The Places We Call Home podcast

Yolanda Reshemah
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Biweekly

The Places We Call Home is a podcast for expat and immigrant women navigating homesickness, loneliness, culture shock, identity shifts, and the challenge of making friends after moving abroad. If you've relocated to the United States -- or anywhere far from home -- this is your space to feel understood. After moving to the U.S. for the first time, I had no idea how much it would stretch me, soften me, undo me, and rebuild me. This is my sixth move since age 10. I've learned what it really takes to start over in a new country: courage, belonging, reinvention, and the quiet work of creating a life from scratch. Each episode explores the emotional, the psychological side of living abroad as a woman -- the ache of homesickness, the isolation of feeling invisible, the friendships that don't work out, the identity you're rebuilding, and the surprising hoy that shows up in small, ordinary moments. You'll hear honest conversations and real stories from global women who have rebuilt their lives across borders, along with my own reflections on belonging, resilience, and becoming someone new in a new place. If you're trying to make friends in the U.S., navigating loneliness, rebuilding your confidence, or figuring out who you are in this new chapter, this podcast will sit with you in that journey. You're becoming. You're creating because you have to build the dream you moved abroad for. You're an entrepreneur. Subscribe and take The Places We Call Home with you on your walks, commutes, and quiet evenings -- especially on the days when the ache of "elsewhere" feels too loud.

  1. May 29

    #66. Starting Over Abroad: Parenting, Language, and Mindset That Made Year 1 Bearable Practical Tips

    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.

    23 min
  2. #65. The Long Exhale: Finding Friendship and Stability in a New Country

    May 13

    #65. The Long Exhale: Finding Friendship and Stability in a New Country

    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.

    30 min
  3. #64. Expat Woman: Five Signs Life Abroad Is Draining You and How to Take Your Power Back

    Apr 17

    #64. Expat Woman: Five Signs Life Abroad Is Draining You and How to Take Your Power Back

    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.

    7 min
  4. #63. Moved To USA For Love? Homesick, Lonely, Starting Over -What's Possible For Expat Women

    Apr 13

    #63. Moved To USA For Love? Homesick, Lonely, Starting Over -What's Possible For Expat Women

    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 struggling If 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.

    31 min
  5. #62. Imposter Syndrome Abroad — rebuilding Identity After Moving To The USA | Apr 01, 2026

    Apr 5

    #62. Imposter Syndrome Abroad — rebuilding Identity After Moving To The USA | Apr 01, 2026

    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 story If 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.

    35 min
  6. #61. 3 Things That Happen When You Move Abroad — Emotional Truths Expat Women Don't Talk About

    Mar 11

    #61. 3 Things That Happen When You Move Abroad — Emotional Truths Expat Women Don't Talk About

    The moment you move abroad, something shifts — in your body, in your identity, in the way you see yourself. In this episode, I’m sharing three things that happen the moment you leave home for a new country, especially if you’re an expat or immigrant woman starting over in the USA. These are the parts no one prepares you for: the sudden loneliness, the unexpected softness, the way your confidence wavers and rebuilds itself. If you’ve ever felt like you “should be handling this better,” this episode will help you understand why you feel the way you do — and why nothing is wrong with you. We talk about: the emotional shock of landing in a new countrythe identity unraveling that happens before you rebuildthe loneliness that shows up even when you’re “excited”how to give yourself permission to grow slowly This episode is for the woman who moved abroad and suddenly feels like a stranger to herself — the woman who’s trying to make friends, find her footing, and understand who she’s becoming in this new place. If this resonates, follow The Places We Call Home on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and share it with someone who’s navigating their own beginning abroad.

    48 min
  7. #60. The One Thing That Makes Life Abroad Harder —And How Expat Women Can Break The Cycle

    Feb 13

    #60. The One Thing That Makes Life Abroad Harder —And How Expat Women Can Break The Cycle

    There’s one thing that makes life abroad feel heavier than it needs to be — and most expat and immigrant women don’t realize they’re doing it. In this episode, I talk about the quiet habit that drains your confidence, deepens your homesickness, and makes every part of starting over in a new country feel harder. It’s something I’ve done myself, especially in my early years in the USA. It shows up in the way you speak, the way you shrink, the way you second‑guess your instincts. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it. I explore: the subtle ways you disconnect from yourself after moving abroadwhy this habit makes loneliness and isolation worsehow it affects your friendships, your voice, and your sense of belongingwhat changes when you stop performing and start telling the truthhow to rebuild trust with yourself in a new country If you’re an expat or immigrant woman navigating homesickness, identity shifts, or the pressure to “fit in,” this episode will help you understand why you feel so stretched — and what it looks like to come back to yourself. Life abroad is hard enough. You don’t need to carry this extra weight. If this resonates, follow The Places We Call Home on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and share it with someone who’s rebuilding their life in a new place.

    7 min
  8. #59. Homesickness, Loneliness, And Starting Over — Life In The USA

    Feb 4

    #59. Homesickness, Loneliness, And Starting Over — Life In The USA

    What does it really mean to start over in a country where no one knows your story? In this episode, you’ll hear Ghirmay’s journey — a true immigrant story of arriving in the USA with no English, no family, and no way to return home. Eighteen years later, he has built a life through resilience, homesickness, loneliness, fear, and pure determination. This is the unglamorous side of life in the USA: washing dishes, attending ESL classes, navigating culture shock, and slowly shaping a new identity far from where your story began. It’s the slow victories, the setbacks, the pride, and the psychological weight of moving abroad alone. If you’ve ever felt like you were beginning again — in a new country or in a new chapter of your life — his story will stay with you. In this episode, you’ll hear about: building a life from scratch when nothing is handed to youliving with the uncertainty of not knowing if you’ll ever go back homefinding identity, stability, and belonging far from where your story began Follow the show for weekly episodes about moving abroad, expat life, homesickness, belonging, and the tools and stories that help you find your voice as an expat woman.

    24 min
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5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

The Places We Call Home is a podcast for expat and immigrant women navigating homesickness, loneliness, culture shock, identity shifts, and the challenge of making friends after moving abroad. If you've relocated to the United States -- or anywhere far from home -- this is your space to feel understood. After moving to the U.S. for the first time, I had no idea how much it would stretch me, soften me, undo me, and rebuild me. This is my sixth move since age 10. I've learned what it really takes to start over in a new country: courage, belonging, reinvention, and the quiet work of creating a life from scratch. Each episode explores the emotional, the psychological side of living abroad as a woman -- the ache of homesickness, the isolation of feeling invisible, the friendships that don't work out, the identity you're rebuilding, and the surprising hoy that shows up in small, ordinary moments. You'll hear honest conversations and real stories from global women who have rebuilt their lives across borders, along with my own reflections on belonging, resilience, and becoming someone new in a new place. If you're trying to make friends in the U.S., navigating loneliness, rebuilding your confidence, or figuring out who you are in this new chapter, this podcast will sit with you in that journey. You're becoming. You're creating because you have to build the dream you moved abroad for. You're an entrepreneur. Subscribe and take The Places We Call Home with you on your walks, commutes, and quiet evenings -- especially on the days when the ache of "elsewhere" feels too loud.

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