Holding the Fort Abroad Podcast

Parenting Together/Family Apart But Together

#75 How to: Frequent Business Travel, Parenting and Partnership – with Daniela Draugelis

Synopsis: As the spouse of a World bank executive for over 30 years, Daniela Draugelis has experienced firsthand the unique challenges and growth that come with raising a family while navigating extended work travel, often more than 100 days a year. Daniela is an intercultural trainer, a certified professional coach and cultural intelligence facilitator with…

#73 Expatriation, Repatriation and Commuting: Behind the Scenes of Expat Life – with Karlijn Jacobs

Synopsis: Karlijn Jacobs supports organisations to enhance the success of international relocations through a family centered approach. She is the world’s first ombudsperson for international children and families.Today we’re going to be speaking about what she does at Expat Valley, and we’re also going to hear a bit of her story of a time when…

#69 Takeaways from 3 years of conversations on living geographically apart – with Rhoda Bangerter

Synopsis: In this anniversary episode, we celebrate the third anniversary of the Holding the Fort Abroad podcast! With 66+ episodes, the podcast carves a unique space in the global podcast landscape. The podcast explores the realities and nuances of split location family life and life when one of you is a frequent business traveller. The…

#67 How to improve communication for families living apart – with Kathleen Smith

Synopsis In this episode, we explore how the C-Me Color profile can enhance communication and understanding for those living apart or frequently traveling.We have the pleasure of hearing from Kathleen Smith, the membership director of Families in Global Transitions and the founder of Global Grandmas. Kathleen brings a wealth of experience in assisting families in…

#65 How to create psychological safety – with Elizabeth Vahey Smith

Synopsis: Elizabeth Vahey Smith is back to talk about trauma informed leadership. Find out practical tips for parents on how to engage with their children when witnessing heightened emotional responses, ensuring the child feels heard and understood. We give examples about how that could happen when a parent is away for work. Elizabeth gives insights…

#62 How to be a strong family when miles apart – with Rhoda Bangerter

Synopsis: How do families stay together when work takes them away from each other? Wellbeing, Partnership, Parenting Together, Smooth Transitions and Emergency Preparedness: strengthen these five pillars. After I describe the pillars, I go through how you can use this framework if you are the one travelling, you are the one with the children, you…

holding-the-fort-abroad-podcast

Welcome to Holding the Fort Abroad, the podcast about frequent business travel and working away from home:

Holding the Fort Abroad is about sharing creative ways families have found to maintain relationships when a partner and/or parent works away from home a lot and how the non-travelling partner juggles the roles of home and their own pursuits. I interview expats who have experience, therapists and researchers and share my own tools for this life journey. Even if you don’t have a travelling partner, you will find gems in this podcast for your life.

Browse by Topic

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app

Supportive services for traveling and home-based parents

Families where one partner is away a lot for work or is living and working in another country for long periods don't often realise they are under more pressure than families who don't have this lifestyle.

However, I truly believe that split location families can build a strong unit, be a happy family with happy individuals even when living apart. I have witnessed families who are living this reality.