Originally from UK and currently an expat in Chile

Nina is a freelance writer and editor of award-winning lifestyle blog, The Expater. She has written for a range of publications, including The Telegraph, Psychologies & Forbes, among others. Nina has lived in Angola, Syria, Chile, Switzerland and many, many more places in between. Her guilty pleasures include spending too much on luxury skincare, hoarding teabags and failing to get her three young children to bed in time.

Title: How to harness Expat Mom Guilt

Mom guilt is a sad phenomena. Having moved away from ‘home’, the sting feels even sharper for expat mums. We feel guilty for taking our children away from our birth countries. We feel guilty for the shift in career that expat life has brought upon us. And most of all, we feel guilty when juggling family, a career and a new culture becomes too much. In this talk I’d like to reference my own background. I’m a mum of three and I’ve lived in ten countries. My six-year old child was born in Switzerland, went to kindergarten in Belgium, preschool in the UK and school in Chile. Soon we’ll be moving to Ecuador. I used to feel guilt and shame for my expat life, but over the years I’ve harnessed my negative thoughts into positive energy. My years of work boil down to five steps: 1. Be mindful. 2. Identify your personal goals. 3. Be outwardly curious. 4. Make a plan. 5. Seek out allies. Expat life is a journey, with a lot of bumps and twists on the way. I’d like to share my map with fellow expat mothers so we can all enjoy the ride together.