Hopefully you will find this episode with Marilyn Gardner soul-nourishing!

Host Doreen Cumberford welcomes Marilyn Gardner for a deep dive into the rhythms, challenges, and beauty of leading a global, nomadic life. Marilyn shares her experiences of moving through 36 homes across continents, the lessons found in both anticipation and nostalgia, and the journey of finding "places that light you up", even when you never fully feel that you belong.

Together, Doreen and Marilyn explore what it means to create a sense of home, the balance of looking forward and living in the present, the raw realities of repatriation, and how physical space, community, and personal rituals play into our sense of belonging.

Marilyn provides practical wisdom for listeners who might be struggling to feel “lit up” in their current location, offering advice from her personal toolkit.

Key Discussion Highlights

• The Constant Rhythm of Global Mobility: Marilyn and Doreen reflect on the repetitive cycles of moving, leaving, and adapting to new cultures—but also the subtle grief that comes with each departure.
• Anticipation vs. Presence: The duo discusses the necessity of anticipation in uprooting one’s life, but also the need to avoid “wishing your life away,” learning instead to fully enter the present.
• Repatriation & Loss of Structure: How the predictable cycles of expat life can dissolve when moving “home,” leaving many feeling adrift and forcing a re-creation of rhythm.
• Finding Places that Light You Up: Marilyn shares the story behind her most recent move—to a beloved coastal town in Massachusetts—and the deep peace it brings her after decades of movement.
• Homesickness and Identity: The conversation gets real about the physical and emotional signs of when a place doesn’t align: homesickness, depression, and even weight changes.
• Living Well Where You Don’t Belong: Marilyn provides practical tools for crafting a sense of home: cultivating tolerance for ambiguity, creating special spaces, honoring your story with meaningful objects, and finding “your people.”
• Privilege and Perspective: Gratitude for the privilege of choice and opportunity travel is balanced with an awareness of the millions who are displaced and longing for home.
• Courage in Uprooting: Marilyn honors the tremendous courage it takes to begin again—reminding us, through the metaphor of transplanting a fig tree, that it can take years to bear fruit after a big move.

Practical Takeaways

• Physical Signs to Watch For: If you feel weighed down, restless, or constantly homesick, pay attention—your body and mind may be telling you you’re out of sync with your environment.
• Create Micro-Homes: Surround yourself with objects that reflect your story and bring comfort, no matter where you are.
• Find Your People: Seek out communities or individuals who share your background or who “understand the in-between.”
• Cultivate Gratitude: List three things daily you’re grateful for, and recognize what’s beyond your control.
• Allow Yourself Time: It may take years to feel at home in a new place—just like a transplanted tree, growth takes patience.

Follow Marilyn at: https://www.instagram.com/marilyngard5/

or https://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/

Resources Mentioned

• The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
• The Island of Missing Trees - Elif Shafak
• The Art o

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Home is Where Your Story Crosses Borders!

We aim to inspire expat solutions, by helping you navigate global living with Confidence.

In this episode, Doreen Cumberford welcomes welcomes Mathieu Gagnon, an Adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK) and Professor of Psychology at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario specializing in the emotional experiences of third culture kids (TCKs), expats, and people in global transitions.

Mathieu's international upbringing as the son of a Canadian diplomat took him from Paris to Morocco, the Ivory Coast, Haiti, Switzerland, and back to Canada. Together, they dive deep into the emotional landscape of third culture kids (TCKs): from the privileges and the hidden losses, to the impacts of nostalgia and awe, and how these shape our sense of belonging, well-being, and self-continuity.

Key Topics

• Mathieu’s Third Culture Kid Journey
  • Childhood across multiple continents due to his father's diplomatic career
  • Challenges and privileges of growing up globally
  • Repatriation to Canada and the long road to understanding identity
• TCK Characteristics & Challenges
  • Issues with belonging and identity
  • The deeper, sometimes ineffable sense of rootlessness
  • Hidden losses, grief, and the ongoing process of adaptation
  • Resilience in children and advice for TCK parents: normalize and process complex emotions
• The Power of Nostalgia
  • Nostalgia as a bridge from loss to love
  • Its dual nature: potential to heal or to keep us stuck in the past
  • How nostalgia fosters social connection and builds meaning in life
  • The concept of self-continuity and how nostalgia can reinforce it
• Awe: More Than “Awesome”
  • Definition of awe and its complexity — both positive and terrifying
  • How awe is especially present in the TCK experience due to exposure to vast new environments and cultures
  • The benefits of cultivating awe: increased meaning, social connection, and even physical well-being
  • Awe as a practice for everyone, not just TCKs
• Advice for Parents Raising TCKs
  • Children are highly resilient, but struggle is normal
  • Don’t shy away from talking about the hard things and complex feelings
  • Be open about sadness; allow space to grieve loss and change together

Memorable Quotes

• “Nostalgia is a bridge from loss to love.”
• “Sadness means love… you never feel sad about something you don’t care about.”
• “Awe is a midpoint between deep interest and fascination — and fear.”
• “We get our stories right, and awe and nostalgia help us make sense of this nomadic life.”

Resources

• Contact Mathieu Gagnon: gagnonpsy@gmail.com
• TCK Research Podcast:
• Key Research, Books, and Concepts:
• Third Culture Kids (TCKs): The core theme of the episode, referring to children raised in a culture different from their parents’ and/or the culture of their country of nationality.
• Ruth Van Reken: Referenced as an authority on TCKs and quoted for her insight, "I was encouraged, but never comforted."
• Van Tilburg’s research on nostalgia: Matthieu quotes a phrase from this researcher, "nostalgia is a bridge from loss to love," and mentions recent scholarly work examining
• Doreen Cumberford: Host, author, and global transition expert

Connect with Us:
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe! Have a story or a question for us? We’d love to hear from you—message us at Nomadic Diaries.
Sayonara until next time!

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Home is Where Your Story Crosses Borders!

We aim to inspire expat solutions, by helping you navigate global living with Confidence.

Episode Summary: In this insightful episode of Nomadic Diaries, Doreen sits down with Autumn Carolyn—world traveler, writer, and author of Traveling in Wonder—to talk about the realities of moving abroad, the impact of travel on our senses, the power of reflection, and the process of returning home after years overseas.

Autumn shares heartfelt stories from her time living in England and traveling to 30 countries before turning 30, as well as her experience with reverse culture shock and rediscovering a sense of home in Minnesota.

Key Highlights:

• Common Misconceptions About Moving Abroad:
  Autumn discusses the often-overlooked challenges of culture shock, even in English-speaking countries like England, and how simple things (like transportation) can be surprisingly disorienting.
• Travel as a Sensory Experience:
  The chapters in her book are longer for the places she loved most—proof, she says, of how deeply our senses shape our memories.
• The Gift of Noticing:
  Autumn shares her practice of intentional noticing—stopping to ask what she can see, hear, and smell in a moment—which amplifies the vividness of her experiences abroad and, she says, increases peace and presence.
• Goals vs. Growth:
  While her “30 countries by 30” goal kept her moving, Autumn explains that the true value lies not in the numbers but in the transformative experiences and self-growth that travel brings.
• On Reflection and Empathy:
  Keeping a journal helped her process and find deeper meaning in her travels. She describes how living in different cultures has made her more empathetic and skilled at connecting with people from all backgrounds.
• Reverse Culture Shock:
  Autumn is candid about the challenges of coming home—missing the friends and routines from abroad, sharing memories with those who weren't there, and grappling with the urge to get back on a plane.
• Advice for Aspiring Travelers:
  She encourages listeners to start with “bite-sized adventures”—whether that’s exploring a new grocery store or a nearby town—especially if international travel feels daunting.

Where to Find Autumn’s Book:

• https://www.youtube.com/autumncarolynnphotography
• www.autumncarolynn.com
• https://www.facebook.com/autumncarolynnphotography
• https://www.instagram.com/autumncarolynnphotography

Connect with Us:
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe! Have a story or a question for us? We’d love to hear from you—message us at Nomadic Diaries.

Sayonara until next time!

Support the show

Home is Where Your Story Crosses Borders!

We aim to inspire expat solutions, by helping you navigate global living with Confidence.