The Expat Mom Podcast

Sibling conflicts are important.  They provide the exact experience kids need to learn how to communicate with others and how to resolve problems--two essential skills in adulthood.  However, kids need some guidance about how to resolve differences.  As parents that is our job.  The podcast covers some tools that can help.  Free Coaching Session Sign-up for a free coaching session. Schedule One-Mi...

At the end of the summer, after kids have spent a lot of time together, it seems like siblings tend to fight more.   This can really grate on parents' nerves, and it can be frustrating to try lots of things and still have the fighting continue.  I have great news.  Sibling fighting is actually useful.  In this episode, we look at some of the benefits of sibling fighting and how it can help yo...

Most teens look forward to summer as a time when they get to have less structure, sleep in longer, and can be with friends.  As parents, there are some great things we can do to use summer as a time to help teens improve their confidence and motivation.  My guest Irene McCann-Braun shares 4 take-aways to help you and your teen make the most of this summer.  Irene McCann Free Worksheet with Sentenc...

Lots of families love to travel in the summertime.  Travel with families can be incredible or miserable, and most often it is both... In this episode, I discuss some simple tools for enjoying travel with kids.  Free Coaching Session Sign-up for a free coaching session. Schedule One-Minute Wisdom Each week I carefully craft a short perspective shift or tool that you can read in about a  minute.  Yo...

Moving is common in the expat community.  Even if we're not moving, often friends are moving.  This means most summers we are saying goodbye to someone or somewhere.  Moving is a loss--in fact, it can be as significant as when someone we love passes away.  However, it's easy to think that moving isn't as legitimate of a loss since we're often going somewhere exciting.  Part of...

Happy Father’s Day!  Expat Dads play an essential role in forming the mental and emotional health of their children.  Many expat Dads deal with “Expat Dad Guilt” this idea that difficult things that happen to kids or kids’ dissatisfaction is “THEIR” fault because of their career.  My husband, Scott, shares some ideas on how to navigate this and other challenges expat Dads experience.   On the Podc...

In part 2 of the Launching Your Child Series, Kristi shares some things expat parents and TCKs can do to smooth the transition to college.  TCKs have unique challenges AND strengths that impact the way they transition to college and to independent living.    There are a few important things that can improve this transition.   On this Podcast You'll Learn: Learn about the benefits of a gap yea...

As we approach graduation season, some moms are getting ready to launch their children into a more independent life.  Even for those who don’t have high school graduates yet, moms often reflect on their children and how long it will be until their children graduate.  As moms, we want to do everything we can to help our kids succeed as adults.  There is no one checklist that can determine if every...

Have you ever noticed some moms seem to sail through sorting and moving fairly smoothly, but others are scrambling and stressing?  Have you noticed some expat moms take a long time to adjust to a new place and others seem to adapt quickly?   Have you noticed that some moms encourage their kids to get out and have new experiences, while others are an emotional safe space for their kids?  Our person...

Have you ever had someone give you unsolicited advice about how to mother?  Living in another culture can compound this experience many times.  Different cultures have different styles and values about parenting which drives different behaviors and expectations.  As expat moms, we are often navigating not only deciding what’s best for our kids but doing it in a context when other parents around us...

Between events in Ukraine and COVID and school shootings and other world events, there are a lot of news stories that can feel scary to kids.  They hear things on the news, at school, and from adults talking that we may not even be aware of.  Kids are often good at observing and listening, but not as able to process and interpret it accurately.   68% of kids said the news made them anxious, angry,...

Labels on food items can be useful, but they can also be misleading if we aren’t careful.  The same can happen with labels on ourselves and our children.  We unknowingly label ourselves and others in order to understand and organize the world.  However, these labels can limit our personal growth and progression and disconnect us from others.  This podcast does a deep dive into labels, how they imp...

If you picture mindfulness as a monk on a green mountain, or you've dismissed "mindfulness" or "meditation" as something you don't have time for, this episode is for you.   Today I'm talking with Annalee Little, a Wellness Coach and Mindfulness Teacher.  We dig into a little of the science and why of mindfulness and get practical about how to apply it as a busy m...

It’s clear that play has tremendous benefits to kids and adults of all ages.  As kids, play comes naturally.  As an adult playing can feel awkward, unproductive, frustrating, and even unenjoyable sometimes.   As counter-intuitive as it sounds, adults sometimes have to re-learn how to play.   This podcast will offer some mindset shifts and practical ideas to help parents make play a natural and reg...

Play is something we tend to associate with children.  Play is essential for children’s development.  However play also has tremendous potential to improve emotional health in adults as well as children and to strengthen family relationships.  This podcast breaks down some of the science behind play and fun and helps offer some insight into the specific benefits of play in your family.   On the po...

A common complaint I hear from moms is, “I don’t have enough time.”  As moms we balance so many things: caring for our children, working on our marriages, keeping up the house, working or volunteering, not to mention taking care of ourselves.  Often there doesn’t seem to be any time left for us and our interests or dreams.  We can start to feel like we are in a never-ending sea of “have-to’s” and...

Traditions are important ways to connect and build families—however they can become counterproductive and destructive if we don’t know how to adapt them for our circumstances.  Traditions are living things—they need to grow and evolve with us. This podcast shares three ways we can adapt traditions based on our stage of life and on where we live.   Free Coaching Session Sign-up for a free coaching...

Traditions can be a way of creating identity, strengthening family bonds and passing along values and a sense of family to our children.  In this podcast we talk about the science of traditions and how they impact kids.  We also talk about how to sort through which traditions to continue with your family, how to personalize cultural traditions to our family and how to create your own family’s trad...

Many of us look forward to December and holiday traditions, festivities and getting together.  However, sometimes in our excitement, we overestimate our capacity; we add all sorts of things into a schedule that is already busy!   It’s like trying to add 4 more hours a day to the the 24 hours a day we already have planned with our normal activities like sleeping, caring for our kids, doing work, ca...

Most of us have known someone at some time that was grieving.  If you’re like most people you want to help!  You don’t want the person to suffer.   But, it can be challenging sometimes to know how to help.  On the podcast this week, I share 5 common mistakes we may make in trying to help someone who as lost someone. Free Mini-Coaching Session Sign-up for a free coaching session. Schedule One-Minut...

Gratitude has physical and emotional benefits, particularly when it’s practiced regularly.  In this episode we discuss some of these benefits, how gratitude creates them, how gratitude isn’t something that happens to you, it’s something you can cultivate, and some fresh ideas about how to cultivate gratitude. Free Mini-Coaching Session Sign-up for a free coaching session. Schedule One-Minute Wisdo...

In Grief Part 2 (episode #64), I shared my grief journey through the first two tasks of grief.  In this episode I continue sharing my grief journey through the last two tasks of grief which are adjusting to the new life without the loved one, and reinvesting in a new reality.   I found I was a bit like the little bird in PD Eastman's Book asking "Are you my mother?"  I share how I f...

Grief is as different as the number of people on earth.  But sometimes it’s easy to wonder if what we’re experiencing is “normal.”  I’m so thankful to my siblings for being willing to share about their varied grief experiences—it paints a picture of how different grief journeys can be for people who even lost the same person in the same way.  On this episode we’ll cover:  Experiences of acute grie...

The experience of grief journeys, the timelines, and the ways we find more normalcy and re-calibrate are different too.  In the second part of the interview with my siblings, we explore more about healing and help in grief.  On this episode we’ll cover: What things were most helpful to you during your grief journey?  Was there anything you did or do that has helped? How are you different after thi...

This week on the podcast, I share my personal journey of grief around losing my mother.  I hope it will be helpful to you in your own grief journeys of loss.  There is something about other’s stories that can be more reassuring than science or models—other’s experiences can offer validation, understanding, empathy and connection.  I’m getting a bit more raw and personal in this podcast because tha...