Unpacked- with Anna & Emma

As we continue our collection of conversations with inspiring people from within our community, we’re hearing from people who are showing us the many different ways it’s possible to build a fulfilling life and career around a diplomatic and globally mobile life. In this episode, we’re joined by Georgie , a corporate lawyer and entrepreneur who moved from London to Kenya in 2024. After six years wo...

As we continue our new collection of conversations with inspiring people from within our community, we’re hearing from people who are showing us the many different ways it’s possible to build a fulfilling life and career around a diplomatic and globally mobile life. In this episode, we’re joined by Heather Butler , a social entrepreneur and management consultant and the founder of Zaliwa . After m...

As we continue our collection of conversations with inspiring people from within our community, we’re hearing from people who are showing us the many different ways it’s possible to build a fulfilling career and life around a diplomatic and globally mobile life. In this episode, we’re joined by Laura , a Speech and Language Therapist who specialises in working with adults with aphasia. Laura is cu...

As we move on from our confidence series, we’re starting a new collection of conversations with inspiring people from within our community who are showing us the many different ways it’s possible to build a fulfilling life around a diplomatic and globally mobile life. We’ll be hearing real stories of confidence, career, identity, reinvention and the choices people have made to create opportunities...

We’ve spent this confidence series talking about rebuilding your confidence, rediscovering who you are, and finding confidence beyond your job title. But what happens when you know what you want, yet still can’t quite bring yourself to take the next step? In this episode, we turn confidence into action and explore what it really means to have the courage to design a life that feels right for you,...

For many diplomatic and expat partners, four simple words can feel surprisingly difficult to answer: "What do you do?" Whether you're working, taking a career break, raising children, volunteering, studying, or still figuring out your next chapter, this question can leave you questioning your identity, confidence, and sense of purpose. In this episode, we unpack why this question feels...

Moving overseas can leave you questioning who you are. When your career, routines, friendships, and sense of familiarity are left behind, it's easy to believe you've lost part of yourself. Many diplomatic and expat partners feel the pressure to "reinvent" themselves with every new posting—but is that really what's needed? In this episode, we challenge the idea that every move r...

Confidence can feel elusive in diplomatic life. Every move asks you to start again, rebuild your routines, redefine your identity, and step into unfamiliar environments. It's no wonder so many diplomatic partners question themselves along the way. In this episode, we unpack where confidence really comes from and why it isn't something you're born with, but something you build through e...

We're celebrating one year of the UNPACKED podcast . What started as honest conversations about the realities of diplomatic life has become a space for connection, reflection, and community for partners navigating this unique lifestyle around the world. In this special anniversary episode, we have a massive catch up and reflect on what has happened in the last few months and where we find ours...

As we close our parenting series, we turn to the experiences that are often less visible but just as important to acknowledge within diplomatic life. Not all parenting or personal responsibilities can be seen at post. In this episode, we explore the often overlooked experiences of those who are childfree, parenting from a distance, or supporting adult children while living overseas. In this episod...

In this special episode, we are joined by Elina, Anna’s daughter, who shares her perspective of growing up in a globally mobile diplomatic life. Through her experiences of moving between countries, schools, and communities, she offers an honest and thoughtful insight into what this lifestyle really feels like from a young person’s point of view. This conversation gives space to both the beauty and...

Raising teenagers comes with its own complexities wherever you are in the world. Doing so overseas adds another layer as young people navigate identity, friendships, education, and belonging across cultures and constant change. In this episode, we explore what it means to support teenagers through the diplomatic lifestyle and how to balance their growing independence with the realities of a global...

In this special episode we are joined by Shaden , who has experienced diplomatic life from three unique perspectives. She grew up as a diplomat child, later became a diplomat spouse, and is now raising her own children within this globally mobile life. Drawing on her personal journey across countries, cultures, and life stages, Shaden shares how those experiences eventually inspired her to write a...

Welcoming a baby is a life-changing experience wherever you are in the world. Doing so overseas can bring both beauty and challenge as you navigate early parenthood while being far from familiar support systems. In this episode, we explore what it looks like to care for and raise babies abroad and the role that community, or the absence of it, plays in that experience. Anna shares her personal jou...

We are beginning a new series on pregnancy and parenting in diplomatic life and in this first episode we start at the very beginning of the journey. Pregnancy can feel vulnerable and life-changing wherever you are in the world. Experiencing it overseas adds another layer of complexity as you navigate unfamiliar healthcare systems, distance from family, and the emotional realities of growing a fami...

Once the decision to move overseas has been made, a new question often follows quickly: how do I make this life work for me too? Wanting to support your partner does not mean you have to abandon your own professional identity or sense of direction. In this episode, we move from reflection into action and share practical tools to help you feel prepared, empowered, and less lost when navigating care...

Sometimes diplomatic life brings moments of sudden disruption when plans change overnight and stability disappears. Drawdowns can be one of the most challenging experiences for partners as uncertainty, safety concerns, and emotional strain collide all at once. In this episode, Anna shares her recent experience of being drawn down from Beirut and reflects honestly on what it was like to navigate su...

One of the biggest and most emotionally complex questions partners face in this lifestyle is whether to put their own career on pause in order to move overseas. It is a question layered with identity, expectation, sacrifice, and love and one that rarely has a simple answer. In this episode, we dig deep into the reality behind that question and explore what career, fulfilment, and purpose can look...

Arriving at post often comes with a rush of adjustment, learning, and emotional overload. Just as things begin to feel familiar, the posting shifts again and new challenges emerge. By the time the end approaches, uncertainty can return in a different form, bringing reflection, restlessness, and anticipation of what comes next. In this episode, we complete our conversation on uncertainty and focus...

One of the most challenging parts of diplomatic life is being asked to make life-shaping decisions long before you have the full picture. From bidding on posts to preparing for arrival, you’re often required to commit while so much still feels uncertain. In this episode, we continue our conversation on uncertainty and focus on decision-making within the diplomatic posting cycle- even when informat...

Uncertainty is one of the hardest, and most invisible, parts of this lifestyle. Not knowing if a move will happen, when it will happen, or having plans change at the last minute can leave you feeling stuck in limbo, unable to fully move forward or settle where you are. In this episode, we talk honestly about what it means to live in the “waiting room” of diplomatic life. That in-between space wher...

As the year closes, it’s tempting to jump straight into what’s next. But before we move forward, there’s so much value in pausing to honour the growth, challenges, and the victories that shaped your year. In this episode, we reflect on three powerful questions: ✨ What are you proud of this year? ✨ What are you grateful for this year? ✨ What did this year teach you? We share our own reflections,...

Some people seem to glow in this lifestyle, no matter the posting, the upheaval, or the uncertainty. Giulia is one of those people. With multiple relocations, drawdowns, representational roles, motherhood across continents, and an evolving career, she has not only navigated diplomatic life… she has thrived in it. In this episode, we explore the “magic formula” behind how she does it: - How Giulia...

Moving to a new country can make you feel like you’ve been dropped into someone else’s life overnight. In those early months, everything is unfamiliar and yet, one of the biggest determinants of your wellbeing is also the hardest to prioritise: friendship. As adults, making friends isn’t effortless anymore. It takes energy, vulnerability and timing. And when you’re settling into a new posting, it...

One of the hardest parts of diplomatic life is the distance it creates - not just from places, but from people. As you move from posting to posting, the friendships and family ties that once felt effortless suddenly require intention, creativity, and emotional resilience. In this episode, we explore: - Why communication patterns shift when you move abroad and how to adapt with compassion - How to...