I sat down with Linda Mueller, who was a previous Co-Host for the Re-Entry Series. Linda is an experienced ExpatPartnerCoach and we dived into the benefits of coaching for people who live in the international and global communities.

Together, we explored what it really means to thrive as a global nomad, especially as an accompanying partner. We cover everything from wrestling with issues of purpose and identity to maintaining relationships and overcoming guilt. Linda shares her hard-earned wisdom and actionable tips for navigating life across borders through coaching.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why High-Achievers Need Coaches Too
  • Even the most accomplished expats can feel “stuck” or in transition, and coaching can be both a lifeline and a proactive tool for growth and clarity.
• Overcoming Resistance to Coaching
  • Linda discusses building trust, offering a safe, non-judgmental space, and the importance of vulnerability for clients who may shy away from coaching.
• The Real Pressures on Expat Partners
  • From managing expectations back home to redefining purpose, the accompanying spouse’s journey is uniquely demanding and often misunderstood.
• Coping Strategies for Expats
  • Practical tips like setting healthy routines, taking small steps for momentum, and practicing self-kindness can be powerful tools during challenging times.
• Identity, Home, and Belonging
  • The conversation delves into how expats define “home,” manage the feeling of being in liminal spaces, and foster a sense of belonging and connection.
• Technology & Global Coaching
  • Linda explains how technology has transformed coaching for global nomads, making support more flexible, connected, and accessible than ever before.
• Coaching vs. Therapy: What's the Difference?
  • Linda outlines the distinction between coaching (action-oriented, future-focused) and therapy (healing from the past), and emphasizes the importance of working with certified professionals.
• When to Seek a Coach
  • The best time? Whether you’re in crisis, stuck in a rut, or planning a big transition, coaching is for both the reactive and the proactive expat or nomad.

Notable Quotes:

• “Sometimes people don’t even know where they want to go...I give them the confidence that I can sort of build this container, this environment, so they can express themselves.” — Linda Mueller
• “A lot of times we feel like we’re the only one. We feel lonely, we feel isolated. But there really are other people out there.” — Linda Mueller
• “Therapy is like archaeology...coaching is like architecture.” — Doreen Cumberford

Connect with Linda at:

https://www.theexpatpartnercoach.com/

Thanks for lending us your ears! Please share this podcast with another expat or nomad!

https://www.nomadicdiariespodcast.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Camel-Lane-Embrace-Adventure/dp/0578607352
www.doreenmcumberford.com

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Home is Where Your Story Crosses Borders!

We aim to inspire expat solutions, by helping you navigate global living with Confidence.

In this episode, we sat down again with Tanya Crossman, a leading expert on Third Culture Kids (TCKs) to catch up on recent research findings.

Understanding Third Culture Kids

• Defining the TCK Journey: Tanya clarifies what makes a Third Culture Kid—children growing up outside their passport country without plans to settle permanently—and why their experience differs from immigrant children.
• Hidden Struggles, Global Strengths: How TCKs develop unique perspectives while navigating complex identity formations that many parents and educators miss.

Groundbreaking Research Revelations

• Data-Driven Insights: Discover findings from Tanya's landmark study of 1,900+ TCKs that challenge conventional wisdom about cross-cultural childhoods.
• The ACE Factor: Learn how Adverse Childhood Experiences appear at higher rates in TCK populations and what this means for their development and wellbeing.

What Shapes TCK Experiences

• The Sector Effect: Why a child's expatriate community (missionary, diplomatic, military, corporate) influences outcomes more powerfully than nationality or host country.
• Digital Natives, Global Lives: How today's tech-connected TCKs manage unprecedented pressure to maintain relationships across continents—and the surprising impact on their present-moment engagement.

Practical Support Strategies

• Navigating Transition & Grief: Actionable approaches for parents to help children process loss, including Tanya's insights on using tools like "The Grief Tower."
• Permission to Feel: Creating spaces where TCKs can express difficult emotions without judgment or minimization.

The Evolving TCK Landscape

• New Pioneers: How global schoolers and digital nomad families are rewriting the TCK script—often without traditional institutional support.
• Bridging the Gap: TCK Training's initiatives to reach underserved global families with research-based resources.

The TCK Advantage:

• Resilience Research: Despite facing unique challenges, discover why 98% of TCKs wouldn't change their upbringing.
• Protective Factors: The specific positive childhood experiences that help TCKs thrive despite higher adversity rates.

Memorable Quotes

• "The majority of TCKs like the way they grew up… 98% said they would not take this back if they could." Tanya Crossman
• "When we talk about hard things, we give kids who are struggling the opportunity to talk. When we don't, we make them feel like they can't share what they're struggling with."
• "It's not culture alone that shapes a TCK—it's the combination of mobility, community, and how adults respond to their unique challenges."

Essential Resources

• Books:
  • Misunderstood: The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century by Tanya Crossman
  • The Grief Tower by Lauren Wells
  • What Made That Feel So Hard? by Lauren Wells
• Websites:
  • TCK Training (featuring freely accessible research)
  • Tanya Crossman's personal site

Connect & Continue the Conversation

• Share your TCK experiences in the comments
• Join our newsletter for more insights on raising globally-minded children
• Follow our podcast on [platform links]
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Home is Where Your Story Crosses Borders!

We aim to inspire expat solutions, by helping you navigate global living with Confidence.

In this episode of Nomadic Diaries, we sat down with Tanya Crossman, a leading expert on Third Culture Kids (TCKs) whose personal experiences and professional work have made her a trusted voice in the global mobility community.

Tanya's Third Culture Journey

Tanya Crossman's journey as a TCK began with moves between Australia and the United States during her childhood, following her father's career path. Her cross-cultural experiences deepened significantly when she later spent 13 years living and working in China. These formative experiences across different continents gave her unique insights into the TCK experience that would later inform her professional work and writing.

Finding Community Among the Misunderstood

After years of feeling like an outsider in her own culture, Tanya discovered the profound relief of finding others who shared similar experiences. This revelation became the foundation of her life's work, as captured in her powerful quote: "I'm not alone has become a mantra for so much of the work that I do."

Defining the Third Culture Experience

Tanya brings clarity to what it means to be a Third Culture Kid, addressing common misconceptions and explaining that the "third culture" isn't a specific place but rather the shared experience of growing up among different cultural worlds. She explores how TCKs develop a unique cultural identity that combines elements from their passport culture, host cultures, and the expatriate community itself.

Emotional Intelligence and TCK Challenges

One of the most valuable insights Tanya shares is how the TCK experience can affect emotional development:

• A tendency toward emotional suppression as a survival mechanism during frequent transitions
• How this suppression can hinder the development of healthy conflict resolution skills
• The importance of creating safe spaces for TCKs to process complex emotions about mobility, identity, and belonging

Guidance for Parents and Caregivers

Tanya offers practical wisdom for parents raising children across cultures:

• The importance of preventive care rather than crisis intervention
• Creating environments where emotions can be expressed safely and processed
• Understanding that TCKs are "growing up in a completely different world than you are"
• Recognizing the unique challenges and opportunities that come with a globally mobile childhood

Resources for the TCK Journey

Tanya highlights the growing body of resources available to support TCKs and their families:

• Her book, "Misunderstood," which explores common threads in TCK experiences
• "Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds" (often called the TCK Bible)
• Practical tools for parents, educators, and caregivers working with globally mobile children

Connect with Tanya

For more resources on supporting Third Culture Kids:

• Personal website: tanyacrossman.com
• TCK Training: tcktraining.com

Support the show

Home is Where Your Story Crosses Borders!

We aim to inspire expat solutions, by helping you navigate global living with Confidence.