Grab some tea & put your feet up while Angi shares how she's found purpose as she's moved around the world. Her story is inspiring from driving a 15-passenger van to making grilled cheese sandwiches to helping people take a closer look at their brains. Also, catch a couple mini-stories of ladies that let their passions lead out, like the lady that makes videos with rocks. Enjoy episode 23, 'Finding Purpose as an EFM: How it Happened for Me.'

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Rocks Tell Stories @pattirokus

Expat life can feel like a practice in recreation. Recreating home, school, friends, and sometimes even ourselves. Tune in as Angi interviews Annalee on her journey to create purpose in the various countries she's lived, and how her passions have helped light the way. The last bit gets really exciting when they lose internet & the episode ends mid-sentence ha. Enjoy! 

Annalee & Angi invite Grief on the show today to get to know her a bit, explore what makes her unique, and even check out what she's wearing. Seriously though, everyone experiences loss. How can we give those losses the honor and attention they deserve? And how does grief show up in expat life? 

Angi & Annalee chat about reacting to their kids' meltdowns. Taking a closer look reveals that their own meltdowns might not look that different. Can integrating a bit of mindfulness help? 

Angi & Annalee get into the science around the impact meditation has on the brain & if it's becoming more widely accepted as a method for improving well-being. Also, do our husbands think we're nuts?

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Meditators Have Younger Brains

How Meditation Protects the Aging Brain from Decline

Your Brain on Meditation

Angi & Annalee explore how writing can improve mental wellness. Making lists of junior high crushes in journals to scribbling on a Vogue magazine to using any old pen and paper to observe thoughts & emotions. What does writing do for you & your brain? 

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How to Start a Mindful Journaling Practice 

Ashley Mae Hoiland 

Part 2 of a discussion with Integrative Health Coach and expat mom, Meredith Wiedemer, where she explains some specific ideas on how to understand and improve your gut/brain health. 

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Contact Meredith at [email protected]

Guest, Meredith Wiedemer, Integrative Health Coach and expat mom, explains a bit about how what we eat affects our brain function. Listen closely for some bonus material on guts and poop. This is part 1 of a 2-part series. 

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Books mentioned: Crazy, Sexy Diet by Kris Carr

Angi & Annalee discuss Third Culture Kids and Parachute Kids: the challenges they face as they move to different countries and into different cultures. There's a balance between appreciating the benefits of this lifestyle and acknowledging the difficulties we face. Maybe we can use those difficulties to build resilience. 

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Families in Global Transition: Raising Third Culture Kids and Parachute Kids Webinar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNudwL9_jsM

Angi and Annalee share random bits that have been on their minds from choosing the stories we tell ourselves to leaning into our emotions to expanding our vocabulary around the way we feel.