The Bittersweet Life

Latest Episodes:

Episode 281: LANGUAGE Oct 07, 2019

Show notes

Fifteen years of living your life in a foreign language can change the way you think in your own native tongue, or at least that's the case for Tiffany.

This week, we chat about the unexpected side effects of speaking your second (or third) language more than you speak your first, and how it can be especially hazardous if you're a writer.

Also, we talk about how couples from different countries will naturally settle into only one language to speak together, to the point that it feels downright wrong to speak in the other one. And how all that flies out the window when a baby is thrown into the mix.

Don't miss this week's new episode about one of our favorite topics: language!

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

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.

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!

Bittersweet Moment #27: BUDGET Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

Longing to visit Rome but don't want to dip into your life savings?

On this week's mini-episode, Tiffany shares her tips for visiting Rome on a budget. Everything from eating, drinking, sleeping, and sightseeing. You never knew Rome could be this cheap.

A few links for places mentioned on the episode:

Alice pizza by the slice

I Nasoni di Roma water fountain app

BiciBaci Bike Rental

Collalti Bike Rental

The Beehive Hostel

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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.

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

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.

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 280: NO, Part 2 (with Sheri Salata and Nancy Hala) Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Oprah Winfrey's former executive producer Sheri Salata and her cohost Nancy Hala from The Sheri + Nancy Show podcast, join us again this week to continue their fascinating conversation!

On this episode, Sheri delves into the title of her new book, The Beautiful No. She explains how a devastating professional rejection at a time in which she was in a difficult period in her career became for her "the beautiful no," that is, the best thing that could have happened to her. That rejection eventually led her to become the executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show, a job that quite literally changed her life.

Sheri and Nancy also talk about what they call "fresh joy," that is, the deliberately stirring up of happy feelings, which often involves newness—something that can require a lot of effort for people in middle-life.

Make sure to listen to Part 1 of this interview first!

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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.

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

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.

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!

Bittersweet Moment #26: READING Sep 26, 2019

Show notes

"Are we brave enough to want our heart's desires?"

One of the best parts about hosting this podcast is getting to meet amazing authors and talk about their books with them. A bonus is when the author agrees to read you your favorite excerpt from their book.

On this mini-episode, our most recent author guest, Sheri Salata, reads one of the quotes that Katy appreciated and promptly highlighted during her reading of Salata's The Beautiful No.

Be sure to listen to the previous Episode 279: NO if you haven't already, and don't miss the continuation of that conversation, coming next week!

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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.

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

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.

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 279: NO, Part 1 (with Sheri Salata and Nancy Hala) Sep 22, 2019

Show notes

The executive producer of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Sheri Salata and her cohost Nancy Hala on the popular podcast, The Sheri and Nancy Show join us on this very special episode! Sheri is the author of the new book, The Beautiful No, And Other Tales of Trail, Transcendence, and Transformation.

They discuss the inevitable question that arrives somewhere in your 50s: what's next? In the midst of a major career, an enriching family life, or other successes, how to you find inspiration for your next steps, and more importantly, how to make a total commitment to yourself to make that happen?

Part of that is admitting that you don't need to settle for success in only one or two areas of your life: you can have the whole package—if you want it. And often it's the tiny changes that make a world of difference.

They also propose trashing the now-prevalent work-life balance ideal, as all it seems to do is instill shame and failure in so many women. Lastly, they urge people to curate their own life experiences, instead of simply letting life happen.

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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.

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

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.

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!

Bittersweet Moment #25: UNFORGETTABLE Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

On this week's Bittersweet Moment, Katy takes to the streets of Seattle to ask passersby if they've ever had a brief encounter with someone and never forgotten that person. Why was that? Why do some people stay with you even if they are not physically there? What makes some people stand out in your memory, despite the brevity of their time in your life?

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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.

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

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.

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 278: LISTENER Sep 16, 2019

Show notes

Today Katy recounts her relationship with a long-time listener, someone she never met but communicated with often, and how finding out about his death brought up unexpected emotions.

Digging back through his emails, she finds an invitation to cherish memories without bemoaning the passage of time—perhaps the exact message that her nostalgic soul needed to hear.

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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.

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

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.

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!

Bittersweet Moment #24: ILLUSION Sep 12, 2019

Show notes

In this week's mini-episode, Tiffany takes you on a virtual tour of one of the most fascinating and little-known sites in Rome, which also happens to be one of the greatest optical illusions in the world.

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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.

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

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.

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 277: TRANSITION Sep 08, 2019

Show notes

SEASON 7 is opening with an announcement from Katy. Another move is in store for her! In fact, part of this episode captures some of the highlights of her journey to her new home. Where will it be, you wonder? I guess you'll just have to listen to find out.

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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.

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

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.

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 276: FAREWELL Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

Every year on Labor Day, we take the day off to enjoy the fruits of our labors, and post one of our favorite episodes from the archives.

Today we take you back in time to the summer of 2014, on Katy's very last morning as an expat living in Rome. She and Tiffany spend 20 minutes in walking the streets of Trastevere at dawn before Katy has to hop on a bus and make her way to the airport, where a plane is waiting to take her back to the US.

We hope you enjoy one of our most emotional episodes ever, and if you haven't listened to that first Roman season yet, consider going back to Episode 1 to follow our journey from the very beginning.

Happy Labor Day!

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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.

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

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.

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!

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