I help accompanying expat spouses stick their landing and feel grounded wherever they may be.
Congratulations! You are in for a wild ride.
You’ve made a big decision — to pack up your “now” and move abroad with your spouse. It could be your first, or hundredth move, you might even have children along for the ride — whatever the specifics, the feelings that tag along are powerful, extreme and ever changing.
Was your initial reaction a delighted WOW! I get to do this!! Or an appalled OH NO! Not again! Why me?
Either way, the feelings will swell and rage and eventually settle. Only to storm it up all over again. Everyone who makes a decision like this has to wrestle with the tension and opportunity such a move creates.
You leave “now and here” to an unknown “then and there” which you are expected to build….
What does it mean to choose to be in a place not of your choosing?
Of course each move is different — language, culture, time zones — but there is a predictability to the process and the adjustment — which does not imply an inevitability to your experience
You can create and feel a sense of destination and purpose and aim toward an experience that is beyond the mundane, more than a list of logistics. I can help you stay motivated to build and claim your own experience and carve your own path.
It does require a commitment to courage: to dig in to all of the experience, shift awareness, understand your own strength, forgive yourself the eye-rolls.
You’re not only managing your own/family’s experience while living abroad, you are also navigating the perceptions of those “back home” when you visit and eventually return. It can be tedious to hear “wowza that sounds amazing!” or “what a lucky family adventure you’re having” when you feel tapped out, not at all lucky and perhaps even invisible in your accompanying role.
This disconnect highlights how essential it is to be honest with yourself — then can you move in the directions of awareness and action that you want. Eyes wide open, ma’am.
“I repatriated during the pandemic and had to make multiple, stressful choices about housing, employment and schooling for my children. It was a daunting task, with many variables and unknowns. Nancy was a balm during this time. She is honest, funny, and empathic. She shares and guides generously from her well of wisdom and experience — both acquired over decades of international living.”
— MEDICAL DOCTOR AND ACADEMIC ACCOMPANYING SPOUSE
🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇸🇳 🇷🇴 🇦🇺 🇦🇪 🇮🇱