Mindful Expat, With Dana Nelson, Ph.d.

Today's Mindful Expat Guest is Amel Derragui! Amel is the host of the amazing Tandem Nomads podcast, which is a wonderful resource for expat partners. An adult third culture kid (TCK) and expat partner herself, she has a wonderful, inspiring perspective on the unique challenges and opportunities faced by global nomads. Amel has built a portable career for herself as a freelance marketing and communications consultant, and she now helps other global nomad entrepreneurs develop businesses that feels satisfying and meaningful to them and that work for them in their lives abroad. What you’ll hear in today’s episode: • About Amel's own journey as a third culture kid (TCK), expat partner, and global nomad entrepreneur. • Some of the common challenges faced by expat partners -- especially around issues of personal and professional identity. • Amel's philosophy of turning the challenges into great opportunities! (And some tips for how to make this mental shift.) • The importance of routines and building structure int

What you'll hear in this episode: • A definition of "culture shock" and some of the ways it can manifest differently for different people. • Some theoretical models of cultural adjustment, including various phases of adjustment that people may experience as they adapt to a new culture (and some of the limitations of these models). • Some of the challenges (and opportunities) for couples and families as they move through various phases of the cultural adjustment process together. • The importance of being patient with yourself as you adapt to a new culture and recognize that it's a work in progress and whatever you're feeling in one phase is temporary.  • Some of the particular challenges for couples and families as they're adjusting to a new culture.  Resources mentioned in this episode: • I mentioned a series of blog posts that I've written on this same subject. You can find the post discussing the models of cultural adjustment with the visuals I mention here. For the entire series of posts on culture shock

Today's Mindful Expat Guest is Jodi Harris! Jodi is a life coach who specializes in working with expats and others living abroad, helping them work through life changes, define their priorities and goals, and build a satisfying and meaningful life for themselves! Originally from the United States, Jodi has lived in Northern Ireland, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Madagascar, and she now lives in Tokyo, Japan (for the 2nd time), with her husband and 3 children. (See below for more information about Jodi's work and how to follow up with her.) What you'll hear in today's episode: • Jodi's approach to helping her expat clients begin to integrate "everyday mindfulness" into their lives. • The importance of making room for all emotions (not labeling emotions as "bad" or "good"). • Jodi's approach to helping expat parents integrate mindfulness into their own lives and model mindful awareness -- and acceptance -- of their emotions to their children. • Jodi's approach to helping expats develop a sense of "home" within

In this episode, we discuss what mindfulness is and why I believe it can be especially helpful for expats and others living abroad. I'll also give you some practical suggestions to get you started with practicing mindfulness in your daily life.  What you'll hear in today's episode: • What is mindfulness? (We'll discuss the different components of the definition and what each of these components really means.) • Some reasons why mindfulness may be especially helpful for expats and others living abroad. • Some basic tips for beginning to practice mindfulness and a suggestion for a mindfulness exercise for you to practice in your daily life. Resources mentioned in today’s episode: • General information about Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. • Some more information about how do define mindfulness, provided by Jon Kabat-Zinn. • More information about how mindfulness can be helpful, including links to relevant researc

Today we’ll be talking about the language we use to describe ourselves in our experiences of living abroad. Do you use the word “expat” to describe yourself? Or do you prefer the word “immigrant”? What about “global nomad”? Something else altogether? In this episode, I share with you some of my thoughts about these different terms and how I’ve come to understand some of the connotations associated with them. I also discuss my hope to make the podcast relevant for all people living abroad, regardless of what words they prefer to use to describe themselves. What you’ll hear in today’s episode: Some common terms people use to describe their experiences of living abroad. Some of the nuances and connotations (intended or not) to these words. How I decided to name the podcast “Mindful Expat.” How I hope to make the podcast relevant for all people living abroad, whether or not they identify with the word “expat.” Show notes for today’s episode can be found at www.mindfulexpat.com/episode2.

Welcome to the Mindful Expat Podcast – a podcast designed for those living abroad to provide you with weekly guideposts for emotional wellbeing and resilience in your international life and to help you make the most of your inner and outer journeys! Today’s episode will be different from future episodes. Here I share with you a bit of information about my background, my goals for the podcast, and what you can expect from future episodes. So welcome! I’m excited to be starting this journey together! What you’ll hear in this episode: About me, my background, and my own expat journey My goals in starting this podcast Some information about the structure of the podcast and what you can expect from future episodes Please consider subscribing to the podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcasting app and leaving a rating and review in iTunes. To stay up to date on all future episodes and announcements, sign up for the Mindful Expat newsletter at www.mindfulexpat.com. For show notes from today’s epis