The Places We Call Home podcast

Episoade

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  #77. The Day You Stop Begging to Belong 15.09.2026 8min

  There's a moment every immigrant woman hits and once you hit it, everything changes.In this episode, I'm talking you as my friend. Because starting over in a new country forces you into a delicate truth most people never say out loud: you can chase inclusion for years and still feel lonely, unseen, or disconnected. Real belonging begins somewhere else entirely.I share what I takeaway from Natalie's story (episode 76) when she left Taiwan for California's Bay Area the warmth she grew up with, the sudden quiet of a new culture, and the powerful decision she made when she stopped asking Why wasn’t I invited? and started choosing people who genuinely appreciate her.Let's talk about the subtle ways women shrink to fit, the difference between chemistry and consistency, and why leading with a part of your culture can anchor you in places that feel unfamiliar. And we end with the daily practice I've used that builds the kind of self‑appreciation that protects your energy, your identity, and your belonging.If you’re navigating a new country like us expats in the USA, a new chapter, or a new version of yourself, this episode will help you feel seen, grounded, and reminded there are more friendship connections to be made than not.Belonging is built with the right people.belonging, immigrant women, inclusion, identity work, culture, self‑appreciation, expat life, starting over, emotional resilience, community building, relocation, authenticity, women’s stories, Natalie Chu
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  #76. Friendliness Isn’t Friendship: What Expat Women Learn the Hard Way Part 1 10.09.2026 29min

  A conversation about belonging, friendships, and rebuilding yourself in a new country.I sat down with Natalie Chu, who moved from Taiwan to the U.S. with a childhood dream and found herself facing the emotional truth expat women rarely say out loud. She talks about the “friendly but not actually your friend” moments, and the shock of realizing that belonging doesn’t show up just because you arrived.Natalie shares what she misses most about home — the morning markets, being known — and how different it feels to build community in the Bay Area.We talk about navigating safety in San Francisco, learning American social cues, and the moment she stopped chasing inclusion and started defining belonging on her own terms.This episode is honest, grounded, and deeply human. If you’ve ever moved countries, cities, or chapters, you’ll hear yourself in the tension, the ache, and the small wins that make starting over possible.A grounded conversation about connecting, community, identity, and the truth of starting over abroad.Natalie is the founder of a new podcast, Built Young, examining the journey of young entrepreneurs - Under 25. Over 1 M, and the ethics we can learn from them.Expat women immigrant women Taiwan Bay Area culture shock belonging loneliness move abroad identity homesickness community starting over migration stories international students migration USA friendship homesick
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  #75. Why You Don’t Feel Like Yourself Abroad: How to Reclaim Your Identity 05.09.2026 8min

  When you migrate, you enter environments that reinterpret you.In this solo episode, Yolanda Reshemah breaks down why so many immigrant women, expat women suddenly feel unfamiliar to themselves after moving abroad, and how identity distortion happens long before you realize it. From credential devaluation to accent bias to being misread in rooms where people don’t yet understand your history. Yolanda explains the emotional and psychological impact of being seen through someone else’s lens.Drawing from her conversation with Assistant Professor Neisha Terry Young and her own six international relocations, Yolanda shows how identity disruption is a predictable response to being repositioned by new systems, cultures, and assumptions. She offers two practical tools to help you reclaim your sense of self:• A Narrative Audit to separate who you are from who others decide you are• A Belonging Anchor to stabilize your identity while you rebuild confidence and community.If you’ve been feeling disoriented, diminished, or disconnected from your old self, this episode gives you grounded, emotionally honest guidance to reclaim your identity and rebuild belonging from the inside out.Reclaim who you are — before the world decides for you.identity distortion; identity disruption; immigrant women; expat identity; belonging abroad; confidence loss; competence grief; misrecognition; credential devaluation; accent bias; narrative audit; belonging anchor; migration identity; emotional resilience; immigrant experience USA; expat life; rebuilding identity; Yolanda Reshemah
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  #74. Reclaiming Your Worth — Finding Yourself Again After Migration 27.08.2026 19min

  A conversation about rebuilding identity, reclaiming your worth after migration.Educator and scholar Neisha Terry shares the deeply personal journey of navigating identity after migrating to the United States. She speaks openly about having her Jamaican teaching credentials reduced to “nothing,” being questioned about her legitimacy, and the emotional weight of constantly proving herself in spaces that weren’t built with her in mind.She speaks candidly about the exhaustion of becoming, the discipline of returning to being, and the moment she decided to stop shrinking herself and stand firmly in her truth. she acknowledges that self‑definition alone doesn’t erase structural barriers or the exhaustion of proving yourself. Belonging requires both inner clarity and external change.Her story is a reminder that that every woman navigating a new country, a new culture, or a new version of herself deserves to feel seen, valid, and whole.A grounded conversation on identity, worth, and the courage to define yourself on your own terms.immigrant women, expat identity, belonging after migration, Jamaican educator, women entrepreneurs, move abroad, study abroad, live abroad, homesickness, isolation, credential evaluation experience, women in academia, mental wellness, courage, resilience, women of color in academia, self‑definition, authenticity, cultural transition, reclaiming worth, migration identity, Neisha Terry Young, The Places We Call Home podcast
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  #73. Why Going Back Home Never Happens for Immigrant Women—The Myth of Living the Dream in the USA 19.08.2026 21min

  A conversation on identity, home, and why going back never truly happens for immigrant women.In this episode, I continue my conversation with Dr. Neisha Terry Young, Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University, about what it really means to build a life between geographies. We talk about the emotional weight of being an unconnected immigrant, the freedom she misses from her childhood in Jamaica, and the realities of raising Black boys in America.Neisha shares how a recent health crisis brought the ache of distance sharply into focus — “I wish I were still at home,” she says — and we explore why going back home never truly happens once migration reshapes your identity, your relationships, and your sense of belonging.We also talk about accents, self‑expression, and the challenge of being understood in spaces where your language and culture are not the norm. Neisha reflects on the moment she realized her Jamaican Creole couldn’t be heard in the way she intended, and how that shifted her understanding of voice, confidence, and becoming.This episode is for anyone navigating life across borders — emotionally, culturally, or physically — and for anyone who has ever wondered why “living the dream” doesn’t always feel like the dream at all.A conversation about identity, home, and the truth behind "living the dream".immigrant women; expat women; move abroad; homesickness; loneliness; Jamaican diaspora; belonging; identity; home; migration; American Dream; accents; Black motherhood; diaspora stories
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  #72. Immigrant or Expat? Neisha Young on Naming Ourselves. Pt.1 12.08.2026 17min

  Jamaican scholar and assistant professor Nisha Terry Young joins me for a grounded conversation about identity, belonging, and the labels we inherit when we move to the United States. We explore the difference between immigrant and expat—and how those words quietly shape the way women migrants are seen, judged, and expected to perform competence in their new lives.Nisha shares how her identity as a Jamaican woman fuels her work, and how her decision to pursue a PhD became a direct response to the limiting narratives placed on immigrants in American schools. We talk about the quiet pressure migrant women feel to prove their value, the fatigue of constant adaptation, and the emotional cost of rebuilding identity in spaces where anti‑immigrant and anti‑Black narratives still sit in the background of everyday life.She also takes us home to Jamaica—its mountains, riverbanks, wood‑fire cooking, music, and mangoes—and reminds us how home stays alive through taste, sound, and small rituals that steady us when loneliness creeps in or when the grief of the old self shows up unexpectedly.This episode is for any woman navigating competence loss, language shame, identity whiplash, and the slow, uneven work of belonging in a new country.Part two continues next week.
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  #71. The Hidden Rulebook of Your New Country — What Every Migrant Woman Should Know 24.07.2026 12min

  Five practical tools every migrant woman can use to stop feeling lostEver felt overwhelmed after moving abroad? This episode gives you the missing manual. Host Yolanda Reshemah breaks down two essential skills every immigrant, expat, and migrant woman needs: Learning the hidden rulebook of your new culture and; Using curiosity and optimism as practical survival tools. You’ll walk away with five clear, actionable strategies to help you feel more grounded, more capable, and more at home in the place you’re rebuilding your life. As the woman who has relocated six times, host Yolanda shares her tools learned the hard way ... through life, not from books and theories. She first moved at age 10, then as a teen, a young professional, a wife and most recently as a mother. On Wednesdays guest conversations bring you lived experiences from a community of women who know where you are and how you feel. If this episode gives you something real, follow the show and share it with one woman who needs this today.
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  #70. Bubblegum, Barbie and Becoming American. Pt.2 Yuliya Patsay 19.07.2026 32min

  My expectation was that we were going to buy me a Barbie ... jeans, and bubble gum!This conversation with writer and storyteller Yuliya Patasy is an unusual exploration of what it means to arrive somewhere new — physically, emotionally, culturally, and generationally.Yuliya immigrated to San Francisco as a child, landing in a converted garage apartment packed with grandparents, great‑grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the weight of her parents’ hopes. Her early memories of life in a country that no longer exists are vivid: “I’ll never forget what it was like to live with 12 people in an apartment [ in the Soviet] sharing a bathroom.”She shares the pressure her parents felt to “turn things around quickly,” the loss of professional identity, and the disorientation of entering a system where the rules — social, cultural, bureaucratic — were entirely different. She also speaks candidly about the humor and heartbreak of childhood expectations, like the moment she realized Barbie was not life‑size: “I was like, this? No. I hate this.”We talk about belonging, language loss, and the tension between honoring the culture you came from and raising children who are fully rooted in the place you now call home. Yuliya reflects on her memoir, which began as a simple recipe collection and became a deeper excavation of family, memory, and identity. And she offers grounded wisdom for families stepping off a plane today, carrying their hopes in a suitcase: “There are good people everywhere… building relationships is really the path to feeling at home.”If you want more tools, stories, and honest conversations about building a life abroad, follow the show. Each episode gives you something real you can use and someone real you can relate to.
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  #69. Feeling Lonely After Moving Abroad? Here's How to Lighten the Emotional Load 16.07.2026 9min

  Moving abroad can look exciting from the outside — but inside, many immigrant and expat women carry a silent truth: loneliness, identity loss, homesickness, and the pressure to hold everything together.In this solo episode, I talk honestly about the emotional work women do when they uproot their lives, often without a title, paycheck, or community to hold them. I share the tools that helped me feel lighter - dealing with one big emotion at a time, rebuilding identity in small steps, and giving yourself permission to "faff around" and be un-serious in a life that often feels heavy. If you've ever felt invisible, overwhelmed, or permanently on duty after moving abroad, this episode officially reminds you that you're not the only one living through the immigrant experience: the opportunities, challenges and being heard.  You're allowed to feel good and have some levity. Often.Leave a comment. Share your rituals for adding lightness in your lifehttps://www.instagram.com/placeswecallhomepod
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  #68. Bubblegum, Barbie and Becoming American. Pt.1 Yuliya Patsay 10.07.2026 39min

  I’ll never forget what it was like to live with 12 people in a Soviet apartment sharing a bathroom.Writer and storyteller Yuliya Patsay joins us to explore the emotional work of immigration, belonging, and identity — from her childhood arrival in San Francisco as a refugee from what was then the USSR, to the life she’s built today. She shares the reality of childhood immigration — the disorienting impact of an abundance of resources, diversity, culture shock, and the courage it takes to rebuild your identity when you don't understand the language, rituals and experience.We talk about the pressure her parents felt to “turn things around quickly,” the loss of professional identity, and of entering a system where the rules — social, cultural, bureaucratic — were entirely different. She also speaks candidly about the humor and heartbreak of childhood expectations, like the moment she realized Barbie was not life‑size: “I was like, this? No. I hate this.”Her story resonates with immigrant women, expat families, and anyone who has ever called another country home.Follow the show for more stories about migration, identity, and belonging — and the quiet, powerful work of creating a life in a new country.Yulia (rhymes with Goo-lia) Patsay is a writer and comedian navigating American life with Soviet programming. She is the author of the memoir Until the Last Pickle and creator of the Substack Buckle Up Bubelah.
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  #68. 3 Lessons Every Migrant Woman Needs to Hear When Starting Over Feels Impossible 08.07.2026 5min

  Practical guidance for migrant women rebuilding life in the USA.This episode shares three practical lessons for migrant women who are working hard to build a new life in the United States.These lessons come from my conversation with Janet Xu in episode #67, who moved from China with $300 in her pocket and rebuilt her life through persistence, community, and a clear sense of identity.You’ll get three takeaways that help you stay grounded during the hardest parts of relocation:Stay rooted in who you are. Keep your heritage, your goals, and your ambition close. They help you stay steady while you adjust to a new country.Don't mute your voice, you accent and your culture. Your background is a strength. It supports you as you find your place and build confidence.Expect hard work — inside and out. The external work matters, but so does the internal work: managing loneliness, homesickness, and pressure.Hear what’s possible when you stay committed to your path and trust your judgment.Share your takeaway with guests and host: email: [email protected].
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  #67. The Truth About Success, Friendship, and Starting Over in a New Country 01.07.2026 42min

  A blueprint for migrant women eager to turn obstacles into opportunities.Most women exploring life abroad feel overwhelmed by cultural shifts, language barriers, and the fear of losing themselves—until you hear Janet Zhu’s story.Janet shares raw, live stories of her journey—from the initial excitement, loneliness and identity shifts to creating a life that honors both her Chinese heritage and American dreams.What you get:Hear how embracing your culture fuels your confidence,How to cultivate community through service, andWhy financial independence is crucial for women abroad.Her journey reminds you that success is about achievement and also about being at peace with who you are—regardless of where you came from.Listen now, share it with women who need a little reminder, and follow the show for more real conversations about life abroad.
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  #66. Starting Over Abroad: Parenting, Language, and Mindset That Made Year 1 Bearable Practical Tips 29.05.2026 23min

  How to rebuild with kids, handle culture shock, and find your footing as an expat mom. immigrant mom.Feeling lost after moving abroad? This episode names the quiet grief women carry when you immigrate-homesickness, language shame, identity wobble, and the pressure to make the move "worth it". Karen - a professional organizer from Israel shares how she rebuilt in the U.S. in her 40s: making friends from zero, helping her kids learn a new language, reopening her career, and adapting to culture without erasing herself.You'll leave with simple ways to protect your energy, communicate with confidence and release the feelings in your body.Listen now and start creating the life you moved for-- one small win at a time.
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  #65. The Long Exhale: Finding Friendship and Stability in a New Country 13.05.2026 29min

  Moving to a new country is an emotional, psychological, and cultural upheaval. In this episode, Korean‑Canadian entrepreneur Monica Hyang-sil Chang shares her powerful story of rebuilding her identity after immigrating from Korea, to Toronto, Canada, to Marin County in California.This episode is for anyone searching for belonging, rebuilding identity after migration, or learning how to stay grounded while living far from home.Monica opens up about the pressure many Asian women feel to 'fit the box,' the stereotypes she pushed against, and what it meant to become one of the only Korean women running a food business in her region. We explore the real challenges of loneliness, homesickness, culture shock, and the mental health impact of starting over in a new country — experiences familiar to immigrants, expats, and anyone navigating life abroad.Visit San Koran cafe If this resonates leave a 5‑star review. I really helps us know how to support you.
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  #64. Expat Woman: Five Signs Life Abroad Is Draining You and How to Take Your Power Back 17.04.2026 7min

  Life abroad can stretch you, soften you, and sometimes drain you in ways you didn’t expect. In this episode, I’m sharing five clear signs that your expat life — or the spaces you’re in — are costing you too much emotionally, and what it looks like to take your power back without abandoning yourself.If you’re an expat or immigrant woman navigating homesickness, isolation, microaggressions, shrinking to fit in, or feeling invisible, this conversation will help you name what’s happening and decide what you need next.We talk about:the quiet ways you start shrinking to stay acceptedfeeling depleted after every interactionperforming gratitude instead of being honestthe emotional cost of staying in rooms that don’t see youhow to choose spaces that let you be present, not disappearI also share a personal story from my own life in the U.S. — a moment when I stayed in a difficult space, why I made that choice, and what I learned about belonging, boundaries, and self‑trust.I also share a personal story from my own life in the U.S. — a moment when I stayed in a difficult space, why I made that choice, and what I learned about belonging, boundaries, and self‑trust.This episode is for the woman abroad who keeps asking:“Do I matter here? Can I belong here and still be myself?”If this speaks to you, follow The Places We Call Home on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave a 5‑star review so I know these conversations are meeting you where you are.
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  #63. Moved To USA For Love? Homesick, Lonely, Starting Over -What's Possible For Expat Women 13.04.2026 31min

  If you moved to the USA for love and now find yourself homesick, lonely, overwhelmed, or wondering who you’re becoming, this episode is for you. So many expat and immigrant women arrive with hope — then quietly struggle with the emotional cost of life in a new country.In this conversation you'll look through the eyes of guest Monica Hyang-sil Chang. Hear what’s actually possible for you, even if right now you feel disconnected, unsure of yourself, or guilty for not loving your new life yet. You’ll hear the emotional truths we don’t say out loud: the grief attached to leaving home, the pressure to “be grateful,” the loneliness that surprises you, and the identity shifts that happen when you build a life around someone else’s roots.We explore:why moving abroad for love brings its own kind of homesicknessthe isolation that shows up when you don’t have your own communityhow to rebuild confidence and identity in a new countrywhat it looks like to create belonging from scratch, andthe possibilities that open when you stop blaming yourself for strugglingIf this is your reality, remember that you’re in that process of figuring it out, you're allowed to be tender, messy, and brave. You're not behind, you’re not failing, and you’re not alone.If this resonates, follow The Places We Call Home on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and leave a 5‑star review so we know these conversations are supporting you.
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  #62. Imposter Syndrome Abroad — Rebuilding Identity After Moving Abroad 05.04.2026 34min

  When you move abroad, especially to the USA, imposter syndrome can show up in ways you never expected.In this episode, I sit down with Zainab Ugokwe — scientist, mom, wife — a woman whose story will feel familiar if you’ve ever tried to rebuild your identity in a new country.Zainab talks about returning to the U.S. after spending her childhood in Palestine, navigating homesickness, cultural differences, and the quiet grief of absent relatives in Palestine, and in the USA. She shares what it was like to grow up as the only Black girl in a town that had never seen people who looked like her, and how those early experiences shaped her confidence as an adult.We explore:what imposter syndrome looks like for expat and immigrant womenthe identity shifts that happen when you move abroadthe loneliness of feeling “in‑between” cultureshow to rebuild confidence when you don’t feel like yourself anymorethe emotional work of belonging in a place that wasn’t part of your original storyIf you’re an expat or immigrant woman living in the USA or anywhere abroad — navigating loneliness, cultural differences, or that unsettling feeling of not belonging here or back home — this conversation will meet you right where you are.Zainab’s reflections offer gentle reminders and practical takeaways about finding your voice again, trusting who you’re becoming, and giving yourself permission to grow into this new version of you.If this episode resonates, follow The Places We Call Home on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and share it with another woman who’s starting over in a new country.
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  #8. Part2.Why the American Dream Isn’t Handed to You: What Immigrant Women Must Really Do to Succeed 05.03.2025 20min

  Send us Fan MailWhat does it really take to start over in a new country, and raise the next generation with courage and hope—while breaking free from the molds others try to place on you? This episode is for every expat and immigrant woman struggling with identity, belonging—the emotional impact of relocating—and wondering how to rise above the challenges.By tuning in, you’ll learn:How to transform setbacks, rejection, and bias into fuel for success.Why instilling values of hard work, gratitude, and giving in the next generation creates lasting change.The mindset shifts that turn fear into courage and opportunity into action, even in the face of overwhelming odds.Listen now to hear an unforgettable story that will inspire you to own your path, and create a future beyond limits.To share your own migration story or feedback email  [email protected] This compelling podcast dives into Expat and immigrant women (and men) stories. Those who immigrate to the USA, tackling the struggles of homesickness, identity crisis, and culture shock in the USA while adjusting to expat life and navigating cultural differences. Through conversations on starting over, reinventing yourself, and finding purpose, it highlights success stories of women's tenacity, and the resilience of expats in the USA. It offers insights into bicultural identity, language barriers, and the challenges of living overseas. The podcast emphasizes the importance of a strong support system and wellbeing for women in pursuit of the American dream. The emotional impact of relocating.https://www.instagram.com/placeswecallhomepod
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  #34. Homesick? Anxious? Stuck? 3 Mindset Shifts to Reclaim Your Joy Abroad 26.09.2025 8min

  Send us Fan MailTo share your own migration story or feedback email  [email protected] This compelling podcast dives into Expat and immigrant women (and men) stories. Those who immigrate to the USA, tackling the struggles of homesickness, identity crisis, and culture shock in the USA while adjusting to expat life and navigating cultural differences. Through conversations on starting over, reinventing yourself, and finding purpose, it highlights success stories of women's tenacity, and the resilience of expats in the USA. It offers insights into bicultural identity, language barriers, and the challenges of living overseas. The podcast emphasizes the importance of a strong support system and wellbeing for women in pursuit of the American dream.https://www.instagram.com/placeswecallhomepod
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  # 35. Why Belonging Isn’t Instant—What every expat woman wish they knew to feel at home in their new country 02.10.2025 12min

  Send us Fan MailFeeling like you don’t belong yet? In this heartfelt episode, Yolanda Reshemah and guest Karen Giva share the truth about starting over abroad—why belonging takes time, how healing helps, and what every expat woman can do to truly feel at home in a new country. You'll learn why vulnerability matters, how to rebuild community, and what it really takes to feel at home in a new country—no matter where you are in your journey. Press play. Uncover the truth about belonging abroad.To share your own migration story or feedback email  [email protected] This compelling podcast dives into Expat and immigrant women (and men) stories. Those who immigrate to the USA, tackling the struggles of homesickness, identity crisis, and culture shock in the USA while adjusting to expat life and navigating cultural differences. Through conversations on starting over, reinventing yourself, and finding purpose, it highlights success stories of women's tenacity, and the resilience of expats in the USA. It offers insights into bicultural identity, language barriers, and the challenges of living overseas. The podcast emphasizes the importance of a strong support system and wellbeing for women in pursuit of the American dream.https://www.instagram.com/placeswecallhomepod