
TCK Care
By Stephen Black

TCK CareJan 14, 2020

Priorities
Life gives you a lot to handle, often at the same time. What do you focus on first? Here's one model for setting priorities, especially in a time of crisis.
(Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash)

Adjustment
Adjustment takes time. It takes patience, and flexibility, and so many things. TCK's are professional adapters, but let's not forget that it can be beneficial to rehearse the basics if you want to pursue excellence. So let's talk about the basics of what it takes to adjust.

Single Stories
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about what happens when people tell and listen to a single story. I believe that Third Culture Kids are prone to tell single stories, especially about themselves. But that doesn't have to be true. Let's talk about what it would take to tell your whole story.
(Photo by Masaaki Komori on Unsplash)

Legacy
What makes third culture kids inclined to view the world so differently? How can we use our vantage point to make the world a better place? And what exactly is the legacy we're going to strive for? Let's talk about it.
(Photo by IGOR FIGUEREDO on Unsplash)

Emotional Availability
Why might TCK's have difficulty getting in touch with their feelings? How might that impact relationships? And what's to be done about it? Let's talk about emotional availability.
Here's an excellent article on emotional availability that I reference in the podcast.
Don't forget to listen to my interview with Micahel Pollock defining what it means to be a TCK.
(Photo by Cyrus Gomez on Unsplash)

Transition is Visceral
Is it just me, or does the process of transition have an inextricable connection with deep feelings? In this week's episode, I speak to the way that an outward experience can affect us on the inside, dramatically shaping our emotional reality. And I talk about how feelings are just feelings, and that there's nothing wrong with them.
(Photo by Erik Odiin on Unsplash)

"Not Just Words" with In Inés Yabár
Inés joins me on the show to share her amazing story of travel, adventure, language, and connection. Inés and I talk about the nature of relationships in a transient state, and how language is more than just the words that we speak.

I Remember Everything
Have you ever felt alien? Do your memories appear strange to you, as if you may come from another world, or another time? Today I'm going to talk about what it's like to carry the memories from the Third Culture, memories of other worlds that we carry inside ourselves.
(Photo by Manuel Inglez on Unsplash)

#youvegotthis
This goes out to the TCK's who have lived the life, done the work, and are in a good place. Let's take a second to celebrate the fact that life can be good and that #youvegotthis!
(Photo by Lidya Nada on Unsplash)

The New Normal
Third Culture Kids are highly adept at managing change. But what about when change ends and things remain the same? How does someone who's used to change handle the new normal?
(Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash)

Oxygen
Have you ever been told to put on your own oxygen mask first? I talk about the oxygen mask analogy and give TCK's with care-taking personalities a couple of thoughts on what exactly that means.
(Photo by Calle Macarone on Unsplash)

Proximal Learning

#RealTalk Take 2
I received a letter that addresses TCK's lack of social cultural role models in certain situations. Role models often provide an important aspect of learning as we find ourselves in a cultural context.
(Photo by Monica Valls on Unsplash)

"Self Compassion" with Darci Nealeigh
"Wherever you go, there you are." In this episode, Darci Nealeigh talks about the state of self compassion. She identifies early on how crucial this practice is given the current health pandemic where we are often stuck with nothing but ourselves. We talk about trust, inner dialogue, and give several analogies and exercises for being compassionate to yourself.
(Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash)

"Social Media" with Rhys Pasimio
The world has never been as small as it is with social media. And accessing information has never been so easy. Connecting with loved ones with images and messages from our lives feels amazing. But what is the cost? Addictions counselor Rhys Pasimio joins me on the show once again to talk about how social media affects our lives and relationships.
(Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash)

#RealTalk Take 1
"What is the hardest part of being a TCK?" I read a letter written by a TCK from Africa who is raising his children in Asia. Identity, belonging, friendship, and parenting play prominent roles in this week's conversation on what it means to be a TCK.
(Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash)

Equilibrium
What is the status quo for a TCK? How does a person sustain a state of balance with high stress levels? What do you do when mobility is normal? Just a few thoughts on equilibrium in a mobile, multicultural life.
(Photo by Christophe Hautier on Unsplash)

"Setting Anchor Part 2" with Jon Walthour
Stability can be the source of much ambivalence for TCK's--something to wrestle with and long for at the same time. Jon Walthour from TCK Tales and I continue the conversation about what it's like to increase a sense of stability in context. Setting anachor.
(Photo by milan degraeve on Unsplash)

"Setting Anchor" with Jon Walthour
Two TCK's (Jon Walthour from TCK Tales and myself) talk about the journey of setting anchor in the middle of a mobile life. We talk about the different kinds of anchors that hold people in place, factors that support stability, and what it's like to pick up (or cut off) those anchors and move on. Real talk with TCK podcasters.
(Photo by Rostyslav Kondrat on Unsplash)

TCK's in Crisis
I wanted to speak to the TCK's who face our current health crisis, emphasizing strengths that TCK's might bring to the current situation. I hope this encourages you and finds you well.
(Photo by 🇨🇭 Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash)

"Raising Healthy TCK's" with Lauren Wells
Lauren Wells, who came on the show last year to talk about processing grief, wrote Raising Healthy TCK's. Lauren shares with us the four basic components of raising healthy TCK's as explained in her upcoming book.

Titles and Tools
How helpful is the label "TCK"? Or any label, for that matter? What is the danger in using a label as you introduce yourself? In this episode I interact with Stephanie Boon's article Identity Theft of Third Culture Kids to talk about the place of labels in the TCK community.
(Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash)

"Citizen of the World" with Christina Hoag
Author Christina Hoag shares the story of her international heritage and upbringing and her global quest. Christina has amazing stories
You can learn more about Christina and her writing on her website. Be sure to check out Girl on the Brink and Skin of Tattoos on Amazon!

"Change and Transition" with Julia Gutgsell
Julia's global, multicultural upbringing uniquely enables her to connect with expatriates on an empathetic level. Julia decided to use her aptitude for connection combined with her appreciation for global mobility to begin a career in expat coaching and consulting. In this episode, Julia tells her own story and extrapolates on the difference between change and transition, breaking down the transition framework created by William Bridges. For more information about Julia, visit her website, Yellow Wood Coaching, read her blog, or follow her on Facebook or Linkedin.

"Understood" with Tanya Crossman
"How I see my TCK work is all about building bridges between people" says Tanya Crossman, author of the book Misunderstood. Tanya has spent years caring for TCK's, interviewing TCK's, and working with TCK families. She speaks into the need for giving TCK's permission to fail. To learn more about Tanya, check out her Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

"What It Takes" with Louise Wiles
Expat coach, consultant, writer, podcaster with a background in occupational psychology, Louise Wiles speaks from her firsthand experience traveling the world as well as raising TCK's to address the end goal of the drive to see the world. Louise covers the basics of what it takes to thrive abroad. Be sure to check out Louise' website, check out her book, Thriving Abroad, her own podcast, and the resource she mentions Families in Global Transition.

"Music Took Me Through" with DC Collard
Artist, musician, and producer DC Collard shares the story of his upbringing in Malaysia and London. DC speaks to the role of music in processing the challenges of his globally mobile life and focusing on the benefits from his TCK experience. To learn more about DC and his music, and for more information about his TCK themed album, click here.

"From Here Now" with Alyssa Bartling
Alyssa starts her story by talking about being from here now, which I believe is an excellent summary of the sense of ongoing transience that many TCK’s claim. Alyssa shares the positive and challenging aspects of her journey, framing it all in the lens of continual growth and increasing awareness for an uplifting TCK story.

"The Story of a Story" with Elizabeth Liang

"Two Hundred Percent" with Judith Kooyman

"Valuable Rejection" with Heidi Tunberg

"Parental Empathy" with Kate Berger

"The Long Game" with Ben Pankow

"Holy Heresies" with Tim Sanford

"Gone" with Caleb Cox

"Origins Algorithm" with Jane Heinze

"Shaped by the Stories" with Eric Ebrahim

"TCK Care Collaboration" with Megan Norton

"State of Migration" with Daniel Black

"David's Final Wish" with Steve and Debra Rowe

"Chameleon" with Nelson Fuentes

"When Jeanie Died" with Linda Kelley

"Transition Seminars" with the T-Team

"The Healthiest Parents" with Risa Hobson

"Deconstructing Privilege" with Anastasia Fuentes

"A Little Piece of the Pie" with Linda Stollfus

"Trauma Followed Me" with Beth Stoker

"Advocacy" with Jim and Lisa Black

"VIP Syndrome" with David Johnson
