Mother Abroad

When you live abroad, time with family often feels especially precious. But does that mean we need to make every visit special?

After spending a week at the beach with my parents and son, I started reflecting on the pressure we sometimes put on ourselves to make the most of limited family time.

In this episode, I share that experience and connect it with ideas from Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. We explore productivity, the expectations we carry as mothers abroad, and why having a full calendar doesn't necessarily mean having a meaningful life.

I also talk about finding space for both personal wellbeing and professional ambition.

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Let's stay connected! 🤍

📱 Instagram: @_motherabroad — Personal reflections on motherhood, identity and building a life abroad.

🌍 Website: www.ninasalig.com — Learn more about me and my coaching.

💬 Free Coaching Discovery Call: Are you a mother abroad navigating changes in your life, career or identity? I offer a free, no-obligation discovery call to get to know each other, explore what's on your mind and see whether coaching could be a good fit for you.

You can book your discovery call through my website: https://www.ninasalig.com

Thank you for listening to Mother Abroad with Nina!

September can feel like a fresh start - but also like suddenly everything needs your attention at once.

In this first episode after my summer break, I take you with me on a walk through Retiro Park and share what this new season looks like for me: my almost three-year-old starting a new school, getting back into work and restarting routines that make me feel good.

This episode is for you if you want to enter autumn with a little more intention instead of simply rushing back into everyday life.

In this episode:

• why a new chapter for your child can also be a new chapter for you
• the one healthy habit I restarted immediately after summer
• how to decide what deserves your attention now - and what can wait
• three coaching questions to reflect on how you want to enter this autumn

What is your intention for this autumn? I’d love to hear from you on Instagram @_motherabroad.

This summer, our family made a different decision: instead of travelling back to Germany, we're staying in Spain.

In this episode, I reflect on what summer looks like when you live abroad with children. I talk about the pressure of travelling home for several weeks, balancing time with extended family, disrupted routines, feelings of guilt, cultural surprises and the challenge of belonging to two places at once.

I also share why we chose a slower summer this year and what this decision has taught me about protecting our own family rhythm.

For many years, my Spanish was "good enough." I could manage everyday life, communicate when needed and get by.

But becoming a mother completely changed how I saw the importance of learning the local language.

In this episode, I share my personal journey of living in Spain for eight years, why my Spanish stopped improving for a long time, and how motherhood made me realise that language is about much more than communication.

I talk about:

• why living in an international bubble delayed my language learning
• how becoming a mother changed my priorities
• the moments that made me realise I wanted to participate more fully in everyday life
• my experience of finally committing to improving my Spanish during my sabbatical
• and why I now see language as a way to build connection, confidence and belonging.

If you're raising children abroad or building a life in another country, I hope this episode encourages you to reflect on your own relationship with the local language and what "feeling at home" means to you.

Follow me on Instagram for more reflective content: @_motherabroad and message me if you would like to share your story as a mother abroad in a podcast episode.

Coming soon: guest interviews!!

Have you ever realised that adapting to a new country isn't just about learning a language or celebrating different traditions?

Sometimes it shows up in the smallest parenting decisions.

In this episode, I share a personal story from a summer evening in Madrid that made me reflect on what it really means to raise a child between two cultures.

We talk about:

• Why bedtime suddenly became a cultural question
• The invisible ways motherhood abroad changes us
• The feeling of "mom guilt" when different parenting norms collide
• How everyday routines reflect our own cultural identity
• Creating your own family culture instead of choosing between two worlds

If you're raising children abroad, I hope this episode reminds you that you're not alone in navigating these quiet, everyday questions.

💛 I'd love to hear from you:
What's one part of your own culture you've held onto—and what's one part that has quietly changed since becoming a parent abroad?

📱 Let's continue the conversation on Instagram:
@_motherabroad

🎧 If you enjoy the podcast, don't forget to follow Mother Abroad so you never miss a new episode.

#MotherAbroad #MotherhoodAbroad #ExpatMom #ExpatLife #ParentingAbroad #InternationalFamilies #CrossCulturalParenting #WorkingMoms #LifeAbroad #CulturalAdaptation

This spring, I visited six schools in three weeks.

What started as a search for the right kindergarten for my son quickly turned into a much bigger lesson about motherhood abroad.

In this episode, I share my experience of navigating the school application process in Madrid and reflect on something many mothers abroad know well: the invisible work of learning systems you didn't grow up with.

We talk about:

• the hidden mental load of raising a child abroad
• navigating unfamiliar school systems
• language and cultural barriers
• the pressure of making important decisions for your child
• finding support from other parents
• and why everyday tasks can sometimes feel more complicated when you're living in another country

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by paperwork, deadlines or trying to understand "how things work" in your new home country, this episode is for you.

I'd love to hear from you:
What has been the most challenging system for you to navigate as a mother abroad?

Follow me on Instagram @_motherabroad for more content and ways to exchange.

#MotherAbroad #MotherhoodAbroad #ExpatMom #LivingAbroad #ParentingAbroad #MentalLoad #InternationalFamily #RaisingKidsAbroad

Living abroad can be an intentional and beautiful choice - and still feel lonely and emotionally challenging at times.

In this episode, I talk openly about the less visible side of motherhood abroad.

I share thoughts about:

• navigating motherhood without family nearby

• adapting to a different language, culture and systems
• loneliness abroad
• why even wanted change can feel emotionally exhausting sometimes
• and how much modern technology helps me stay emotionally connected to friends

This episode is for every mother abroad who sometimes wonders:
“Why can this still feel hard, even though I chose this life intentionally?”

#MotherAbroad#MotherhoodAbroad#ExpatMom#MothersAbroad#LifeAbroad#InternationalMotherhood

In this short introduction episode, I share a little bit about myself, my life in Madrid as a German mother abroad, and why I decided to start this podcast.

In this very first episode of Mother Abroad with Nina, I reflect on a small moment during a local celebration in Madrid that made me realise something much deeper about motherhood abroad, identity, and belonging.

I talk about raising a child between cultures, living in an international bubble before becoming a mother, and how cultural adaptation can happen quietly through everyday moments — nursery traditions, language, local rhythms, and watching your child feel at home somewhere before you fully do yourself.

A calm and honest conversation about motherhood abroad, cultural identity, and building emotional roots far away from home ❤️