The Bittersweet Life Podcast

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The Bittersweet Life Podcast

Created by a Public Radio veteran, this show is honest, intimate, full of curiosity and questioning. Company for expats, former expats and dreamers.

01/06/2026

🎧NEW EPISODE! 🎧

Picture it: you dreamed of moving abroad for years, and you’ve finally done it! You are settling into your new country, and just starting to get the swing of things, with exciting travel plans with your partner on the horizon.

But what happens when your friends back home start to come visit... too often?
What happens when nearly every weekend you become hostess, tour guide, and chef all rolled into one?

We all love seeing our friends from back home—especially when we live far away—but is there too much of a good thing? Is it bad to want some space and freedom to travel without the constant stress of hosting guests? Or should we just be grateful they want to see us?

This week, we discuss a letter we received from an anonymous listener who recently moved abroad, and is finding herself inundated with overnight guests nearly every other weekend? Is it ok for her to tell them, “you’re welcome to visit once, but after that, please stay in a hotel?” Or is that unbearably rude?

We share our thoughts on this potentially sticky topic on this all-new episode.

Please share your thoughts as well! Send us a written email here, or even better, record your comments on a voice memo, and email that to us instead! If we get enough of a response, we may do a follow-up episode!

🎧 Listen to Episode 631 {When Living Abroad Equals Too Many Visitors} by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: tinyurl.com/3mjayyj2

📱PS Be sure to subscribe to the show to never miss an episode!

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29/05/2026

The most fulfilling travel cannot be found on any check-list.

This is your official invitation to trash the travel “must-dos” and let the place you’re visiting simply reveal itself to you. You might just find that the best travel experiences come when you ignore the influencers and allow the city itself to lead you.

By the way, if you crave thoughtful, meaningful and “non-influenced” travel, join us on our intimate Rome listener trip in November 2026! Comment ROME for more information!

🎧 Listen to Bittersweet Moment 245 {The Best Travel Moments Are not on a Check-list} by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: apple.co/4dWPZyB

📱PS Be sure to subscribe to the show to never miss an episode!

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20/05/2026

ICYMI last week’s mini-episode is a MUST-LISTEN for anyone planning a trip to Rome in the near future!

Your big Rome trip is coming up and all you can see on social media are terrifying videos of massive crowds filling every street, piazza, and museum. Did you make a mistake planning a trip to Rome in high season?

Not to fear! Most tourists will never find them, but there are pockets of Rome and entire neighborhoods—one more beautiful than the next—that are completely devoid of crowds. Even in the highest of high season.

Tiffany shares these delightfully quiet Roman neighborhoods on this mini-episode, and reveals the fascinating cultural sites that can be visited there. If you want to have Rome all to yourself, this episode is a must-listen!

Thinking of joining us on our intimate Rome listener trip in November 2026? DM us for more information or click the link in our profile!

🎧 Listen to Bittersweet Moment 244 {Escape the Crowds in Rome’s Quiet Neighborhoods} by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: apple.co/4tLTcae

📱PS Be sure to subscribe to the show to never miss an episode!

🎙️Follow us at and

20/05/2026

👀 Bonus episode sneak peek!

On this week’s bonus episode, we update our Patreon supporters on a bunch of personal stories. How is the new Roman puppy working out? What’s happening with Tiffany’s piano-fueled feud with her upstairs neighbor? And does Katy’s book have a release date yet?

This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode that drops today, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.

Want to hear the whole episode and many many more like it?

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, you’ll be invited to join us for live meet-ups, and you’ll get to enjoy ad-free listening!

🎧 Listen to this preview by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: apple.co/4ulN8pT

📱To hear the full episode, join us on Patreon by clicking the link in our bio, or right here: patreon.com/thebittersweetlifepodcast

18/05/2026

🎧NEW EPISODE! 🎧

Psychic mediums believe in a lot of things that can’t be seen or touched, but rather only sensed, so it makes sense that they would be on board when it comes to the idea of manifestation.

But Katy is a skeptic at the school of manifestation, so she sits down with direct-voice psychic medium Felix Lee Lerma, for an impromptu debate on the meaning of the term, and if it really does what its proponents claim it does.
Don’t miss this friendly but no-holds-barred debate!

And if Felix’s voice is familiar, that’s because this is not his first time on The Bittersweet Life! Felix joined us way back in 2019, just before the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, to give a live reading on the show to one of our listeners. If you missed that episode, we recently replayed it on one of our Bittersweet Past archive episodes, titled: When in Doubt, Ask a Psychic Medium. Be sure to go back and listen to that episode if you haven’t heard it.

🎧 Listen to Episode 629 {The Great Manifesting Debate} by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: apple.co/3RKPnoa

📱PS Be sure to subscribe to the show to never miss an episode!

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👋 Find this week’a guest here:

11/05/2026

🎧NEW EPISODE! 🎧

Lots of Americans move abroad to a lower-cost-of-living country in hopes of making their salary stretch further. And if they manage to continue earning an American salary from abroad (even a modest one), they can go on to lead prosperous and comfortable lives far beyond what would be possible in the States.

But what happens when they decide it’s time to move home?

A recent article in the New York Times, They Went Abroad to Save Money. Moving Back Seems Unaffordable looks at this conundrum, and we continue the discussion by musing on the article and its subjects, as well as scrutinizing Tiffany’s lifestyle as a long-time expat. (Could SHE afford to move back to the States?)

And is this all just an issue of people blind to their privilege who don’t want to give up their cushier lifestyle?

Be sure to weigh in with your thoughts, especially if you are an expat who has moved back home (a repat, like Katy).

🎧 Listen to Episode 628 {When Moving Abroad Makes Coming Home Unaffordable} by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: apple.co/4dcAUsh

📱PS Be sure to subscribe to the show to never miss an episode!

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09/05/2026

📻 From the Vault!

On this episode from our archives, we tell a true story of corruption, evil, and avarice about the most unscrupulous pope in history and his nefarious children.

🎧 Listen to The Bittersweet Past: The Borgias: The Original Crime Family
by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: apple.co/4uHxy7Z

📱PS Be sure to subscribe to the show to never miss an episode!

🎙️Follow us at and

08/05/2026

Have you ever dated someone while living in a foreign country? Maybe even fallen in love?

We want to hear your story! Share it in the comments or better yet, send us a DM or an email! We might just use your story on a follow-up episode!

this week we sat down with dating and relationship coach (and Italian expat in London) to talk all about the world of international dating and love.

We chat about topics like: How does dating differ when you’re not on your home turf? Is it better to date fellow expats or locals? And most importantly, what are the mistakes that expats often make while in the world of dating?

🎧Don’t miss Episode 627 {The Challenge of Finding Love as an Expat} Find it by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: apple.co/4dodwt5

📱PS Be sure to subscribe to the show to never miss an episode!

🎙️Follow us at and

06/05/2026

👀 Bonus episode sneak peek!

Tiffany’s household has been shaken up by a surprising new family member. What do you think? Are you surprised? 🐶

This bonus episode is available exclusively to our Patreon supporters.

🎧 Listen to this preview by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: apple.co/3RoRa24

📱To hear the full episode, join us on Patreon by clicking the link in our bio, or right here: patreon.com/thebittersweetlifepodcast

05/05/2026

When it comes to expat challenges, sometimes finding your dream apartment or securing gainful employment aren’t the biggest

Sometimes finding a partner when you’re in a completely foreign culture is the hardest challenge of all.

This week we’re joined by expat relationship coach Maddalena Vario, herself an Italian in the UK, to discuss what makes looking for love in foreign country particularly challenging—and finding it so rewarding.

🎧Don’t miss Episode Episode 627 {The Challenge of Finding Love as an Expat} Find it by clicking the link in our profile or simply by searching for wherever you get your podcasts.

👉Or find it here: apple.co/4dodwt5

📱PS Be sure to subscribe to the show to never miss an episode!

🎙️Follow us at and

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