The Places We Call Home podcast

A conversation about rebuilding identity, reclaiming your worth after migration.Educator and scholar Neisha Terry shares the deeply personal journey of navigating identity after migrating to the United States. She speaks openly about having her Jamaican teaching credentials reduced to “nothing,” being questioned about her legitimacy, and the emotional weight of constantly proving herself in spaces that weren’t built with her in mind.She speaks candidly about the exhaustion of becoming, the discipline of returning to being, and the moment she decided to stop shrinking herself and stand firmly in her truth. she acknowledges that self‑definition alone doesn’t erase structural barriers or the exhaustion of proving yourself. Belonging requires both inner clarity and external change.Her story is a reminder that that every woman navigating a new country, a new culture, or a new version of herself deserves to feel seen, valid, and whole.A grounded conversation on identity, worth, and the courage to define yourself on your own terms.immigrant women, expat identity, belonging after migration, Jamaican educator, women entrepreneurs, move abroad, study abroad, live abroad, homesickness, isolation, credential evaluation experience, women in academia, mental wellness, courage, resilience, women of color in academia, self‑definition, authenticity, cultural transition, reclaiming worth, migration identity, Neisha Terry Young, The Places We Call Home podcast

A conversation on identity, home, and why going back never truly happens for immigrant women.In this episode, I continue my conversation with Dr. Neisha Terry Young, Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University, about what it really means to build a life between geographies. We talk about the emotional weight of being an unconnected immigrant, the freedom she misses from her childhood in Jamaica, and the realities of raising Black boys in America.Neisha shares how a recent health crisis brought the ache of distance sharply into focus — “I wish I were still at home,” she says — and we explore why going back home never truly happens once migration reshapes your identity, your relationships, and your sense of belonging.We also talk about accents, self‑expression, and the challenge of being understood in spaces where your language and culture are not the norm. Neisha reflects on the moment she realized her Jamaican Creole couldn’t be heard in the way she intended, and how that shifted her understanding of voice, confidence, and becoming.This episode is for anyone navigating life across borders — emotionally, culturally, or physically — and for anyone who has ever wondered why “living the dream” doesn’t always feel like the dream at all.A conversation about identity, home, and the truth behind "living the dream".immigrant women; expat women; move abroad; homesickness; loneliness; Jamaican diaspora; belonging; identity; home; migration; American Dream; accents; Black motherhood; diaspora stories

Moving abroad can look exciting from the outside — but inside, many immigrant and expat women carry a silent truth: loneliness, identity loss, homesickness, and the pressure to hold everything together.In this solo episode, I talk honestly about the emotional work women do when they uproot their lives, often without a title, paycheck, or community to hold them. I share the tools that helped me feel lighter - dealing with one big emotion at a time, rebuilding identity in small steps, and giving yourself permission to "faff around" and be un-serious in a life that often feels heavy. If you've ever felt invisible, overwhelmed, or permanently on duty after moving abroad, this episode officially reminds you that you're not the only one living through the immigrant experience: the opportunities, challenges and being heard.  You're allowed to feel good and have some levity. Often.Leave a comment. Share your rituals for adding lightness in your lifehttps://www.instagram.com/placeswecallhomepod

How to rebuild with kids, handle culture shock, and find your footing as an expat mom. immigrant mom.Feeling lost after moving abroad? This episode names the quiet grief women carry when you immigrate-homesickness, language shame, identity wobble, and the pressure to make the move "worth it". Karen - a professional organizer from Israel shares how she rebuilt in the U.S. in her 40s: making friends from zero, helping her kids learn a new language, reopening her career, and adapting to culture without erasing herself.You'll leave with simple ways to protect your energy, communicate with confidence and release the feelings in your body.Listen now and start creating the life you moved for-- one small win at a time.