Written by It’s not everyday an already expat gets married and find out that being an EFM means you get some new privileges but also lose a few in countries without bilateral work agreements. It that change is combined with a global pandemic and pivot to doing a lot more online than we ever did before, you […]
October 2022 marks the 10 year anniversary of the founding of Trailing Houses – the unofficial Facebook Group of the Foreign Service. Affectionately known as THOTUS, the group now numbers at around 23,000 members. Since its inception as a way for a few EFMs from Kathmandu to keep in touch after departing post, it’s grown […]
Christine knows firsthand what a huge effect packout and delivery can have on your leaving and landing when posted abroad or returning home. In this interview, she recalls when she identified gaps in support during her first international move and describes how she came to create a business to fill that need. Now dubbed as […]
Lara Center describes some of the changes she’s seen in EFM careers and service over her 20+ year as a diplomatic accompanying partner. Hear her adventures volunteering to preserve the cultural heritage of the countries she’s served in, and the ways she’s overcome the lack of bilateral work agreements and a desire to find her […]
Marcelle Yeager has the ultimate entrepreneurial superpower: tackling a lot all at once and with good results. While earning her MBA, she researched how to continue her career while moving around the world for her spouse’s job. Since then, she’s started two companies — Serving Talent and Career Valet. Listen to Marcelle talk about embracing […]
Mary Jane talks about Mayan Archaeology, running around the world and pursuing a career that wouldn’t normally be considered portable. Listen to her talk about the pros and cons of life as an independent scholar and what it’s like to manage a major project from the other side of the world. Mary Jane Acuña is […]
Diana Argueta is an artist and activist who has found a way to blend passion and purpose as a creative entrepreneur. She uses her art to raise awareness and uses her sales to support improving the lives of elephants. In this interview, we explore the creativity that can come from constraints, the self-doubt of starting […]
Leslie DeGrande is a trainer and yoga therapist, which is a long way from her initial training in Museum Studies. In this interview, she shares how a series of closed doors on her career path led her to do something she loves: help people reduce their pain, get unstuck (physically & emotionally), and move with […]
In this episode, I talk with William Martin, the foreign-born spouse of a US Foreign Service member about balancing two careers by trading off whose career is prioritized at each post, the ups and downs of work as a US Personal Services Contractor, the perils of not writing your own story, and how he has […]
Briana Wooten is a first-time EFM, among many other roles. As she finishes her first tour, we reflect on the wild ride of trying on new roles and embracing opportunities. Briana shows us how to balance work and creativity while offering ourselves the “space and grace” to grow in the process. BIOBriana Wooten considers herself […]