The Expat Mom Podcast

Latest Episodes:

How to Help Your Kids Be Kind and Help Others Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

Kindness is powerful in lifting ourselves and others and creating the biology of happiness. But is kindness something we can “teach” our kids? Like anything else, we can’t force our kids to be kind, but we can do things to help children develop empathy and experience themselves the power of kindness. This episode will explore some ways we can help our children develop the skill of kindness. It will also address using our experience abroad to help toward developing children’s kindness.

One this episode you’ll learn:

How to help children recognize other’s feelings
How to help kids notice the power of kindness on others
How to help children experience the joy of kindness
How to use your experience abroad as an opportunity to be kind.

You can download a free calendar with prompts for daily kindness from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

https://assets.randomactsofkindness.org/calendars/neighborhood/2021/2021_RAK_kindness_calendars.pdf

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One-Minute Wisdom
Each week I carefully craft a short perspective shift or tool that you can read in about a minute or two. You can sign up here.
Follow me on Instagram: @theexpatmomcoach

The Science of Kindness and Why It Matters to Your Emotional Health Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

You’ve probably heard people say that being kind makes you feel good. Most of us have experienced this through simple kindnesses like letting someone go in front of us in line or holding the door for someone. But, did you know that there is a biochemical change in your body when you are kind that creates that feeling? This podcast episode explores the science of kindness. We’ll discuss the neurotransmitters that are released when you are kind and the fascinating biochemistry of others involved in the exchange too.
Understanding the science behind kindness can help give credence and more urgency to the the desire to be kind. Knowing the physiology can help us recognize the physiological responses more easily. We recognize that humans are wired for kindness, and we can live up to our true potential.
On this episode you'll learn:

The physiological changes produced by kindness
The neurotransmitters produced when we are kind or receive kindness
Some of the physical health benefits of kindness
Some of the emotional health benefits of kindness
How to recognize these benefits in your life and your family

You can download a free calendar with prompts for daily kindness from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

https://assets.randomactsofkindness.org/calendars/neighborhood/2021/2021_RAK_kindness_calendars.pdf

The Principle of "Lift": How Kindness Gives Us More Than We Give Out Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

We often think of kindness as something that requires effort, time, humility, patience or other exertion. In other words, we often tend to think of kindness as a sacrifice. But is it? As we examine kindness more closely, we find that kindness often pays us more than it costs us. In the podcast we examine the principle of “lift” in geese and how kindness operates much the same among humans. As we lift others, we lift ourselves. Kindness impacts everyone involved—the giver the receiver and even those watching!

On the podcast you’ll learn:

The impact of kindness on the receiver and the giver as found in studies.
What geese can teach us about kindness.
When kindness stops being kind and starts being unkind
And lots more

You can download a free calendar with prompts for daily kindness from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

https://assets.randomactsofkindness.org/calendars/neighborhood/2021/2021_RAK_kindness_calendars.pdf

How to Help Your Teen Trust YOU (Their Parent) Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

Trust with teens is an important topic. Last week we address whether or not we should trust our teens. But trust in any relationship is not just a one-sided experience. Today we’re talking about the flip side of this equation…how to help a teen trust YOU.
Trust matters. Whether or not your teen trusts you is likely the difference in whether or not they will share what’s really going on. And, it makes the difference in how connected we can feel to them.

On the podcast, we discuss what things parents can do to enable teens to trust them more.
Free Mini-Coaching Session
Sign-up for a free 30-min. mini-coaching session. It can help make a struggling marriage better, and good marriage amazing.
Schedule
One-Minute Wisdom
Each week I carefully craft a short perspective shift or tool that you can read in about a minute or two. You can sign up here.
Follow me on Instagram: @theexpatmomcoach

Should I Trust My Teen? Aug 24, 2021

Show notes

“Should I trust my teen?” is a question I get asked in coaching, and it’s one most of us with teens thinks about. As parents we WANT to trust our kids. And our kids want to be trusted. But is trusting them the best thing for them? In my opinion the answer isn't a simple yes or no. I believe the answer is actually yes AND no. On the podcast I break down the science on the teen brain and why developmentally it might be wise not to fully trust teens. But, I also discuss how we can raise kids to become worthy of trust.
Free Mini-Coaching Session
Sign-up for a free 30-min. mini-coaching session. It can help make a struggling marriage better, and good marriage amazing.
Schedule
One-Minute Wisdom
Each week I carefully craft a short perspective shift or tool that you can read in about a minute or two. You can sign up here.
Follow me on Instagram: @theexpatmomcoach
Find more resources at my website: http://theexpatmom.com

Special Podcastiversary Episode: An Interview with the Linton Ladies Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

It's hard to believe it's been a year since the launch of The Expat Mom Podcast! As a special celebratory episode, I interview my four daughters ages 14 down to 5 about what it's like to be in the middle of an international move. You'll get a sneak peak into our family, and hear some honest emotion expressed--both positive and negative. You'll also hear what my kids think about having a mom as a life coach.
Free Mini-Coaching Session
Sign-up for a free 30-min. mini-coaching session. It can help make a struggling marriage better, and good marriage amazing.
Schedule
One-Minute Wisdom
Each week I carefully craft a short perspective shift or tool that you can read in about a minute or two. You can sign up here.
Follow me on Instagram: @theexpatmomcoach
Find more resources at my website: http://theexpatmom.com

Mistakes Parents Make with Teens with Ginger Habel Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

Parenting teens requires a totally different brand of parenting than younger children. Sometimes parents of teens get frustrated because the parenting they used to use doesn’t work as well, but also because don’t have the same control or influence over their kids that they used to. It’s a transition for parents. In the process of sorting it all out, parents often end up struggling in their relationships with their teens and they make lots of mistakes. My podcast guest, Ginger Habel, interviewed several seventh-grade students and asked them what they wished their parents would do differently. Whether you are a parent of teens yet or not, you might be interested to hear what these teens had to say.
On the podcast you'll learn:

6 mistakes parents make with teens
Whether teens want MORE or LESS time with their parents
How to handle mistakes teens make
What teens want when it comes to limits on technology
What teens need training on around technology

Teens and School Transition with Ginger Habel Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

August is the time many teens are making school transitions. While transitions are challenging for kids of all ages—teens often struggle the most because they depend developmentally on social and moving makes social connection more uncertain. In addition, their academic accomplishments tend to hold more gravity so challenges in transition tend to affect kids in the long-term. In addition to all this expat kids may be adjusting to a new language, a new culture and the social and academic ramifications of these things. My podcast guest, Ginger Habel, shares some recommendations about how parents can support their teens during a school transition.
On the podcast you'll learn:

Typical timelines for making new friends and when to worry
How to deal with the negativity a child may bring home
How your own anxieties may impact your teens
How to know when something isn't just normal adjustment and your teen needs help
One simple thing parents can do to support kids academically during a transition

TCKs and Identity Part 2 with Lauren Wells Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

TCKs have some unique challenges and tend to have more grief and loss in their lives than a mono-cultural kid might experience. However, there are lots of things parents can do in order to help kids develop a healthy identity and stay emotionally healthy. This podcast features the second half of the interview with Lauren Wells, the author of the book, “Raising up a Generation of Healthy Third Culture Kids.” We discuss some practical things parents can do to make the transition back to your home country easier, we discuss more about how to remove blocks from your child’s grief tower and how to process along the way so blocks don’t get put on the grief tower.
One this episode you’ll learn:

Three specific things you can do as a parent that help TCKs develop a healthy identity
Why repatriation is often a critical challenge to TCK’s identity
Two things that parents can do to smooth the transition back to home country.
How to know if your child has a grief tower
How to know what’s on your child’s grief tower
How to remove blocks from your child’s grief tower
How to prevent blocks from going on your child’s grief tower when difficult things happen.

Contact Lauren Wells
Website: www.tcktraining.com
Instagram: @tcktraining
Send me an email with a question or with an experience
jennie@theexpatmom.com
Free Mini-Coaching Session
Sign-up for a free 30-min. mini-coaching session. It can help make a struggling marriage better, and good marriage amazing.
Schedule
One-Minute Wisdom
Each week I carefully craft a short perspective shift or tool that you can read in about a minute or two. You can sign up here.
Follow me on Instagram: @theexpatmomcoach
Find more resources at my website: http://theexpatmom.com

TCKs and Identity with Lauren Wells Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

If you are an expat raising kids abroad—your kids are “Third Culture Kids,” meaning—they are spending some of their developmental years living in a culture different from their parent’s passport culture. They are a third culture kids because they aren’t living in their pp culture, they don’t totally fit into the culture they live in—they are part of a third culture as an expat. Research has shown over the past few decades that people with this experience tend to experience a set of similar challenges, and tend to develop similar positive attributes. Understanding this experience can help us be more deliberate as we parent our TCKs. In addition, there are some practical things we can do along the way to help our kids be emotionally successful now and as adults.

On the podcast you'll learn:

What is a TCK?
Challenges TCKs tend to experience
Long-term issues if grief and loss are not addressed for TCKs
Common positive attributes TCKs tend to exhibit
When the TCK label is helpful, and when it is unhelpful
How we can support our TCKs in their emotional health

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