Expatability Chat

Send a text

Why being proactive is important for the accompanying expat partner

Don't live as a shadow in somebody else’s life. Live your own life; one that feels right to you.

As an expat partner, the emphasis is on you being proactive. Why? Because all the people you’re (hopefully) meeting will probably already have established lives. They aren’t waiting for you to slot into their lives, so you must be the proactive one; to go out there and make friends and create your life.

You simply can’t just rely on other people to make the effort, including your partner, to be the ones to ensure your happiness.

In this episode, I want to take a look at ways you can reclaim your identity and making your expat life your own; to enjoy where you are and, basically, to make the best of it!

Many accompanying expat partners say that as soon as they take complete ownership for their own happiness and stop relying on each other that they really start to be happy.

Your life starts when you make it happen.

• Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again!  Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat. 
• Want independent advice about your move overseas? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here

Support the show

Send a text

Why being the expat partner makes such a difference and what extra challenges the accompanying expat partner faces.

These challenges can lead to a loss of confidence and a rapidly disappearing self-identity.

To start with, we get labelled as ‘the trailing spouse’… We don’t like that. Our identity is immediately stripped from us and we are given a demeaning and disempowering label. We are so much more than a label.

However, some communities consider the label itself to be the sole cause of an expat partner’s dissatisfaction and spend hours choosing alternatives which simply compounds the issue. Because this means the actual issues are being brushed under the carpet and ignored. Deflecting away from solving the problem by focusing on the wrong thing altogether.

Our lost confidence and ultimately potential mental health issues aren’t caused by a label used by companies or individuals. Potential problems in self-identity and general upheaval and expat life are caused by a lack of genuine and experienced support. 

In this episode I dive into self-confidence issues, self-identity and dependence; working through to discover how to retrieve your self-confidence, find yourself, reclaim your identity, and protect your independence.

Many expat partners say that as soon as they take complete ownership for their own happiness and stop relying on each other that they really start to be happy.

• Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again!  Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat. 
• Want independent advice about your move overseas? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here

Support the show

Send a text

Expats are at double the risk of mental health conditions compared to people who never move abroad. And over half of those who are unhappy living abroad say that not having a personal support network in the host country contributes to their unhappiness.

We have great hopes for our new expat life, but reality often lets us down. We realise that expat life is not the Instaperfect dream we expected and this can hurt. Expat life is an emotional rollercoaster. Many say it, many agree – you have ups and downs. It’s when the ups disappear and the downs dip further and stay down that we need to get support and help.

Nobody expects to experience mental health problems, and nobody can predict how you will cope with your new life, however resilient you think you may be.

Being properly and realistically prepared for your new life abroad makes it easier to manage your expectations and hopefully prevent some of negative experiences you may encounter.

• Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again!  Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat. 
• Want independent advice about your move overseas? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here

Support the show

Send a text

How to organise your packing and shipments efficiently

An overview of how to organise your possessions into the different transportation options you have for your move overseas.

Tips on what to pack into shipping containers, air freight, luggage and carry-on. Plus information about taking your vehicle overseas. 

• Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again!  Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat. 
• Plan And Pack For Your Overseas Move: A complete guide to organising your packing ready to move abroad. eBook available here
• 'Arrive Well' - Checklists for your arrival overseas - available here
• Packing Lists - available here
• Want independent advice about your move overseas? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here

Support the show

Send a text

How to make the most of your look-see trip

The "Look-See" Trip is an exploratory visit to the country you’re moving to - an exploratory visit or a pre-location visit.

It is important to make sure that your look-see trip is planned efficiently so you can get as much done as possible on the visit

There’s a lot to achieve in a relatively small period of time, so I hope this guide will help you to make a fool-proof plan.

Hopefully, you'll come away from the "Look-See" trip armed with valuable insight into your soon-to-be-life, schools, and neighbourhoods. 

• Want independent advice about your move overseas? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here  
• Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again!  Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat. 

Support the show

Send a text

Decision, Decisions, Decisions!

Making the decision to move overseas in the first place is huge; it starts with ‘should we stay or should we go?’ And just spirals from there.

All this decision-making pressure can become too much, particularly when we are moving overseas and there are so many unknowns to factor in. 

We make between 1000-5000 decisions every single, normal day. Which is why making extra, life-changing choices on top of leads to O.M.G ARRRGH! Or, to give it an official name, decision fatigue. It’s a form of mental exhaustion and ultimately causes you to either stop making decisions or making poor choices.

Making good decisions is something that can be lost in the mix of overthinking and over analysing: you get into a state of ‘Can’t see the wood for the trees’ – you’re looking at the tiny details instead of the big picture.

Are you confident in your decision-making skills? Or would you like a little help from someone who’s been there and done that – several times? Someone who can help you see the big picture and help you cut through the wood so you can see the trees?

If you need someone neutral to chat it all over with, in complete confidence. I’m here for you! Let me help lighten your mental load. I can help you discover everything you need to make the best decision for you and your family. 

While I can’t make your decisions for you, I can offer honest advice, experience-based suggestions, recommendations, tools and tips to lighten your mental and emotional load.

I’m dedicated to helping you simplify your expat decision-making process, so you have clarity and confidence in the major life choices you’re making.

Get in touch today!

• To book a Decision-Maker Power Hour call with me to help you through this madly busy time, please check out my diary, here: Expat Espresso Hour
• If you have ONE topic you'd like some clarity on, try my Expat Ristretto 30 minutes option! Book here: Expat Ristretto 
• Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again!  Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat. 
• Visit ExpatChild.com for more free information about expat life!

Support the show

Send a text

How to research effectively

I expect the first thing you did as soon as you heard you may be moving overseas was to start researching your potential destination.

Sounds obvious, but you would be surprised at how many people make assumptions about a country and don’t bother to research it.

People who make the most successful transition abroad are those who are fully prepared and have done their research. 

You need to work out if a country will be a good fit for all members of your family. It’s hard to gauge what it will be like based on other people’s perspective, which is what you’ll find when you search; someone else’s view of a place may differ wildly from yours.

Researching the rules and regulations, visas, work permits, culture and customs, geographical information, climate etc is one thing, you need to stick to the facts and note what is relevant to you. When it comes to finding out if that destination will suit you and your family, you need to be more circumspect and open minded.

• Want independent advice about your move overseas with me, your expat expert? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here 

Support the show

Send a text

What to expect when you’re expatting. And why preparation is SO important to prevent the possibility of ‘expat failure’, ie returning home sooner than expected.

There’s obviously a lot more to this topic than I’ve covered in this episode, however, any information is better than no information in this subject!

Being properly prepared for expat life, and going into it with an open mind, managed expectations and reining in your assumptions will give you a really good basis for making your expat life a fabulous and successful one.

Looking at a few reasons people move overseas, and a few key reasons expat life may not work out for some. Knowing about these in advance helps you prepare and be aware.

I’ll share some tips for success, to help you positively prepare.

• Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again!  Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat. 
• Want independent advice about your move overseas with me, your expat expert? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here  
• Visit ExpatChild.com for more free information about expat life!

Support the show

Send a text

Overwhelm - that paralysing feeling you get when you look at the huge amount of stuff you need to do before you move and have the pressure to get it all finished in time.

Being overwhelmed and exhausted leads to poor decision-making. You have too many decisions to make, and a finite time in which to make them, and that can cause ‘decision fatigue’.

Overwhelm is an emotion caused by feeling out of control and unable to manage your circumstances. I can help you manage all of this.

In this episode, I share my insight, tools and tips to help you overcome overwhelm so that your preparation is a stress free as possible.

• Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again!  Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat. 
• Grab a copy of my 'Super Scary To-Do List' Buster to help you focus on the important tasks and blast through your overwhelm.
• To book a Power Hour call with me, please check out my diary, here: Expat Espresso Hour

Support the show

Send a text

Just a quick episode today – all about how to settle your kids quickly into their new home overseas and how to recognise culture shock in children. 

There’s a saying that “a happy mother means happy children”, and that is true. However, when you first arrive in a new house, it’s much easier for mother to be happy if the kids aren’t playing up.

On the whole, most children are more resilient to change than adults. However, culture shock can strike children in its own special way. 

The more you prepare for the change in life, the better your child – and you – will adapt! 

Moving overseas and potential confusion and culture shock can be challenging for both parent and child. Study up in advance, do your best to find a new community and keep an open mind about the new place. Before you know it, it will feel like home.

• Want independent advice about your move overseas with me, your expat expert? For a one-to-one chat, please check my calendar for dates and options here  
• Get expat life support at every stage of your expat journey - from home to away and back again!  Join The Expatability Club: the one-stop-shop for everything expat. 

Support the show