The Bittersweet Life

Robert Fulghum is the author of 21 books and a writer whose career that has spanned multiple decades. On this episode from our archives, we share a deep and intimate conversation with him, asking questions like: how do you stay curious about the world around you?

Katy's also explores Fulghum's uncanny ability to attain resilience in the face of what some would deem to be disaster, why Robert dismisses the "meaningless" idea of personal authenticity, how travel shapes your life (and why he makes sure never to dress like a tourist!) and the simple thing that one elementary...

In an episode that is worth sharing with others in your life, Katy's sister Dana joins us to give an update on her health, dealing with a glioblastoma brain cancer, as well as an amazing device that she has created to keep her mind focused on things that offer consolation rather than desolation. It's a surprisingly simple idea that helps her focus on the true prioriities in her life, rather than all the scary and anxiety-producing things about facing major change in your health. And she does it is in the most fuzzy and cute, cuddly way that you...

Traveling all alone... does sound like a nightmare or a fantasy? Or perhaps the idea intrigues you but you're a little too scared to try it.

Thanks to a listener question, we delve into the realities of solo travel on this episode, the good, the bad, the perks, the challenges, the dangers, and the unexpected joys. We also share some of the wonderful and not-so-nice things that have happened to us on our own solo voyages, as well as a few hacks on how to make the most of it (and not get too lonely).

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On Monday's new episode, we discuss the bittersweet feeling that so often comes with endings and new beginnings. Excitement tinged with nostalgia and a sense of what will be missed. What brought up these thoughts? Aurelio recently finishing elementary school and all the emotions that that brought up, particularly for his mom! (If you missed that episode, be sure to go back and listen here!)

On this mini-episode, Aurelio weighs in. What does HE feel about leaving the school and teachers he's gotten to know so well over these past five years and preparing to embark on...

It's happened: Tiffany's son Aurelio has "graduated" from elementary school and is on his way to big-kid land.

How is his mom handling it?

And why is it that endings, no matter what they are, tend to be so bittersweet?

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COME TO ROME WITH US: Our 4th annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is taking place this year from 1 to 7 November 2026! If you'd like to be part of an intimate group of listeners on a magical and unforgettable journey to Rome, discovering the city with us as your guides, find out...

Ever had a souvenir that you grew to hate? Something that you'd love to get rid of, but can't bear to because you carried it across the world?

Or what about the things you wish you had bought, but didn't? Objects that—whether because they were too expensive, too impractical, or simply too hard to get home—you failed to buy and have always regretted it?

For this conversation about the souvenirs we love, loathe, and left behind, we invited our regular Patreon and PayPal supporters to a live episode via Zoom—and some of them c...

Tiffany and her husband Claudio celebrated a (relatively) big anniversary last month. On this bonus episode available exclusively to our Patreon supporters, Tiffany talks about what they did to mark the day, and how that connects with our big Rome trip coming up in November!

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 episode and many many more like it?

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

Lately it seems that people go on vacation just for the pleasure of standing in line.

What's going on?

We blame social media and viral influencers who would have many uninformed tourists believe that there's only ONE place to get the "best" espresso, the "best" pizza, the "best" tiramisù, and they are more than willing to line up for hours need be to be able to say they've had the "best."

But is it really the best?

Is it even close? (More often than not, it isn't.)

And in r...

Formerly close but now estranged siblings, two girls with a passion for swimming in the sea, a death that reveals long hidden secrets, a voice message from beyond the grave, and a tradtional Caribbean cake that ties it all together.

These are the ingredients for Black Cake, the bestselling new novel by Charmaine Wilkerson, who joins us on this episode from our archives.

In this fascinating author interview, we talk about family, memory, identity, loss, secrets, and so much more. Wilkerson reveals her own path to becoming an author, as well as a bit about...

Today we bring you Part 2 of Monday's Episode 632 in which we are inspired by a recent article, the Seattle Times to predict what Seattleites would enjoy in Rome based on what they like to do in Seattle.

Listen in to get ideas and tips for what to see and do on your trip to Rome (whether you're from Seattle or not), and you might be surprised to discover just how many things Rome and Seattle have in common!

If you haven't already, be sure to listen to Part 1 first!

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COME...

In a recent article, the Seattle Times attempts to predict what Seattleites would enjoy in Rome based on what they like to do in Seattle.

But, frankly, as Roman Seattleites ourselves, we think we can do a better job with this topic.

Listen in to get ideas and tips for what to see and do on your trip to Rome (whether you're from Seattle or not), and you might be surprised to discover just how many things Rome and Seattle have in common!

Turns out we had so much to say, this episode...

Tiffany gives you the low-down on Rome's neighborhoods, particularly from the expat perspective.

Which neighborhoods are the prettiest? Where are they located? How high are the living expenses there and what kind of expat (typically) lives there? Also—what's the most important landmark in each neighborhood and what kind of food can you get there?

We answer all these questions and more. If you're planning a move to Rome (or just daydreaming about one), this episode is for you!

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

Do you ever wish you could scrap all this new technology and return to the analog world? When you actually owned your own films and music? When you didn't have to have a subscription to use your own printer? When you didn't have AI constantly trying to predict what you're trying to do?

From someone who's conducting research for her next book at the public library (Katy) and someone who is planning on going back to listening to CDs only (Tiffany), we have a feeling we're not the only ones.

This is just a sneak...

Picture it: you dreamed of moving abroad for years, and you've finally done it! You are settling into your new country, and just starting to get the swing of things, with exciting travel plans with your partner on the horizon.

But what happens when your friends back home start to come visit... too often?

What happens when nearly every weekend you become hostess, tour guide, and chef, all rolled into one?

We all love seeing our friends from back home—especially when we live far away—but is there too much of a good...

Can you keep a secret? Author Adrienne Brodeur was asked to keep an explosive secret at just fourteen years old when her mother confided in her about her extramarital affair. From that moment on, Adrienne's life changed; her innocent childhood was over, and her new life of secrets, lies, and drama began.

On this episode from our archives, Adrienne joins us for a thoughtful and intimate interview. She discusses her memoir, Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me, in which she tells this extraordinary story. She also explores the challenges of writing memoir, and how perspective...

The most fulfilling travel cannot be found on any check-list.

A meaningful trip can never be summed up by list of "top ten" things to see or do.

And no influencer has the secrets to make the perfect trip.

This is your official invitation to trash the travel check-lists and let the place you are visiting simply reveal itself to you. You might just find that the very best travel experiences come when you ignore all the "must-do"s and just allow the city you are visiting to lead you.

By...

There's lots of buzz out there lately about manifesting, and how if we can somehow harness this practice, we can effortlessly make all of our desires a reality.

But does it really work?

And perhaps more importantly—what really goes into manifesting? How much of it is simply the effort and planning it takes to make ANYTHING happen?

Last week we chatted with a psychic medium about this very topic, a friendly debate in which Katy pushed back about his claims on maninfesting. (Be sure to listen to that episode frist.) Now Tiffany an...

Is it important to be on time? What does it say about you if you are often late? What does it say about you if it really bothers you when others are late?

On this episode from our archives, we delve into the world of punctuality, and all of the expectations and resentments that can come with it (or the lack of it).

This idea was suggested by a listener via Instagram. We love when listeners send us suggestions! Send us yours—we might just do an episode on it! Email us here.

***Th...

On this week's bonus episode, we update our Patreon supporters on a bunch of personal stories. How is the new Roman puppy working out? What's happening with Tiffany's piano-fueled feud with her upstairs neighbor? And does Katy's book have a release date yet?

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 episode and many many more like it?

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

Psychic mediums believe in a lot of things that can't be seen or touched, but rather only sensed, so it makes sense that they would be on board when it comes to the idea of manifestation.

But Katy is a skeptic at the school of manifestation, so she sits down with direct-voice psychic medium Felix Lee Lerma, for an impromptu debate on the meaning of the term, and if it really does what its proponents claim it does.

Don't miss this friendly but no-holds-barred debate!

And if Felix's voice is familiar, that's because...

Since Victorian times, people have been obsessed with Jack the Ripper. There are endless volumes full of history about him and the gory deaths of his five victims. What's missing is information about the lives of the women he killed—until now.

In this episode from our archives, we sit down with Hallie Rubenhold, social historian and author of the recently published book, The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper.

In this eye-opening interview, we discover that, contrary to popular narrative, Jack the Ripper's victims were almost certainly not al...

Your big Rome trip is coming up and all you can see on social media are terrifying videos of massive crowds filling every, street, piazza, and museum. Did you make a mistake planning a trip to Rome in high season?

Not to fear! Most tourists will never find them, but there are pockets of Rome and entire neighborhoods—one more beautiful than the next—that are completely devoid of crowds. Even in the highest of high season.

Tiffany shares these delightfully quiet Roman neighborhoods on this mini-episode, and reveals the fascinating cultural sites that can be v...

Lots of Americans move abroad to a lower-cost-of-living country in hopes of making their salary stretch further. And if they manage to continue earning an American salary from abroad (even a modest one), they can go on to lead prosperous and comfortable lives far beyond what would be possible in the States.

But what happens when they decide it's time to move home?

A recent article in the New York Times, They Went Abroad to Save Money. Moving Back Seems Unaffordable looks at this conundrum, and we continue the discussion by musing on the article...

On this episode from our archives, we tell a true story of corruption, evil, and avarice...

A powerful, unscrupulous man whose two greatest vices are greed and lust. He's close to his family...perhaps too close (particularly his daughter). He has many children by different women, but the three he loves most are two sons and a daughter...a beautiful blond-haired daughter.

He holds a position of great power, although the machinations he employed to get it are mired in scandal. Bribery was most certainly involved—and perhaps even blackmail.

He is resented by...

Tiffany's household has been shaken up by a surprising new family member. What do you think? Are you surprised?

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 episode 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.

...

When you leave your home country and move abroad as a young person, you probably have a plan for finding a place to live, securing employment, maybe even getting health insurance.

But what about when it comes to finding love?

Dating offers unique challenges to expats, who often have a hard time communicating or even just being themselves in a foreign language, understanding local dating "rules," and adapting to cultural norms that can often be totally foreign.

Today's guest Maddalena Vario experienced this for the first time when she moved from Puglia, Italy...

In this episode from our archives, we chat with expat, author, and vlogger Dana Newman, an American living in Germany. Dana moved to Europe back in 2008, first to Prague, then later to Munich, where she married a German and still lives today.

On her YouTube channel, Wanted Adventure, Dana talks about her experiences living abroad in general and living in Germany in particular, including the culture, the food, the traditions, and, of course, mastering the German language. (The infamously difficult-to-learn German language! Do you know how many ways there are to say "the" in German? We don't...

When an unpleasant hitch seems to ruin your best-laid plans, sometimes, just sometimes, you discover later that it was all for the best. That something better than you could have ever imagined was in store for you.

In fact, sometimes these "happy accidents" can lead to amazing outcomes, and sometimes even change your life for the better.

On this new episode, we talk about the happy accidents we've experienced in our lives and how we never saw them coming.

Write to us here (or send us a voice memo...

What do Goethe, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and so many other writers and artists have in common? They all reached the apex of their creative output while living outside their countries of birth.

An email from a listener, who also happens to be a member of indie band Trash Can Dream, inspired this episode from our archives. Emma Grace Stephenson is one of two Aussie expats who make up the band that is now based in New York City. Her email sparked a discussion on how travel, and specifically living abroad, can inspire art and...

Tiffany lays out five reasons why you should drop whatever you're doing and come spend a week in Rome with us this fall... and why it might just be your best trip ever!

Thinking of joining us on our intimate Rome listener trip in November 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 you'd like to join us in 2026, and be part of an intimate group of listeners on a magical...

Don't miss this fascinating interview with writer and teacher Victoria Montes, a long-time expat currently living in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Victoria has spent much of her life moving around the word, from Nigeria, Morocco, and Pakistan as a diplomat's kid growing up in the '70s, to a young military police officer based in Germany, to working as a photojournalist covering the war in Afghanistan, and now teaching schoolkids on military bases.

She sits down with us to talk about her journey navigating identity, home, transitions, and the complicated emotions that come with uprooting and...

Some psychologists say that anticipation of a desired event can often bring more happiness than experiencing the event itself. And if that's the case, can we conclude that planning a trip is even more fun that actually taking the trip?

This episode from our archives was inspired by a recent article in the New York Times, Travel and the Art of Anticipation by Stephanie Rosenbloom. We muse about the so-called "happiness reset," the pleasure of anticipating travel, and the joys to be gleaned from reminiscing about past adventures.

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

Our supporters on Patreon voted YES to this episode idea!

So today we fire up the random question generator again, except this time, there's a twist: we each have to guess what the other person will say.

What does Tiffany wish she learned sooner? Katy answers for her. What natural ability does Katy have? Tiffany has a guess.

Such a fun episode.

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...

We all have mementos from the past: cards and letters from loved ones, journals from or angst-ridden teenage years, homework from when we were just wee things... but the question is: what do you do with it all?

We can't store an infinite amount of stuff, and how often are we actually going to go back and look at these things?

And yet, these objects often capture memories in a tangible way that simply thinking about them does not. Will we forget the memory without the tangible reminder? And if we do, does that even...

We all have fantasies when we are young about how we want our lives to turn out. Some are far-fetched, some are probably doable.

But do you ever stop to ask yourself how much of life is us trying to fulfill the fantasies of our youth? And what do we do when those fantasies go unfulfilled? Do we look back with regret, or do we just create new ones?

On this episode from our archives, we discuss this topic.

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

What does Easter look like in the most catholic city on Earth? As it turns out, it's all about two things: Jesus, and big chocolate eggs. And I mean BIG.

Hear all about what a traditional Easter is like in Italy 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 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...

Taxes are enough of a nightmare when you live in your home country. But what happens when you move abroad?

Did you know that the United States is one of only two countries in the world that requires its citizens living outside of the country to file taxes internationally? That mean American expats like Tiffany have to file two returns every year. (Double nightmare!)

Tiffany and Katy talk about their experiences doing their own taxes and whether that is as unwise as it sometimes seems, and Tiffany explains some of the intricacies of filing an...

In this episode from our archives, we explore the topic of hard work vs. luck, when it comes to a person's success.

You did it! You've landed that amazing job, or maybe you're successfully living abroad in the country you've always dreamed of, or you've published your book, bought your dream home, won a major award in your industry (you fill in the blank). The question is: can you chalk it all up to hard work? Or was there some luck involved? And how much of what you've achieved can be attributed to privilege?

It's...

Last week, Tiffany shared two of her favorite childhood movies with her 10-year-old son, and it was almost like stepping back into the past (particularly with one of the films!).

Find out what Aurelio thought of these classic films? Did he love them as much as Tiffany did when she was little?

And how did they stand the test of time?

Most importantly, did re-watching them after so much time make her cry?

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

On this new episode, Tiffany regales us with the beautiful plans she made for a fun weekend that ended up going disastrously awry.

Is part of growing older learning to take such disappointments in stride?

We discuss on this brand-new episode.

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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 Rome, discovering the city with us as your guides, find...