Episodes

Don’t Transplant Your Life, Translate It: Repatriating to Poland Lucyna Boland left Poland already asking where she could go next. Twenty years later she had lived in the United States, Germany, England, Spain and France. She had built a career in corporate learning and talent development, married a Canadian and started a family. Then, during the pandemic and while grieving her father, she felt a pull home she couldn’t quite explain. Within a week, the family had decided to move into her mother’...

In this inspirational and deeply personal conversation, Doreen Cumberford sits down with Melissa Parks, therapist, coach and author of A Compassionate Mess: A Therapist, Her Monsters, and a Journey to Self-Acceptance - to explore the challenges and rewards of self-compassion, the realities of cross-cultural transitions, and the myths that hold us back from thriving as global nomads and returnees. Key Topics Covered Facing Our "Monsters" Melissa Parks discusses reframing personal struggles as "m...

In this deeply personal episode, Doreen Cumberford interviews Sarah Deschamps, author of I Couldn't Tell You. Sarah Deschamps shares the harrowing and ultimately hopeful story of her family’s move from Tokyo back to Minnesota, a journey marked by her daughter's complex medical challenges and the mental health struggles entwined with repatriation. This conversation illuminates the hidden traumas of re-entry, caregiver PTSD, and the transformative power of storytelling. Key Themes Repatriation ...

In this insightful episode, Doreen Cumberford is joined by Saehee Chang, an intercultural trainer, engagement specialist, and founder of Korea Connect. Together, they explore the journey of navigating life across cultures as a Third Culture Kid (TCK), the challenges of repatriation, balancing success and happiness abroad, and the quest for belonging. Key Topics Covered Growing Up Global: Saehee shares her nomadic background across Korea, Vietnam, Kenya, the US, and Germany, and reflects on h...

In this conversation, Sarah Rapp looks back on a decade of nomadic life, from a shy childhood in Germany to a life spread across countries, friendships and time zones. She speaks honestly about what the nomadic life costs and why it’s still worth it. She also talks about burnout, privilege, and a formative moment in Accra, Ghana. Sarah shares how she built a sense of belonging that no longer depends on geography, and why she launched 1 Million Humans to help high achievers who are running on empty reconnect with what makes us human.