After a solo trip to Paris, Kim is sharing the little cultural habits that suddenly stood out to her after three years of living in France.

From giant water bottles and coffee to-go to loud conversations, overscheduled weekends, smiling at strangers, and eating on the run, this episode is a funny and honest look at the everyday things other cultures do that can feel completely bizarre to the French.

Kim also shares what she’s learned from these differences, what she’s happily adopted from French culture, and the American habits she’s not quite ready to give up.

Resources:

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• Great boutique in Paris: Mademoiselle Jeanne
  

Kim is interviewing Sammy Royal, a Paris-based travel, hospitality and editorial photographer. Originally from New Zealand, she has lived in Paris for three years with her husband and two children. 

Together, Kim and Sammy discuss how important it is to be present, embrace daily rituals and enjoy your own company. They dive into freelancing, building a network from scratch, learning to market yourself, and the uncomfortable but necessary process of putting your work into the world before it feels perfect. They also get into storytelling, creative partnership, and why taking small steps toward the thing you want can make the bigger risks feel a little less scary.

Resources:

• Sammy Royal: Website & Instagram

• Juste Les Filles: Sammy’s Freelance Business Agency

• Isabelle Bertolami’s Paris Apartment: Airbnb

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After more than 20 years in corporate America, Kim shares the honest story of what happened when she finally stepped away from the career path she had spent years building. From Harvard Business School to brand marketing roles at Kraft, Victoria’s Secret, Sephora and beyond, she had followed the “right” steps, earned the titles, and kept climbing, until the life she had built no longer felt like her own.

In this episode, Kim opens up about the breaking point that led her to quit, the relief and panic that came after, and the unexpected grief of slowing down after years of measuring herself by achievement. She shares what moving to France taught her about stillness, why purpose can’t be rushed, and how the answers often come when we finally get quiet enough to hear them.

This is a vulnerable conversation for anyone questioning their path, feeling restless in a life that looks good on paper, or wondering what might be waiting on the other side of slowing down.

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Do you find your mind racing? You might be falling into a mental trap. Kim is reflecting on the quiet mental traps that keep so many of us feeling rushed, stuck, and disconnected from the life we actually want.

In this episode, she shares six mindset traps she’s noticed in herself, from tying self-worth to productivity to waiting for happiness to arrive someday in the future. She also compares them with what she’s observed in French women, who often seem more comfortable slowing down, trusting themselves, and defining success from the inside out.

This conversation is about learning to notice the stories our minds repeat, interrupting old patterns, and creating more space for presence, intuition, trust, and possibility.

Resources:

• This Is How It Feels To Be Seen by Sophie Beatrice 

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After a family trip to Mallorca, Kim found herself sitting between two women at very different stages of life: one seemingly longing for the future, and one quietly remembering the past. That moment made her wonder whether the life she’s living right now, with young kids, a marriage, ambition, uncertainty, chaos, and gratitude all tangled together, might actually be one of the prime seasons of her life. She challenges us to think deeply about the season of life you’re in right now.

In this episode, Kim reflects on motherhood, aging, comparison, life in France, and the pressure to believe our “best years” are tied to youth. She shares a more expansive way of thinking about the prime of life, not as one fleeting chapter, but as something that evolves as we grow more grounded, self-trusting, and at home with ourselves.

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• Mallorca, Spain: Best Cities to Go

• Palma

• Soller

• Deia

• Portals Nous

Rosé season has officially arrived in Provence, and Kim is reflecting on something French women seem to understand so well: balance. In this solo episode, she shares what she has observed about the way French women approach food, work, motherhood, friendship, and everyday life with more steadiness, intention, and less pressure.

From the idea of just enough to letting go of perfection and prioritizing connection, Kim explores the quiet mindset shifts that can make daily life feel lighter and more grounded. She shares reflections on rethinking presence, protecting your energy, and focusing on what truly matters.

Because balance isn’t something you achieve once and hold onto forever. It’s created in the small choices you make every day.

Resources:

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After more than three years living in the south of France, Kim is sharing the honest side of what it really means to move abroad. In this solo episode, she reflects on the emotional highs and lows of leaving home, building a new life in another country, and learning that even a beautiful life abroad can still feel disorienting, lonely, and deeply stretching.

From culture shock and homesickness to raising bilingual kids and seeing both American and French life with new eyes, this is a personal look at the realities no one really prepares you for. Kim talks about identity, discomfort, family, and the unexpected ways living abroad can change how you see the world and yourself.

Resources:

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In this final episode of our series, Kim is interviewing French women to gain a rare and honest window into how they think about everything from work, motherhood, relationships, style and life overall. We’ll have real conversations that go beyond the cliches and offer perspective, advice and inspiration.

Our guest today, Melanie Forsinetti, was born in the southwest of France, built her early career in Paris, then moved abroad after meeting her husband living in Mexico, Madagascar, Cambodia and Thailand before returning to France six years ago. She’s a mother of four daughters and brings a deeply international perspective shaped by years of raising children across cultures.

Over a glass of champagne, Kim and Melanie talk about motherhood, marriage, moving across countries for love, and what it means to build a family life between cultures. They get into raising multilingual children abroad, the challenge of helping kids feel French after growing up in international environments, the cultural differences between French and American ways of relating, and Melanie’s journey from TV production and advertising into coaching, strength training and mental performance. 

Resources:

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Produced by NOVA

In this series, Kim is interviewing French women to gain a rare and honest window into how they think about everything from work, motherhood, relationships, style and life overall. We'll have real conversations that go beyond the cliches and offer perspective, advice and inspiration.

Ludivine Lombard-Taverne, our guest today, was born in Lille, moved to Japan at 19, later built a life in Hong Kong with her husband, and is now raising her two children in Aix-en-Provence.

Together, we'll talk about motherhood, marriage, keeping your own identity in a relationship, and we'll get into the realities of bilingual education, choosing between the IB and the French baccalauréat, and what it means to raise children who grew up abroad but still feel deeply French.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow us on Instagram @coucou.pod.

What can Americans learn from French culture?

After nearly three years living in Aix-en-Provence, Kim reflects on the lessons she’s learned as an American living in France. In this episode, she shares the cultural insights and mindset shifts that have changed the way she thinks about work, time, family, and everyday life.

From the French approach to balance and enjoyment to the subtle differences that shape daily routines, these reflections go beyond expat life. She shares advice that will resonate no matter where you live.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow on Instagram @coucou.pod.