About

The ExpatCast is the podcast where expats share stories about fitting in, standing out, and every mishap on their journey to feeling at home abroad. If you long for the relief of confiding an emotion to a friend, only to find out they struggle with the same thing, this show's for you.

Episodes are roughly 35 minutes long and are released once a week on Thursdays. Each week, a new expat comes on the show to share their experience, wisdom, and qualms with life abroad.

Since its launch in 2018, The Expat Cast has enjoyed many cool moments, like hosting a live podcast event, hitting 130,000 downloads, and interviewing some of Nicole's personal expat heroes.

 

Top Episodes

Some of the most listened to episodes include...

Nicole's Favorite Episodes

There are many great interviews with phenomenal guests to choose from, but some of Nicole's personal favorite episodes are...

  • How To Show Up with Sundae - a discussion of whether to make a grand gesture to compensate for missing the mundane moments with loved ones back home

  • Snacks and Toilets with Jenny - Nicole and her friend Jenny talk about their favorite and least favorite German snacks as well as the Snacks they miss from the US, then discuss the odd toilets they've encountered in their travels

  • Being Queer in Germany with Meg - we hear one person's experience moving from the Deep South in the US to southern Germany to be with her wife

  • The Venn Diagram of USA, Germany, & Ecuador - in preparation for Nicole's move to South America, Oscar from Ecuador, currently living in the US and preparing to move to Germany, comes by to compare the three cultures
  • American Shame with Gabe and American Pride with Zoe - a two-episode call and response with two US-Americans who came to very different conclusions about their feelings about their nationality after moving abroad

  • A Mother-Daughter Reverse Expat Story - probably the most heart-warming episode! Gabi moved from Germany to the US in her youth, and now her daughter Elana has moved to Germany at a similar age
  • Becoming Bilingual with Casey - just thinking about all the mistranslations and misunderstandings mentioned in this episode makes me laugh (and cringe)

  • Am I Integrating or Am I Aging? - Rachel Stewart from Deutsche Welle's Meet the Germans examines if things like going out less and liking quiet Sundays are signs of integrating into the German culture or of aging

If you're new to the show, check out this blog post for a Starter Kit of recommended episodes.

About the Host

Nicole PalazzoProfile Photo

Nicole Palazzo

The Expat Cast is hosted by Nicole, an American formerly living in Freiburg, Germany, currently located in Asuncion, Paraguay. Nicole decided to start the podcast in order to create a community for herself and others feeling similarly stressed but blessed in their life abroad.

Since moving abroad in 2017, Nicole has been a librarian by day and a podcaster by night. Her favorite activities include asking strangers slightly invasive questions about their personal lives and frolicking about in nature, be that via hiking, running, traveling, or taking a scenic nap.