#56. The one with Patricia Boes. Was the move to the USA worth it?

This conversation unpacks the real expat experience — It’s for anyone craving honest conversations about belonging, identity, and the emotional reality of rebuilding your life far from home.

We talk about the “Who am I now?” moments, the courage it takes to start over, and the surprising ways you grow when life pushes you far outside your comfort zone. Change comes whether you’re ready or not — but you don’t have to navigate it alone.

 Perfect for:   expat women, immigrant women, global nomads, trailing spouses, women rebuilding abroad, anyone navigating identity, belonging, culture shock, or starting over in America.

Fridays mean you, me and a cup of tea. No guests. 

Listen for tried and tested tools that work. 

If you’ve ever felt your early friendship attempts go nowhere, this episode will ground you.  I talk about the misfires, mis-matched expectations, red flags you ignored, questioning your own worth, and the intention you need to build real, mutual friendships in a new country.

 A supportive, honest conversation for expat and immigrant women craving genuine connection. 

Leave a kind review, share with another woman finding her community abroad. 

 If you moved to the U.S.A for love and found yourself homesick, lonely, or questioning everything, Episode 63 will feel like someone finally understands you. 

Guest Monica Chang and I talked about the emotional crash no one warns you about — the identity shifts, the isolation, the pressure to be grateful, 

carrying cultural pressures, childhood wounds and the weight of molds others expect you to fit. Monica opens up about healing, identity, belonging, and the emotional work immigrant and expat women often do in silence. 

There is a way forward that feels lighter, stronger, and more possible than you think. 

Listen, leave a kind review, and share with another woman rebuilding her life abroad.

Yhni shares her Vietnamese immigrant story — from growing up in Huế to starting over in San Jose after her father survived years in a communist prison camp. It’s a raw, powerful reminder that you can come from nothing, carry the weight of your past, and still rise into a future you’re proud of.  

Perfect for: women carrying family trauma, cultural pressure, and the weight of survival — yet still trying to build a life that feels like her own.

It’s also for anyone who’s lived through loss, instability, or major life upheaval and is now learning how to rebuild with strength, dignity, and hope. 

Listen, leave a kind review.

Episode 4 is for the woman who’s exhausted from code‑switching, second‑guessing herself, or feeling like she has to earn her place in every room.

It’s also for anyone who’s ready to stop chasing approval and start building a life — and identity — that feels confident, purposeful, and true. 

If you’re tired of performing and ready to belong to yourself first, this episode will feel like a release.

Perfect for:  immigrant and expat women who’ve spent years trying to blend in, shrink themselves, or act right just to feel accepted in a new country. 

Lessons From a British expat woman in America: culture shocks, homesickness  and finding your way.

If you’ve ever moved abroad and felt the cultural differences hit you harder than expected, this episode will feel like a warm, honest exhale. My British guest shares the real expat experience — the homesickness, the awkward cultural moments, the identity shifts, and the surprising lessons that helped her finally feel grounded in America.

It’s a comforting, insightful conversation for any expat or immigrant woman trying to build a life that feels like home again. 

Listen  and share with someone abroad.

Fridays mean you, me and a cup of tea. No guests. 

If moving abroad has ever made you dim your light, soften your accent, or hide parts of who you are just to blend in, Episode 18 will feel like truth you’ve been waiting to hear. We talk about the quiet ways expat and immigrant women shrink themselves in America — and what it takes to reclaim your voice, your culture, and your full identity without apology.

A liberating conversation for any woman navigating belonging, confidence, and cultural identity in a new country. 

 If you’ve ever carried old emotional wounds, this episode will feel like someone finally turned the lights on. 

In this conversation, we explore how Darsha, a Russian immigrant, faced her past, healed what hurt, and finally created a life in America that feels like hers. A powerful listen for immigrant and expat women navigating identity, belonging, and personal growth. 

Listen, leave a kind review, and share with someone rebuilding their life abroad

Fridays mean you, me and a cup of tea. No guests. 

If you’ve ever felt like life abroad is harder than it needs to be, this episode will hit home. We talk about the one pattern so many expat and immigrant women fall into — often without realizing it — and how it quietly shapes your confidence, your relationships, and your sense of belonging in a new country.

This is an honest view on breaking emotional cycles, reclaiming your power, and finally giving yourself permission to build a life abroad that feels lighter, fuller, and truly yours. 

Moved to the U.S.? 

Believed love would be enough to carry you through the challenges of starting over?

This episode will hit home. We talk about the emotional, cultural, and practical realities expat and immigrant women face when the dream meets the truth.

An episode  for the woman who feels overwhelmed, under-prepared, or blindsided by how hard rebuilding a life in USA can be — emotionally, culturally, and financially 

 Dr. Zainab Amir-Ugokwe, PhD, is a boss!! She's a scientist, a mom, wife, and a gift to society.  This is a spokeswoman for overcoming odds, fierce courage, and the power of self-belief.

 Zainab talks about returning to the U.S. after spending her childhood in Palestine as the only African-American girl in a town that had never seen people like her. 

We talk of life in San Francisco as a young adult with no English, and becoming a scientist 17 years later.

Here is your episode about being extraordinary, imposter syndrome, identity, and belonging in spaces where you're not seen

The powerful story of a Brazilian woman who moved to the U.S. for love — only to find herself trapped in lies, manipulation, and years of abuse behind closed doors. 

This one is raw. It's the crisis so many immigrant women face in silence: isolation, fear, language barriers, and labor trafficking.

Hear how 'Camilla' fought to escape, reclaim her freedom, build her life and start a business. reclaim her freedom in a country where she felt unseen and unsupported .

It’s a reminder for us to look before you leap.

I've learned that the thing that makes you stand out is often your superpower. 

I share why your origins should never be the 'thing' you hide. Coming from somewhere else gives you leverage, a stories to share.

Hear tools that equip you to speak up, to mentor and support others who feel misunderstood, unseen or underestimated.

Amy is a party all by herself. She's funny as heck, earnest, vulnerable, kind and super smart. She's also totally ballsy! 

A messy episode over tea, scones and Spice Girls stories. The truth about an American surviving Oxford, and rubbing along with the Brit upper-middle class society. Life across the pond has it's upsides but so does life in the USA. 

Bring your tea, scones, but leave the judgement outside.

Fridays mean you, me and a cup of tea. No guests. 

Feels like everyone else has their circle of friends except you? 

We get into reasons us  immigrant women struggle to build deep friendships.  

Find tips and perspectives to reset your approach,  let's ban the 'I should be...', give yourself grace, get your head around being  vulnerable, and staying true to both your culture and personal story.

This episode shares how you might turn strangers into the kind of friends who help you feel at home.