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My guest today is author Sam Frearson-Tubito, who published her beautiful memoir this summer: Beneath a Borrowed Sky: One Woman's Search for the True Meaning of Home.

Sam is a fellow expat empty nester based in Italy, with four young adults strewn across the globe, from Sydney to the US West Coast to Europe. Growing up as a TCK herself, in a dozen or so countries, and with stints at British boarding schools, Sam bears the scars of being raised with a stiff upper lip, and made it her parent mission to guide her children differently. 

Of course, empty nesting is a big topic of our conversation, as is parenting in general. Other topics are grief, adjusting, transitions, and the importance of finding purpose at every stage in life. And then we finally talk about writing, and Sam's book, and about memoir writing, impostor syndrome, perfectionism and the need for authenticity and perseverance when it comes to publishing.

Books (and people) that were mentioned: 

Ruth van Reken: "Third Culture Kids" (4th edition out October 6),

Megan Norton-Newbanks: "Belonging Beyond Borders"

Tanya Crossman: "Misunderstood: The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century"

I also want to mention Lauren Wells: "The Grief Tower", amongst others.

Sam's location timeline: 

1971 | St. Kitts & Nevis 

1973 | Bordeaux, France 

1975 | Otford, England 

1976 | Kinshasa, DRC 

1977 | Lubumbashi, DRC 

1978 | Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire 

1980 | Boarding School, All Hallows in Somerset, UK 

1983 | Boarding School, New Hall School in Essex, UK 

1984 | Hong Kong 

1985 | Lusaka, Zambia 

1989 | Cairo, Egypt 

1991 | Angers, France 

1994 | Marmaris, Turkey 

1995 | London, England 

1997 | Milan, Italy 

1999 | Bologna, Italy 

2001 | Bussum, Netherlands 

2008 | Baarn, Netherlands 

2009 | Tokyo, Japan 

2013 | Portland, Oregon, USA 

2020 | Modena, Italy 

2023 | Madrid, Spain 

2024 | Athens, Greece (7 months), then back to Madrid 

2025 | Valencia, Spain 

2026 | Modena, Italy

For more information, find Sam on Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit her website, Wandering Identity.

Beneath a Borrowed Sky is widely available.

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Today's episode comes with some extra material - my guest and I will be hosting a workshop for expat moms! If you feel like you might be ready to get unstuck and want to start building your new life with the help of a community, this might be the perfect opportunity!

I'm talking to Daniela, a mom of three, ontological coach and the founder of MomToo Coaching. We talk about all things expat moms, and how important and life-changing moving countries with your family can be - if you have the right support systems.

We talk about - among many other topics - the basics of ontological coaching, why it’s so important to include somatic elements, i.e. the body, in the coaching process, and the role of community in our self-acceptance. We also talk about AI and its role in decision-making, and why nothing beats human-to-human interaction and community. 

Ontological coaching is a transformational methodology that focuses on a person's "way of being" rather than just their actions. It operates on the principle that shifting your underlying internal perceptions creates new possibilities. It examines how the interconnected domains of language, emotions, and the body shape your reality.

More information about ontological coaching can be found here. 

Free Quiz: Why do you feel so "off" since moving abroad? Discover your expat mom pattern.

Find Daniela on Instagram, LinkedIn, or head straight to her website. 

WORKSHOP Information:

Find Your Home Again!
3 Strategies for Expat Moms to Rebuild Identity & Belonging After a Move

September 15, 2026, 12:30 (EST).
$20 per person or bring a friend and pay $10 each!

Registration details can be found here.

To get in touch with me, find me on Instagram or LinkedIn, visit my website (and all the links), read my Substack and, of course, my book, Transcontinental Overload - a Memoir of Movement, Meltdowns & Making a Life In Between, available in both English and German. 

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Today's episode is all about transformation and overcoming limiting beliefs - without an international component. This is what Get the Boots is all about. 

In my guest's words: "Your success on the outside should feel the same on the inside."

I was so lucky to get Dr. Daryll Wharton, keynote speaker, mindset coach and hypnotherapist, to come on the podcast and share her own story to show how we already own everything we need to embark on our own path of transformation.  

Dr. Daryll talks about being a certified EFT practitioner: a professional who guides clients through Emotional Freedom Techniques (often called "tapping") or Emotion-Focused Therapy. 

Visit Dr. Daryll's website, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

To get in touch with me, find me on Instagram or LinkedIn, visit my website (and all the links), read my Substack and, of course, my book, Transcontinental Overload - a Memoir of Movement, Meltdowns & Making a Life In Between, available in both English and German. 

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Trigger warning: We are talking about very sensitive topics in this episodes, including assault, trauma and suicide. For immediate help or to discuss struggles, you can connect with people who can support you by calling or texting 988 anytime in the US and Canada. In the UK, you can call 111. These services are free, confidential, and available 24/7.

My guest today is an adult TCK*: Jessi, the former Director of Marketing and Adult TCK Services with TCK Training (she's still actively involved in their Suicide Intervention Training and select retreats. Jessi is especially passionate about creating mental health resources for TCKs and walking alongside teens and young adults as they navigate the challenges of a global life.

We talk about her own bumpy story, and conclude with actionable tips for mental health - while this is all in a global context, this episode is incredibly important and valuable for anybody raising or working with young people.

Jessi's tips (time stamped)

• (01:01:57) Have healthy support systems for yourself in place & communicate those to the kids = modelling it
• (01:03:03) Receiving all their hardships (even the tiny ones) they communicate = validation of feelings; TCK training has a course on “safe space responses”
• (01:05:10) Be mindful how you talk about mental health publicly; it’s not something to joke about, and it is something that needs to be talked about (in an age appropriate way) = take away stigma and shame
• (1:08:33) Be prepared to share resources, talk about resources
• Use the resources to educate yourself!

Jessi’s website isn’t live yet (at the time of June 2026), but bookmark it for future use. You can find her on LinkedIn.

In the meantime, head to TCK Wellness, or TCK Training, for further resources, counseling directories (in progress) and courses.

• Directory of vetted, TCK-informed mental health professionals
• A Practical Guide to Supporting Suicidal TCKs (from someone who’s been there) - blog about Jessi's story
• TCK Suicide Intervention Training
• Safe Space Responses - Free series

Books: 

• For parents: The Grief Tower (Lauren Wells)
• For adult TCKS: Unstacking Your Grief Tower (Lauren Wells)

*Definition of TCK: TCK stands for Third Culture Kid, which is an individual who spends a significant part of their developmental years outside their parents' passport countries or cultures. They blend aspects of their home culture with host cultures, creating a unique "third culture" identity, and often feel "from everywhere and nowhere". Often children of diplomats, missionaries or military personnel.

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My guest today is a 6 times expat, podcaster, author, international keynote speaker, global purpose coach and business mentor, amongst other things! - meet Dominique Narciso Kim.

If you've ever been upset to be called the "trailing spouse", or struggled with your identity shifts during a move abroad, our conversation is for you. Dom gives the term "trailing spouse" a new and definitely more positive spin.

Find Dominique on LinkedIn or Instagram to follow her journey. Not only does she have a new country to move to, she also has tons more projects in the pipeline.

More information about her work can be found on her website.

Books mentioned: 

Tal Ben Shahar: The Pursuit of Perfect

Dominique Narciso-Kim: Live Your New Story: Discover Your Best Self and Live Your Best Life

We talked a little bit about the peace corps, for more information, head straight to their website. 

For more information about my memoir, Transcontinental Overload, head to my website, or find my Substack, Steph Gets the Boots.

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Today's guest brings a fresh breeze of energy and positive vibes! Louise, originally from Sweden, has lived in Lanzarote for over 25 years and has made the Spanish island her and her children's home.

We discuss the wonders and challenges of multilingualism and what it looks like to try and raise your children with more than one language. 

For more information about Louise, or maybe you're in need of a multilingual virtual assistant with a good dose of expat experience, head to LinkedIn or Instagram.

My book, "Transcontinental Overload - a Memoir of Movement, Meltdowns & Making a Life In Between", is widely available as paperback (ISBN 9798999488800) and Ebook. Audiobook and German edition will be out soon! Check my website for purchase links.

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We have a special treat today: Megan from the UK is taking us on the Camino de Santiago!

After working on cruise ships and then briefly back in England, Megan decided to head down to Portugal to walk the Camino - all by herself. To get clarity, to experience being alone, to test her limits. 

If you've ever thought about walking the Camino yourself, or if you've never heard of it, this is the episode for you. Enjoy!

You can find out more about Meg and her language-coaching business, Mega Language Coach, on her website, or find her on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

Find out more about me and my book on my website, Instagram, or head straight to my all-encompassing Linktree. 

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Today, we're heading all over the planet! My guest, Kimberly Haley-Coleman is the founder and Executive Director of Globe Aware, a US & Canada based nonprofit that leads and mobilizes volunteers for short-term service projects in over 25 countries worldwide.

We talk about the concept of service, the importance of local knowledge and participation and why and how an experience like the ones Globe Aware provides can be transformational. As Kimberly puts it, it's a "win-win-win situation!"

For more information on Globe Aware, head straight to the website, or follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, etc. 

Additional information about Kimberly: With a background in international business development and finance, she previously held leadership roles at global firms including CNBC.com, Space Services International, and Investtools. Kimberly holds an MBA in International Business, an MA in Art History, and a BA from Emory University. A multiple patent holder, SMU Guest Lecturer, and recipient of the Texas Business Hall of Fame Award and long-time Hall of Fame member, Chairman of the Executive Board for the International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) and actively engaged with organizations like the Building Bridges Coalition and United Nations ESOC Consultative Status Committee and variety of other nonprofit boards focused on international service, community development, and environmental improvement.

My book, "Transcontinental Overload - a Memoir of Movement, Meltdowns and Making a Life In Between" is widely available as paperback or ebook. You can find international purchase links on my website, or (if in the US) head straight to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or directly to the printer. 

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For the last episode of the year, I sit down with Nadine Prager to talk about burnout and what we can do, especially at the end of the year, to avoid it. 

You can find Nadine via her website, or on Instagram, or join her Telegram WhatsApp group, The Luxury of Sensitivity.

Also check out her wonderful podcast, Too Sensitive, My Ass! which we didn't have time to talk about today, and keep your eyes peeled – Nadine has a book coming out in 2026!

Another thing we didn't get to is astrocartography, a service Nadine offers that can help you find out which location in the world is beneficial for you and your goals in life.

Sperrnächte ("Lockdown Nights"/"Dark Nights") refer to a spiritual time (December 8-21, culminating in Solstice) in Germanic traditions where people intentionally slow down, cease work, cleanse their homes, and reflect on the past year to prepare for the new, allowing for deep introspection and energetic clearing before the main "Magic Nights" (Rauhnächte) begin. 

Rauhnächte (or "Rough Nights"/"Magic Nights") are 12 sacred nights between Christmas and Epiphany (Dec 25th - Jan 5th) in Central European folklore, a liminal time when the veil between worlds is thin, spirits roam, and people perform cleansing, introspective, and divinatory rituals like burning herbs (incense), journaling, and using the "13 Wishes" ritual to set intentions for the coming year, often involving quiet reflection and driving out bad energy. 

A few links if you're interested in those traditions:

Sperrnächte, End of year, Rauhnacht, end of year traditions, Rauhnächte, 13 Wishes Ritual.

The German publishing house Nadine works with is the Westermann Verlag: "The Westermann Gruppe is one of Germany’s leading providers of educational materials. Bringing together publishing houses, printing works and services, the Westermann Gruppe has a presence at every stage of the publishing process.

Education is our passion and we produce educational materials for a lifetime of learning. Our publishing houses offer titles for pre-schools, primary schools and secondary schools, as well as vocational training and professional qualifications."

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My book, "Transcontinental Overload - a Memoir of Movement, Meltdowns & Making a Life In Between" is for sale at all major booksellers. 

You can find a list of merchants here.

Direct warehouse links: US customers, UK customers  

To read and listen to my blog post, subscribe to my Substack.

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As promised, here are a few tips and tricks to check in with yourself and find a sense of grounding and connection with where you are.

Inga Knysh works as a transformation coach based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 

Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, and please reach out if you want to be a guest or have a story you'd like to share with me.

My book, "Transcontinental Overload - a Memoir of Movement, Meltdowns & Making a Life In Between" is for sale at all major booksellers. 

You can find a list of merchants here:

Direct warehouse links: US customers, UK customers