The Secret To Expat Happiness – Building Friendships Abroad

Yolanda Reshemah, host of The Places We Call Home Podcast, joins the Expat Focus Podcast to talk about building authentic community when you move abroad. Yolanda's expat journey began at just 10 years old when she moved from the Caribbean to the UK, and she's since lived in France and the USA. She shares how each move shaped her identity — from discovering Parisian culture to navigating reverse culture shock — and why feeling at home starts with knowing yourself. Carlie and Yolanda dig into why shared expat status isn't enough to build lasting friendships, and how Yolanda sought deeper connections through volunteering, classes at Berkeley, and being intentional about what she needs. They also swap stories about cultural quirks in the US, from California's yoga-outfit uniform to the phenomenon of "flaking," and discuss what it really means to thrive rather than just settle in a new country. #ExpatLife #ExpatCommunity #MovingAbroad #LivingInUSA #BuildingCommunity 👉 Visit Expat Focus at https://www.expatfocus.com 00:00 Yolanda's Expat Journey 01:25 Caribbean to UK at 10 02:42 Finding Parisian Community 04:13 Reverse Culture Shock 04:41 Tourist to Local Mindset 05:43 How Early Moves Shape You 08:09 Lessons on Slowing Down 09:41 Starting Her Podcast 12:23 A Process for Belonging 13:47 What Feeds and Anchors You 18:39 Building Lasting Friendships 22:15 Beyond Expat Friend Groups 24:48 US Culture Quirks 29:32 Where Home Is Next 31:19 Find Yolanda Online 32:36 Final Thoughts 🎥 Video/Transcript – https://www.expatfocus.com/international/podcast/the-secret-to-expat-happiness-building-friendships-abroad 📝 Show Notes The Places We Call Home Podcast – https://theplaceswecallhome.com/ 👉 Follow Expat Focus here: RSS | https://www.expatfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ExpatFocus Podcast | https://www.expatfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/expatfocus LinkedIn Group | https://www.linkedin.com/groups/673267 X | https://x.com/expatfocus Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/expatfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/expatfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/expatfocus TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@expatfocus Mastodon | https://mastodon.social/@expatfocus Website | https://www.expatfocus.com

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This episode is 32 minutes long.

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This episode was published on April 29, 2026.

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