The Thriving Abroad Podcast

The Thriving Abroad Together podcast series has focused on how best to support ourselves, our partners, families and colleagues through challenging times, with particular focus on the challenges associated with the current Covid-19 pandemic.

The theme of uncertainty is one that has arisen in many of the podcast conversations and is one that will sound familiar to many who live an internationally mobile expat lifestyle.

One lesson I feel I have taken away from my expat experience is my ability to deal with adversity. That is not to say I am invincible and always get it right, not at all. What I mean is that I have learned that I will come through challenging times. That deep within me is the resilience to push through the tough, even horrible times and trust it will all settle, once again.

What I have also learned is that my levels of resilience ebb and flow. Sometimes I feel really capable when faced with adversity, at other times I feel lacking. And those two feelings are not always linked to the scale of the crisis or challenge in front of me.

This seems to fit with what Resilience Theory suggests. It is not the nature of the adversity that is most important, but how we deal with it. And in that phrase lies the challenge – how we deal with it.

Many of the previous podcasts have made suggestions for coping with the adversity that has resulted from the current pandemic. Strategies that help to build our resilience.

In this conversation, I speak to Linda Janssen, author of The Emotionally Resilient Expat. We dig deep into the subject of resilience and Linda helps us to understand:

* What emotional resilience is.* What emotional resilience is not.* Linda’s framework for Resilient Global Transitions.* Where we can start to enhance our awareness of our own resilience.* The importance of social and emotional intelligence.* The personal chemist we all have within us that we can use to boost our ‘feel good’ chemicals.

Helpful Links and Suggestions:

SHOW NOTES: Linda has kindly produced some excellent show notes that can be downloaded from HERE including an assessment to help you develop your personal awareness – the first step to enhancing your emotional resilience.

PODCAST NEWSLETTER: If you are just joining the podcast series for this episode. You can access the playbooks associated with all the past episodes by registering HERE. I will also send you the twice monthly podcast newsletter updating you with the latest podcast news.

About Linda Janssen

As a Resilience, Cross-Cultural and Transformative Leadership coach, trainer and speaker, Linda A. Janssen helps people deal with complexity, challenge and change.

Linda is on a mission to help the globally mobile enhance their resilience to lead healthier, more positive, emotionally engaged, culturally connected lives – wherever they may be.

Linda is the author of

We’ve all seen the tweets from frazzled parents as they attempt to home school, entertain the kids and work – all at the same time. Here are a few from the Huffington Post in early April, and I suspect things have not much improved.

* ‘We’re done with home schooling, we do anger management now.’* ‘If there is one thing that scares me more than an apocalyptic end of the world, it’s the possibility that if my kids fail at home schooling they’ll have to retake.’

With the current multiple distractions it is not surprising that parents are reporting they’re finding it difficult to get into flow with their work related tasks.

The same for children and teens, so easy to be distracted…

I find it’s the same when I am planning to do some physical exercise. I am the world’s best procrastinator and a whole day of ‘intention’ can pass by before I finally get myself into gear and get going – and you know, the strangest thing is that once I’ve completed the warm up I’m usually hooked, and thoroughly enjoy the exercise.

The warm up makes the difference.

And it can be the same for our brains. Get in a good warm up and it can serve to calm frazzled nerves and focus our attention on the tasks at hand.

The same is true for our children and teens.

In this episode I speak to Florence Chabert d’Hieres about an approach called the Brain Gym. The Brain Gym is based on educational kinesiology and provides a series of 26 fun and easy activities to unlock better concentration, memory, communication and listening skills.

It is an approach Florence uses with the expat families she supports to help them manage the transition experience, and also with her own family. In fact, she says it has revolutionised how she parents her three young daughters – listen to our conversation to find out why:

* The origin of the Brain Gym.* The benefits of using the activities.* The exercises Florence uses herself with her children to create a calming home environment.* Watch a short demonstration video of the PACE sequence and Figure 8 exercise.

Helpful Links and Suggestions

Register to Receive the Podcast Newsletter and links to the Show Notes from past episodes HERE

Download todays Show Notes HERE

Access the Thriving Abroad Together Complete Podcast Series HERE

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Watch a demonstration of the PACE sequence

About Florence Chabert d’Hieres

If we are all learning one thing through this current pandemic, connection and collaboration is at the heart of much of the amazing support and community spirit that is popping up around the world.

But this is something that probably doesn’t surprise those of us who are, or have been, internationally mobile, collaboration is often at the heart of our most positive experiences.

From the fundamental and practical support provided by international communities  welcoming new arrivals, to the ongoing evolution of social groups designed to support over the longer term.

Collaboration is about recognising the value of collective participation and sees the best outcomes when genuine connection encourages every voice to be heard because people feel safe to share and contribute.

Collaboration takes the sharing of different perspectives, expertise and experiences, all channelled around a shared common purpose, and leads to positive outcomes and innovation.

 ‘Working with people who have different perspectives or areas of expertise can result in better ideas and outcomes.’ Kellogg Insight, 2017

In this podcast, I speak to the three founders of Generation Mobility. A new online platform designed to help global employees and their families transition smoothly into a new culture, country or situation.

They bring a shared purpose in terms of their desire to support the internationally mobile. While they each came to international relocation and Norway for very different reasons, it was the recognition of their shared challenges and experiences that led them create Generation Mobility.

Their stories are rich and multi-layered and it is heart-warming to hear how they came to be working together on this ambitious project.

The strength of their project is that while it is built from their collaboration, it will evolve and grow based on the growing collaboration of all the participants.

Listen as Alicia Partee, Kathra Saba and Dr Wallaa Abuelmagd:

* Share their amazing stories and how they came to be collaborating to create Generation Mobility.* Discuss the key challenges they hope Generation Mobility will overcome.* Describe the holistic approach to the support they aim to provide.

Helpful Links and Suggestions

Register to Receive the Podcast Newsletter and links to the Show Notes from past episodes HERE

Download todays Show Notes HERE

Access the Thriving Abroad Together Complete Podcast Series HERE

Don’t forget you can subscribe to this podcast series on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify

Leaders around the world are being challenged to help teams find new ways of working effectively while social distancing as a way of keeping us all safe and well.

But is social distancing, the correct terminology and is it what we are really wanting to achieve? To prevent contagion, we need to be physically distanced, but to prevent the resulting isolation and loneliness that could result from this approach we need more than ever before to focus on creating meaningful and heartfelt social connection.

As the team at Michelle McQuaid and The Change Lab say

Words create worlds’ and perhaps these words were not quite what was truly meant.

As a result The Change Lab have initiated a campaign to help us all find playful ways to create a new template and approach to ‘physical distancing + social connection’ as the best way to care for our wellbeing. #Physicallydistanced #sociallyconnected

Leaders around the world have a role to play in creating social connection with and between employees. The future of business is likely to depend on the depth and authenticity of the connection created in these times.

But for global leaders there will be a million and one pressures that they are having to cope with both personally and professionally.

How can they carve out the time and space to create genuine connection with team members who may be scattered all over the globe, working in different time zones and to different schedules – and still pay attention to the projects and work that needs to be done to generate the results that businesses so desperately need right now?

It is challenging. But building this sense of psychological safety is so important as Bruce Daisley, author of Eat Sleep Work Repeat explained in a recent podcast with Michelle McQuaid from The Change Lab:

“Letting people know that it’s okay for them to not feel okay right now, may be one of the best ways to preserve your team’s buzz, psychological safety and motivation. Being comfortable enough within your team to say that you feel down or depressed may help you emerge and return from the trauma in a better position. And when you give your team the opportunity to experience the situation without fear or shame, you can give the benefit of positively learning from what you’ve gone through.”

In this conversation, I speak to Gertraud Eregger a Global HR professional and Executive Coach, about the approach and strategies she shares with global women  leaders that she coaches to help them align their business priorities with those that nurture connections, relationships and wellbeing.

Listen as Gertraud shares valuable tips for:

* Protecting and therefore sustaining our energy levels so that we can bring our best selves to challenges both at work and at home.* Consciously managing relationships that matter in our personal and professional ecosystems.* Strategies for recognising achievements and managing future outcomes.

Helpful Links and Suggestions:

Register to Receive the Podcast Newsletter and links to the Show Notes from past episodes HERE

Download todays Show Notes 

How is your exercise and nutrition plan going in lock down?

I know, it can be tough to keep on track when we are feeling the impact of the current crisis. I’m a bit of a comfort eater and working from home means I have to exercise some serious control over the biscuit tin! But at least I am able to get out and about for some daily exercise to counteract the damage done – hopefully!

I know though that this is not true for everyone, and I understand how restrictive rules on movement and enhanced stress and anxiety associated with the current crisis can mean healthy eating and fitness routines fall by the wayside.

In the past week, we have seen on the news the joy with which people in Spain ventured out to exercise after having had to shelter in place for many weeks.

Exercise, fresh air and movement have a really positive impact on our bodies and minds, and there are some extremely powerful reasons for this.

Kelly McGonigal in her book The Joy of Movement talks about how our whole physiology is engineered to reward us for moving. When we move in a continuous way: walking, running, lifting weights or swimming, our muscles release chemicals that reduce inflammation throughout our bodies and lower the risk of contracting diseases.

These chemicals also have a big impact on the brain. Increasing neuroplasticity, boosting our moods and improving our brains capacity to deal with stress and difficult emotions. Scientists have called the hormones that muscles secrete into our bloodstream that make our brains more resilient to stress and depression, ‘hope molecules’ – I guess we could all use some of those right now.

Good nutrition also impacts our immunity, which is super important right now for obvious reasons.

In this conversation, I speak to Ryan Thomas from Equilibrium Studios in the UK. We talk about how to manage our approach to nutrition and fitness in challenging times.

Given the huge number of diet and fitness regimes currently available, over-hauling our fitness and nutrition habits can seem complex, and in challenging times like these, simply one task too many.

Ryan breaks the task down and gives us straight forward , non-gimmicky ways to create new and beneficial habits that will enhance our health and wellbeing.

We talk about:

* Why people break good habits in challenging times.* How to build new habits.* The three simple first steps to better nutrition.* The benefits of physical exercise.* What a balanced exercise plan might look like.

Helpful Links and Suggestions:

Register to Receive the Podcast Newsletter and links to the Show Notes from past episodes HERE

Download todays Show Notes HERE

Access the Thriving Abroad Together Complete Podcast Series HERE

Don’t forget you can subscribe to this podcast series on

In the UK, the government is beginning to talk about the ‘next steps’ as ‘r’ falls below 1 and we begin, thankfully, to see a reduction in the death rate from Covid -19 infections.

There is talk of a five step plan for getting us ‘back to normality’.

In the expat world in relation to ‘going home or repatriation’ – it is often said that we can never fully ‘go back’.

This week, I listened to a webinar with Whitney Johnson, author of Disrupt Yourself: Master Relentless Change and Speed Up Your Learning. She talked about how often, in order to move forward to create something new, we have to first take a backward step. We go back to learn something new, or put ourselves in a better position to then move forward in the new direction we wish to take.

Many people have been talking about the potential lessons this ‘pause’ in normality has provided.

I believe it truly would be a shame to lose those insights.

Perhaps when faced with adversity, the reset is not from where we are, but from taking a step or two back to reflect and learn from the experience and look for the new opportunities.

We can then step forward into new opportunities that change our forward trajectory forever.

This fits well with the insights that Doreen Cumberford shares in this conversation. Doreen has lived much of her adult life abroad, living in the Middle East for a large portion of time. After her husband’s retirement, they decided to become house and pet sitters or ‘jetsitters’ as Doreen likes to refer to their current international lifestyle.

Currently, Doreen and her husband are in Mexico after a house sit arrangement went wrong just as the Covid-19 outbreak began. They decided to remain in place. Doreen says that she is now ‘looking for the gift’ in that decision and situation.

In this conversation Doreen shares lessons in resilience learned from a lifetime of change and transition. Listen as we talk about: 

* Strategies for coping with adversity.* The ingredients for building resilience.* The value in living with the question before jumping into the how.* The best mindset for coping with change and uncertainty.

Register to Receive the Podcast Newsletter and links to the Show Notes from past episodes HERE

Download todays Show Notes HERE

Don’t forget you can find this podcast series on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify

About Doreen Cumberford

Doreen works with returning executives, accompanying spouses and families who have completed overseas assignments. She helps them to recover and debrief from their last overseas experience.

Mindfulness is a practice I have been grappling with for a while now. I say grappling because sometimes it can be difficult in this highly charged and busy life to find time to simply stop and focus on the present moment.

But maybe now is exactly the time to do so.

It is difficult to have much certainty about how things are going to play out in the next few months. As a result, I find it’s easy to let the worry beads start to roll as I think about a whole series of ‘what if’s’.

I’m working hard at directing my brain away from worry… I’m reading, I’m working, I’m watching TV, I’m zooming for social connection, I’m exercising in the hope that when I go to bed I will be so tired I will fall into an immediate deep and restful sleep.

Sometimes it works and other times – not so much, and I find myself tossing and turning with corona related stories and concerns playing through my mind.

And then I find myself reacting, negative thoughts rule, and I can feel my cortisol levels rising as I begin to worry. So, I get up, start the day and distract myself with more activity.

But, that kind of misses the point. Distraction is not the best way to cope with our thoughts and emotions because they only pop straight back up when we least expect them – and so the cycle repeats.

What I need to do is to turn my brain to a more responsive mode as Rick Hanson, author of Resilient: Find Your Inner Strength, calls it.

This means being more mindful and self-aware. Letting go of negative thoughts and letting in more positive experiences and feelings.

This is where developing self-awareness and our mindfulness muscle can be really helpful. In this interview, I speak to Jodi Harris an ICF accredited coach (ACC), trained clinical social worker and mindfulness teacher.

This is not a lesson in meditation, more a conversation about developing our ability to ‘be’ with our thoughts and emotions.

In this interview Jodi talks about:

* How and why she came to develop her interest in mindfulness, it is connected to her expat story.* What mindfulness is and is not.* The benefits of developing a mindfulness practice.* When mindfulness may not be so beneficial.* Jodi provides a short mindfulness experience (minute 35:00).

Download the Show Notes HERE

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About Jodi Harris:

Jodi Harris is an ICF accredited coach (ACC), trained clinical social worker, and mindfulness teacher. She is originally from the United States and has lived in Spain, Northern Ireland, the Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Japan and Belgium (where she is currently based).

Jodi has over 15 years experience working with individuals living outside of their home cultures and offers coaching,