The Bittersweet Life

You know what no one tells you about moving abroad?

The first year is hard... excruciatingly hard.

Want to make it easier? Follow Tiffany's 7 tips to survive your first year of expat life, laid out on this week's mini-episode.

***Don't miss your chance to visit Rome with us, on our intimate Rome listener trip, coming up in fall of 2026. Find out all about it here, or email us for more information!***

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COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is in the books! If...

Have you ever gotten sick while traveling? Really sick?

Today's special guest, Katy's sister Dana, has and on this possibly TMI episode, she joins Katy and Tiffany to explore the illnesses that you might encounter abroad. And how sometimes, they linger with you longer than you had bargained for.

***Katy's sister Dana (who appears on this episode) 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 cons...

In this interview from our archives, the executive producer of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Sheri Salata and her cohost Nancy Hala on the popular podcast, The Sheri and Nancy Show join us on this very special episode! Sheri is the author of the new book, The Beautiful No, And Other Tales of Trail, Transcendence, and Transformation.

They discuss the inevitable question that arrives somewhere in your 50s: what's next? In the midst of a major career, an enriching family life, or other successes, how to you find inspiration for your next steps, and more importantly, how to...

Is Katy becoming a curmudgeon? Listen to this recent event, and weigh in!

This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode that drops today, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.

Want to hear the whole epside and many many more like it?

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 neve...

We all notice some things over other things.

What determines what we notice?

Is it our background? Our innate personality? Our experiences? Our preferences? Our past mistakes? All of these things?

Today we discuss this idea, and chat about the things we notice and why we think we notice them.

What do you think? We always welcome your thoughts and feedback on the topics we discuss. Email us here anytime.

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COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is in the books...

Is the Mona Lisa in the Louvre fake? Was impressionist painter Claude Monet a radical? And was Caravaggio—our show's muse—murdered? Art history holds as many mysteries and baffling stories as it does masterpieces, and Jennifer Dasal, museum curator and host of the wildly popular ArtCurious podcast knows all the best ones.

In this week's episode from our archives, we sit down with Jennifer to chat about her book, ArtCurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History and delve into the fascinating world of mystery and art.

PS Jennifer has...

Don't stumble around one of the most important ancient sites in the world without learning about its incredible history, structure, art, design, and curiosities.

Tiffany is right now putting the finishing touches on an audio tour of the Pantheon, written and narrated by her, and distributed by VoiceMap, an app where real people lead you seamlessly on fascinating audio tours using GPS so you don't even have to look at your phone. (Download VoiceMap for free here.)

After taking a deep, deep dive into the Pantheon's history in preparation for creating this tour, Tiffany learned...

Lately it seems like lots of Americans are moving abroad. But, believe it or not, some American expats are moving back to the States.

Today we're joined by one such ex-expat, or repatriate. Seattle-native Brie Ripley has been on the show before. We first interviewed her back in 2024 after she moved to Rome without ever having been there before. She joined us again about sixe months later, after she had settled in.

And today we sit down with her to talk about why she and her husband decided to move back to the US and...

On this episode from our archives, we give all our listeners a peek into some of the extra bonus content that our Patreon donors are receiving. Every month we offer one or more bonus episodes exclusively for our Patreon supporters, and today we are sharing one of those with our entire audience.

Way back in 2015, we taped a final episode just before Tiffany took a break to have her baby and begin learning the ropes of motherhood. In the second half of the episode, taped several years later, we re-listen to that "before baby" episode and offer...

Most break-ups are painful, but every now and then, they can be fun. Or even funny! Have you had a funny break-up? Tune in to hear ours.

This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.

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 multiple bonus episodes every single month.

You'll hear conv...

February 17th is a big day in Tiffany's life this year... from Martedi Grasso with Aurelio (aka Pulcinella) to her Italian sister-in-law's Master's graduation to her mom's birthday.

Hear Katy and Tiffany chat about what Italian graduation looks like (and what it takes to get your degree) as well as the fun and the surprising (yet very traditional) Carvenale costume Aurelio chose this year.

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COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is in the books! If you'd like to join us in 2026, and be part of an...

What do you do when your partner of almost a decade finally proposes, and after a just few short months of marriage, tells you he thinks you made a mistake getting married?

Well, if you're the guest of this episode from our archives, you pack your bags and start traveling the world. You might never even come back.

On this episode, we sit down with Asia Dawn Simonelli, who's unexpected heartbreak made her realize that life is too short and uncertain to do anything but what brings her joy. Her sudden divorce inspired her to...

On this mini-episode, we talk about one of the most over-looked and underappreciated sites in the entire city. It has it all: glorious medieval mosaics (some of the oldest you'll find in the city), exquisite works of proto-baroque statuary, hidden frescoes that almost no one knows about, and an ancient underground level that ties the history together.

What to know what it is? Listen to this week's Bittersweet Moment and Tiffany will take you there.

And if you want Tiffany and Katy to take you there in person, sign up for our intimate Rome listener...

On the occassion of Valentine's Day, The Bittersweet Life looks at the many different kinds of love, from family love to romantic love to the love you feel for your pets.

Katy sits down with her sisters Dana and Sara to talk about the love that binds them as siblings, and she shares the kind of the love that she feels doesn't get enough credit. She also gets her sisters to open up about their oddest and most inappropriate crushes.

The conversation deepens as they discuss their love for things like birdwatching, the music of...

"All things cute and cuddly" was the surprising topic requested by listener Sara, who supports us at the $50 level on Patreon. Choosing the topic of an episode is just one of many bonuses we offer our Patreon supporters, and as this episode proves, we take that pledge seriously and hold no veto power. The sky is the limit!

In delving into this unexpected topic, we attempt to answer many questions: Why does Tiffany hate cuddly things—and the very word "cuddly" itself? What is the cutest thing Katy ever saw on a plane? And how did the wo...

Romans love the story of the young Renaissance noblewoman Beatrice Cenci. It's an absolutely gruesome and horrific story (for all you true crime fans) and now, it's also a huge disappointment in Tiffany's life.

Find out why on this week's exclusive bonus episode.

This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.

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...

What happens when you move abroad with the intention of contributing to the lives of the local people... and those local people don't seem to like you. Author Beth Ann Fennelly joins us to talk about her experiences teaching English in a dark, polluted Czech town just after the fall of the communism, where the locals viewed her with distrust or downright suspicion and she struggled to make even one friend.

This interview highlights the grim fact that not all expat experiences can live up to expectations.

What happens when your expat dreams look nothing...

In this interview from our archives, we sit down with Riley Morton, a freelance documentary producer and cinematographer who kicked off his career two decades ago in the adventure sports space, producing documentaries and television about climbing, skiing, trail running, and adventure travel. Over the past decade, he has branched out, producing his own documentaries and collaborating on major projects. His newest creation is Endless Earth, a free app that features an ever-changing collection of professionally produced short travel films that capture some of the most fascinating, vibrant, and beautiful places on earth.

They discuss a wide...

It's Carnival time here in Rome, and before you say—why don't you go celebrate in Venice?—you should know that Carnevale originated in Rome.

In this week's mini-episode, Tiffany recounts the ancient origins of this raucous pre-Lenten festival, what it was like to take part in Carnival in Renaissance times, and how it's celebrated today. (Warning: this episode may make you drool.)

Places mentioned in this episode:

Pasticerria Regoli – Via dello Statuto, 60 (Esquilino)

Forno La Renella – Via del Moro, 13 (Trastevere)

By the way, don't miss your chance to visit Ro...

On today's poignant episode, Katy says goodbye to her Grammy Jean, who lived to be a staggering 107 years old. Not only that, she was active, healthy, happy, and mentally sharp until the very end.

Katy shares what she thinks might have been her grandmother's secrets of longevity—and a couple of them might surprise you.

***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...

To continue our January archival series on ADVENTURE, today we revisit an interview with author Michael Maren. As a war correspondent, he covered fierce conflicts around the globe, from the overthrow of Idi Amin in Uganda in 1979 to the height of the Somali Civil War in the early '90s. Maren has lived and worked in some of the dangerous places and situations on the planet.

Katy sits down with Maren to talk about his experiences covering conflict across the African continent. They discuss the trap of expat privilege, the negative effects of foreign aid...

The Sewall Sisters (Sara, Dana, and host Katy) sit down to discuss aging: what they're worried about, what has already happened, and how a terminal illness changes the perspective. This is a raw, and often surprising, conversation. Please share your thoughts!

This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.

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...

It's January and that means Katy and her sisters are off on Sisterfest!

Katy and her two older sisters Sara and Dana have been taking an annual trip together every year in January—which begs the question, would you even WANT to spend that much time with your adult siblings? Would you get sick of each other? Katy asks her sisters if they are sick of her!

They dispute the pros and cons of cruising, the uselessness of trying to get the perfect photo, and how experiencing a terminal cancer diagnosis (whether for yourself or yo...

Photographer and visual storyteller Cyndie Burkhardt was living in New York City feeling unsatisfied with her life. Rather than continue to struggle, she decided to leave. Her goal: to visit 12 countries in 12 months and rediscover herself along the way.

Nine months in, the coronavirus stopped her in her tracks. On this episode from our archives, we sit down with Cyndie to explore the journey she took, what she found, and where she is now.

Follow Cyndie on her blog, at her 12 Countries, 12 Months photo project, or on Instagram at @‌cyndierabbit or @‌everywherecyndie.

This Janu...

The temps are dropping in Rome and all Roman children (and several adults as well!) are praying nightly for that Roman rarity: snow!

Will it happen this year? It's anyone's guess but it's certainly not a common occurance. Since Tiffany moved to Rome over two decades ago, it has only snowed a measely three times.

But when it snows in Rome it is truly magical! On this mini-episode, Tiffany talks about the major Roman snowstorms of the past half-century, and what it was like to see the Eternal City under a blanket of snow.

When a writer moves abroad, how do they find a literary community in their new country, especially when that country speaks (and reads) in a different language?

They create it themselves of course!

This week we sit down with writer, editor, and tour guide Lauren Mouat, who has created a literary life for herself in Florence and Livorno, from co-founding a literary society to starting a literary magazine, from creating a direct channel from aspiring writers to literary agents to publishing a volume of her own short stories.

Listen in and get inspired...

The Mongol Rally is a one-of-kind intercontinental car race, the "greatest motoring adventure on the planet" according to the organizers. Participants must drive from London to eastern Russia, across Mongolia, in a small engine car (1000-1200cc) at their own pace and their own peril.

Radio producer and friend-of-the-show Scott Gurian survived the 11,000 mile journey in his tiny, 1 liter car and joins us to talk about it.

Sign up for the Mongolian Rally here.

Check out Scott's podcast Far From Home here.

This January, our archive episodes—presented every Friday—will cove...

To celebrate the New Year, we ask ChatGPT to create a party for us! Is A.I. a good party planner? Or do the humans do it better? Listen in and send us your vote!

This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.

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 multiple bonus epis...

Have you heard the news? The City of Rome will now be charging a 2 Euro fee to tourists who want to access the Trevi Fountain.

Want to throw your coin in? You're going to have to pony up a few more coins that you'd counted on.

This week, we talk about the ways a city can change, thanks to rampant over-tourism as well as other factors, and why seeing our city change before our eyes—for better or for worse—often makes us nostalgic for the past.

What else used to be free in R...

This January, our archive episodes—presented every Friday—will cover the theme of ADVENTURE! Because we could all use a little more adventure in our lives, and January is the perfect time to start thinking about the adventures we want to take during the new year.

The Camino de Santiago is a popular pilgrimage route across Spain. On this episode from our archives, our guest Aarin Wright set off on the Camino with her father after finishing university. Was all the walking as rewarding as she had hoped?

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

It's that time of year—New Year's Resolution time!

If you're a longtime listener you know that at every turn of the year, Katy and Tiffany revisit the New Year's Resolutions they made for the previous year, and assess (with brutal honesty) how they did. They end the episode with the announcement of their resolutions for the year to come.

This year, Tiffany share the ingenious yet simple hack that makes crushing your resolutions much more doable. And Katy discovers that sometimes, keeping your resolutions is just not worth the effort.

Find out if...

Has Christmas lost its magic now that you're all grown up?

In this episode from our archives, Katy and Tiffany brainstorm ways to bring that holiday magic back even if you don't believe in Santa anymore. Katy tells the story of the time she played Santa's secret helper to someone she barely knew and they muse on those magical moments when heaven and earth seem closer than usual.

If you're already feeling the post-Christmas blues, snuggle up with a cup of cocoa and this nostalgic episode from the past.

***The Bittersweet Life podcast...

You know it. You love it. You hear it every Christmas, and if you're like us, you never get sick of the classic holiday song, White Christmas.

But did you know that the song has a very special, and very poignant, history?

On this mini-episode, Katy tells you all about it.

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COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is in the books! If you'd like to join us in 2026, and be part of an intimate group of listeners on a magical and unforgettable journey to...

Christmas traditions can be grounding when you're living in a brand-new place. Tiffany and Katy talk about the joys and challenges of being untethered during the holidays. They also discuss which of their traditions come from childhood and which were added after living in a foreign culture.

Bonus: Check out two of our favorite Christmas books:

• The Sweet Smell of Christmas (The Scratch & Sniff book Tiffany used to read when she was little and ordered for Aurelio) • The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (One of Katy's favorite Christmas books)

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COME TO ROME...

Do I deserve to live a bigger life? Sarah McColl, author of the memoir Joy Enough, joins us to talk about the beautiful life she discovered while living alongside her dying mother.

In this probing coversation from our archives, we also explore how fear, loss, and the expectations of others can limit our potentially terrific lives.

Find McColl's memoir Joy Enough here.

Find Sarah 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...

The holidays aren't all fun and games. Sometimes you have to go to work. But is there any sort of magic to work this time of year?

We discuss this topic on our latest bonus episode, and share some of the memories of times we had to work over Christmas.

This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.

Want to hear more?

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

The Christmas season starts earlier and earlier every year. Pretty soon we'll be setting up our tree before Halloween!

What do you think about this? Are you shamelessly here for it, or do you cringe when you hear Bing Crosby crooning White Christmas in early November?

Is the joy that the Christmas season brings enough of an excuse to indulge in it two months before the actual event? Or is there something to be said for the delightful anticpation of Christmas?

What do we lose when we no longer allow space to look...

Why do you like what you like? Journalist Tom Vanderbilt joins us to explore how our likes and dislikes are formed. His new book is You May Also Like: Taste in an Age of Endless Choice.

Find Tom Vanderbilt at his website or on Instagram. His other books include Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and what It Says about Us) and Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning.

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

What's the best time of year to visit Rome?

That's a truly impossible question to answer, but Tiffany has an ideal time that might surprise you. Listen to this mini-episode to discover the unlikely perfection of a season you've probably never considered.

Don't miss your chance to visit Rome with us, on our intimate Rome listener trip, coming up in October 2026. Find out all about it here, or email us for more information!

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COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is in the books! If...

A sudden change of plans, an unexpected surgery—these are the kinds of things that can throw your world into temporary disarray, and often cause no little anxiety in the process.

On this personal and vulnerable episode, Tiffany and Katy discuss their recent experiences with the anxiety of the unexpected, and how best to deal with those inevitable times that life throws you a curve ball.

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COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is in the books! If you'd like to join us in 2026, and be part of...