The Places We Call Home podcast
When I moved to the United States for the first time, I had no idea how much it would stretch me, soften me, undo me, and rebuild me.
I’ve relocated six times now, and every move has taught me something about courage, belonging, and the quiet work of creating a life from scratch.
The Places We Call Home is the podcast I wish I had during those early years — a place for expat and immigrant women who are navigating homesickness, culture shock, loneliness, friendship, identity, and the long, tender process of starting over in the USA.
I created this space for women like us — women who have left the familiar behind and are learning how to belong again. Here, we talk honestly about the emotional side of moving abroad: the friendships that don’t work out, the moments you feel invisible, the ache for home, the joy of small wins, and the surprising ways we grow when we’re pushed into a new life.
You’ll hear real stories from global women who have rebuilt their lives across borders, as well as my own reflections on what it means to be an expat woman in America — the challenges, the reinvention, the resilience, and the unexpected beauty of it all.
If you’re trying to make friends in the U.S., if you’re wrestling with identity, if you’re rebuilding your confidence, or if you’re simply trying to understand who you are in this new place, this podcast will sit with you in that journey. You’re not behind. You’re not alone. You’re becoming — and you’re doing it with more courage than you realize.
Subscribe to The Places We Call Home on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Take me with you on your walks, your commutes, your quiet evenings, and those moments when the ache of “elsewhere” feels a little too loud.
This is your space. Your story matters here.
The Places We Call Home podcast
#61. 3 Things That Happen the Moment You Move Abroad (That No One Talks About)
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A grounded conversation on cultural roots, status loss, and the courage it takes to build a life that actually fits you.
In this episode, we get into the real, unpolished truth of what happens when you move abroad and suddenly find your identity being questioned or misunderstood.
My guest, Manuelita Antonio Rangel Sosa is a Venezuelan American artist, architect, designer, mother, and founder — and her story will feel familiar to anyone who has ever had to rebuild themselves in a new country.
We talk about cultural roots, the quiet “status loss” that happens in America, the humor you need to survive it, and the courage it takes to build the life no one is going to hand you.
What we cover:
- How cultural roots keep you steady when the world misreads you
- The subtle hierarchies immigrant women run into in the U.S.
- Humor as a way to push back when people question your belonging
- Why so many immigrant women end up creating the jobs no one will give them
- What “home” becomes when you’ve lived more years abroad than back home
- A practical gift for the woman who has just landed with two suitcases and a passport
Key takeaways
- Cultural roots aren’t nostalgia — they’re stability.
- Thriving abroad requires emotional intelligence, humor, and a defiant mindset.
- Empowerment abroad is about audacity: you carve the path yourself.
If this episode resonates, share it with another woman building a life abroad.
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