The Swede-ish Podcast

This week's guest is an author and social media expert with 8000 followers on LinkedIn and a glittering biography of accolades in her portfolio. Amélie Ebongué is one of the most prominent speakers in digital innovation, the creator economy, community building and the evolution of social networks. In 2017 she helped launch Hypebeast and Forbes media to […]

Erica Jacobson, world renowned Swedish illustrator for working with the likes of UN Women, Sephora, Absolut Vodka, the Swedish fast food giant Max Burgers, Haagan Daz, The Swedish film institute and countless editorials, theatre poster designs, murals and installations. Erica's style and aesthetic is bold, colourful and quite often activist led. With one foot in […]

Daniel White moved from the UK to Sweden in early 2020, was thrust into the zealous world of a start-up incubator only to have a global pandemic distill down his life to working from his living room and hustling to support the struggling service industry in Stockholm. All in the space of 3-4 months. I had […]

Welcome back to the Swede-ish podcast! Allow me a moment for honesty. When I started this season at the beginning of the year I was super excited about getting stuck back into #podlife, opening up the world of life between two cultures and everything swede-ish. But life happened and sucked a lot of the creative […]

"I wish I had had this conversation 6 years ago..." Understanding the value of the connections you make building your communities and how to make the most of them with Shaena Harrison, über connector and LinkedIn maven.

The merits of having a plan are a-plenty, but what if it's getting in the way of you seeing the multitude of chances to start afresh, do something new and find a completely new side to yourself?

Did you know that Swede's lived in other countries, too? LOL, yes of course you did. But, sometimes it's easy to forget that there is another side to being Swede-ish. I'm delighted to welcome Linnea Dunne, author, journalist, columnist and general all-round wordsmith, to the Swede-ish podcast. Originally from Sweden, Linnea now lives in Ireland. In this week's episode of the podcast we talk about whether or not life is greener on the other side of the fence of Swede-ish-ness, seeing Sweden from an outsider's perspective, and female migration in general. Head to our weblink to find all the ways to read Linnea's work and read more.

"WHY NOT ME?" Internationally renowned photographer and travel writer, entrepreneur, speaker and Ted x contributor Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström has the right idea.

STOP, PAUSE... grab a pen! If you are one of the 21.2% of foreign born people living in Sweden looking for a job, this episode is for you. We asked our listeners on Instagram to send in their burning questions about job hunting so we could ask an expert, Marianne from Incluso ( staffing and recruitment specialists with a focus on foreign talent). We were inundated with questions!! We tried our best to squeeze every single one of them.

Going to the doctor is tough at the best of times, but navigating a foreign healthcare system is a mental boxing match. Anita, from Gothenburg, was brave enough to chat to us about her broad experience of the Swedish healthcare system. Including some VERY embarrassing situations at a walk in Akuten and the struggles to get her endometriosis taken seriously.

An oldie, but a goodie - revamped, re-edited by Cécile and sounding awesome. This interview was originally recorded in 2018 but is still so so pertinent today. We thought it would be good to bring it back and shine a big bright light on what the purpose of this podcast is... sharing intersectional stories of immigrants. You guys are the super heroes.

"It's pretty scary putting yourself out there...". Sam Govender has years of experience setting up events and mixers for international women to make friends, but even she feels the pressure sometimes. Anyone who has attended a meet-up, networking event or social group event has probably felt a tinge of anxiety about walking into a room full of strangers with the weight of expectation on them and about meeting people. In this episode Sam offers her top tips on how to make friends and influence people abroad.

From Jokkmokk to Jönköping. In this week's episode of the podcast, Kat & Jill take a virtual road trip through Sweden stopping off at some of their most memorable road side moments and close encounters across Sweden.

***TW: Suicide/Senicide content** Blood, gore, apartment grown potatoes, secret tunnelbana lines and why do the far right think Sweden is the rape capital of the world, and much much more.

Grab your podcast buns... it's time to FIKA!! We're dedicating this week's podcast episode to uncovering every single Semla fact we could find in celebration of FETTISDAGEN!!

"Language is a tool, not a measure of intelligence" "Language is a tool, not a measure of intelligence…" What started as an enquiry into language development turned into a proper schooling on the social and cultural alternating of language and intonations used by so many communities. With special guest Opal Coote, teacher, psychology graduate and polyglot.

"Language is a tool, not a measure of intelligence..." What started as an enquiry into language development turned into a proper schooling on the social and cultural alternating of language and intonations used by so many communities. Is it about time we start code interpreting instead of expecting people to code switch?

"Seriously re think going away for Sportlov, just don't do it this year." Dr Maja's message from frontline workers in the COVID 19 pandemic in Sweden. In the first episode of 2021 we wanted to hear straight from the front lines of the COVID 19 pandemic in Sweden. What was the situation really like in hospitals and care facilities across Sweden.

An intimate, open and fun conversation with the British Ambassador to Sweden, Judith Gough. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impending departure from the EU, the British Ambassador's first year in Sweden has been no less quiet. But - annorlunda. Huge thanks to the team at the British Embassy for making this conversation happen. Merry Christmas to all of our wonderful listeners in Sweden and the rest of the world.

Women in conversation... did we pass it? Umm... dubious. In between the 'hot or not', the peaks and pitfalls of parenting multilingual kids, Kat's interior decorating and encounters of the famous kind - we recon we passed 50%-ish. YIKES.

Inspired by the author and Instagram maven Alex Elle, Kat and Jill are letting go of 2020. In our penultimate episode, we're discussing the choices we're making that will help us shed the challenges and embrace the change brought about by 2020.

Deal, or no deal? Essential listening if you are a Brit living in Sweden. For all the information mentioned in this podcast please visit the show notes and website.

"I made every mistake in the entrepreneurial book... "

Remember, drink water, get some sun. You're basically a house plant with more complicated emotions

We couldn't not talk about the US Election... and Kim Kardashian's 40th birthday.

“That's why I wrote that book, because that book doesn't exist on the shelves yet.” We are so happy to welcome children's author Emily Joof to The Swede-ish Podcast this week. Emily's books – Smaka På Frukterna (Mangoes & MonkeyBread) and Hemma Här och Där (Our Favorite Things) – grew from the bedtime stories her kids requested […]

Well, it's good to be back. Here, after a false start or two, is our first episode of The Swede-ish podcast together, Kat & Jill. We learned on our first attempt that we needed to keep it short and sweet and so that's what we're giving you: an introduction to what led Jill and Kat […]

KHOO d'etat... (I'm so sure she hasn't heard that one before) we got RACHEL KHOO ON THE PODCAST!! 'nuff said.

An honest and frank conversation with the co-founders of Littlebearabroad about being female 'Swede-ish entrepreneurs'.

In this episode Hannah Meason, founder of Together With You and Social Policy expert discusses her Peer Support Group initiative at Littlebearabroad Community Studios.

In this episode we explain why we started again, we get all the current global stuff out of the way and hope that we can provide some light relief.

Talk therapist, Youstina Demetry, joins Jill on the podcast to talk all things expat emotions, judgement, expectation setting and how to tell if you need help. Anyone angry out there?

Lisa Ferland joins Jill to talk about her latest book, When The Clock Strikes on Halloween. The Kickstarter campaign queen also discussed global mobility, being an entrepreneur abroad and how Swedish she now feels.

A very personal episode from Jill about the last three weeks of shocks, trauma and ill-health.

Andrea Pippins is an internationally renowned illustrator and author. Her work has featured in the New York Times and O, The Oprah Magazine. She currently resides in Stockholm with her family and is working on her next project, featuring her son.

Katherine J Plumb has been called 'Stockholm's coolest textile artist' by the Context magazine and her story of how she started out gives us all reason to be hopeful.

Third culture kid and indie author, Jennifer Dahlberg is a long term expat living in Stockholm and originally from the United States. Her passion for the written word and do it yourself nature led to her successful indie publishing venture that has gone global.

It's me, Jill, I'm recording the podcast again. I thought what way to start back than just with me. Have you ever felt like everyone else has got their suit pants pressed and you're still figuring out the button up? Yup, me too. But, why? And, why do we put so much pressure on ourselves?

Tracey Reid, founder and CEO of Little Echoes, an organisation supporting and campaigning on behalf of families with special needs in Sweden. Shining a light on some of the darker corners of Swedish society.

Nicole 'Stikki Nikki' Emson built her business of organic gelato with a baby on her hip and a waffle cone box. Now Stikki Nikki is a household name in Stockholm with 8 stores and counting. Foreign born female entrepreneurship, defined.

Jo quit her corporate fitness job in Sydney, moving to Stockholm for love and established the business of her dreams, functional training in a female friendly environment.

Photographer, Parisa Walklett, whose latest photography project, Female Immigrant Makers in Sweden, #FIMIS, is smashing the stereotypes found in the media of female immigrants (lazy, stupid, only able to cook or clean) in an intimate photography series of artists, jewellery designers, toy-makers, bakers, and stationery designers, from all over the world who call Sweden home.

In our first episode of the podcast Jill interviews Natasha Webster. Originally from Canada, Natasha is an academic, feminist and migration researcher at Stockholm University.

The Swede Life Podcast is an anthology of life abroad. The female narrative. In this podcast, listen to interviews of women from all over the world and their unique perspective on the migrant (economic, or otherwise) narrative of life in Sweden. Jill, the host of the podcast, gives a short introduction to why and where […]

In today's episode we welcome back Courtney Landin from Happy Sleeping Baby to talk about all things sleep related. Last week was International Sleep Awareness week so it seemed appropriate. We talk about sleep in adults and how lack of it impacts our lives short term and long term. Some tips on how to get out of bad habbits. Also, how she would recommend getting a 3 year old to stay in bed. HALLELUHJAH! You can find Courtney on Instagram @happysleepingbaby and on Facebook at Happy Sleeping Baby.

***TRIGGER WARNING*** ANYONE PHOBIC TO PARASITES OR BAD SOUND... we recorded this episode in the home of Dr James, had a great in depth chat about parasites in Sweden and at Förskola... and then realised that the mic had been on the wrong setting. So, loath to record again and miss all the good stuff. We hope you really forgive us! We're on a steep learning curve with this new piece of equipment. Enjoy and listen to the end to find out what the format of future episodes are going to be like!

One really is the loneliest number as Jill goes solo on today's podcast. In this week's episode, Jill shares her personal experience of loneliness and isolation and how it brought about Littlebearabroad.com. What's your experience of those first couple of months as an immigrant abroad?

In this weeks episode of the podcast we're talking about something that I feel really strongly about, for various reasons. It dove-tails into a number of areas that I could talk about for hours and hours. Stuck parents, the Hague Convention, child abduction and how immigration and integration is an issue that predominantly impacts women. We're joined by Founder and Chair of Global Action on Relocation & Return with Kids (GlobalArrk.org), Roz Osborne. We talked candidly about how being a stuck parent herself brought about the creation of GlobalArrk.org and how she's now assisting hundreds of people all over the world. 

Our 17th episode and our third Barnakuten with Dr James. The Swedish vaccine schedule and questions about vaccinations in Sweden are one of the most searched for topics on the Littlebearabroad website. In today's episode we talk about the Swedish vaccine schedule, the recent outbreak of Measles in the south of Sweden, the increasing number of people choosing not vaccinating their children in Sweden and what that means for the rest of us. Of course, we talked about much more, as we do, but we had plenty to say on this topic.

In our latest episode of the podcast, Jill is joined by Elly and Cam to talk about making friends abroad. Something that is easier said than done, but why? We also discuss how kids cope making friends abroad and signs to look out for when things aren't going so well. Plus, tips on how to create a community when you move abroad. Check out the links on the podcast page for The Swedish Theory of Love and some of the communities that we mention.

Happy New Year - the first podcast of 2018 and we went full on Audio Visual! Live streamed our first podcast for 2018 via Instagram. Here's the behind the scenes audio.