The Places We Call Home podcast

The night my husband fell ill suddenly, the distance I've been carrying for years hit me harder than I expected. Everything I usually manage on my own, like anticipated hospital runs, school drop-off and pick up, after-school schedule, new bathroom demolition and rebuild, the business ... suddenly felt impossible without the people who know how to steady me. And in that moment, I had to face a que...

A real conversation about being unseen, finding your people, and rebuilding connection from scratch. Today’s episode is a panel conversation with immigrant and American friends talking honestly about the moment they realized, I’m lonely here. From Venezuela, China, Brazil, Sierra Leone, the U.K., and the U.S. We describe the exact situations that made loneliness feel real, and what made the change...

Belonging takes a while to create. It’s something you first begin to build from the inside out. Part two with guest Natalie Chu, a Taiwanese woman who moved to the U.S. alone and discovered that belonging is also about emotional clarity. She shares how solo travel, cultural transition, and moments of deep loneliness forced her to ask better questions: Why am I feeling this? What do I actually need...

There's a moment every immigrant woman hits and once you hit it, everything changes. In this episode, I'm talking you as my friend. Because starting over in a new country forces you into a delicate truth most people never say out loud: you can chase inclusion for years and still feel lonely, unseen, or disconnected. Real belonging begins somewhere else entirely. I share what I takeaway from Natali...

A conversation about belonging, friendships, and rebuilding yourself in a new country. I sat down with Natalie Chu, who moved from Taiwan to the U.S. with a childhood dream and found herself facing the emotional truth expat women rarely say out loud. She talks about the “friendly but not actually your friend” moments, and the shock of realizing that belonging doesn’t show up just because you arriv...

When you migrate, you enter environments that reinterpret you. In this solo episode, Yolanda Reshemah breaks down why so many immigrant women, expat women suddenly feel unfamiliar to themselves after moving abroad, and how identity distortion happens long before you realize it. From credential devaluation to accent bias to being misread in rooms where people don’t yet understand your history. Yola...

A conversation about rebuilding identity, reclaiming your worth after migration. Educator and scholar Neisha Terry shares the deeply personal journey of navigating identity after migrating to the United States. She speaks openly about having her Jamaican teaching credentials reduced to “nothing,” being questioned about her legitimacy, and the emotional weight of constantly proving herself in space...

A conversation on identity, home, and why going back never truly happens for immigrant women. In this episode, I continue my conversation with Dr. Neisha Terry Young , Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University, about what it really means to build a life between geographies. We talk about the emotional weight of being an unconnected immigrant , the freedom she misses from her childhood in Jamai...

Jamaican scholar and assistant professor Nisha Terry Young joins me for a grounded conversation about identity, belonging, and the labels we inherit when we move to the United States. We explore the difference between immigrant and expat —and how those words quietly shape the way women migrants are seen, judged, and expected to perform competence in their new lives. Nisha shares how her identity a...

Five practical tools every migrant woman can use to stop feeling lost Ever felt overwhelmed after moving abroad? This episode gives you the missing manual. Host Yolanda Reshemah breaks down two essential skills every immigrant, expat, and migrant woman needs: Learning the hidden rulebook of your new culture and; Using curiosity and optimism as practical survival tools. You’ll walk away with five c...

My expectation was that we were going to buy me a Barbie ... jeans, and bubble gum! This conversation with writer and storyteller Yuliya Patasy is an unusual exploration of what it means to arrive somewhere new — physically, emotionally, culturally, and generationally. Yuliya immigrated to San Francisco as a child, landing in a converted garage apartment packed with grandparents, great‑grandparent...

Moving abroad can look exciting from the outside — but inside, many immigrant and expat women carry a silent truth: loneliness, identity loss, homesickness, and the pressure to hold everything together. In this solo episode, I talk honestly about the emotional work women do when they uproot their lives, often without a title, paycheck, or community to hold them.  I share the tools that helped me f...

A vivid recollection of immigrating at the age of eight from a country that no longer exists. In this intimate and emotional episode, guest Yulia Patsay shares the reality of childhood immigration — the disorienting impact of an abundance of resources, diversity, culture shock, and the courage it takes to rebuild your identity when you don't understand the language, rituals and experience. Through...

Practical guidance for migrant women rebuilding life in the USA. This episode shares three practical lessons for migrant women who are working hard to build a new life in the United States. These lessons come from my conversation with Janet Xu in episode #67, who moved from China with $300 in her pocket and rebuilt her life through persistence, community, and a clear sense of identity. You’ll get...

A blueprint for migrant women eager to turn obstacles into opportunities. Most women exploring life abroad feel overwhelmed by cultural shifts, language barriers, and the fear of losing themselves—until you hear Janet Zhu’s story. Janet shares raw, live stories of her journey—from the initial excitement, loneliness and identity shifts to creating a life that honors both her Chinese heritage and Am...

How to rebuild with kids, handle culture shock, and find your footing as an expat mom. immigrant mom. Feeling lost after moving abroad? This episode names the quiet grief women carry when you immigrate-homesickness, language shame, identity wobble, and the pressure to make the move "worth it". Karen - a professional organizer from Israel shares how she rebuilt in the U.S. in her 40s: making friend...

Moving to a new country is an emotional, psychological, and cultural upheaval. In this episode, Korean‑Canadian entrepreneur Monica Hyang-sil Chang shares her powerful story of rebuilding her identity after immigrating from Korea, to Toronto, Canada, to Marin County in California. This episode is for anyone searching for belonging, rebuilding identity after migration, or learning how to stay groun...

Life abroad can stretch you, soften you, and sometimes drain you in ways you didn’t expect. In this episode, I’m sharing five clear signs that your expat life — or the spaces you’re in — are costing you too much emotionally , and what it looks like to take your power back without abandoning yourself. If you’re an expat or immigrant woman navigating homesickness, isolation, microaggressions, shrink...

If you moved to the USA for love and now find yourself homesick, lonely, overwhelmed, or wondering who you’re becoming, this episode is for you. So many expat and immigrant women arrive with hope — then quietly struggle with the emotional cost of life in a new country. In this conversation you'll look through the eyes of guest Monica Hyang-sil Chang. Hear what’s actually possible for you, even if...

When you move abroad, especially to the USA, imposter syndrome can show up in ways you never expected. In this episode, I sit down with Zainab Ugokwe — scientist, mom, wife — a woman whose story will feel familiar if you’ve ever tried to rebuild your identity in a new country. Zainab talks about returning to the U.S. after spending her childhood in Palestine, navigating homesickness, cultural diff...

The moment you move abroad, something shifts — in your body, in your identity, in the way you see yourself. In this episode, I’m sharing three things that happen the moment you leave home for a new country, especially if you’re an expat or immigrant woman starting over in the USA. These are the parts no one prepares you for: the sudden loneliness, the unexpected softness, the way your confidence w...

There’s one thing that makes life abroad feel heavier than it needs to be — and most expat and immigrant women don’t realize they’re doing it. In this episode, I talk about the quiet habit that drains your confidence, deepens your homesickness, and makes every part of starting over in a new country feel harder. It’s something I’ve done myself, especially in my early years in the USA. It shows up i...

What does it really mean to start over in a country where no one knows your story? In this episode, you’ll hear Ghirmay’s journey — a true immigrant story of arriving in the USA with no English, no family, and no way to return home. Eighteen years later, he has built a life through resilience, homesickness, loneliness, fear, and pure determination. This is the unglamorous side of life in the USA:...

What would make someone walk 2,000 miles — not once, but three times? For Tim Scott, it was one thing: getting back to the woman he loved in Mexico and to the children waiting for him on the other side of the border. Tim didn’t grow up with safety. He didn’t grow up with stability. He came from an abusive home, left Virginia with almost nothing, and found himself learning a new language, navigatin...

Moving abroad doesn’t just change your address — it changes you . In this episode, I talk about the tension between fitting in and staying true to yourself, the culture shock that hits long after you arrive, and the slow, often invisible process of rebuilding your sense of belonging. These are the parts most “moving abroad” lists never mention — the internal unraveling, the rebuilding, and the bec...