The Expat Mom Podcast

What I hear from a lot of moms, is that they just want to be a "good mom."  We all do!  But for some reason this goal is illusive.  Rarely do I hear moms say they feel confidence they are amazing moms.  Certainly there are some moms who aren't good--but the majority of moms I know of are trying their best.  However, they compare themselves to an unrealistic standard of motherhood th...

This week is the 9-year anniversary of my mom’s passing.  As I’ve been reflecting on her life and influence, I’ve been thinking that one of the things that made her an amazing mom was her failure.    Yes.  You read it right.  Her failure.  She had SO many successes as well, but one of her perceived failures was one of the most helpful things to helping me become who I was meant to become.  What yo...

The number one topic I coach on is relationships.    Mother-child relationships, marriages, and difficult relationships with bosses, colleagues, friends and extended family members.  Relationships are such a huge part of our emotional health.  Today's topic has to do with communication in relationships; learning to say what we mean and mean what we say.   We often think we are communicating c...

Loneliness is an emotion, not a condition.  Most expats experience loneliness; in fact estimates are that over 50% of people feel loneliness regularly.  When we feel lonely we're  less likely to reach out and connect with others, so loneliness begets MORE loneliness.   As humans we need connection. There are some important mindset shifts that can help release us from the cycle of loneliness a...

Stress occurs when we feel like we don't have the ability or the resources to deal with demands in our lives.  This can result in feelings overwhelm, exhaustion, frustration and discouragement.  Sometimes it is true that we aren't able to deal with something.  However, more often we ARE able to deal with it, we just THINK it's too hard because of how we see it.  As we learn to see o...

Stress.  In our modern world stress can feel more like the norm than the exception.  We often think of stress as a villain--something awful that robs us of our joy and peace.  But modern research shows that actually stress can be beneficial.  AND, even more importantly, the way we think ABOUT stress matters.  When we see it as a problem it has all sorts of negative side effects.  But when we see a...

Show Notes: No one likes criticism.  It's something most of us would love to avoid if possible, but the truth is that most of us do experience criticism more often than we'd like to.  Our natural reaction to criticism is usually to withdraw and feel resentful or embarrassed, or to be irritated and defend ourselves.  Neither of these responses help our relationships or our confidence.  Cr...

Show Notes: Humans have a deep need for purpose.  Purpose is what compels us and gives us the necessary motivation to do difficult things.  In part 1 we talked about how purpose is decided not discovered.  We uncovered 7 limiting beliefs that blind us to identifying and living our purpose.  In this episode, I offer 4 simple steps to help you identify and begin taking action toward deciding on and...

One of the most frequent requests for coaching I receive is about how to find purpose.  As humans we crave purpose--it gives us direction, significance and belonging.  However, I have discovered 7 limiting beliefs that often hold us back from recognizing and living our purpose.  What you'll learn on the podcast: The difference between things that give us meaning in life, and a life mission Ho...

Because we are human, we experience a wide range of emotions.  Emotions are the brain’s way of communicating something to us.  Most of us dislike our negative emotions and we try all sorts of ways to avoid feeling them.  When we do this, our brain has to work harder to get the message through and this ends up causing new problems.  Most of us aren’t really taught how to handle difficult emotions i...

Resilience is the ability to deal with and bounce back from challenges and difficulties, and during this time of pandemic, global change, and uncertainty, our children need this skill more than ever.  Studies show that a few common characteristics help expat kids—as well as other kids—be more resilient.  Today I’ll cover the top four skills to help kids be more resilient.  I’ll  offer you some sim...

Welcome to The Expat Mom Podcast!  Expat moms are amazing.  They navigate all the normal challenges of living and mothering while living abroad.  Studies show these challenges often take a big toll on the emotional health of expats.  This podcast offers some mindset shifts and practical tools for improving emotional health and thriving abroad.   In this episode, I share one of my first break throu...

Moving and change are a hallmark of expat life.  There are a lot of exciting things that accompany a move, but also some difficult emotions and stressors as well.  Expat moms are often the emotional anchor point for the family while also being the lead logistics coordinator for closing out the old life and starting a new one.  This is a huge job.     Understanding what happens to the brain during...

Welcome to the Expat Mom Podcast!     Who is this podcast for?   This podcast is for expat moms who want to improve their emotional health.     Why this podcast? Expat moms navigate the normal challenges of raising kids, cultivating their marriages, and managing their careers--all while juggling additional challenges of living abroad.  Studies show that 50% of expats experience depression, anxiety...