Can Living Abroad Can Make You Less Judgmental: The Identity Shift - Jodi Cowles

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!Your identity can look solid from the outside and still feel unfinished on the inside. We sit down with author and entrepreneur Jodi Cowles, a true “Renaissance woman” who has lived more than half of her adult life across seven countries, and we get honest about what that kind of cross-cultural experience does to the way you see people and the way you see yourself. The surprise is how practical her takeaway is: you don’t need a passport to grow. Sometimes the real shift starts when you simply cross town, sit down for lunch, and choose curiosity over assumptions. We talk about judgment head-on, including the uncomfortable truth that we all form snap opinions and then call them “discernment.” Jodi shares how living overseas challenged her first impressions and helped her look for bridges instead of arguments, especially in a time when culture feels loud and divisive. Then we pivot into language learning, where pride gets humbled fast, and where the mechanics of communication can reshape how we think about responsibility, blame, and connection. It’s a conversation packed with mindset shifts, but it stays grounded in real life. You’ll also hear the story behind Joy’s World, Jodi’s bilingual English-Turkish project created to help her adopted daughter remember her early years and to support families trying to keep a heritage language alive. We close with an inside look at Blue Hat Publishing and Well Told, where Jodi helps first-time authors tell their stories well, avoid publishing scams, and build a professional book they’re proud to hold. If you’ve been craving more joy, more honesty, or a cleaner next step for your own story, press play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Our team will choose random (but timely) episodes from our previous three seasons (which are our most popular ever!) to share with our listeners during the slower parts of a long podcast season. We think you will enjoy them! Thanks for listening!Coffee aficionados and Health Conscious listeners, our show has some new sponsors and they’re offering you the best discounts their stores have. Links are below. Start saving now!Quantum Squares: Support the showAre you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayuGive the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! Join Mista Yu across our shows:🎙 Inspiration Station🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu🎙 One on One With Mista Yu🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview SpotlightIf you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu