The Bittersweet Life

Latest Episodes:

Episode 513: One Last Gift Jan 01, 2024

Show notes

Happy New Year from your friends at the Bittersweet Life podcast! We wish you and your loved ones a 2024 full of adventure, personal growth, and excitment!

As a final gift from us, we are extending our $500 discount for our October 2024 Rome listener trip to Epiphany (6 January 2024). So if you're considering joining us on an unforgettable week in Rome next fall, take advantage of this offer before it's too late! It's the perfect gift to give yourself (and your favorite travel partner!).

We are looking forward to bringing you another wonderful year of thought-provoking, insightful, and entertaining podcast episodes! We are so glad you are part of this journey. If you are considering what independent art to support in the new year, please consider joining us on Patreon. For as little as 5$ a month, you will get exclusive access, two bonus episodes a month, live virtual Zoom meet-ups, and our sincerest gratitude. We literally could not produce this virtually ad-free podcast (as we have for the past 10+ years) without the generous support of our listeners, and we thank you in advance! (You can also make a one-time or recurring dontation via PayPal.)

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 512: Operator (A Radio play by Matthew P. Woerner) Dec 25, 2023

Show notes

As a special holiday treat, today we are airing a new original radio play by friend of the show, Matthew P. Woerner.

In the tradition of the golden age of radio, Operator is inspired by H. G. Well's historic War of the Worlds, from the point of view of a newly minted telephone operator as she fields calls from panicked citizens, calling in for information about the "alien invasion."

Once the hustle and bustle of the holiday is past, or during a break in the action, find a quiet, cozy place, grab your favorite hot drink, and curl up with this eerie original radio play by Matthew P. Woerner.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 511: Is the Place You Love as Good as You Think? Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

We've all had it happen: you gushingly recommend your favorite cafe or restaurant or bar to a friend, only to have them go and report back something tepid like, "It was ok."

How is it possible that my friend thinks my all-time favorite place is... just ok??

Which caused us to wonder: are our favorite places really that great in and of themselves, or is it our particular experience there (which can depend on so many outside factors) that made it so great for us?

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 510: The Ghosts of Us Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever wondered who you would be if you had made different life choices?

Even making just one big decision differently, say, not moving abroad instead of moving abroad. Or not leaving that stable job.

Where would you be in the world? What would you be doing? And most intriguingly, how would your personality and character be different?

Tiffany's most recent read, a ghost story by Henry James from this gorgeous edition, inspired this week's talk. Like Henry James' character Spencer Brydon, we go in search of the ghosts of our alternative selves.

***Have an idea you'd like us to tackle? Email us here and we may just discuss it on the show.***

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 509: Expats in Switzerland (with Lindy & Vince) Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

On our amazing listener trip to Rome this past October, we interviewed two of our guests, expats Vince and Lindy.

These two native midwesterners talk about their backgrounds—traveling or not traveling as a child (depending on which member of the couple is talking), and how that has contributed to their life choices—and the challenges of being a twin (and being married to a twin).

They recount how they intentionally embarked on their life abroad, which has brought them to as far-flung places as Singapore and Switzerland. They talk about the things they love about those two countries, and what makes them unique, from the soundscape to the bureaucracy. They also describe what it's like to move to a country that you have never stepped foot in.

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 508: Discovering Rome's Secrets with our Listeners Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

On this episode, we bring you along with us on the final tour of our amazing Rome Adventure last month! During breaks between the sites of this super-secret Rome walk, Katy pulls out her microphone and interviews a few of our guests. She asks them about their impressions of Rome, the city's soundscape, the art that inspires them, the subjects that they now plan to explore further, as well as their take-aways from the trip we planned for them. One of our guests has even decided to change way she travels!

Katy also captures a few snippets of Tiffany's tour of some extremely off-the-beaten-track spots, including the moment when we get completely unexpected access to a church that has been closed for decades—a church that has a crypt full of human bones. Katy has been dying to see it for years (no pun intended) and finally gets to.

Don't forget, we are offering another listener trip to Rome in October of 2024! Email us at bittersweetlifepodcast@gmail.com for all the information and find out how you can spend a week in Rome with Katy and Tiffany as your guides.

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 507: Seeing (and not Seeing) Rome for the First Time Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

On the final morning of our amazing first-ever Bittersweet Life listener trip to Rome, we took a bit of time to tape an episode to capture what we were feeling and how the trip was going.

What's it like to see Rome for the first time? And as a tour guide in Rome who has seen the sites hundreds if not thousands of times, is it possible to remember what it was like to see it all for the first time? Do you wish you could go back and see it for the first time again?

We muse on these ideas and more on this episode. Also: Tiffany complains about one of the most annoying things that can happen during a tour. Listen to the end to find out what it is.

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 506: [Live Show in Rome]: Discovery (with our listeners!) Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

Join us for a live episode with our listeners, the participants of the first-ever Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure! On Day Three of this amazing and magical trip, we stopped for an aperitivo in a sunny garden to tape this special show. Our topic: discovery. What are some of the greatest discoveries you've ever made, big or small? And what have you discovered about yourself? Our listeners weigh in live on the conversation with their own experiences.

Don't miss it!

And if you want to join us on our next Roman adventure in the fall of 2024, drop us an email!

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 505: The Roman Adventure Begins! Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

In October we hosted the very first ever Bittersweet Life Rome Adventure with ten of our listeners! It was a blast, and we can't wait to share more about it over the coming episodes. But first!

We taped this episode the evening before the trip kicked off, just a few hours before we met our guests on the rooftop terrace of Hotel Donna Camilla Savelli in Trastevere. We were nervous, excited, and—if we're being honest—pretty proud of ourselves for stepping out of our comfort zones and making this unforgettable experience a reality.

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 504: The Three Deaths Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

The opening lines of David M. Eagleman's Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives inspires this week's episode, just in time for Halloween.

Eagleman's premise is that you aren't fully dead until your name is spoken for the last time. And although the thought of your name never being spoken again, never again being remembered by the living, is horrific, is it perhaps even more terrifying to imagine that your soul will not be able to rest until you cease to be spoken of?

What about famous dead people whose names will be evoked for centuries to come? Do they ever get tired of people ceaselessly talking about them? What about people who are mistakenly remembered for things they didn't do (good or evil)?

Join us for this morbid discussion. And have a happy Halloween!

-------------------------------------

ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected