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Here it is, my last episode of the year! I'm talking to Aspen, an American who grew up in Hawaii and has been based in Munich, Germany, for the last nine years.

Our conversation ranges from discussing cultural differences including the vastly different social systems in the US and Germany, her journey through German bureaucracy, bluntness, and loneliness, and the reasons why she loves German culture with all its weird and wonderful quirks.     
As Aspen would put it, she's achieved the American dream by moving to Germany - but I think it's down to her amazing tenacity and positive outlook on life. 

We also chat about the brutal world of social media, why she's taken a step back from her original channels, and is working on new projects. One of those is a very tongue-in-cheek-but-honest new podcast about intercultural dating, which she started with her friend Nicole, host of The Expatcast podcast and previous guest on this show. The very brilliant title of this collaboration:  "The Abroadcast - two broads abroad dating Germen so you don't have to". 

If you want to find out more about Aspen, find her on Instagram, and make sure you check out her and Nicole's new podcast! 

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This is a Thanksgiving special! Just kidding, but we recorded it on Thanksgiving day, and so there's a fair amount of festive talk in this conversation. My guest is Jenn, an American who's been living in Rome for the last four years.

We talk about the beauty of Italy, and la dolce vita, but also how vulnerable you can feel as an expat, and how moving to a new country can pull the rug out from under your feet. Jenn opens up about her own personal journey and how she's appreciating the fact that this experience can totally transform your life in a good way and coax personality traits out of you that you never knew you had, and how all her and her husband James' "messy" experiences have led to them founding their own fitness business, Overstreet Wellness. 
 
You can discover more about Jenn and James on Instagram: Jenn can be found here, and James is here.  Both have direct links to their fitness program.

And - since Christmas is fast approaching, and I haven't had any Glühwein yet - if you feel the need to make a donation, you can do that here. Happy Holidays! 

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Today's guest is Izge, who grew up in Turkey, left her home country to study in the US, worked in various locations. and then decided to move back and forth a few times. She now feels like a complete mix of the two countries and slightly at odds with both from time to time. 

We talk about those seemingly small moments that change the trajectory of your life, the best way to integrate into life in another country, and how to combine those different aspects of yourself.

And we both agree that food is the best way to connect us with our heritage and the places we love (yes, I am collecting my guests’ recipes).

Happy Halloween, y’all! 

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Today's guest is Janine, a Canadian expat in Valencia, Spain. Janine left Canada over 14 years ago, but never planned to stay this long. Cupid had other plans, however, and she ended up staying, and after initial bumps in the road, is now fully embracing her expat existence.

We talk about the strange sense of not belonging, how to survive - and even embrace - the dark days, and why being stubborn is a good thing.
We discuss toxic positivity on social media, and how finding your voice and staying true to yourself are the most powerful weapons as an expat.

Janine is married to a Welshman, so of course we had to have a little nostalgic gush fest about Gavin & Stacey - if you've never seen it and are curious about Wales, this is the show to watch. An absolute institution, not just in the UK. 

You can find Janine on Instagram, and learn more about her services as a copywriter and writing coach on her new website, So Janine Christie, which will be launched very soon! In the meantime, her previous rants and observations can be found on her old website, My Expatations.  

Find out more about me on my website, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, @overloadedsteph, and if you like, buy me a coffee! 

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Hello, I'm back! Today I don't have just one guest, but two! Married couple Megan from the US and Simon from the UK are on the show to tell us their story and share some insights into the differences between their countries.
"Great Britain and America are two countries divided by a common language" - this famous George Bernard Shaw quote couldn't be more true.

Megan grew up near Austin, Texas,  moved to California after college and then to New York, where she met Simon from the UK, who had taken the opportunity to leave his home country for a job posting in the US.
They talk us through how they met, and how their different backgrounds have influenced their relationship and decisions.
 Topics include language and behaviour, US vs. British dating rules, and of course, food! British vs. US dishes, spices and special traditions, such as turkey two ways.

In case you're still wondering what Yorkshire puddings are, here's a link to provide more information! And equally so for Tamales. I just didn't have room in the episode.  

See you next time!

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Today's guest is someone you might have heard of if you're a) Francophile, and/or b) a comedy enthusiast. Paul Taylor is a British stand-up comedian who lives in Paris with his French wife and daughter, and performs both in English and French. 

We talk about his career transition from Apple employee to full-time comedian, how to do comedy in two languages, the peculiarity of accents and in particular British vs. American English,  and our theories on why some people have stronger accents than others.

Paul gives us a glimpse into the life of a stand-up comedian, different stand-up cultures in different countries, and how comedy has been greatly helped by the advancement of Netflix. Since both of us are language nerds and subtitle enthusiasts, our conversation dives deep into that part of linguistics. We also talk about the challenges of bringing up kids with multiple languages and cultures, and how we can keep a connection to a country we don't live in.

Paul's first hour-long stand-up routine, Franglais, is available on YouTube, while his second show, So British ou Presque, was interrupted by the pandemic, and is starting up again now - so if you're in France later this year, you're in luck! Tickets are available on his website. 
Paul also vlogs regularly, and he does a live show where viewers/listeners call in to contribute, Happy Hour Live.
All his materials can be found here.

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My guest today is my namesake Steffi, originally from the UK, who's lived in Southern Germany for a couple of years now. She calls herself an unexpected expat, and had never anticipated a move, or having to learn another language.

Of course we discuss the many aspects of learning German,  how she slowly overcame her fear of talking to native speakers, and how ultimately the whole expat experience has given her more confidence and helped her to be less risk averse. We do go off on a tangent exploring a possible connection between the Scots and the Bavarians, and the merits of British vs. US baked beans.

Other topics include the joys of driving on the Autobahn at 200km/h, why people perceive the Brits as more polite when they're actually much ruder than the Germans (yes I know this will cause some controversy), and the phenomenon of not appreciating a place's beauty when you live there, but definitely miss it when you've left.

Make sure you check out Steffi's blog, Adventures of Steffi, and find her on Instagram or Facebook as @theadventuresofsteffi.

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Today's guest is Brigitta, a Hungarian with some Canadian roots, who's married to an American. And not just any American, but a member of the US Army.

We talk about what it's like to deal with the many moves and ups and downs of army life, how to make and maintain friendships when your life is so transient, and how to cope with the sacrifices you need to make sometimes.

I was really impressed by Brigitta's warm personality, positive attitude and obvious love for her husband and the life they've created.

If you're an Army spouse in need of some encouragement or just a chat – get in touch with Brigitta! She's happy to connect, and can be found on Facebook where she runs her own business as a Virtual Assistant.

And as threatened in my intro, here's the Ko-Fi link in case you want to "buy me a coffee"! 

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My guest today is Corinna, a fellow German in the US. Corinna currently lives in Cape Cod with her American husband and two children, although they hadn't planned to live there, and might still up sticks and relocate.

Corinna's story resonated with me on so many levels - being married to someone not from your home country, trying to make it work in one country, but missing another, relocating and doubting your decisions... but you just keep going. And Corinna and Ben's love story is a truly mesmerizing one!

Corinna also has some great tips for traveling with children, and how to stay sane and survive as a couple when you experience so many different situations together.

As you will hear in this interview, this woman is a fighter - I mean, who founds two businesses while traveling with kids, no long-term plan and no home to return to?!

I'm so excited to share this love story with you. If you want to find out more about Corinna and her travels, go to her Instagram.
And of course, check out Corinna's businesses:
Ryde and Roam, children's vintage wear
The Caep, phone accessories

If you're a German expat or someone who speaks German, here's another podcast for you, Muttersprache-Podcast, hosted by Monique Menesi. Check it out!

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My guest today is Marie,  a fellow European bringing up kids in the United States.
Born in France, Marie lives in Michigan with her American husband and two children. 

We talk about what it's like to try and maintain your mother tongue as the minority language in your household and country, and how to create the need to use "your" language, while accepting that your kids are growing up in another country and culture.
She even founded her own French school with other expats in order to support her kids' learning.

Other topics - of course - are the weird and wonderful differences in French and American culinary cultures, the difference between peaches and coconuts, and how we can create beauty by mixing cultures. 

If you want to find out more about Marie, check out her blog, French Bias, where she talks about bringing up multilingual kids, expat life in the US from a French perspective, and lots and lots of information about food and food culture, as well as language learning resources. 

And if you feel the urge, feel free to buy me a coffee!