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It’s my birthday week and there is something about birthdays that makes you reflect back and look forward. When I look to the future, it’s not about a bucket list and big adventures, though I hope to make time for those thoughts too. The choices currently circling around my head are about creating a life, the boring day to day life, that I will be happy to be living. I want to share some of the things I’ve learned through my guests and the process of podcasting that will guide me in creating a healthier happier everyday Meghan. Including an announcement that feels big to me. For my birthday, I’m giving myself time.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 85: Raising Kids While Raising Ourselves with Cat Tiu ….. “Here’s to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.” This was the quote that inspired Cat (Carmelita Tiu) to start her podcast and community. Her content drew me in, so I invited her to join me for a conversation about raising kids while raising ourselves. Also, raising kids is NOT just for parents. With the messy stuff, kids often seek out the cool aunt, mom's best friend or a teacher. In this episode, we dig through the messy, uncertain parts of supporting kids to find some ways to work it out and to help listeners feel less alone in the thick of it.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 84: Tall Girl, Hold Your Head High with Chelsea ….. Tall Girl, you hold your head up high. Chelsea is here to share her story, from dating to fashion, from the USA to Germany, from slouching to confident… What’s tall got to do with it? Let’s find out.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 83: Things I Tell My Kids, That I Should Tell Myself ….. On the way to and from school my son processes life by talking. I have no idea where he gets it from. He tells me things he’s learned, experienced, wondered, and asks me endless amounts of questions.He treats me like I treat google. Except, he asks the things I know google can not answer. The nuanced questions about friendships and life that there is no one answer to. So, we work our way through what has happened or could happen, we even practice kind words and come backs. And almost everyday, as the words of advice come out of my mouth, I think, if only I could practice what I preach. So here are a few things that have come up recently, It’s the things I tell my kids that I should tell myself.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 82: Balancing Culture, Personalities and Literacy around Money with Lisa Severing ….. How do we feel about money? What is our normal with financial literacy? In this conversation, we look at the connection between sociology and finance: looking back at the influences of upbringing, culture, personalities and access to literacy around money. Lisa Severing and I use our stories to explore the bigger picture of how we manage ourselves with saving, spending, investing and debt. Listen to hear all about Meghan’s squirrel-ness (functional and not so functional), and great finance tips for everyone. Lisa says, managing money is not magic, it is a skill to be learned and everyone can do it!

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 81: Resetting as a Highly Sensitive Person with Kellie Daab ….. Kellie is a Highly Sensitive Person. But…What is an HSP? How did Kellie discover this about herself? How does this "label" impact her life?and How did she change her business to create more balance? We talk through these questions and so much more. 

Balancingstories.com Follow on social media for all updates for Balancing Stories Podcast. Send encouragement with a 5 star review on your favourite platform. If you like what you hear and want to support the podcast (and Meghan), you can leave a tip through Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MeghanKitchen

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 80: Balancing Assertiveness – A Fixer Upper Story ….. So, we bought a fixer upper. I wanted to record this in retrospect but we are still in it. The journey is still twisting and turning. This is just to say, you are not getting “happy to be home” it was tough but it was all worth it Meghan. You are getting, still in the weeds, done taking peoples S.H.I.T. – honestly, why can’t people just do their job, and don’t make promises if you can’t deliver…Meghan. That’s who you will be hearing from today as I talk about balancing my communication style as a woman, surrounded by men, who needs to be heard. Through all of it, my balance between assertive and nagging has changed. This is my story.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 79: Fertility Journey Across Borders with Kristin Izsak ….. A Fertility Journey Across Borders I interviewed Kristin, a Canadian international teacher, married to a pilot, who lived in multiple countries and sought medical support in even more, over a month ago when we both had availability. But, while emailing about show notes over the weekend, we decided to re-record to include her current status… pregnant that is. She realized, after a long twisty-turny fertility journey – which you will hear about in this episode, that if it works out or doesn’t work out, she needs support either way. And that letting people in on the news has made this pregnancy the most peaceful. Content warning that we talk about uterine heath, pregnancy loss and fertility treatments in this conversation.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 78: Leaving Ukraine – One Woman’s Story with Anastasia Vladychynska ….. This is one woman’s story about leaving Ukraine. We recorded this conversation on March 17th, 2022. When we chatted, it had been 3 weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, starting a war that would, as of today 4 weeks after the invasion, displace 10 million people. This includes those moving within Ukraine to safer cities along with the woman and children who could cross borders and seek refuge in other countries. Anastasia is one of them. This is her story of leaving Ukraine.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 77: Parenting with an Accent with Author Masha Rumer ….. I am parenting with an accent. My Finnish husband and American me are attempting to raise multilingual kids in Germany. And… well… it’s not great and there is a lot of guilt around our lack of success. Then I received Parenting with an Accent and realized, I am not alone. Author Masha Rumer was born in the former Soviet Union. As a teenager in the 90’s, her family sold everything, and sought refuge in the United States. Her immigrant experience, becoming a parent and the stories in between led her to research how language and culture is passed between generations after immigration. Now for a disclaimer: In this interview, we talk about Russian language, literature and food. This interview was recorded on February 21st, the Monday before Russia invaded Ukraine. Masha wants you to know she is horrified by the war, in no way supports it, and is worried about her relatives in Ukraine. In an interview for KQED, Masha said: “Many of us left the former Soviet Union because we don’t agree with the policies, and yet we’re still finding it reverberates all over the world all over again… It’s a very complicated relationship. Many of us speak the Russian language, which was forced upon people from across the former Soviet Republics. But at the same time, it’s the language we grew up with, and now we’re finding ourselves in a difficult time where we’re ashamed of what the government is doing.” In her book she explores the relationship we have with the languages we inherit and how that impacts our willingness to speak “other” languages in a new host country. because of the impression it would give. So, along with a collective stance against the war and a united support for Ukraine, I’d like to put out a friendly reminder that not all Russian speakers agree with the politics their language is associated with, especially right now. Let’s be kind to one another.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 76: Finding Love Again, From Widow to Wife with Jane Kitchen ….. It’s a story of my mom finding love again, going from widow to wife. By the end of the episode, we are ready to celebrate and look forward to her wedding, but first, some thoughts. We start with a look at love itself and how society can make us feel about it. Including what it’s like when the love you have doesn’t line up with the rules of life you were raised with. Then we hear about my mom’s new love, and her feelings around a new marriage, followed by thoughts on identity, acceptance, and how we are raising the next generation.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 75: Body Acceptance and Dressing Authentically with Dacy of Mindful Closet ….. Dacy of Mindful Closet is here to chat about all the layers of how we curate our wardrobes. From social expectations to personal motivation, from fear and grief to body acceptance, dressing ourselves can be a difficult balance. Whether it be a balance in our lives or in ourselves, the goal is to find and wear our authentic personal style. With this conversation which focuses on dressing authentically, Dacy and I would like to acknowledge that not everyone has the freedom and safety to wear what is authentic for them. We hope we can get to a place where everyone can walk through life expressing themselves without fear or consequence.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 74: From Expat to Repat – Who Am I Now? With Brandi Lunn ….. From Expat to Repat… Brandi and her husband spent over 10 years abroad, living in France and Germany, continuing to renew contracts and extend their adventure… But life became heavy and the pandemic put pressure where resilience once thrived. It left them asking if this was the life they still wanted. We look back at her expat life, the person she became while living abroad, and the challenge of moving back home to a life that doesn’t quite fit anymore, making her look back to her European life with rose colored glasses. While mourning the place she left behind, there is a silver lining. Moving home has given her a new, or should I say renewed, sense of identity. For the first time in a long time, she feels like a daughter and a sister. Our conversation rounds out with Brandi balancing all the feelings, accepting that grief and joy can co-exist.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 73: What Can We Do About Food Waste? With Mei Li of Food Waste Feast ….. Food Waste Happens. It is a big picture thing with a lot of moving parts and waste at every turn. So, what can we do about food waste? What difference can I make? Cook book author and former Mei Mei restaurateur, Mei Li, is here to motivate us at the household level with Food Waste Feast. Home cooks can make a difference because so much food waste happens after we buy our groceries: The forgotten salad, half a lemon the recipe didn’t call for, it all adds up. Making little changes with not just how we cook and but how we think about food can make big differences to our wallets and bonus points! the environment too. We can save money, create delicious food and make the world a better place… It’s oh so satisfying.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 72: The Making of a Digital Nomad Life with Anne Claessen ….. Remote working is on the rise and many are asking, where can I take this? In this episode, I speak with Anne of Digital Nomad Stories and The Podcast Babes about her balance between who she was, with law school and an MBA to the life she tried out with less plans, more travel but more instability, to where she is now, finding a middle ground. And that middle ground is being her version of a Digital Nomad. But what does it take to have this type of life? We chat about the lessons from Anne’s life as well as the many digital nomads she has interviewed for her podcast.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 71: International Perinatal Support with Johanna of Afloat ….. You deserve support. In this episode, we hear from Johanna who works with the growing initiative of Afloat to support people in their perinatal time. From fertility to parenting and the path in between, Afloat was born out of a need in the international community to find support. We hope this conversation can motivate listeners to seek support or help build these initiatives to support others.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 70: Balancing Chapters in Life and Writing with Laura Tremaine ….. Laura Tremaine is a writer and podcaster balancing between her Oklahoma roots and her Los Angeles, California wings. Along the way, she met her husband, Jeff Tremaine of Jackass and Ridiculousness, had two wonderful kids, became a podcaster three times over, and wrote her first book (Share Your Stuff, I’ll Go First). Now, in early 2022, as she focuses on her next book, she is balancing her creative life along with family, mental health, cooking dinner and this little thing called a global pandemic. Between sips of Dr. Pepper we chatted about it all, including her refreshing 40-something awakening of not caring what others think. Listen to it all in episode 70 of Balancing Stories.

FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com ….. Episode 69: Opening 2022 – Mini Mantras to Start a Year ….. In Episode 68 and 69, over the changing of the year, I am sharing my mini mantras. The question is, why do I need these? Why do I need to tell myself (often literally out loud) to take these tiny actions, to consciously make an effort to make my life better? Wait for it… Culture. With each of these simple tasks, that may be reflexes for others, I need to convince myself to change my behavior because I was raised (in my family, in my community or by society) in many cases to do the opposite. In this episode, I share mini mantras about being open for the new year and creating space: in your place, in your mind and on your calendar. With bonus unofficial mantra for 2022 – What about me?

I’m Meghan Kitchen and this is Balancing Stories Today is the day Balancing Cultures becomes Balancing Stories. I am so happy I started my podcast life with Balancing Cultures. It was the title and direction I needed at the time but the conversations have grown beyond the lanes of that name. I found myself either forcing culture into the conversation or not having guests on if I couldn’t link it back to the title. I have been limiting the conversations we could be having because of a single word in the title. Although I have felt this for a while, it wasn’t until I recorded my mini mantra episodes (episodes 68 and 69) about making small changes that I decided it was time assess the friction in my podcasting. So, I spent the last few weeks brainstorming names, creating new cover art, rewriting taglines to create an open door to more stories. You could say I’m un-niching myself. Rather than focusing on the balancing of cultures, conversations will open up to explore how we balance in life with culture, expectations, identity, and more. This small change will make a big difference for me as a host and podcast creator. So sit back, relax, subscribe and follow so episodes come to you. Balancing Stories are on their way, I can’t wait to share them with you!