There comes a point where our foreign service journey ends, and we find ourselves leaving this space, this label, this persona for ... who knows what to expect? Finding yourself facing this as your next move? Listen to Sharoya share her wisdom, and Lisa shares some of her concerns and solutions. Join us for the chat.

Right now, government employees are hit hard by the government shutdown. Angi and I talk about what this feels like, wishing for a solution and offering community to anyone feeling especially hard hit. We can hope that this will end soon, and our budget will be approved. Until that finally happens, we are here to listen and support.

Sharoya, Angi and I talk about different aspects of kids leaving the house, having fewer family members around, and what happens when they come back home? Some great suggestions for keeping the peace, making the most out of the new additional space ... and making sure you have beds for everyone when/if they come back home! We all know that our kids are supposed to grow up, go to uni, and then go off on their own. This is our primary goal as parents: help foster independence, innate curi...

Why drive when you can tuk or metro easily? Or use the family driver? FS kids often arrive to university not having a driver's license. What to do?

Shipping our kiddos off to university feels like a bit of a leap of faith, but it is what is supposed to happen, and it will all be fine. There are some stark differences between foreign service kids and those who graduated from stateside high schools amongst uni attendees. It isn't that one kind of high school experience prepares kids for university better or worse, but there are definite differences. Being prepared for these -- and preparing your kid for these -- will help...

Fitness, nutrition and health are all concepts we sometimes understand, sometimes embrace and sometimes are confounded by. Join me for a conversation with 3 foreign service women who are "fit" and also looking for answers. Long talk with 4 FS women about fitness, nutrition, stress relief, menopause, FS life and times zones. Participants: Hillery Midkiff, Lisa Tilstra (of Make Life Less Difficult), Morgan Loosli, Susie Csorsz Brown

If you are a Foreign Service family, and you're about to send your kiddo off to university, you might have some questions about how that travel can happen, and if there are allowances that support that. As a matter of fact, there are! The allowances are not always easy to understand and are open to interpretation by your Finance and Management Officers, so be sure to have that conversation with them so you fully understand their interpretations. Plan ahead, have your kiddo get their ite...

Having the opportunity to take an R&R is phenomenal. Some destinations can be more rewarding and enjoyable than others, though. Here are 4 Women Talking (Morgan Loosli, Hillery Midkiff, Lisa Tilstra, and myself) sharing our top R&Rs destinations and briefly why (top 2 each) and suggestions to help make R&R or extended vacation actually enjoyable and relaxing.

Friends, no one likes packing out from their home. It's stressful, emotionally draining, and just tiresome. Some suggestions to make it maybe a little less awful, some funny (I think) pack-out stories, and hopefully some advice that will be useful to get through the process. And don't forget the best part about packing out: the tape ball war once the boxes are all stacked up and all that is left is empty space and the ends of the tape rolls!

What can we do for employment, to connect to our (new) community, to keep doing things that are meaningful? And yes, absolutely, parenting and contributions to home life are 100% meaningful but sometimes we want things outside the house, too, right? Join me for a conversation with Lelania Van de Berg, one of my favorite sweat session instructors, and we talk about what you can do outside of the "traditional" job options.

Here we are, in our 8th tour, and we still make dumb rookie mistakes. Don't be like us, learn from our experience. A house break-in is not just aggravating because you lose stuff, but more, it wreaks havoc on your peace of mind and sense of security.

Join me for a conversation with my fellow Big Purple Blobbers, Angi, Lisa and Sharoya, talking about our start up stories, joining the FS and our a-ha moments. What's your start-up story?

Join Sharoya and I for a conversation with Megan Norton, a TCK herself, sharing an opportunity she has created for connecting with and sharing your story and your FS experience. “Letters Now Sent” Book Invitation: You are invited to submit a written piece for the book, “Letters Now Sent.” Inspired by Ruth Van Reken's book "Letters Never Sent", "Letters Now Sent" will be a collection of letters from TCKs, parents of TCKs, and system leaders to share personal stories about their experiences w...

Relationships are already complicated, and especially so when we add on elements that are unique to FS like multiple international movies, isolation of nuclear family and Embassy bubble life. How can we keep the relationship with our partner strong? Lisa, Hillery and Morgan talk with me about things they've done and do to keep their marriages strong, even in times of high stress. Book Lisa mentioned: Fight Right, John Gottman https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Right-Successful-C...

Human being as social creatures: we do best when we have a sense of connectedness and contribute to oneness, to unity. We love to contribute time and effort to a common good; a common purpose we can share with our village. Join me for a conversation about creating a village: what is it, why is it important and how can we go about creating a village. For further reading: https://www.healthyexpatparent.com/post/social-wellness-family-sized https://www.healthyexpatparent.com/post/...

I'm excited to share a podcast with you, talking about nutrition, eating well, and different food choices that might be more healthful. I spend some time talking about super food, about not-so-super foods, and giving tips to help make eating healthfully easier to attain. Check out www.heprecipe.com for super recipes that are good for you and your family, tasty, and nutritionally sound too! For further reading: https://www.healthyexpatparent.com/post/them-food-eatin-rules https://www.healthyex...

Talking with Lisa Tilstra, about EFMing and choosing your own adventure, figuring out how to make the transient lifestyle work. We talk a little bit about how it can be frustrating and hard, and how it can negatively impact relationships. Some special skills: flexibility and curiosity. It is not just about jobs and employment. Community, mental wellness, figuring out what we need to feel fulfilled as EFMs ... it's a process. About Lisa: Lisa Tilstra is an EFM, a coach...

Happy New Year! Sharing an episode of 4 Women Talking (Hillery Midkiff, Morgan Loosli, Lisa Tilstra and myself) as we talk about resolutions, change, how our constant state of impermanence impacts the impetus of chasing change, and how we define "success" with achieving a goal. We include mindfulness, and also self-compassion as important keys to success. Join us for a great conversation!

This podcast is a bit longer, but full of important information. Talking with M/Med folks about questions about clearances, mental health and special needs. Also some great suggestions for helping you help yourself get the best care and smooth clearance process. Sites and links mentioned: MED Sharepoint homepage: https://usdos.sharepoint.com/sites/MED/SitePages/Public/Main Med survey www.bit.ly/MEDFeedbackSurvey MED Internet Site: https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-sec...

Sharoya and I discuss Anxious generation by Jonathan Haidt https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/ We talk about social media and our kids, the impact of mobile phone usage on our kids, and how all of this is complicating our kids' mental well being. Resources mentioned: Raising an adult, by Julie Lythcott-Haims https://www.amazon.com/How-to-Raise-an-Adult-audiobook/ Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy https://www.amazon.com/Free-Range-Kids-Lenore-Sk...