Holding the Fort Abroad

Synopsis: Continuing the series of Growing up with a Travelling Father, Lucas talks about his experience. Despite the financial constraints and the challenges brought on by his father's international career, Lucas expresses gratitude for a supportive family environment and discusses how travel and cultural exposure have shaped his worldview. What This Episode is About: A few things stood out for m...

Synopsis: Saadia’s husband has travelled throughout their 14 year marriage. They have also moved countries during multiple times during that time. In this episode she shares her wisdom gained from experience over the years. You’re not going to want to miss this one! Saadia’ husband had explained to her before they got married that his work would involve a lot of travel. She explains that she only...

Synopsis: In this compelling episode, Irene reflects on her childhood in Jakarta, living with her grandparents while her mother made a bold move to Greenland for financial stability. She opens up about the intricacies of cultural differences within her family, the support she had despite her mother's absence, and how she sees it as part of her story now as an adult. What you will learn: In this ep...

Synopsis: In this episode, Ophelia opens up about the nuances of growing up with a globe-trotting father, an experience that came with its blend of adventure and uncertainty. She reminisces about a youth punctuated by her dad's inconsistent presence and the creative ways her family maintained connections across continents in an era before the omnipresence of today's communication technology. Today...

What you will learn: Dating long distance: UK/Congo.  The first years of marriage, being a lovepat and not realising the travel involved in my husband’s work Expat life is multi-layered and unpredictable! Dealing with a genetic eye condition and my husband’s unknown illness, a husband who commutes and two unexpected moves back to back.  Learning to include myself in our family’s story!&n...

Synopsis: How can tapping help you with loneliness when your partner is gone, taking big decisions (do we do the split assignment?), exhaustion or fear. Tapping is all over social media these days. Eleni Vardaki is an EFT practitioner and in this episode she walks us through what tapping can and can’t do, we do a live exercise you can join in with. Learn a few tips on helping children manage their...

Synopsis: In this episode of Holding the Fort Abroad, I dive deep into the decision-making process for split location assignments. We explore practical considerations, maintaining healthy relationships, and the importance of understanding your reasons for pursuing this path. Hear real-life experiences and gain valuable insights from those who have navigated this challenging terrain. Whether it's f...

Synopsis: Join me in this conversation with Megan Norton on how fostering a sense of belonging can strengthen family ties. Megan is an intercultural trainer and author of Belonging Beyond Borders. As the daughter of a US Foreign Service employee, she moved many times during her childhood. As far back as Megan can remember, her father was often on short-term assignments during their times abroad. H...

Synopsis: In this episode, I delve into the common challenges faced by parents whose partners travel frequently for work. I discuss the dangers of exhaustion, feeling stuck, and harboring resentment while managing the home front solo. Drawing from my own experiences and insights, I share practical strategies for addressing these issues, from managing exhaustion to finding new passions and combatin...

Synopsis: Find out how the Sullivan family makes their split location arrangement work, what they prioritise, how Michael stays present as a father for his children even though he lives thousands of miles away. They are not new at this and Michael shares his hard earned wisdom. Michael Sullivan currently teaches in Turkey while his wife works and lives in the Philippines with their children. He is...

Synopsis: Today's episode is a special solo edition where I dive into the challenges and triumphs of families living this unique lifestyle. I explore the possibility of balancing work passion with a happy family life, and I share a few inspirational stories of families who are successfully doing just that. From strategies for self-care and parenting together, to maintaining long-distance relations...

Synopsis: Does time geographically apart mean a sexless marriage? Whether under one roof or across continents, Phillips Hwang unpacks for us what healthy sexuality looks like and how to grow in connection and intimacy in our relationships. Phillips is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Indiana), Certified Sex Therapist, and a Nationally Certified Counselor who specializes in couples counseli...

Synopsis: HTFA Episode #036, titled “Bonding across Distance: Anaju’s Tales of a Globetrotting Father”, explores how her family coped with her father's absence through ritual, reading, and intentional time together. Anaju reflects on her dad's efforts to stay connected despite the distance and how this unique upbringing led her to pursue a master's in sociology. She’s now focusing on the integrati...

Synopsis: In this episode, I talk with Tanya Crossman about Negative and Childhood Experiences, feeling safe, and having a travelling dad. You will learn: 00:00 - Large survey of adult TCKs compared to CDC Kaiser study for Adverse Childhood Experiences 07:27 - TCK training educates and supports global families. 10:25 - Childhood trauma includes abuse and household dysfunction. 13:39 - Our brain fl...

Synopsis: Nanna Hauch and I talk about transitions and how the Hero’s journey can help geographically split families with multiple changes at the same time. Nanna is a licensed couple and family psychotherapist, now based in Denmark. She's the founder of Expat Hero.  In This Episode: The Hero’s journey 01:31 Staying connected 08:56 “Transition Triggers Trauma” and an overwhelmed nervous syste...

Synopsis: Today, my guest is Patrick Kadian, an expat for 30 years, and also Mr. Mom (in his words). We talk about how he navigates being a dad with a wife who's away a lot, how he has used his professional skills within his family life and how he has become more emotionally aware. In This Episode: Patrick’s message to dads 01:45 Becoming the primary carer: an evolving situation 03:08 Defying gend...

Synopsis: Florence Reisch, her husband and children have lived geographically apart for 7 years. We talk about the difference it made for her to prepare, what it was like for them. Living this life comes with expected and unexpected challenges and silver linings and we cover those too.   Florence Reisch is also known as ‘coachingwiththeflo’. She is a fellow Swiss who has lived around the...

Synopsis: Today my guest is Carlos Baker. We talk about his music, his new book, the challenges he went through in his childhood, surviving adult depression and being the primary parent in a new country. In this Episode: A challenging childhood illness: how parents and children can experience difficulties differently 01:00 Not being equipped for adult adversity 18:50 Dealing with adult depression...

Synopsis: Today, my guest is Kate Berger. With Kate, we talk about the main message parents need to give to children, what to do when an older child steps into the role of a physically absent parent and the importance of learning to cope with change. Kate is a child psychologist and the founder of the Expat Kids Club. Her main aim is to support emotional well-being of expatriate children, and she...

Synopsis: Dr Laura Anderson is a clinical psychologist and the founder of Common Chord Psychologist Services. She provides consultation services for multi-racial families, adoptive families, and families with gender expansive members, as they overcome barriers, derive strength from their differences and thrive. Additionally, she has a particular area of interest in supporting third culture childre...

Synopsis: Today my guest is Kirsten Pontius. Kirsten is an expat, she is a wellness specialist. She works with individuals on their personal wellbeing but she also works with staff in international schools who are often forgotten! Kirsten and I met a few years ago in a workshop and we have recently reconnected. She gives us her insights and shares tools we can use when we are overwhelmed, which ca...

Synopsis: Franziska is the founder of Be Happy Abroad. She's a coach, passionate about supporting internationals. She has experience of frequent business travel, and after an initial conversation about what she does now and her experience, we're going to talk about nutrition, intuitive eating more specifically, which is a key element for anyone, but especially important to pay attention to when th...

Synopsis: Elizabeth has founded many businesses, she is a mentor, an author. She founded growatyourpace.com where you can find transformational courses. She is also the founder of Spoken Lives, where women share. She will tell us a little more about what she is doing now and Elizabeth has kindly agreed to share with us what it is like to travel for business when you are a mum and what she did that...

Synopsis: Karina is an adult third culture kid, a psychologist, a sex therapist, and a mother. She helps expatriated cross-cultural and frequent traveling couples and families to thrive. We will talk first about her research that she's doing on becoming mothers abroad, and then she's going to give us her insights into frequent business travel. When you are a mom, this is a topic that hasn’t yet be...

Synopsis: Jennie Linton is a certified life coach, about to complete a clinical mental health counselling program, she is a mom to 4 daughters and married to a US diplomat. She’s lived on 4 continents and in 7 countries. She is part of the team on the Big Purple Blob, an online platform for US Diplomatic community and she is also the host of her own podcast, The Expat Mom. She is passionate about...