Unpacked- with Anna & Emma
Episodes
Ep 20: Anna’s Experience of Drawdown Navigating Crisis and Uncertainty in Diplomatic Life
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes diplomatic life brings moments of sudden disruption when plans change overnight and stability disappears. Drawdowns can be one of the most c...
Ep 19: Do I Give Up My Career to Go Overseas for My Partner?
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
One of the biggest and most emotionally complex questions partners face in this lifestyle is whether to put their own career on pause in order to move...
Ep 18: Navigating Uncertainty and Control at Post From Arrival to Departure
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Arriving at post often comes with a rush of adjustment, learning, and emotional overload. Just as things begin to feel familiar, the posting shifts ag...
Ep 17: From Bidding to Arrival- Choosing a Post Without All the Answers
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most challenging parts of diplomatic life is being asked to make life-shaping decisions long before you have the full picture. From bidding...
Ep 16: Living in the Waiting Room- Coping with Uncertainty & Last-Minute Change
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Uncertainty is one of the hardest, and most invisible, parts of this lifestyle. Not knowing if a move will happen, when it will happen, or having plan...
Ep 15: Our End-of-Year Wrap up – Pride, Gratitude & Lessons Learned
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the year closes, it’s tempting to jump straight into what’s next. But before we move forward, there’s so much value in pausing to honour the ...
Ep 14: The Magic Formula for Thriving Abroad- A Special Conversation with Giulia
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some people seem to glow in this lifestyle, no matter the posting, the upheaval, or the uncertainty. Giulia is one of those people. With multiple relo...
Ep 13: Finding Your People Abroad- Why Adult Friendships Are Hard & How to Build Them with Ease
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Moving to a new country can make you feel like you’ve been dropped into someone else’s life overnight. In those early months, everything is unfami...
Ep 12: Staying Connected When You’re Far Apart- Nurturing Long-Distance Relationships
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the hardest parts of diplomatic life is the distance it creates - not just from places, but from people. As you move from posting to posting, t...
Ep 11: The Third Person in Your Relationship- When the Job Comes Home
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In diplomatic life, there’s often a third presence in every relationship - the job. It doesn’t clock out at 5 p.m., it joins you at dinner, shapes...
Ep 10: When Is It Time to Stop Moving? When Constant Relocation No Longer Feels Right
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In diplomatic life, this question can bubble under the surface for a long time and pops up every now and again. How much longer can we keep doing this...
Ep 9: The Hidden Price of Dependence- Money, Power, and Partnership in Diplomatic Life
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In diplomatic life, money often sits quietly in the background, tied up in allowances, benefits, and hard to reach systems that can leave one partner ...
Ep 8: Inside the Bubble- Social Dependency and the Diplomatic Spouse
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In diplomatic life, your social world often starts with your partner’s role: embassy events, official receptions, and colleagues who quickly become ...
Ep 7: The Diplomatic Reset- Routines, Independence, and Your “Real” New Year
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As summer travel wraps up and school schedules kick in, September often feels like the real New Year for families. It’s a chance to reset, find your...
Ep 6: Are You Becoming More Dependent Than You Realise?
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re kicking off a brand-new mini-series on the subtle ways diplomatic life can quietly shift you into dependency- on a person, a system, or a life...
Ep 5: Reinvention & Portfolio Careers- What is My Purpose?
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you’re constantly relocating, traditional career paths often go out the window. In this episode of Unpacked, we explore the idea of portfolio a...
Ep 4: The Invisible Load that Partners Carry
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the invisible load that many diplomatic and expat partners silently carry; the emotional, logistical, and identity-based...
Ep 3: Why Summer Feels So Hard- Navigating Transition Season
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Summer might look sunny on the outside, but for many diplomatic partners, it’s one of the most emotionally and logistically challenging times of the...
Pilot 2: Meet Emma — The Zestie Life
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Get to know co-host Emma as she shares her story of reinvention, from teacher to coach, and what drives her to support diplomatic partners in finding ...
Pilot 1: Meet Anna — Not Just a Spouse
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our very first episode, Anna shares her personal journey from diplomatic partner to founder of Not Just a Spouse. We explore identity, purpose, and...