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Tennessee is saying goodbye to Dolly Parton.

This week, I watched a state grieve for a woman who was far more than a country music star. I share what Dolly meant to Tennessee, the stories I've heard from people who knew her, the generosity I witnessed firsthand while working in banking, and why her death unexpectedly brought back memories of my mum in Australia.

But it wouldn't be This Week in America without a few detours.

There's a mouse in our living room, my family has declared a state of emergency, and our cat has finally been asked to earn his keep. I also take a look at something about American democracy that still fascinates me: school board elections and just how many local officials Americans get to vote for.

Plus, after years of living in Nashville and meeting people in the music industry, I have a confession to make: living in the home of country music may actually have made me less of a country music fan.

From mice and local elections to Nashville, the Smoky Mountains and memories of home, it's another This Week in America.

This Week in America is part of From Down Under to Down South.

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After nearly eight years living in the United States, I've come to believe many Americans have a hidden superpower—and it isn't what you'd expect.

As an Australian living in America, I've noticed that Americans don't just celebrate success. They encourage people to try in the first place. Whether it's starting a business, writing a book, changing careers, or chasing a lifelong dream, encouragement seems deeply woven into American culture.

In this episode, I explore why that mindset surprised me, how it slowly changed the way I see the world, and why I think it may be one of America's greatest strengths.

If you've ever wondered why Americans are so friendly, optimistic, or willing to cheer on complete strangers, this episode is for you.

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We're finally recovering from COVID, but apparently I've been making tea wrong the entire time.

This week, Nikki explains why honey should never meet a metal spoon, the turtle in my workplace lunchroom officially becomes a colleague, and YouTube reaction channels take From Down Under to Down South international. I also share why I decided to file a trademark after being approached by a content distribution company, and how the scammers found my application in less than twelve hours.

Then things get a little more thoughtful. A 60 Minutes Australia story has me comparing access to mental health care in Australia and America, while Georgia somehow manages to get an F in fifth-grade science without actually being at school.

Finally, another Australian story sends me down a rabbit hole about Ivan Milat and a question I hadn't considered before: why do we seem to hear about fewer serial killers today? That leads into a much darker week in America, with three executions taking place on the same day and the upcoming scheduled execution of Christa Pike here in Tennessee.

Wooden spoons, workplace turtles, healthcare, school grades, serial killers, scammers and the death penalty.

Just another week in America through Australian eyes.

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After eight years living in America, I don't often think about how far away Australia really is.

Then our entire household got sick at the same time.

This week, all four of us came down with COVID and a collection of secondary illnesses. Nikki and I were completely wiped out, the girls were sick, nobody was sleeping, takeaway became a survival strategy, and at one point I genuinely found myself wondering: what happens when both parents are too sick to parent?

And that's when 9,000 miles suddenly felt very far.

Because back in Australia, we would have had family who could step in. Someone who could make dinner, help with the kids, or simply walk through the door and say, "I've got this. Go to bed."

It made me realise that when you move overseas, you don't just leave people behind. You leave behind an invisible support system you may not even realise you had until the day you need it.

This week I'm talking about being sick far from family, the practical side of expat life we don't often discuss, why I wasn't actually homesick for Australia, and the difference between missing home and simply missing having backup.

Plus, crazed sick children, emergency takeaway, 72 hours without sleep, and my ill-fated attempt to have Amazon rescue me with same-day sleep gummies.

Sometimes living overseas doesn't feel far away at all.

Until suddenly it does.

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Living in America as an Australian isn't always about the big cultural differences. Sometimes it's the completely ordinary moments that remind me I'm still seeing life here through Australian eyes.

This week, my workplace somehow went from having two cats living in the employee bathroom to a turtle in the lunchroom. The girls went back to school, everyone got sick, I found myself chatting with a stranger about her tattoos at Publix, Halloween decorations appeared while Tennessee was still pushing 95 degrees, and a Chinese takeaway reminded me that even Chinese food can be surprisingly different between Australia and America.

After eight years in the US, America feels like home. But every week, something still makes me stop and think, "Hang on… we don't do that."

This is another week in America through Australian eyes.

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Why do Americans customize everything?

After moving from Australia to the United States, one of the biggest cultural differences I noticed was just how many choices Americans have. Coffee orders, restaurant meals, pickup trucks, homes, phone plans and countless other everyday things can all be personalized.

At first, it felt overwhelming. Over time, I realized this isn't really about products at all. It's about a way of thinking. Americans often see the standard version as the starting point, not the finished product.

In this episode, I explore why customization is such a defining part of American culture, what it says about personal choice and individuality, and why it makes a lot more sense to me after eight years living in America.

What do you think? Has customization made life better, or have we simply ended up with too many options?

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When I first moved to America, there were plenty of moments when I wasn't sure I belonged. Looking back now, what surprises me isn't the awkward moments—it's how many people seemed determined to make room for us.

In this episode, I reflect on the small everyday interactions that gradually changed how I saw America, from a Thanksgiving invitation to familiar faces at the local grocery store. Somewhere along the way, I stopped feeling like the outsider and started feeling at home.

I don't know exactly why Americans do this, but I share a few thoughts on what might be behind this uniquely welcoming part of American culture.

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What happens to friendships when you live overseas for years? This week, I’ve been thinking about the people and everyday moments we slowly lose touch with — the ordinary Tuesdays we once shared without realizing how important they were.

But this is This Week in America, so things don't stay reflective for long.

I'm also talking about Georgia surviving an intense week of dance auditions, the American obsession with neighborhood swimming pools, why I suddenly miss Saturday morning cartoons, my continuing war with Tennessee squirrels, a suspicious-looking slot machine in a gas station, and the Mexican restaurant conversation that somehow ended with rattlesnake as a traditional cancer remedy.

Just another week of noticing the strange, funny and occasionally meaningful little things that come with being an Australian living in America.

From Down Under to Down South — an Australian perspective on everyday life in the United States.

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After eight years living in the United States, I thought I understood why Americans talk to strangers.

I assumed it was friendliness.

But over time, I started to realise I was looking at it the wrong way.

In this episode, I share the observation that changed my perspective and why I now believe friendliness isn't the goal at all. From conversations in grocery stores to chance encounters with complete strangers, I explore what Americans may really be trying to do when they strike up a conversation.

This isn't an episode about extroverts versus introverts, or whether one culture is better than another. It's about belonging, inclusion, and a part of American culture that I didn't fully appreciate when I first arrived from Australia.

Sometimes it takes an outsider to notice something the people living inside a culture can no longer see.

From Down Under to Down South is a podcast about culture, identity, family, and life between Australia and America.

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This week, a chest infection brought back memories I hadn't thought about in years. Even though it wasn't COVID, the symptoms felt almost identical, reminding me just how deeply certain experiences stay with us. 

From remembering the uncertainty of the pandemic and being separated from family in Australia, to living through storms and power outages in Tennessee, I explore how difficult moments leave lasting marks on the way we see the world. 

I also share a personal story about helping Georgia navigate friendship struggles at dance, and the challenge every parent faces of supporting their child without trying to rewrite their own childhood through them. In the end, one simple act of kindness reminded me that while we can't choose what happens to us, we can choose the kind of person those experiences help us become. 

This week's episode is a reflection on memory, resilience, parenting, and the invisible ways our past continues to shape our present.

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