The Bittersweet Life

Life is full of major transitions. When Katy moved to Rome in 2013, then back to Seattle less than a year later, the transition was hard to say the least. In this episode from our archives, Katy sits down with psychiatrist and former expat John Wynn to explore why change is so hard. He also shares his insight on how to handle transitions in a healthy and productive way.

***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! In order to help newer listeners discover some of our earlier episodes, every Friday we are...

Katy recently attended her high school reunion. In this bonus episode—available only to our Patreon supporters—she breaks down all the unexpected drama from the night.

This just a sneak peak at one of our hundreds of bonus episodes. Want to hear more?

Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some places—you will have access to two bonus episodes every single month. 

You'll hear conversations that would never take place on the main show...

We've all heard it. We've all said it. But what does "when in Rome" really mean? 

Katy reveals the somewhat surprising origin of this ubiquitous catch-phrase, which has become the title of more Rome-based rom-coms and expat memoirs than we could count.

Tiffany and Katy have different opinions of the meaning of this cliché expression, and we end up down a rabbit hole discussing the correct way to use it. (And if Tiffany lives by it, since she does, in fact, live in Rome.)

She also reveals some of the other most common sa...

Twenty years ago, on August 29th 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The Category 5 storm and its aftermath devastated the city, and the consequences still last today. Listen in as Katy takes you on a journey of remembrance to mark the occasion. You’ll hear some of the New Orleans voices she has never forgotten in the intervening decades.

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COME TO ROME WITH US: For the third year in a row, we are hosting an intimate group of listeners for a magical and unforgettable week in Rome, this October 2025! Discover the city with us as yo...

When Tiffany's husband Claudio takes a photo with the karate instructor of his youth, Tiffany realizes that by being an expat, it can sometimes feel like her life has no continuity. She can't revisit old teachers and places. She never unexpectedly stumbles upon people and objects from her childhood, and maintaining relationships longterm takes extra effort. Is this just one of the side effects of moving abroad indefinitely?

How important is a sense of continuity when it comes to life? Hosts Katy Sewall and Tiffany Parks explore the idea on this episode from our archives.

...

Have you ever received a sign to do something? Did you listen to it? Do signs even exist?

What about bad and good omens? Are they real or a product of our imagination?

Katy and Tiffany share their experiences and those of our listeners on this episode from our archives.

The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! This August, we are taking a well-deserved rest, and in lieu of new episodes, we are airing episodes from our vast archives every Monday! Sea...

On last week’s archive episode, we talked about fantasy, and the benefits and pitfalls of focusing on and working toward your personal fantasies.

But somehow, no matter how hard we try, reality always seems to intrude upon fantasy. Is that always a bad thing? Our thoughts might surprise you. Listen in to this week’s episode from our archives where we discuss hard reality.

The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 11+ years! This August, we are taking a well-deserved rest, and in lieu of new episodes, we are airing epis...

How much of life is us trying to fulfill the fantasies of our youth? And is there anything inherently wrong with weaving fantasies and attempting to fulfill them? Is reality overrated?

We explore this idea on this episode from our archives.

The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! This August, we are taking a well-deserved rest, and in lieu of new episodes, we are airing episodes from our vast archives every monday! Season 13 (!!!) starts with all-new episodes Monday September 8th. See you then!

***Katy's sister D...

It began with a simple question: what's the most impractical thing you have ever traveled with?

Little did we know it would turn into one of our favorite (and perhaps silliest episodes) as Tiffany reminisces about her earliest trips abroad in the 1990s, when bringing two hat boxes and three full-sized suitcases on a solo trip to Europe was actually doable.

***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! In order to help newer listeners discover some of our earlier episodes, every Friday we are now airing an episode from...

Why does (seemingly) every single person in Italy go on vacation during the month of August?

If you've ever visited Italy in the month of August, you'll know that big cities and small towns alike empty out, particularly during the two middle weeks of August, and it can be a challenge to find a decent restaurant or shop open, or more locals than you can shake a stick at.

Why is that? Would you believe it's a tradition that dates back two thousand years?

Don't miss this week's mini-episode, which also happens to...

What percentage of Italian men cheat? Is it really 100% like a family friend of Tiffany’s smugly insisted when she first moved to Italy? Or is that number closer to the rest of the world, only it’s more acknowledged over here?

Did Tiffany take a terrible risk marrying an Italian, or is cultural background irrelevant to fidelity?

And what about Italian women? Do they cheat at the same (alleged) rate of their male counterparts?

An email from a listener who has had more than her fair share o...

Katy's father Dale and sister Sara join us on this episode from our archives to look back on their past family travels to Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam. Katy, who was not a travel-lover as a younger person, asks her dad if he invited her to join him on his frequent trips to Vietnam in order to expand her world through travel. His answer surprises her.

Dale Sewall explains why he's been drawn to Vietnam for more than half his life, and he describes the electrifying reaction he had the first time he touched down in the country.<...

It's a common security question: What is the name of your first pet?

Tiffany and Katy reminisce about the pets that they adopted and loved throughout their childhood and what was special about them.

Aurelio (Tiffany's son), would like his first pet now, please, and he really wants a dog. Should he get one?

This is just a snippet of our most recent bonus episode, available exclusively to our supporters on Patreon. Want to hear more?

Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little...

Can you remember the first time you were truly frightened—by a movie, a ghost story, or even a real event that you witnessed?

On this episode, Katy and Tiffany delve back into their earliest memories to come up with the first instances of true fear that they experienced—and most of the time they can laugh at them now.

We also wonder: can one instance of being horrified in childhood create lasting trauma throughout your life? And will we ever be able to understand why so many seemingly innocuous things frighten children so much?

On this nostalgic episode from our archives, Tiffany regales Katy with the details of a recent trip to the cradle of the Renaissance, including specific stops she made to research her latest book, a YA historical fiction thriller set in Florence in 1600.

Also, we talk about how memory-provoking it can be to travel to a place that you haven't been in over a decade, but that you have a few extremely strong impressions of from past trips. Tiffany takes a jaunt down memory lane to her very first trip to Florence when she was 14, when she explored...

Where would you go if you only had about six months left before travel would be out of the question for health reasons?

Most people will never be forced to answer this question, but today's guest was recently asked this question by her husband, as they prepare and plan for the end of her life, after a devastating termincal cancer diagnosis.

In this episode, Katy is joined by her sisters Sara and Dana. Dana talks about the surprising realization she came to when confronted with this practical question, as her priorities shifted away from adventure...

In a world that is becoming ever more homogenized, what sets places apart? What are the blaring indicators that communicate we are in a place vastly different from anywhere we've ever been before?

In this episode from our archives, Katy recounts her magical and sometimes maddening week in Bali. She lays out the ways the island delighted and surprised her, the aspects that felt wholly different from what she is used to, and discusses with Tiffany how they compare with the cities of Rome and Seattle.

***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air...

School is out in Italy, and the summer is LONG (not to mention, extremely HOT!) and a certain red-headed someone is refusing to go to summer camp.

To fill the time (and keep his brain from atrophying), Tiffany has created a daily list of ten things her son Aurelio must do. Can you guess what's on there?

This is jsut a preview of a bonus episode available exclusively to our Patreon supporters. Want to hear more?

Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per m...

What is a growth mindset and why would you want one? And perhaps more importantly, how do you cultivate one?

To answer these questions, we dive back into Dr. Therese Huston's fascinating book, Sharp: 14 Simple Ways to Improve Your Live with Brain Science. We explore the idea of growth vs. fixed mindset in relation to our own lives, learning to do things that once seemed impossible, from becoming fluent in a foreign language to mastering the art of speaking live on radio, from learning to play the piano to writing an entire work of fiction.

...

Since July is a big month for travel, this month we are re-airing episodes from our archives every Friday that revisit trips we've taken in the past.

After her recent two-week trip to Austria, Tiffany reflects on the differences between Italy and Austria. Despite the fact that the countries share a border, it turns out there are many glaring differences between the two.

***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! In order to help newer listeners discover some of our earlier episodes, every Friday we are now airing an...

Rome is extremely hot and extremely crowded right now, and the Vatican Museums have become an almost unbearable place.

Instead of spending a miserable (and potentially hazardous) day inside one of the most amazing but sadly most overcrowded and unpleasant museums in the world, we've come up with a list of places you can go in Rome to find the same kind of art you'd find in the Vatican—and you'll probably have a much better time doing it! 

You're welcome.

And don’t miss your chance to visit Rome with us, on our...

...According to the latest brain science anyway.

Katy discovered this provcative tidbit in Dr. Therese Huston's new book, Sharp: 14 Simple Ways to Improve Your Life with Brain Science. She asks Tiffany if she's ever had a vision board and proceeds to explain why the thinking behind this concept is faulty.

But Tiffany has her own ideas on this topic, ideas that are more philosophy than science.

Join us for this fun conversation that might just change your mind about how you go about accomplishing your goals.

Find Dr. Huston at her...

How do you flirt in a foreign language? What if you barely speak the language in question? Is it easier to flirt with a foreigner than with someone from your own culture? What happens when cultural miscommunication crops up? And how do you manage to be witty and charming in a foreign language?

On this episode from our archives, we delve into Tiffany’s (many) experiences dating and flirting with foreign men, her bad dates, misadventures, and embarrassments. She shares why she finds foreign accents so irresistible, and how dating a local in a foreign country can ma...

A school initiative in Italy is bringing elementary school children and opera together in an ingenius way!

On this bonus episode, available exclusively to our supporters on Patreon, we talk about the sheer delight this project has brought to hundreds of thousands of people on social media.

Which brings up the question: what exactly makes something go viral?

This is just a preivew of what we offer to our generous Patreon supporters. Want to hear more?

Have you ever noticed that Italian homes don't have closets?

Bedroom closets, linen closets, broom closets, coat closets—they simply don't exist (unless you as a homeowner or renter decide to build one). Because of this lack of convenient storage space, Italians, twice a year, every year, have to swap out all their winter clothes (and pack them away) for their spring clothes, or vice versa.

This got us thinking: what other things that an American might feel is indispensible in a home just dosn't exist in Italy? Or at least, it's not included when yo...

Do expat couples divorce more than couples who live in their home countries? They certainly face different challenges.

On this episode from our archives, writer and former expat Debra Bruno joins us to talk about her article Divorce Global Style: For Expat Marriages, Breaking Up is Harder to Do which appeared on the Wall Street Journal's Expat Blog.

Find Debra Bruno on Instagram or at her website.

***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! In order to help newer listeners discover some of our earlier episodes, every F...

Tiffany does not get Italian beach culture.

In this candid (and a bit heated) mini-episode, she wonders: what's the appeal of overcrowded beaches, endless rows of umbrellas and chaise longues as far as they eye can see, baking, inescapable heat, and dirty warm water that most people don't even swim in?

Why are Italians so obsessed with spending every free moment of summer here?

Tiffany doesn't have an answer. But maybe you do: write in to tell us your theory.

And don’t miss your chance to visit Rome with us, on...

Tiffany finally made it to Rome's epic 2025 Caravaggio exhibit and it was well worth the wait! (The tickets were also nearly as hard to come by as seats at Taylor Swift concert!)

Tiffany and Katy talk about the thoughts that came up during the exhibit, incluing possibly misplaced tears, an astonishing encounter with true Caravaggio expert, and what makes an exhibit a great one—beyond just the works of art on display.

Tiffany also remarks on what it is that makes Caravaggio such a universally intriguing and adored artist, as well as what it's like to...

Expat Amy has lived abroad since college. First in Italy, then in Nicaragua, then back to Italy.

In this interview from our archives, we sat down with her (over a decade ago!) to chat about her indecisiveness on whether to return to the US or not. All year she had been planning to return to move back and yet she never leaves.

That got us wondering, do long-term expats lose their sense of truly belonging anywhere?

***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! In order to help...

After Monday's episode about traveling with teens, Tiffany and Katy continue the conversation on this bonus episode by turning the spotlight on themselves.

What were we like as annoying teen travelers? Did we drive our parents crazy with our boredom and apathy like the "kids today"? (Spoiler: yes.) And what did our parents do about it?

This is just a snippet of the full-length bonus episode. Want to hear more?

Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a c...

Have you ever traveled with a teenager? Or maybe you have travel memories of your teenage self?

Were you as insufferable a traveler as teens these days appear to be?

Today we chat about what exactly turns off (is it an "interest switch"?) in the human brain around age 13 or 14 that makes incredible art, fascinating history, and amazing visual locations so very very dull.

So how do you spark interest for a reluctant teen traveler, or should you not even bother?

Katy and Tiffany dig into their own insufferable teenage pasts...

Is dating harder when you're an expat? Is it easier? And does your gender make a difference?

If an expat dates a local, does that improve their social standing? Do all cultures flirt in the same way? What's it like to flirt in a foreign language or date someone's who's language you don't speak?

Today we dig into our archives to re-air one of our very first ever episodes (Episode 5 to be exact!) in which we discuss the thrills and pitfalls dating abroad.

***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for...

Americans show their patriotism on the 4th of July—Italians do it on the 2nd of June.

But in very different ways! On this mini-episode, Tiffany talks about the history of the Italian Repulic (it's several centuries younger than the American republic, believe it or not!!), how it came about, and how Italians celebrate this important national holiday.

***Katy's sister Dana has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 agressive brain cancer. To help with the staggering medical costs—her specialist is outside her insurance network—as well of the costs of temporarily relocating to San Francsico for he...

Tiffany and her family recently spend ten days in and around Paris, a city Tiffany has visited many times.

Somehow, though—and to be fair, it was a quickly thrown together trip—Tiffany seemed to get it all wrong, mistaking museum opening hours, booking wrong nights in hotels, and committing other potentially disastrous mishaps. You'd think a professional travel planner would know better! But somehow planning your OWN trip is a thousand times harder than planning someone else's.

Hear all about Tiffany's recent travel mistakes on this fun new episode.

***Katy's sister Dana has...

As you know if you're a regular listener, our show goes a lot deeper than travel tips an "best of"s. Our weekly conversations explore many aspects of life (both abroad and at home), and we encourage our listeners to live more daring and authentic lives.

But we've had so many requests for an episode about our favorite restaurants, wine bars, and gelato shops, that we finally gave in!

Whether you're preparing for a trip to Rome, or just traveling via your earphones, join us for a casual chat on this episode from our archives...

On this snippet from a recent bonus episode—available only to our supporters on Patreon—Tiffany reveals why she decided to cancel her trip back to the States this year. 

To hear her full explanation, and lots of other answers to fun listener questions, become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some places—you will have access to multiple bonus episodes every single month. 

You'll hear conversations that would never take place on the main show, you'll be p...

It's Memorial Day in the States, Aurelio's First Communion in Rome, and the occasion for a catch-up on the latest happenings in our lives on this casual, conversational episode. Happy Memorial Day to all who celebrate!

***Katy's sister Dana has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 agressive brain cancer. To help with the staggering medical costs—her specialist is outside her insurance network—as well of the costs of temporarily relocating to San Francsico for her treatments, please consider donating to her GoFundMe. Anything you can contribute will be extremely helpful. Thank you.***

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COME...

Is there anywhere else on earth that offers as much sheer beauty as Italy? (We'd wager there isn't.) But in addition to Italy's undeniable beauty, it offers a sense of magic that, once you've experienced it, never quite leaves you.

With artistic masterpieces hidden in obscure churches, exquisite villages perched on remote mountaintops, and archetectural wonders tucked away in the middle of a forest, you never know when you'll turn a corner and encounter something that will dazzle and delight you. We discuss our favorite moments of Italian magic on this episode from our archives.

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Did Tiffany manage to witness the white smoke at conclave 2025 and see the first appearance of Pepe Leo XIV—as she did in 2013 for the election of Pope Francis? (Listen to this episode to hear that story!)

Unless you have unlimited time to spend hanging around St. Peter's Square for days on end, it's really luck of the draw if you are able to witness this momentous and historical event! 

Listen to this mini-episode to hear Tiffany's experience at the 2025 conclave, and what was different between the last conclave and this one (spoiler: a LOT has...

Solo travel... it can be inspiring, healing, life-changing...

...except when it isn't. Except when all it makes you is lonely and sad.

Today we sit down with writer Jennie Spohr to discuss what happens when a solo trip—which you were sure would be just the thing to reignite your curiosity and joy—actually turns out to be a bad idea... or is it?

Find Jennie on Instagram or at her website.

***Katy's sister Dana has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 agressive brain cancer. To help with the staggering medical costs—her sp...