The returner support

Anais Ruel - Expert in life's transition

The Returner Support Podcast is the only space dedicated entirely to what it really means to come back home after living abroad. Here, we go beyond reverse culture shock, we talk about the messy, beautiful, confusing process of returning to your home country and rebuilding your life from the inside out. Whether you've just landed or have been back for months (or years), this is your space to feel seen, supported, and understood. You’ll find real talk, practical guidance, and gentle reminders that you’re not alone, and that what you’re feeling is valid. This podcast is here to help you make sense of your return, reconnect with who you are now, and create a life that actually feels like you not just a return to the past, but a leap into your next chapter. Because coming home is not the end of your adventure, it’s the beginning of a whole new one. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

  1. 69. Maybe You Didn’t Outgrow the Place… Maybe You Outgrew Who You Were There

    قبل ٤ أيام

    69. Maybe You Didn’t Outgrow the Place… Maybe You Outgrew Who You Were There

    You came back home after time abroad… and suddenly everything feels wrong. Your city.Your friendships.Your routines.Even yourself. You start thinking:“I’ve outgrown this place.” But what if the place isn’t the real problem? In this episode, I share a very personal reflection about friendship, emotional patterns, overgiving, identity shifts after traveling, and the uncomfortable realization that sometimes what we’ve actually outgrown… is the version of ourselves we keep repeating. I talk about: Why returning home can trigger deep emotional patterns The difference between truly outgrowing a place vs avoiding discomfort How overfunctioning and people-pleasing showed up in my friendships Why changing countries doesn’t automatically change your life The danger of losing connection to your vision How traveling abroad reveals the ways you’ve been showing up unconsciously Why clarity comes from self-honesty, not escaping This episode is for you if: You feel disconnected after returning home You keep fantasizing about leaving again You feel frustrated, stuck, lonely, or emotionally exhausted You’re questioning your friendships, your lifestyle, or your direction You know something needs to change… but you don’t know what Sometimes the next chapter doesn’t start with moving somewhere new.Sometimes it starts with finally seeing yourself clearly. Want personalized support for your return journey? Book a free 30-minute clarity call here: Here 🔗 Join the 20 days challenge Rise Up : Here 🔗Grab the Ebook Deep Dive : Here Follow me on Instagram for daily insights and support: @The returner support Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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  2. 67. We Are All Escaping: Travel, Home, Freedom, and the Truth We Avoid

    ١٠ فبراير

    67. We Are All Escaping: Travel, Home, Freedom, and the Truth We Avoid

    We love saying “I wasn’t escaping, I was finding myself.” But what if both are true? In this episode, I challenge the false opposition we keep living in:travel vs home, freedom vs stability, escaping vs finding yourself. Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: everyone is escaping something.Scrolling, traveling, working nonstop, relationships, movement, same pattern, different tools. This episode is for you if: You’ve lived abroad or moved countries and still feel restless Going back home feels heavy, small, or triggering You don’t know what you’re chasing anymore, just that something feels “off” You’re tired of choosing between extremes We talk about: Why travel and escape can coexist What “home” actually means (and why places won’t fix it) Why your home country is often your shadow The urge to leave as a trauma response, not intuition How staying with inner conflict creates real clarity Why belonging requires being seen, not disappearing This is not about convincing you to stay or leave.It’s about stopping the escape long enough to hear what you actually want. Want personalized support for your return journey? 🔗Book a free 30-minute clarity call: Here 🔗 Join the 20 days challenge Rise Up : Here 🔗Grab the Ebook Deep Dive : Here Follow me on Instagram for daily insights and support: @The returner support Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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  3. 65. Never Waste a Return: The Grief No One Warned You About

    ١٣ يناير

    65. Never Waste a Return: The Grief No One Warned You About

    Welcome to The Returner Support Podcast, the podcast for people who came back to their home country after a long time abroad and realized that nothing is simple anymore. I’m your host, Anaïs Ruel, life transition expert, and yes, probably the friend who says the things no one else dares to say during this phase of your life. In today’s episode, we talk about something most people avoid at all costs: How to never waste your return back home. This episode was inspired by a sentence I heard at a business event:“Never waste a good heartbreak.” And immediately, I knew,  the same applies to returning home. Because returning to your country is a heartbreak.And like any heartbreak, it comes with grief, shame, anger, loneliness, and the urge to escape. In this episode, I share: A very personal story about a relationship that ended, and how I avoided feeling the pain How distraction, busyness, and “fixing yourself” is often just emotional avoidance Why December was one of the heaviest months for me, and what it revealed How grief shows up as anger toward friends, places, men, and even your own country Why running to another country too fast is often emotional bypassing The dangerous belief that “I shouldn’t feel this way” Why returning home brings up old wounds you thought were healed How places hold emotional memory, and why your reaction is data, not a problem Why your country is not the issue, your filter is How grief softens your lens and changes how you see people, places, and yourself I share reflections inspired by the book Belonging, including this powerful idea:Grief is the current that carries us into our next becoming. This episode is not about fixing your life.It’s about feeling what you’ve been running from, so you don’t repeat it everywhere you go. Before you move again.Before you blame your country.Before you blame yourself. Want personalized support for your return journey? 🔗Book a free 30-minute clarity call here: Here 🔗Grab the Ebook Deep Dive : Here Follow me on Instagram for daily insights and support: @The returner support Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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  4. 64. How to Reflect, Reconnect to Your Desire, and Feel Alive Again Back Home

    ٣١‏/١٢‏/٢٠٢٥

    64. How to Reflect, Reconnect to Your Desire, and Feel Alive Again Back Home

    This end-of-year episode of The Returner Support Podcast is an invitation to slow down, reflect honestly, and stop shaming yourself for not being “where you should be.” If you’re back in your home country after time abroad, or even just visiting, and you feel heavy, lost, misunderstood, or disconnected from yourself, this episode is for you. We explore why December and January are not meant for big decisions or radical life plans, but for gentleness, truth, and deep reflection. We reframe winter as a necessary season, a pause that prepares the next chapter, rather than a sign that something is wrong. In this episode, you’ll hear about: How emotions like frustration, anger, and sadness point directly to unfulfilled desires How fear silently blocks action How to stop letting your past shape your present The power of acting from your future self instead of reacting from old wounds Real-life examples around friendships, values, family relationships... A concrete reflection practice using your photos and memories from the past year This episode is about reconnecting to what you truly desire, naming the fears that keep you stuck, and choosing, little by little, to move toward alignment instead of familiarity. A powerful listen to close the year with clarity, honesty, and self-compassion. Want personalized support for your return journey? Book a free 30-minute clarity call here: Here 🔗Grab the Ebook Deep Dive : Here Follow me on Instagram for daily insights and support: @The returner support Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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  5. 63. You could leave again… but what if that’s not the answer?

    ١٦‏/١٢‏/٢٠٢٥

    63. You could leave again… but what if that’s not the answer?

    You did everything “right”. You settled.You have friends.A job.A life you once dreamed of. And yet… something feels off. In this episode of The Returner Support Podcast, I speak directly to those quiet months after the move, whether you’re back in your home country or you decided to stay longer somewhere else. Not the honeymoon phase. Not the one-year milestone. But that in-between moment where the excitement fades and heavy emotions show up. I share my own experience of feeling deeply unfulfilled despite having “everything to be happy”, and the pattern many returners and long-term travelers repeat:when it gets uncomfortable, we leave. Again. We talk about: Why sadness often appears after things stabilize The urge to escape instead of staying with what we feel How travel can become an emotional avoidance pattern Why it’s dangerous to make big life decisions when you’re emotionally low The difference between living “fully” and constantly chasing novelty How to stop trying to fix yourself and start listening instead A simple journaling practice to create safety with your emotions This episode is an invitation to pause.To stop questioning your entire life just because you’re having a hard season.To sit with sadness instead of running from it. If you know someone who’s back home after years abroad, or stuck in the “should I stay or should I go” loop, share this episode with them. And if you want deeper support, I currently have limited 1:1 coaching spots.DM me on Instagram and let’s talk. Follow me on Instagram for daily insights and support: @The returner support Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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  6. 62. Sitting in the Disappointment: The Part of Coming Home No One Admits Out Loud

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    62. Sitting in the Disappointment: The Part of Coming Home No One Admits Out Loud

    In this episode, we’re going straight into a topic almost every returner feels but barely anyone names out loud: disappointment. The disappointment you feel when you come back to your home country and nothing looks like you imagined. The people don’t ask the questions you hoped for. The connections feel different. The life you thought you were coming back to… isn’t there. I share a personal story from my own dating life, not because it’s dramatic, but because it shows exactly how disappointment shows up in different areas of our lives. The return. The relationships. The expectations. The desire to protect yourself. The urge to skip the process and run straight to the “good part.” We explore why disappointment hits so hard when you return home, what it reveals about what you truly want, and how to actually hold yourself through it without numbing, rushing, or blaming. If you’ve been back home and you’re feeling let down, by people, by circumstances, or even by yourself, this episode will make you feel less alone and help you see your disappointment for what it really is: information, not a failure. Want personalized support for your return journey? Book a free 30-minute clarity call here: Here 🔗Grab the Ebook Deep Dive : Here Follow me on Instagram for daily insights and support: @The returner support Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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حول

The Returner Support Podcast is the only space dedicated entirely to what it really means to come back home after living abroad. Here, we go beyond reverse culture shock, we talk about the messy, beautiful, confusing process of returning to your home country and rebuilding your life from the inside out. Whether you've just landed or have been back for months (or years), this is your space to feel seen, supported, and understood. You’ll find real talk, practical guidance, and gentle reminders that you’re not alone, and that what you’re feeling is valid. This podcast is here to help you make sense of your return, reconnect with who you are now, and create a life that actually feels like you not just a return to the past, but a leap into your next chapter. Because coming home is not the end of your adventure, it’s the beginning of a whole new one. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.