Wives with Rosamaria Mancini

In this episode, Rosamaria Mancini talks with Jennifer Barnhill, a journalist, author, and military spouse, about the realities of building a career while supporting a spouse in the military. Jennifer shares her own journey from studying journalism and art history and working at the Smithsonian American Art Museum to moving around the United States and overseas with her husband. Along the way, she...

In this episode, Rosamaria Mancini talks with Kayla Jenkins, a former retail manager and military spouse, about stepping away from her career to support her husband and their family, and finding a new sense of identity and purpose along the way. Kayla shares her journey from more than a decade in retail management with Dillard’s to becoming a stay-at-home mom, navigating eight moves, and building...

For the first time, Rosamaria Mancini welcomes a male guest to the podcast. In this episode, Rosamaria sits down with Ben Kendall, a former educator who stepped away from his teaching career to become a full-time stay-at-home dad. And while it's a change of perspective for  Wives , the questions at the heart of Ben's story are deeply familiar: What happens when your career isn't the plan anymore?...

In this episode, Rosamaria Mancini sits down with Charlotte Reich, a young professional in international relations and diplomacy who moved from Germany to Copenhagen to support her fiancé, a Danish diplomat. Charlotte talks about the challenges of starting over professionally in a new country, building a network from scratch, and figuring out how to make a partner’s career feel like a shared choic...

In this episode, Rosamaria Mancini talks with Olgu Berker, an academic and ceramic artist who moved from Turkey to Germany with her husband and two young children. Before the move, Olgu had built a successful academic career. With a PhD in ceramics, a university leadership role, and her habilitation within reach, she expected their time in Germany to be temporary. Nine years later, she’s still the...

In this episode, Rosamaria Mancini talks to Gina LaVere, an educator and professional musician about how moving overseas with her husband meant stepping away from a 22-year career as a choral director and confronting a question she hadn’t had much time to ask: Who am I when I’m no longer "Mrs. LaVere?"   Gina shares what it was like to suddenly step away from the classroom, the unexpected opportun...

In the Season 1 finale of Wives, host Rosamaria Mancini sits down with expat partner coach Emma Somerville to talk about the emotional and practical realities of relocating abroad as a spouse. After moving from Dubai to Pakistan, and now Kenya, Emma shares how she navigated career disruption, identity shifts, loneliness, and the pressure many accompanying partners feel to “hold everything together...

In this episode of Wives , host Rosamaria Mancini sits down with Allie Hanna, a dental hygienist whose life and career took a turn after relocating to Germany to support her husband’s military career. Allie shares the emotional realities of putting a career on pause, navigating unemployment overseas, and rebuilding her professional identity in a completely different role within healthcare administ...

In this episode of Wives , host Rosamaria Mancini sits down with writer, editor, and historian Tamala Malerk to explore what it really means to build a life around constant change. From earning her PhD while moving across countries to redefining success and identity abroad, Tamala shares an honest and fun look at love, sacrifice, and self-discovery. Along the way, she reflects on turning writing i...

What happens when you follow your partner across countires, and your career doesn’t follow as easily? In this episode, Rosamaria Mancini speaks with Sonia Burton, a researcher and evaluator who has built her career across the UK and the U.S., only to face unexpected professional barriers after relocating to the Netherlands. Sonia shares the emotional and practical realities of navigating career di...

What happens when a short-term career move turns into a lifelong commitment, and your identity shifts along the way? In this episode, host Rosamaria Mancini sits down with Nathalie Stork, an IT consultant, expat, and military spouse who shares her journey from a planned three-month work assignment in Germany to building a life and family in Europe. Nathalie opens up about the realities of putting...

Episode Summary What happens when a deeply rooted professional identity is put on hold? In this episode, Rosamaria Mancini sits down with Shona Johnston, a pediatric doctor who stepped away from her clinical career after nearly two decades in the UK to support her family’s move to the Netherlands. Shona shares her journey through grief, identity shifts, and the emotional complexity of leaving behi...

In this episode, host Rosamaria Mancini speaks with Beth Parker, a social worker and military spouse, about her deeply personal journey of putting her career on hold to move to Germany for her husband’s job. Just months away from full licensure, Beth faced stepping away from meaningful work and the uncertainty of living in a new country. Beth shares the emotional toll of career sacrifice, shifting...

In this episode, Rosamaria Mancini talks with Dr. Julie Mulvihill, a dancer, choreographer, and academic, about the realities of building (and rebuilding) a life alongside a military spouse. Julie shares her personal journey transitioning from a thriving dance/academic career to finding new ways to create and stay engaged in her artistic and professional identity. She opens up about grief and the...