Expecting Expats

About Expecting Expats

Welcome to Expecting Expats- a space where we’re expecting more than just babies—join Amanda, a childbirth educator and doula & CJ, a therapist , as they explore parenting, identity, emotional growth, and the journey of building a life in a new country.

Publisher

Hosts Amanda and CJ

Category

kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Oct 2022

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

92 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   The Mental Load of Kids' Clothes: Seasons, Systems & Sanity

   Kids’ clothes. Seasonal changes. Hand-me-downs. Rain pants. And… somehow an enormous amount of mental energy. 😂 On the surface, swapping your children’s clothes from one season to the next sounds simple. But then come the questions: What still fits? Do we have rain pants? Where are the winter shoes? What needs replacing? What should we save for the younger sibling? It’s not just the clothes. It’s the mental load. In this episode of Expecting Expats, Amanda and CJ talk about the invisible planning, remembering, anticipating and decision-making that comes with changing your children’s wardrobes — and why this can feel even more complicated when you’re raising kids abroad. We talk about: 👕 Why the seasonal clothes swap is a whole project
🧠 What the mental load actually is
🇩🇪 The expat layer — including German Kita requirements and the infamous Regenhose!
👧👦 Hand-me-downs, siblings & storage
🛍️ Sustainability vs. reality
💬 Whether a fair partnership really means 50/50
❤️ Why recognition of invisible work matters
📅 Small systems that can make recurring tasks easier And then there’s the emotional load. Because packing away tiny clothes isn’t just about clothes. It’s also a reminder that your child has grown, another season has passed, and time is moving very, very quickly. 🥹 💡 Our takeaway You don’t have to solve the entire mental load in one conversation. But noticing it is a start. Talk about what you’re each carrying. Make the invisible visible. Recognize the work that isn’t immediately obvious. And find small systems that make recurring tasks easier. And if you’re currently surrounded by tiny sweaters, rain pants and piles of clothes that no longer fit… we see you. 😂❤️ 🔗 Resources & Recommendations 🧠 Mental Load / Equal Care Test
Make invisible care work visible and start a conversation about how mental load is distributed. Available in English and German.
👉 https://mental-load-test.org/en/start/ (mental-load-test.org (https://mental-load-test.org/en/start/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) 📖 CJ’s recommendation: Attached
Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller explores adult attachment styles and how they can influence romantic relationships.
👉 https://amirlevinemd.com/books/attached/ (Amir Levine, MD (https://amirlevinemd.com/books/attached/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) 🎧 Amanda’s recommendation: In the Dark
Amanda is hooked on In the Dark from The New Yorker. Their current series, The Journey, investigates a mysterious California couple and a shocking surrogacy story.
👉 https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/the-journey (The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/the-journey?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) 🌍 Amanda’s Work — Mindful Mama
English-language pregnancy, birth and early-parenthood support for international families in Frankfurt and online.
👉 https://www.mindfulmamafrankfurt.com/ (Mindful Mama (https://www.mindfulmamafrankfurt.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) ❤️ CJ’s Work — Worlds Apart Counseling
CJ (Camilla Jensen) works with expat and international couples and families around communication, relationship patterns and cross-cultural challenges.
👉 https://worldsapartcounseling.com 💕 About Expecting Expats Expecting Expats is a podcast for expat parents navigating pregnancy, parenthood, relationships, identity and family life abroad. We’re here for the messy, funny, beautiful and sometimes overwhelming parts of raising a family away from home. Thanks for being part of our community! ❤️

2. 

   23 Sept 2026

   About Letting Go: Watching Our Kids Grow Up Abroad

   Watching your kids grow up is one of those beautiful contradictions of parenthood: you can be incredibly proud of who they’re becoming while also quietly wishing you could freeze time. In this episode of Expecting Expats, Amanda and CJ have an honest, emotional conversation about the bittersweet experience of letting go as our children become more independent — and how that experience can feel even more complicated when you’re raising kids abroad. Amanda shares what it was like to say goodbye as her nine-year-old son flew to Madrid on a school trip — his first time travelling abroad without his parents. What should have been a moment of excitement and pride also brought a surprising amount of grief and anxiety as Amanda realized that her little boy is becoming a big kid. CJ reflects on her own smaller, everyday moments of letting go, from watching her four-year-old confidently navigate a doctor's appointment to realizing that her almost-three-year-old can do far more independently than she sometimes gives him credit for. Together, they talk about: 💕 The emotional rollercoaster of watching our children become more independent ✈️ Why a school trip abroad can feel like such a huge milestone 😭 How two things can be true at the same time — we can be proud and heartbroken, excited and scared 🍼 Why milestones like weaning can unexpectedly bring up feelings about our children growing up 🇩🇪 How parenting in Germany can encourage independence from a young age 🌍 The unique expat experience of raising children who may one day feel at home in multiple countries 🏡 What it means to be a “safe harbor” that our children can always return to 👣 Learning to support our children's independence without hovering 💭 The identity shifts that happen for us as our children need us in different ways 👀 The unique experience of being the people who hold the memories of our children's childhood when extended family lives far away ❤️ Learning to grieve the little versions of our children while making space for who they're becoming One of the biggest reminders from this conversation is that letting go isn't one single moment — it's a lifelong rhythm. Our children will continue to need us, but the way they need us will change. And perhaps that's the heart of parenting: helping them feel secure enough to go out into the world while knowing they always have somewhere safe to come home to. 🎧 What We're Listening To Amanda recommends:
How to Let Go of What You Can't Control and Redirect Your Energy — Mel Robbins Podcast CJ recommends:
Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés 💕 Connect With Amanda Amanda Graybill is a childbirth educator and birth doula supporting international families through pregnancy, birth and early parenthood in Frankfurt and beyond. Through Mindful Mama, Amanda offers English-language childbirth education, GentleBirth and other support for international families. 🌐 mindfulmamafrankfurt.com (https://www.mindfulmamafrankfurt.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Amanda's work includes online and in-person support for international families, including childbirth education and pregnancy/parenting support. 💕 Connect With CJ CJ / Camilla Jensen is a couples counselor specializing in expat and international couples. Through Worlds Apart Counseling, CJ offers support to couples navigating relationships, connection and the unique challenges that can come with building a life abroad. 🌐 Worlds Apart Counseling (https://www.worldsapartcounseling.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) You can learn more about CJ's work and book a session through her website.

3. 

   9 Sept 2026

   Summer Catch-Up: Travel, Family Chaos & Finding Your Way Back To Routine

   Summer is (almost) over, and we're back in Frankfurt! ☀️🍂 In this lighthearted summer catch-up episode of Expecting Expats, Amanda and CJ sit down to share what their summers actually looked like—from family trips and international travel to summer camps, weddings, World Cup fever, and the very real exhaustion that comes with travelling with kids. CJ spent much of the summer at her family's holiday house in Sweden before heading to Denmark, while Amanda packed in trips to Valencia, Amsterdam and Utrecht, plus a children's sailing course back in Germany. Needless to say, neither summer was exactly restful! We chat about the joys (and challenges!) of travelling with children, including putting kids into a Spanish summer camp for the first time, navigating cultural differences around mealtimes and bedtime, and discovering that sometimes… home really is where the pretzels are. 🥨 We also talk about the reality of having young children at home during the long summer break—with no school or daycare—and why getting back to a regular routine can feel like such a relief for parents. But summer wasn't all chaos. We reflect on our summer bucket lists, the spontaneous moments that ended up being some of our favourites, and the things we want to carry with us into autumn. For CJ, that's the cosy feeling of Swedish summers and spending time in nature. For Amanda, it's making more room for fun and spontaneity while letting go of some of that summer FOMO. And because autumn feels a little bit like a new year when you're a parent, we also look ahead to what's coming next—including CJ's exciting new chapter as a certified couples counsellor. In this episode, we talk about: What a summer of expat family life really looks like Travelling around Europe with young children Spending the summer in Sweden, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands Putting children into a Spanish summer camp for the first time The challenges (and unexpected joys) of navigating different cultures Why Spanish family events happening at 10pm can be a shock to the system! The never-ending work of feeding and entertaining children during school holidays The relief of getting back to school, daycare and regular routines Our summer bucket lists—and whether we actually completed them Summer nights, World Cup fever and spontaneous adventures The funny ways our children develop a sense of belonging Why sometimes home is where the pretzels are 🥨 What we want to leave behind and carry into the autumn Embracing cosy autumn vibes and making plans to get through the winter CJ's new chapter as a certified couples therapist Podcast Recommendations This episode's recommendations include: Two Cents Podcast – A witty and honest podcast about the experience of living life in Germany as African women. Camp Shame – A documentary-style, true-crime-ish podcast about a children's weight-loss camp. Definitely one for a particular mood! A little reminder for fellow expat parents Sometimes a holiday isn't actually a holiday. Travelling with children can mean cooking, cleaning, managing bedtime, navigating unfamiliar places and keeping everyone entertained—just in a different location. But that doesn't mean the memories aren't worth it. Whether your summer was full of adventures or mostly involved trying to keep everyone fed and alive, we hope this episode reminds you that you're not the only one figuring it out as you go. Thanks for joining us for this little summer update. We're so happy you're here❤️ More from Amanda & CJ 🌍 CJ — Worlds Apart Counseling CJ is a couples therapist who works with expat and international couples, helping partners navigate the unique challenges that can come with building a relationship and family across cultures. 👉 Worlds Apart Counseling (https://www.worldsapartcounseling.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) 🌿 Amanda — Mindful Mama Frankfurt Amanda is a childbirth educator and doula offering childbirth education and support for international families in Frankfurt, with classes available in English. 👉 Mindful Mama Frankfurt (https://www.mindfulmamafrankfurt.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

14 ratings

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