HealthyExpatParent’s Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Let's talk about money! Specifically, let's talk about the emotional side of money, and how that relates to you, and how you can help your kids grow up to be financially-savvy. Dr Huong Diep, clinical psychologist and financial therapist AND EFM, joins me for a conversation about money, our emotions, how our culture and emotions impact our spending and how we can help ou...

Send us Fan Mail There comes a time when we need to think about money, investments and retirement.  I know, it doesn't sound like a fun conversation to listen to, but trust me, we keep it entertaining.  Hillery teaches us about investments, IRAs, and maximizing your savings.  Oh, and we catch up, too, because of course we had to.  Enjoy listening!

Send us Fan Mail Susie and Angi talk about evacuation, trying to find footing, figuring out the new normal, and dealing with stress.  Sadly, evacuations are part of a consideration of Foreign Service life; right now many posts and 1,000s of families are impacted by the situation in the Middle East.  Let's find some space together, support our friends, and give ourselves some grace as we deal...

Send us Fan Mail Join me for a conversation with Dr Fae Frederick, about mental health and our FS kids.  We talk about tips for families, for every day and also for times of transition, roles and responsibilities for parents, preventative care and getting the support you and your family need, especially while overseas.  As always, a great resource, Dr Fae has great supplemental links to share. Res...

Send us Fan Mail Excited to chat today with Dr Kristen Cook, a pediatrician, talking about kids, adjustment and transitions, and how to parent the child you have.  We move a lot in this lifestyle, and it can start to wear on your kiddos.  Let's support their well being with some key suggestions. Dr Kristen shared with us some great resources for mental health support: https://www.therapistaid...

Send us Fan Mail It's been a while, but we finally have another 4 Women Talking conversation.  We start off talking about clothing and expectations for women, talk about beauty ideals and unrealistic viewpoints and land on supporting other women and embracing positive conversations, especially with our kiddos to help them embrace realistic and positive self- and world-views.  

Send us Fan Mail Let's explore more for FS kids and college: this time we are exploring international options.  Is your student a good fit to flourish in university overseas?  Hannah and I discuss options in Canada, UK, and Netherlands, and include considerations for parents and students for exploring these options. To reach Hannah: hannah@peakcollegeconsulting.com   www.peakcollegeconsulting...

Send us Fan Mail Here we are with episode 3 from our series talking about Foreign Service kids and College.  This time, Hannah and I talk about money.  How to figure costs, what is need, what is merit and other kinds of aid, and how can we make going to university a bit more accessibly, financially-speaking.  It's a very different ballgame than when we parents went to university!  Grab your n...

Send us Fan Mail Recording #2 - FS kids and University A chat with Hannah Engel-Rebitzer, an independent Educational Consultant with Peak College Consulting, about what it is students should be looking for in university, and how parents can support this piece of the process.  We talk about location, academics, social scene, as well as a little about finances.  We talk about creating a balanced lis...

Send us Fan Mail First in a series of podcasts about Foreign Service Kids and Applying to College.  We'll talk about what colleges are looking for, what kids should be looking for, finances, different types of schools, and more.   We welcome comments and questions!   #1 - What are colleges looking for in applications, and how parents can support their FS kids through the process? A chat with...

Send us Fan Mail Join Susie Brown and Sex Education Expert Scotney Young talk sex ed: global sex education standard disparities, age appropriate sex/gender education, helping parents with difficult (and awkward!) discussions with their tweens/teens, empowering teens for gender equality, & what you can do to support child safety. Scotney Young: https://www.instagram.com/rootsandboundaries?igsh=...

Send us Fan Mail Finding professional fulfillment overseas can be challenging, but not impossible.  What can you do to make this lifestyle work for you, professionally?  Join Susie Csorsz Brown and Scotney Young as they talk about different ways to find professional fulfillment, keeping sane, and what does networking do for you.   We talk about challenges and benefits of EFM employment, successful...

Send us Fan Mail There comes a point where our foreign service journey ends, and we find ourselves leaving this space, this label, this persona for ... who knows what to expect?  Finding yourself facing this as your next move?  Listen to Sharoya share her wisdom, and Lisa shares some of her concerns and solutions.  Join us for the chat.

Send us Fan Mail Right now, government employees are hit hard by the government shutdown.  Angi and I talk about what this feels like, wishing for a solution and offering community to anyone feeling especially hard hit.  We can hope that this will end soon, and our budget will be approved.  Until that finally happens, we are here to listen and support.

Send us Fan Mail Why drive when you can tuk or metro easily?  Or use the family driver?  FS kids often arrive to university not having a driver's license.  What to do?  

Send us Fan Mail Sharoya, Angi and I talk about different aspects of kids leaving the house, having fewer family members around, and what happens when they come back home?  Some great suggestions for keeping the peace, making the most out of the new additional space ... and making sure you have beds for everyone when/if they come back home! We all know that our kids are supposed to grow up, go to...

Send us Fan Mail Shipping our kiddos off to university feels like a bit of a leap of faith, but it is what is supposed to happen, and it will all be fine.  There are some stark differences between foreign service kids and those who graduated from stateside high schools amongst uni attendees.  It isn't that one kind of high school experience prepares kids for university better or worse, but th...

Send us Fan Mail Fitness, nutrition and health are all concepts we sometimes understand, sometimes embrace and sometimes are confounded by. Join me for a conversation with 3 foreign service women who are "fit" and also looking for answers. Long talk with 4 FS women about fitness, nutrition, stress relief, menopause, FS life and times zones.   Participants: Hillery Midkiff, Lisa Tilstra (...

Send us Fan Mail If you are a Foreign Service family, and you're about to send your kiddo off to university, you might have some questions about how that travel can happen, and if there are allowances that support that. As a matter of fact, there are! The allowances are not always easy to understand and are open to interpretation by your Finance and Management Officers, so be sure to have tha...

Send us Fan Mail Having the opportunity to take an R&R is phenomenal.  Some destinations can be more rewarding and enjoyable than others, though.  Here are 4 Women Talking (Morgan Loosli, Hillery Midkiff, Lisa Tilstra, and myself) sharing our top R&Rs destinations and briefly why (top 2 each) and suggestions to help make R&R or extended vacation actually enjoyable and relaxing.  

Send us Fan Mail Friends, no one likes packing out from their home.  It's stressful, emotionally draining, and just tiresome.  Some suggestions to make it maybe a little less awful, some funny (I think) pack-out stories, and hopefully some advice that will be useful to get through the process.  And don't forget the best part about packing out: the tape ball war once the boxes are all sta...

Send us Fan Mail What can we do for employment, to connect to our (new) community, to keep doing things that are meaningful?  And yes, absolutely, parenting and contributions to home life are 100% meaningful but sometimes we want things outside the house, too, right?  Join me for a conversation with Lelania Van de Berg, one of my favorite sweat session instructors, and we talk about what you can d...

Send us Fan Mail Here we are, in our 8th tour, and we still make dumb rookie mistakes.  Don't be like us, learn from our experience.  A house break-in is not just aggravating because you lose stuff, but more, it wreaks havoc on your peace of mind and sense of security.

Send us Fan Mail Join me for a conversation with my fellow Big Purple Blobbers , Angi, Lisa and Sharoya, talking about our start up stories, joining the FS and our a-ha moments.  What's your start-up story?  

Send us Fan Mail Join Sharoya and I for a conversation with Megan Norton, a TCK herself, sharing an opportunity she has created for connecting with and sharing your story and your FS experience. “ Letters Now Sent ” Book Invitation: You are invited to submit a written piece for the book, “ Letters Now Sent .” Inspired by Ruth Van Reken 's book " Letters Never Sent ", " Letters...