Breakups, Identity Shifts & Finding Belonging Abroad | Ep 93

About this episode

Melissa Parks, Ph.D. discusses the complexities of living abroad, including the impact of breakups and identity shifts.

Melissa Parks, Ph.D. joins Mickelle for a conversation about what life abroad really asks of us, beneath the logistics, beneath the highlight reel. Melissa shares how a devastating breakup in Spain became a turning point: not just the loss of a partner, but a “compound grief” that included home, visa security, community, and identity. Together, they name what so many Peregrines feel but rarely articulate: when you live between cultures, you’re constantly becoming and that process can be both beautiful and brutal. Melissa introduces mindful self-compassion as a practical way through transition: first, acknowledging what’s true without getting swallowed by it; second, remembering common humanity (you’re not alone); and third, speaking to yourself with real kindness. They explore why even positive moves can activate grief in the body, and why closing one chapter with intention—goodbyes, rituals, permission to feel—helps us enter the next with more steadiness. The conversation opens into identity and belonging too: fitting in versus true belonging, the “multi-selves” we develop across languages and cultures, and Melissa’s late-in-life autism diagnosis, an added layer of self-knowing…

People in this episode

Host: Mickelle Weber

Guest: Melissa Parks, Ph.D.

Topics covered

• breakups
• identity
• belonging
• mindful self-compassion
• cultural transition
• grief

Keywords

• breakup
• identity shift
• mindful self-compassion
• cultural transition
• grief
• belonging
• autism diagnosis

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Spain

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