coucou

coucoupodcast
  • 4.8 (53)
  • Places & Travel
  • Updated Weekly

coucou is a podcast inspired by life in France, the things we’re taught to want, and the growing realization that there may be other ways to live. Hosted by Kimberly Wheeler, an American living in the South of France, the show blends honest conversations, personal stories, cultural observations, and all the little things the French seem to approach differently about work, motherhood, relationships, food, beauty, ambition, and daily life. Some episodes are light and playful. Others go deeper into the pressures women quietly carry, the exhaustion of trying to do everything well, and what happens when you start questioning the life you thought you were supposed to want. Hopefully all of them leave you seeing your own life a little differently. New episodes every Thursday.

  1. 5d ago

    Why the French Don't Drink at 5pm | Drinking Cultures in the U.S. and France

    Why would a bartender in Paris taste a wine, swirl it and spit it into the sink at 1:30 in the afternoon, and what does it say about how differently France and the US drink? In this episode of coucou, Kim looks at French vs. American drinking culture, from a bar stool in Paris to her own table in Provence. It begins with an apéro she hosted for French families, where she finally tried to get the cheese plate right: mildest to strongest, clockwise, room to breathe, no crackers. One fig pâté in the middle of the board set off a thirty-minute conversation about rules nobody had ever written down for her. From there she looks at the rhythm that shapes a French day: wine with lunch, a café, a sweet goûter in the late afternoon, then apéro at seven. Kim loves to dine solo in Paris, and in the 6th arrondissement she watched two cultures meet over one meal. An American diner ordered a second dirty martini just as her duck breast arrived, and a waiter quietly suggested the wine list. Neither understood the other. For one, the drink is the point. For the other, it is part of the meal. Kim wonders where our habits come from, from her Midwest upbringing and sorority days at the University of Wisconsin to why a day party feels normal to some and baffling to others. This isn't about which culture gets it right. Kim is an American expat three years into life in France, and she isn't trying to become French or give up the things she grew up with. She is learning to savor, with a wine class on the calendar, while keeping her beach-day drink and her first dirty martini back in the US. Which of your own everyday habits would you discover you had inherited if you lived somewhere else? Resources: Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow us on Instagram @coucou.pod Produced by NOVA

  2. Oct 15

    What If There's Another Way to Live? with Anne Ditmeyer

    What if the life you're supposed to live isn't the one you actually want? Kim sits down with Anne Ditmeyer, an American designer, creative coach, and author who has spent nearly two decades building an unconventional life and career in Paris. Through her workshops, creative exercises, and book OVERRIDE: What If There Was Another Way?, Anne helps people question the rules they've inherited and imagine new possibilities for themselves. Together, they explore what it means to create your own path, why we feel pressured to have everything figured out, and how creativity, curiosity, and small experiments can help us navigate uncertainty. Anne also shares the less glamorous realities of life in Paris, from French bureaucracy and making friends to her adventures exploring the city's public swimming pools. It's a conversation about trusting yourself, embracing the messy middle, and remembering that there's always another way to live. Resources: Anne Ditmeyer's website, workshops, and newsletter: annedittmeyer.com Anne on Instagram: @pretavoyager OVERRIDE: What If There Was Another Way? by Anne Ditmeyer Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow us on Instagram @coucou.pod  Visit our website coucoupod.com Produced by NOVA

  3. Oct 8

    Designing an Intentional Life That May Lead You to Paris: Interview with Jenny Minney

    What happens when you stop following the path that makes sense and start listening to what you actually want? Kim sits down in Paris with Jenny Minney, a graphic, brand and editorial designer and host of the podcast By Design. Jenny left New York City and moved to Paris in her 20s, following a desire that didn't necessarily make sense for her career, relationship or the life she had already built. They talk about learning to trust your intuition, letting go of five-year plans, navigating uncertainty and separating your identity from your work. Jenny also shares how moving abroad changed her relationship with social media, success, anxiety and the pressure women feel to have everything figured out. It's a conversation about Another Way to Live, and why sometimes designing a life that feels like your own means being willing to step off the path you're "supposed" to follow. Resources: Follow Jenny Minney On Instagram By Design podcast Accord French Language School in Paris Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow us on Instagram @coucou.pod  Produced by NOVA

  4. Oct 1

    A French Woman's Perspective Living in NYC with Lauriane Blanc

    Kim sits down with Lauriane Blanc, a French woman who left the Loire Valley for New York City and went on to co-found Women Abroad Club, a community helping women build meaningful lives abroad. With Kim building a life in France and Lauriane building one in America, they compare what each culture gets right, from career ambition and education to food, fashion, friendship and the very different ways French and American women connect. Lauriane also shares what surprised her most about American life, what still makes her feel unmistakably French and why moving abroad can completely change your idea of home. They also get into the less glamorous side of starting over somewhere new: learning a language, finding your people, navigating work and putting yourself outside your comfort zone again and again. Lauriane shares why community and even one meaningful relationship can make such a difference when you’re trying to create a life in another country. Resources: Women Abroad Club Women Abroad Cast Lauriane Blanc on LinkedIn Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow us on Instagram @coucou.pod  Produced by NOVA

  5. Sep 24

    What September in France Teaches Us About What Really Matters

    September in France means la rentrée, a return to school, work, routines and everyday life after summer. But after four years living in Aix-en-Provence, Kim has realized it can also be a chance to return to yourself. After a summer road trip through the French Alps, Switzerland and Italy, Kim is reflecting on the things she wants to carry with her into this next season. She shares what living in France has taught her about being present, slowing down, letting go of constant productivity, making space for creativity and becoming more comfortable with uncertainty. She also opens up about anxiety, guilt, watching her children grow older and the complicated emotions that come with building a beautiful life far from family. Rather than making another list of resolutions, Kim is thinking about another way to live, one centered on the things that actually make a life feel meaningful. Resources: Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow us on Instagram @coucou.pod  Produced by NOVA

  6. Sep 17

    Q&A: French Beauty, Friendships and False Perceptions

    Kim is answering more of your questions about life in France, from how French parents balance work, kids and weeknight dinners to what motherhood looks like when women don’t completely change their style after having children. She shares how her friendships have evolved after nearly four years abroad, the one part of French culture she’d take with her anywhere, and the unexpected things her kids noticed during their recent trip back to the U.S., including screen time and the way Americans talk about food. Kim also revisits Bringing Up Bébé after raising her own children in France and shares which observations still feel true. Plus, drawing on her years working at Sephora, she compares French and American beauty standards, from skincare and “baby Botox” to perfectly polished beauty versus the French preference for leaving something a little imperfect. Resources: Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow us on Instagram @coucou.pod  coucou Podcast Website Produced by NOVA

  7. Sep 10

    Are You Building a Life You Want or One That Only Looks Good?

    What happens when you build a life that looks successful from the outside, but somewhere along the way stop asking whether it actually feels right? Kim reflects on the life she and her family built in Marin County,  San Francisco, CA before moving to France, from corporate careers and private schools to the subtle pressure of titles, homes, cars and keeping up appearances. She shares a vulnerable moment on the Golden Gate Bridge when everything she had been pushing down finally caught up with her, and how a lyric from The National’s “Fake Empire” gave her language for what she was feeling. Three years after leaving that life behind, Kim shares how distance has changed the way she thinks about success, comparison and the choices we make without questioning why. France didn’t provide an instant answer, but it gave her enough space to ask a different question: If nobody else were watching, would you still choose the life you’re living? Resources: Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow us on Instagram @coucou.pod  Produced by NOVA

  8. Sep 3

    French Behaviors I Found Strange

    After three years living in France, some of the French behaviors Kim once found strange don’t seem so strange anymore. From topless beaches and bikinis at every age to a much more laissez-faire approach to parenting, she reflects on the cultural differences that have made her question some of her own American habits. She also shares what she’s learned about the French tendency to complain, critique and say “c’est pas mal,” and why that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re less happy. Instead, she’s beginning to see how much value the French place on enjoying the day that’s actually in front of them rather than constantly chasing what comes next. Plus, Kim shares her advice on the best time to visit the South of France and why June, September and October may be better choices than the peak summer months. Resources: Don't forget to subscribe, rate & review and follow us on Instagram @coucou.pod  Produced by NOVA

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4.8
out of 5
53 Ratings

About

coucou is a podcast inspired by life in France, the things we’re taught to want, and the growing realization that there may be other ways to live. Hosted by Kimberly Wheeler, an American living in the South of France, the show blends honest conversations, personal stories, cultural observations, and all the little things the French seem to approach differently about work, motherhood, relationships, food, beauty, ambition, and daily life. Some episodes are light and playful. Others go deeper into the pressures women quietly carry, the exhaustion of trying to do everything well, and what happens when you start questioning the life you thought you were supposed to want. Hopefully all of them leave you seeing your own life a little differently. New episodes every Thursday.

Information

  • Creator
    coucoupodcast
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    68
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © coucoupodcast
  • Show Website
    coucou

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