.expatkidsclub.com. There you will find information about her therapy and consulting services as well as mindfulness courses that she offers for kids. From her website, you'll also find information about the Families in Global Transitions (FIGT) Netherlands Affiliate group that she co-chairs. You can also find Kate on Facebook or Twitter, and you can email her directly at expatkidsclub@gmail.com. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • I'll share with you some updates about the podcast.  • We’ll discuss some common myths and misconceptions about counseling/psychotherapy that sometimes serve as barriers to seeking help. We'll debunk these myths and discuss what counseling/psychotherapy is really like.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • If you missed last week's episode about expat depression (which included some links to helpful resources for finding a therapist abroad), click here to check it out.  • The International Therapist Directory (mentioned back in Episode 8, when I interviewed the site’s creator, Josh Sandoz) is a wonderful resource for finding English-speaking therapists around the world who specialize in working with expats and third culture kids — this website has different sections for each country as well as a worldwide section, where you can find therapists who work with people remotely. • I also referred back to Episode 7, where we talked about how to balance acceptance with change.  Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • We'll discuss what depression is, some factors that contribute to it, and why I think this is a particularly important issue for people living abroad.  • We'll discuss some of the ways depression can be effectively treated and how you can connect with therapists in your area or online.  • We'll discuss some alternatives to therapy and medication, such as exercise and mindfulness practice (surprise, surprise!), that can help with depression and be used alongside other treatment methods.  • We'll talk about some of the common barriers to getting help while living overseas and how we can overcome these barriers.  • I'll provide some additional resources for anyone struggling with depression or thoughts of self-harm or suicide (see below for links to these resources).  Resources mentioned in this episode: • For more general information about depression, you can refer here or here.  • If you're struggling with thoughts of harming yourself or ending your own life, please know that it's absolutely possible to get help and feel better. You can refer to the International Therapist Directory to locate a therapist near you or let me know if you're needing help finding someone. Additionally, if you feel that you are unable to keep yourself safe, here is a list of international suicide/crisis hotlines, where you can receive help and support over the phone. If you don't see a resource that applies to your local area, you can also call the general emergency number of your country (like 911 in the US or 112 anywhere in Europe) or take yourself to the nearest emergency room. For people living in France, you can also refer to this section of my website for more local resources. • The International Therapist Directory is a wonderful resource for finding English-speaking therapists around the world who specialize in working with expats and third culture kids -- this website has different sections for each country as well as a worldwide section, where you can find therapists who work with people remotely.  • Angloinfo.com is another recourse I mentioned, where you can find English-speaking therapists (as well as all other sorts of other professional services).  • I mentioned some some articles and studies about how practicing mindfulness can actually change our brain structure -- so interesting, right? Here are a couple of these articles if you're interested in reading more: here is a more general article about these findings, and here is a press release detailing the findings of one of the brain imagine studies I mentioned.  • If you're interested in starting a mindfulness practice yourself, you can refer to this section of my website for some great resources. The UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center is has a particularly great website with free audio-guided mindfulness exercises to help get you started. (As I mentioned, if you sign up for the Mindful Expat Newsletter, you'll also receive a free mp3 download of an audio-guided mindfulness exercise that I've recorded for you!) Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • I ask you to reflect on whether you're waiting on something to really start living and encourage you to think about how this may present a barrier to living in the present moment.  • We discuss how to allow yourself to start really living right now, even as you may also be working toward your goals or trying to overcome obstacles. • We discuss how gratitude practice can play a central role in being more fully present in our daily lives.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • In today's episode, I refer back to some previous episodes about mindfulness practice. If you missed some of these episodes, you can check them out here: Episode 3, Episode 7. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • A continuation of our last discussion about how our emotions can actually give us useful messages about our needs — if only we can learn how to listen and decode the messages they’re sending us! • Some of the reasons why many people have learned to distrust their emotional signals — and how we can begin to practice listening to them again. • An exercise for you to practice listening to your own inner voice and begin to tune in to your own needs more effectively. Resources mentioned in this episode: • Today’s episode is a follow up to episode 17. If you missed the previous episode, you can check it out here. • I shared a quote from Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • About how our emotions are actual useful! They give us important information about our needs -- if only we can learn to listen to them! • How to begin to tune in and be curious about what our emotions are telling us and respond with intention to get our needs met. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • About the importance of practicing mindfulness in everyday situations or through “formal practice” so that we have the skills when we really need them (when we’re in distress). • How to use mindful eating as an everyday mindfulness practice. Resources mentioned in this episode: • The exercise I use in this episode is adapted from the book The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness, by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. This book is an excellent resource not only for those who struggle with depression, but also for anyone who may get stuck in anxious or ruminative ways of thinking from time to time (i.e., most of us!). Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Sundae Schneider-Bean! Sundae is an intercultural strategist and solution-oriented coach, and – as she says –she’s on a mission to help expats make the most of their lives abroad! Sundae is originally from the United States, from the state of North Dakota. Even before meeting her Swiss husband and launching on a series of international moves with him, Sundae had a thirst for international adventure. In her early 20s, she traveled extensively throughout south-east Asia, where she met her husband in Vietnam – which then led her to move to Switzerland. After a number of years together there, they then moved to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where they stayed until in 2016 when the political situation and lack of security in the region made it no longer safe to remain – at which point they relocated to South Africa, where they now live with their 2 children. Sundae has her masters in Intercultural Communications and is a Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. Her experiences of living and working across cultures, being in an intercultural marriage, and raising bicultural TCK children makes her no stranger to the challenges – and opportunities – of expat life. As an intercultural strategies and coach, she works to help other expats navigate these challenges and learn to thrive in their lives abroad and make the most of their experiences. What you’ll hear in this episode: • Debunking some common myths about the cultural adjustment process and how believing these myths can be detrimental to our wellbeing and adjustment as we adapt to a new culture. • How there is no one “right” way to move through the the process of cultural adjustment and some of the factors (personal and contextual) that can impact what this process looks like. • How our expectations can shape our experience — for example, by making us either more or less patient with ourselves as we move through the cultural adaptation process. • How “culture shock” isn’t necessarily a bad thing — and how we can use it as an opportunity to increase our own self-awareness. • The importance of self-acceptance and self-compassion (rather than being harsh and critical toward ourselves) as we adjust to a new culture. Resources mentioned in this episode: • We mentioned the U-Curve and W-Curve Models of cultural adjustment. To learn more about these models, you can check out this blog post or listen back to Episode 5. • Sundae mentioned sleep expert Christine Hanson. To learn more about her and her work, you can check out her website, www.sleeplikeaboss.com. • Sundae mentioned the website Culture Connector, where you can take a free assessment to learn more about your own cultural preferences as well as the cultural preferences of the country in which you’re living. As we discuss, this can be a great way to become aware of some potential differences so that when you run into them in your daily life, you can understand the source of the disconnect. • Sundae recommended two Facebook groups as helpful resources: I Am a Triangle (mentioned back in Episode 10 with the founder of this group, Naomi Hattaway) and Grumpy Expat. • Sundae also recommended two blogs focused on expat issues: Kirsty Rice’s blog, 4 Kids, 20 Suitcases, & a Beagle, and Jerry Jones’ blog The Culture Blend. More about Sundae and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Sundae, you can visit her website, www.sundaebean.com. There you will find information about Sundae’s coaching and consulting services (which she describes in more detail toward the end of the episode) as well a blog with great articles on a number of helpful topics — from couples issues to resiliency to expat vacations! On the website, you’ll also find Sundae’s podcast, Expat Happy Hour, where she covers topics related to expat adjustment and offers practical solutions to help you more effectively navigate the cultural adaptation process. You can also find Sundae on Facebook or Twitter, and you can email her directly at sundae@sundaebean.com. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll hear in this episode: • How you can create a pause between your initial experience of an emotion and your reaction to it, and how doing so will allow you to cultivate more self-compassion and feel less out of control in your life. • About the differences between pain and suffering — and how our responses to our own internal experiences determine the extent to which we suffer. • The Buddhist metaphor of the two arrows, which illustrates this difference between pain and suffering. • How all of this might apply to the experience of struggling with adaptation to a new country/culture. Resources mentioned in this episode: • I mentioned a quote from Japanese author and marathon runner Haruki Murakami. This quote comes from his book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (which is far more about life philosophy than it is about running!). • I mentioned Viktor Frankl, the famous psychiatrist who invented logotherapy and who survived the concentration camps during WWII. To learn more about him, you can go here. The book that I mentioned (and the source of the quote that I cited from him) is Man’s Search for Meaning, which has been named by the US Library of Congress as one of the top 10 most influential books in the United States. • I also mentioned Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book, Wherever You Go There You Are, which provides a wonderful introduction to mindfulness. To learn more about Kabat-Zinn’s work in this area, you can go here. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! (When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free mp3 guided mindfulness exercise to practice on your own!) And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Oxana Holtmann! Oxana was born and grew up in the Siberian part of Russia. She has lived in Moscow, Germany, and now the United States, in Washington, DC. Oxana works as a Conscious Leadership and Relationship Coach, helping her clients nurture and strengthen their relationships, discover their creativity, and develop a sense of personal empowerment in their lives. She specializes in working with international or transnational people – people who may consider themselves “citizens of the world,” and who may call more than one place home. She is a Certified Professional Career Coach and she also has several other coaching certifications, including in relationship and leadership coaching. Oxana is also the founder of the Conscious Global Living Project, where she works to help people living global lives find a sense of “home” within themselves and nurture close, satisfying relationships even as they may be making frequent moves. What you’ll learn in this episode: • Some of the common challenges that expat partners face when they relocate together. • How expat partners can avoid some common pitfalls and work to maintain a strong, loving connection in their relationship, even when they may be going through multiple moves on a regular basis. • About some exciting research in the world of relationships — and what helps partners stay strong and connected even through challenging times. • Some practical tips and strategies for nurturing our relationships on the move.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • Oxana and I discussed the research of relationship expert John Gottman. To learn more about his research, you can visit the Gottman Institute’s website (where you can read a number of relevant articles for free). Gottman has also written a number of great books for couples, which you can learn more about here. • We also mentioned the research of Esther Perel. To learn more about her and her research, you can visit her website or check out her TED Talks. Perel’s book, Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence focuses on helping couples maintain or enhance their sexual intimacy and excitement in their relationships. • Oxana mentioned the work of relationship experts Gay and Katie Hendricks. To learn more about them and their work, you can visit the Hendricks Institute’s website. • As her helpful resource, Oxana also mentioned the Hendricks’ other website, Hearts in Harmony — there you can sign up for their newsletter to receive information about articles, videos, online courses, and other resources for couples. • Oxana mentioned the Yoga Studio app that she and her husband use to practice yoga together as a form of both individual and relationship self-care! More about Oxana and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Oxana, you can visit her website, www.oxanaholtmann.com. There, you can read more about The Global Living Project as well as the coaching services and workshops she offers. And to watch some of her videos that we mentioned, you can visit this page of her website. Oxana has generously offered to share her e-book, Lasting Love on the Move, with anyone who wants to learn more about these topics. This e-book goes into more detail about many of the issues we discuss in today’s episode and is a great resource for couples living abroad. To sign up for Oxana’s newsletter and to receive the e-book, visit this page of her website. In addition to her work with expat couples, Oxana also specializes in helping expats (re)discover their creativity! To learn more about Oxana’s book, Shake it Up: Refresh and Rediscover Yourself through Wonder and Body-Mind Adventures, you can visit this page of her website or get it from Amazon. You can also find Oxana on Facebook or Twitter or you can email her directly at oxana@oxanaholtmann.com. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter!

What you’ll learn in this episode: • Some different contexts that expat or intercultural couples find themselves in and how these contexts can present unique challenges for relationships. • Some of the most common challenges I see in expat and intercultural relationships (including some of my own experiences!). • How open, non-defensive communication can help couples learn and grow together through the challenges rather than let them damage their relationships.  Related resources: • I didn't mention any particular resources in today's episode, but if you want to check out some books that I highly recommend related to relationship and couples issues, you can visit this section of my resources page.  Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! And, finally, if you’d like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

What you’ll learn in this episode: • How change is an inevitable part of our lives -- especially when we're living abroad -- and how accepting and even embracing change (rather than resisting it) can allow us to be happier. • Some tips for learning how to accept and embrace change in your life -- including practicing being fully present, recognizing that this too shall pass, welcoming change (or relaxing into it), practicing gratitude, and practicing self-compassion. Resources mentioned in this episode: • To learn more about mindfulness, check out episode 3 and episode 7 of Mindful Expat, where we explored this concept in more depth. • I mentioned Brené Brown and her book, Daring Greatly. To see a list of several other books that she's written that I think are fantastic, go here. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter! And, finally, if you'd like to get in touch and leave me a voice message with a question or comment that may be played in a future episode, you can do so here!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Naomi Hattaway! Naomi is from the United States (originally from Nebraska). She and her husband have 3 children, and together they have lived in New Delhi, India, Singapore, and they've now repatriated back to the US -- first to Florida, then to Northern Virginia, and now to Columbus, Ohio. Naomi is the founder of 8th & Home, a real estate and relocation company, where she specializes not only in helping families with the practical details of relocating, but also helps them find and build a true sense of community – where they can really thrive – in their new homes. Naomi is also the founder of an amazing movement called, “I am a Triangle” (which was the helpful resource that Amel Derragui shared with us back in episode 6!). In 2013, Naomi wrote a blog post, entitled, “I am a Triangle and Other Tips for Repatriation,” where she wrote about her experience of living abroad and repatriating, using the shape of a triangle as a metaphor for her experience – saying that when we come from a country of squares and then we move to a country of circles, each of these experiences and cultures impacts us so that we eventually become a triangle – someone who may not completely fit in in either country. This article quickly went viral because it resonated with so many people, and Naomi has since build a community of fellow Triangles – people who may not feel as if they truly fit in either their passport countries or their host countries, but who find their sense of community and belonging with fellow Triangles. What you’ll learn in this episode: • About Naomi's journey of living abroad and repatriating back to the US -- and about some of the unique challenges of repatriation. • How the "I am a Triangle" movement came to be and the wonderful benefits of connecting with fellow Triangles. • How focusing on how we can be of service to a new community (rather than focusing on what the community can offer us) might offer a path to belonging in our new homes. • The importance of vulnerability in allowing us to make authentic, meaningful connections. • The importance of finding the right balance of in-person vs. online connections (which may be different for each person!). Resources mentioned in this episode: • We discussed the I Am a Triangle Facebook Group, which grew out of Naomi's original blog post that went viral. As Naomi mentioned, this is a closed Facebook group and there's a bit of an application process, but please don't less this intimidate you -- if you want to be a part of this amazing community, just request to join, and the group admins will add you. • As Naomi also mentioned, she's working on a new platform for the group, that will eventually be at www.iamatriangle.com (coming soon!).  • Naomi also mentioned the TriCONNECT Groups, which are local chapters of global I Am a Triangle community that actually meet up in person. To learn more about these local groups and to find out if there is a TriCONNECT Group in your area, join the main Facebook group and post a question to the group (or check out the "Files" tab for more information). And if there isn't already one in your area, maybe you'd like to volunteer to start one yourself!  • Naomi mentioned concept of Ubuntu and the peace activist Leymah Gbowee, who was the source of the powerful inspirational quote Naomi shared with us -- "I am who I am because of who we all are." • Naomi mentioned the "Buddy Bench" that was developed at her kids' former elementary school (such a cool idea!). • We also mentioned some of Brené Brown's work on the power of vulnerability. To learn more about some of her books, please visit this section of resources. • We also discussed a cartoon video that has been made from one of Brené Brown's speeches about the difference between empathy and sympathy (we made references to jumping into a hole and eating a sandwich with the bear -- to understand what we're talking about, check out the video here). • Naomi also mentioned a resource called Future Me, where you can write emails to your future self. • That made me go off on a tangent about the Seinfeld episode about Night Jerry and Morning Jerry -- and this idea of having compassion for our future selves. (And here's a great article from the Atlantic on this exact subject.) • Naomi mentioned the book, This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live, by Melody Warnick, as a wonderful resource. • Finally, Naomi also recommended the Families in Global Transitions (FIGT) organization as a helpful resource -- this is the conference that we both attended in late March and that I mentioned last week (in episode 9).  More about Naomi and how to follow up with her: To learn more about Naomi, you can visit her website at www.naomihattaway.com (which is also where you can find her blog). You can also follow Naomi on Instagram at therelocationexpert or on Facebook at NaomiHattawayDotCom. To learn more about the I Am a Triangle movement, join the Facebook group and check out the new platform at www.iamatriangle.com (coming soon!).   To learn more about Naomi's real estate and relocation work, you can visit her professional website at www.8thandhome.com. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter!

What you’ll learn in this episode: • About my experience at the Families in Global Transitions (FIGT) Conference last week. • About the link between our thoughts and our feelings and some strategies for becoming more aware of automatic thoughts. • The parable of the two wolves and how it can be a useful metaphor for thinking about the types of thoughts we’re cultivating in our lives. • The importance of mental habits and cultivating habits that lead to the experiences we want to have (rather than those that make us feel distress). Resources either mentioned in this episode or related to the topics discussed: • If you want to learn more about the Families in Global Transitions (FIGT) Conference that I just attended, you can go here. • If you’d like to see the resources I shared with the participants who attended my Kitchen Table Conversation at the FIGT Conference (discussing mindfulness for teen TCKs), you can access it here. (It contains a number of websites, apps, and books on these subjects.) • If you missed last week’s episode and you’re wondering what a Third Culture Kid (TCK) is, you can check it out here: Mindful Expat Episode 8: Raising Resilient Third Culture Kids (TCKs) with Guest Josh Sandoz, MA, LMHC. • If you’d like to learn about the cognitive model of therapy (mentioned in the episode) you can read more about it here. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter!

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Josh Sandoz! Josh is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) currently living and working in Seattle Washington (in the US), where he specializes in working with expats, repatriated expats, and Third Culture Kids (TCKs). Josh not only works with TCKs, but he actually is an adult TCK himself! Born in South Korea to foreign missionary parents, he grew up as part of a highly international community. He has worked for Interaction International – an organization geared toward TCKs and internationally mobile families – where he provided transition seminars for adolescent TCKs before becoming a therapist. Josh is also the person behind the International Therapist Directly, a wonderful website that he created as a way to help people around the world locate therapists who speak their own language and who are sensitive to some of the unique needs of people living abroad. What you’ll learn in this episode: • About Josh’s story of growing up in a highly international community and his continued involvement in working with globally mobile individuals and families as a therapist. • What is a “Third Culture Kid” (TCK) and what are some of the characteristics of the TCK experience? • Some of the common struggles — as well as gifts — of TCKs (and why it’s sometimes hard to think of these in a binary way). • How parents raising children abroad can support their TCKs and help them develop emotional resilience as they grow up in and between cultures. Resources mentioned in this episode: • Josh mentioned some of his work with Interaction International, an organization geared toward TCKs and internationally mobile families. • To learn more about Ruth Useem’s research and her original use of the word “Third Culture Kid,” you can visit her website www.tckworld.com. • Josh mentioned the book, Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds, by David Pollock & Ruth Van Reken, which is a great source of information about the TCK experience. • Josh also mentioned the book, Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot- and Cold-Climate Cultures, by Sarah Lanier, as a nice introduction to some basic concepts around culture and cultural differences. • We also discussed the International Therapist Directory, which Josh created as a way of connecting people with therapists who are familiar with some of the unique challenges and experiences of TCKs and other people living abroad. This is a wonderful resource for anyone around the world searching for a therapist. It’s organized according to country and also has a worldwide section for therapists who work with clients remotely (either online or by phone). More about Josh and how to follow up with him: Josh has a private therapy practice in Seattle, Washington, where he works with expats, repatriated expats, and TCKs. To learn more about his therapy practice or to connect with him by email, you can visit his website at www.joshsandoz.com. Josh is also highly involved in an organization called the Center for Object Relations (COR) and invites any fellow therapists in the Seattle area to connect with him through this organization. Finally, as mentioned above, Josh is the creator of the International Therapist Directory, which is a wonderful resource for anyone looking for a therapist abroad as well as for any therapists working with this population to connect with one another. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter!

What you’ll hear in this episode:• The attitudes of mindfulness — beginner’s mind, non-judgment, acknowledgment, non-striving or letting be, self-reliance, and self-compassion. • That acceptance and commitment to change are not in opposition to one another. • About my plans to attend the FIGT conference next week! Resources mentioned in this episode:• I mentioned the book, A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, by Bob Stahl & Elisha Goldstein, which is a great resource for more information about these attitudes of mindfulness. • I also mentioned some website that have free audio-guided exercises for practicing mindfulness. There are a lot of such websites out there, but I’ve compiled a list of some of the ones that I like on this page of my website. • I also mentioned the organization Families in Global Transitions (FIGT), whose conference I will be attending next week. FIGT is a great organization to check out and consider joining if you are living abroad or if you work with people who live abroad. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter!

Today's Mindful Expat Guest is Amel Derragui! Amel is the host of the amazing Tandem Nomads podcast, which is a wonderful resource for expat partners. An adult third culture kid (TCK) and expat partner herself, she has a wonderful, inspiring perspective on the unique challenges and opportunities faced by global nomads. Amel has built a portable career for herself as a freelance marketing and communications consultant, and she now helps other global nomad entrepreneurs develop businesses that feels satisfying and meaningful to them and that work for them in their lives abroad. What you’ll hear in today’s episode: • About Amel's own journey as a third culture kid (TCK), expat partner, and global nomad entrepreneur. • Some of the common challenges faced by expat partners -- especially around issues of personal and professional identity. • Amel's philosophy of turning the challenges into great opportunities! (And some tips for how to make this mental shift.) • The importance of routines and building structure into our lives abroad. • The importance cultivating gratitude in our lives. • The importance of expressing our appreciation for our partners (even about the small things). Resources mentioned in today’s episode: • Amel and I talk about some of the challenges of expat partners in terms of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which you can learn more about here. • Amel recommends Naomi Hattaway's wonderful article, "I Am Triangle," as well the amazing, supportive Facebook community that has grown out of this article. • Amel also recommends the book The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod, as well as the associated Facebook group. • If you haven't already, be sure to check out the Tandem Nomads podcast and Facebook community! More about Amel and how to follow up with her: Amel is the host of the wonderful Tandem Nomads podcast, which is geared toward expat partners -- people who have moved abroad for their partner's career. On the podcast, she interviews inspiring expat partners and talks about how we can "turn the challenges of living abroad into great opportunities!" You can listen to her podcast directly from her website or through iTunes (or wherever else you get your podcasts). Amel shares a number of wonderful resources on her website, including information about upcoming events and webinars, so be sure to check it out and sign up for her newsletter. You can also follow up with Amel through the Tandem Nomads Facebook Community. Amel is a marketing and communications consultant, and her company is called BlinkandC. She helps global nomad entrepreneurs create and develop successful portable businesses that work in their lives abroad. To learn more about her services or follow up with her, visit her website, www.tandemnomads.com. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter!

What you'll hear in this episode: • A definition of "culture shock" and some of the ways it can manifest differently for different people. • Some theoretical models of cultural adjustment, including various phases of adjustment that people may experience as they adapt to a new culture (and some of the limitations of these models). • Some of the challenges (and opportunities) for couples and families as they move through various phases of the cultural adjustment process together. • The importance of being patient with yourself as you adapt to a new culture and recognize that it's a work in progress and whatever you're feeling in one phase is temporary.  • Some of the particular challenges for couples and families as they're adjusting to a new culture.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • I mentioned a series of blog posts that I've written on this same subject. You can find the post discussing the models of cultural adjustment with the visuals I mention here. For the entire series of posts on culture shock and cultural adjustment, click here. • Here is a reference for our definition of culture shock: Oberg, K. (1960). Culture shock: adjustment to new cultural environments. Practical Anthropology, 7, 177-182 • Here is the reference for the original U-Curve Model: Lysgaard, S. (1955). Adjustment in a foreign society: Norwegian Fulbright grantees visiting the United States. International Social Science Bulletin, 7, 45-51. • And here is the reference for the updated W-Curve Model: Gullahorn, J.E., & Gullahorn, J.T. (1963). “An Extension of the U-Curve Hypothesis.” Journal of Social Issues, 19, 33–47. Stay in Touch! To make sure you don’t miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter!

Today's Mindful Expat Guest is Jodi Harris! Jodi is a life coach who specializes in working with expats and others living abroad, helping them work through life changes, define their priorities and goals, and build a satisfying and meaningful life for themselves! Originally from the United States, Jodi has lived in Northern Ireland, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Madagascar, and she now lives in Tokyo, Japan (for the 2nd time), with her husband and 3 children. (See below for more information about Jodi's work and how to follow up with her.) What you'll hear in today's episode: • Jodi's approach to helping her expat clients begin to integrate "everyday mindfulness" into their lives. • The importance of making room for all emotions (not labeling emotions as "bad" or "good"). • Jodi's approach to helping expat parents integrate mindfulness into their own lives and model mindful awareness -- and acceptance -- of their emotions to their children. • Jodi's approach to helping expats develop a sense of "home" within themselves wherever they go. Resources mentioned in today's episode: • When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, by Pema Chödrön (the source of Jodi's inspirational quote). • Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn. (This book is a wonderful introduction to mindfulness, written for beginners and seasoned mindfulness practitioners alike and with short, approachable, bite-sized chapters.)• Jodi's chapter, "The Oxygen Mask: Mindfulness for Expat Parents," which she is currently sharing as a free download from her website (and which comes from the book Raising Kids in the Foreign Service). • Jodi's article in Global Living Magazine, "Tools for Cultivating Mindfulness in the Expat Lifestyle," which I mention toward the end of the episode. • Jodi's book, The Expat Activity Book (see below for more information). • Coming soon! Jodi mentioned an exciting new project that she is starting to work on with a friend and fellow foreign service spouse -- an insight/mindfulness-based activity book for youth! (Jodi plans to share more information on her website when this resource becomes available, so be sure to check back in the future!) More about Jodi and how to follow up with her: Jodi's coaching business is World Tree Coaching. If you'd like to get in touch with her you can do do so through her website. To learn more about the various coaching services and workshops she offers, go to this page. As she mentioned in the episode, she does offer discounts for members of the US Foreign Services community, and she also offers one sponsored coaching session per month for people with lower incomes. You can also check out Jodi's book, The Expat Activity Book: 20 Personal Development Exercises for Gaining Insight and Maximizing Your Potential Wherever You Are, which can be found through Amazon and on Kindle. (Visit this page of her website to learn more and read some reviews of the book.) Stay in Touch! To make sure you don't miss future episodes of Mindful Expat, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app. To receive monthly summaries of podcast episodes and stay up to date on other announcements and resources, sign up for the Mindful Expat Podcast Newsletter!

In this episode, we discuss what mindfulness is and why I believe it can be especially helpful for expats and others living abroad. I'll also give you some practical suggestions to get you started with practicing mindfulness in your daily life.  What you'll hear in today's episode: • What is mindfulness? (We'll discuss the different components of the definition and what each of these components really means.) • Some reasons why mindfulness may be especially helpful for expats and others living abroad. • Some basic tips for beginning to practice mindfulness and a suggestion for a mindfulness exercise for you to practice in your daily life. Resources mentioned in today’s episode: • General information about Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. • Some more information about how do define mindfulness, provided by Jon Kabat-Zinn. • More information about how mindfulness can be helpful, including links to relevant research.

Today we’ll be talking about the language we use to describe ourselves in our experiences of living abroad. Do you use the word “expat” to describe yourself? Or do you prefer the word “immigrant”? What about “global nomad”? Something else altogether? In this episode, I share with you some of my thoughts about these different terms and how I’ve come to understand some of the connotations associated with them. I also discuss my hope to make the podcast relevant for all people living abroad, regardless of what words they prefer to use to describe themselves. What you’ll hear in today’s episode: Some common terms people use to describe their experiences of living abroad. Some of the nuances and connotations (intended or not) to these words. How I decided to name the podcast “Mindful Expat.” How I hope to make the podcast relevant for all people living abroad, whether or not they identify with the word “expat.” Show notes for today’s episode can be found at www.mindfulexpat.com/episode2.

Welcome to the Mindful Expat Podcast – a podcast designed for those living abroad to provide you with weekly guideposts for emotional wellbeing and resilience in your international life and to help you make the most of your inner and outer journeys! Today’s episode will be different from future episodes. Here I share with you a bit of information about my background, my goals for the podcast, and what you can expect from future episodes. So welcome! I’m excited to be starting this journey together! What you’ll hear in this episode: About me, my background, and my own expat journey My goals in starting this podcast Some information about the structure of the podcast and what you can expect from future episodes Please consider subscribing to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app and leaving a rating and review in iTunes. To stay up to date on all future episodes and announcements, sign up for the Mindful Expat newsletter at www.mindfulexpat.com. For show notes from today’s episode, visit www.mindfulexpat.com/episode1