Avsnitt

  • Want to hear more?

    Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some places—you will have access to multiple bonus episodes every single month.

    You'll hear conversations that would never take place on the main show, you'll be part of our new chat community, you'll have access to Patreon-only content in addition to bonus episodes, and you'll be invited to join us for regular live meet-ups.

    But most importantly, you'll be doing your part to help keep this show alive—an independent podcast with no corporate support. (You'll also help keep it virtually ad-free!)

    Check our our Patreon page for all the details, and consider joining us at the $5 level or above. We are eternally grateful!

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • The difficulty is the point.

    How often have we been seduced into thinking that something we've never tried must be easy, simply because experts make it look that way?

    On this episode, we talk about the new things we've recently tried, and how often we underestimated how difficult they would be.

    As Katy dips her toes into the art of pottery, she learns that failing is a crucial part of the learning process.

    If you liked this episode, don't miss Episode 517: Could You Miss Discovering Your Passion?

    The stationery company Tiffany mentions in this episode is Paper and Cities.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • Saknas det avsnitt?

    Klicka här för att uppdatera flödet manuellt.

  • Want to hear more?

    Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some places—you will have access to multiple bonus episodes every single month.

    You'll hear conversations that would never take place on the main show, you'll be part of our new chat community, you'll have access to Patreon-only content in addition to bonus episodes, and you'll be invited to join us for regular live meet-ups.

    But most importantly, you'll be doing your part to help keep this show alive—an independent podcast with no corporate support. (You'll also help keep it virtually ad-free!)

    Check our our Patreon page for all the details, and consider joining us at the $5 level or above. We are eternally grateful!

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • If you've been dreaming of moving to Italy but thought it was impossible, your chance has finally arrived!

    Italy has just launched the so-called "Digital Nomad Visa" which enables non-EU-nationals who are self-employed or remote workers who derive their income entirely outside of Italy, the chance to live in Italy on a year-by-year basis.

    For Italaphiles and wannabe expats around the globe, this may just be a dream come true.

    Tiffany and Katy discuss the details of this new visa, what the requirements are, and if it's a good or a bad idea for Italy's economy.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • In a world that is becoming ever more homogenized, what sets places apart? What are the blaring indicators that communicate we are in a place vastly different from anywhere we've ever been before?

    After a magical and sometimes maddening week in Bali, Katy lays out the ways the island delighted and surprised her, the aspects that felt wholly different from what she is used to, and discusses with Tiffany how they compare with the cities of Rome and Seattle.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • What's it like to be a sociopath?

    This week's guest tells us. On this episode, Katy sits down with author and self-described sociopath Patric Gagne for a LIVE interview with audience at Seattle's Town Hall venue, whose recent book Sociopath has been acclaimed as a "fascinating, revelatory memoir revealing the author’s struggle to come to terms with her own sociopathy and shed light on the often maligned and misunderstood mental disorder."

    Hear from Patric about her experiences since childhood realizing that she didn't feel the same way other people did, what it was like to be diagnosed with this daunting disorder, and how she over came sociopathy to go on to have a life full of love and hope.

    Don't miss this fascinating author interview! Order Sociopath here or find it wherever you buy books. Find Patric Gagne on Instagram.

    This interview has been reaired on this podcast with permission of Town Hall Seattle.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • What happens when you go back to a city you used to live in after not stepping foot there for twenty years?

    Tiffany finds out on this episode.

    After spending some of the most formative years of her life, her univeristy and post-univeristy years, in Boston, she moved to Rome and never went back. Earlier this month, she finally got a chance to visit Boston again, now with a husband and son in tow, and on this episode we capture her reactions to how the city has changed and how it hasn't changed—and how her time there changed her.

    And it begs the age-old question: can you ever go home again?

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • Who knew that "going native" was a topic that would resonate so strongly with our listeners?

    We got so much feedback on this subject—both social media comments as well as voice messages—that we just had to share them with you, and of course, open the discussion back up! So many new ideas came up hearing your thoughts, so we weigh in on them as well.

    By the way, we love love love hearing from you, our loyal listeners! We invite you to share your thoughts on any of the many topics we cover on our (literally) hundreds of episodes. Email us here or better yet, you can send us a voice memo! (You can also send us a text or voice message on Instagram.) Who knows, we may just use your message on a future episode!

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    FOLLOW US: On Instagram and Facebook

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • What happens when an expat "goes native"? How long does it take, and is it inevitable? Is it a conscious choice or does it just happen?

    Today we chat about this idea, and Tiffany lays out the ways she has gone native—eschewing American culture and habits entirely in favor of Italian ones—as well as the aspects of Italian life that she staunchly resists and rejects, even after two decades in the country.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • Would you move across the world to a country without ever having been there?

    That's what this week's guest did. We sit down with Brie Ripley to talk about her decision to take a 4-year contract with the World Food Program, which meant a relocation to Rome—a city she had never even visited.

    She talks about the challenges of adjusting to life abroad as a brand-new expat, struggling to speak the language, searching for an apartment, missing her new husband who will be joining her soon, and quickly acquiring an unquenchable dependence on espresso.

    She also talks about what it was like to move her cats here, and how that came with its own set of challenges.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • An exciting discovery out of Rome has recently rocked the archeological community! We have the details on this week's episode.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • Last week we talked—among other things—about what it would be like if the year started in March, as it used to do in ancient Rome.

    This got us thinking about seasons and how they effect our lives.

    On this week's episode we talk about what we love about certain seasons, how where you live can vastly affect how you experience the seasons (and therefore which ones you prefer), and the drawbacks of living in a place without distinct seasons.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • Is early January—the deepest, bleakest, darkest moment of winter—really the best time to make New Year's Resolutions? Isn't early spring a more fortuitous time for new beginnings? (And did you know that March used to be the first month of the year?)

    We mull this and other season-related questions on this episode (including a check-in to see how Tiffany and Katy are getting on with their resolutions for this year).

    We also talk about what we love about certain seasons, how where you live can vastly affect how you experience the seasons (and therefore which ones you prefer), and the drawbacks of living in a place without distinct seasons.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • Today we explore a story of one woman whose family legacy—in particular her close relationship with her mother whom she lost suddenly to cancer—brought about a life pivot that she was never expecting.

    Kaila Merrill joins us today to tell her moving story, from growing up in tiny island town in northern Vermont to a carefree life on the beaches of Australia where she met her future husband, to her whirlwind wedding on Lake Como—one of the last joyful moments she was able to share with her mom—to realizing, while she greived her loss, that her destiny was to run an agrigurismo in Umbria with her Italian husband.

    Join us for this insightful, vulnerable, and touching interview.

    Stay at Kaila and her husband Ludovico's agritursimo, Poggio Belvedere, or let hem help you plan the most unforgettable Umbrian vacation at Vero in Italy.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • What if travel doesn't actually change you?

    A few weeks ago, we discussed this controversial idea, a conversation inspired by an essay in The New Yorker. (Make sure you listen to that episode first, because we had a lot to say on the topic!)

    It turns out, our listeners did too, as we got a lot of feedback on the subject. Today, we share some of it and dig even deeper into the topic.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • What makes a song a good road trip song? This is something Katy has been musing over for several years now.

    What better person to ask than a musician who has crossed the country on tour numerous times?

    This week, Katy sits down with musician and podcaster John Roderick to talk about the allure of the American road trip, as well as what you should listen to while you are doing it.

    John talks about his experience hitchhiking across the US as a recent high school graduate, and even hopping on a freight train, and how it sparked a love for overland travel. Now that his band touring days are over, he has begun taking road trips again, this time with his 90-year-old mother and his 12-year-old daughter.

    He also describes how, as a native Alaskan, the continental US often felt like a foreign country growing up and how that was one of the things that encouraged him to begin exploring the country. He also shares his simple strategy for introducing both order and randomness into a road trip, as well as taking you places you wouldn’t otherwise go.

    John Roderick is the co-host of Roderick on the Line and Omnibus with Ken Jennings. He is the lead singer and songwriter for The Long Winters and has also toured with the band Harvey Danger. You can find him on his website, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • Tell me about that trip that changed your life... and I'll tell you how you're lying to yourself.

    So claims a recent essay in The New Yorker titled The Case Against Travel. In it, author Agnes Callard makes some pretty bold and sweeping assertions, including that travel "turns us into the worst version of ourselves while convincing us that we’re at our best."

    Visiting a new place doesn't change the traveler, Callard argues, rather, the traveler changes the place.

    While there's certainly a nugget of unpleasant truth in that, the idea that travel simply cannot change you is something both Katy and Tiffany know from experience to be untrue. We discuss and debate the article's points and come away with our own conclusions.

    We'd love to hear your thoughts as will. Send your feedback here and we may share it on a future episode. And don't miss this probing discussion!

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • What makes a life meaningful? Can a meaningful death transform an otherwise meaningless life into a meaningful one?

    These are just a few of the many ideas touched on in this week's episode, an interview with poet and author Kaveh Akbar. He joins us this week to discuss his new book, Martyr!, released in January 2024 and already a New York Times bestseller. This story follows a "newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, who embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum."

    Listen in on this thought-provoking conversation, which explores so many interesting topics, including the difference between collective trauma and individual grief, how discovering his calling as a poet was, in his younger years, what he stayed alive for, and how a morning of writing can be as powerful as a hit of narcotics.

    We also continue our exploration of the limitations of languages that was kicked off on last week's episode (which was inspired by a line Katy read in this very book!).

    You can find Kaveh on his website or on Instagram. Martyr! is available on Amazon or where ever you buy books.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • A line from a new book by poet Kaveh Akbar sparks the idea for this episode: in a nutshell, does language have the capacity to truly express what we are trying to convey, or is there always something that can't be put into mere words?

    Is it true, as Akbar claims, that a photograph can describe what it was, but words can only describe what it was like?

    Also, when you speak two languages fluently, or live in two languages, do you naturally have a larger lexicon from which to draw when trying to express yourself? Or does it limit you? What about clichés? Why do we use them, and how do they translate?

    Listen to the end to hear some fun foreign words that mean very very specific things that have no equivalent in English. We also talk about our own personal writing tics, descriptive habits we can't stop using in our own writing.

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

  • How do we discover our passions? Is it a given that we will discover them at all?

    And where do they come from? Are they something we are born with and just need to be discovered within ourselves? Or are they triggered by something we are exposed to externally? Or is it a bit of both?

    Are there people with incredible innate talent for music or painting, walking around who will never know it because they never sit down at a piano or pick up a brush? Or will a remarkable talent always crop up sooner or later, bidden or unbidden?

    We don't have the answers to these questions, but it certainly makes for an interesting discussion. Listen in! And tell us what you think by sending us an email (or better yet, email us your thoughts recorded in a voice memo.)

    -------------------------------------

    ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

    BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

    TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue.

    START PODCASTING: If you are planning to start your own podcast, consider Libsyn for your hosting service! Use this affliliate link to get two months free, or use our promo code SWEET when you sign up.

    SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

    WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured!

    NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

    BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

    TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!