Loading...

PODCAST

The Bittersweet Life

Expat, Repat, Travel, Rome, Seattle, Books, Art, Italy, Wonder

Life doesn"t have a script. At least, it doesn"t have to. Hosts Katy Sewall and Tiffany Parks explore the challenges and joys of moving abroad and moving home. Whether you"re living overseas, or not — or not yet — join us weekly for unadulterated conversation. Get to know Rome. Laugh at our embarrassments and insights. Most of all, imagine the possibilities for your own life (and meet some famous authors along the way).

society & culture places & travel

All Episodes

27:43

Episode 649: How a Place Changes You, Part 1

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/10/05

Can living in a foreign country or even a different city from where you grew up dramatically change your life and even your personality? A letter from a listener sparked this fascinating topic. Katy and Tiffany muse on how their lives would be different if Tiffany hadn't moved to Rome and Katy hadn't moved back to Seattle. Also, can you ever really imagine how much a decision (like moving or staying) can change your life? At some point, it's all just speculation. Stay tuned for next week's episode,

en

10:07

The Bittersweet Past: Have You Ever Heard a Rat Laugh?

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/10/02

It's finally Halloween season, and to assuage the fears of anyone who is afraid of rats (like Tiffany!) Katy shares a fascinating and little-known recording of rat laughter (yes, you read that right) on this episode from our archives. On this mini-episode from years past, she also shares a touching piece of short fiction she wrote during lockdown that most likely many of our listeners can relate to in some way. ***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! In order

en

31:05

Episode 648: Misperceiving Italy

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/09/28

A cringy AI-generated ad that touts a gimmicky protein pasta as "just like in Italy!" makes us wonder: what are the worst misperceptions around Italian culture, food, and lifestyle? We muse on how easy it is to fall prey to these misconceptions and end up having an inauthentic experience while in Italy, or not enjoying an authentic Italian meal because it's not what we were expecting. And it's not just about food. We dig into stereotypes about Italian culture that just won't go away, and other

en

36:04

The Bittersweet Past: The Joy of Anticipating Travel

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/09/25

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? In this episode from our archives, we take inspiration from 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

en

29:44

Episode 647: How to Vote from Abroad in US Elections

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/09/21

The US mid-term elections are just around the corner, and it's important to know that Americans living or studying abroad can vote from whereever they happen to be! (And it's actually not that complicated to do!) This week Tiffany took part in a voter registration drive for American students at a study-abroad campus in Rome, and she chatted with Kelly Feenan, a volunteer at Votefromabroad.org, a non-partisan group that helps expats register to vote from abroad and request their ballots. Kelly shares

en

37:46

The Bittersweet Past: A Walk through Trastevere

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/09/18

On this episode from way way back in the early archives of the show, Tiffany and Katy take listeners on a walking tour of their favorite Roman neighborhood, Trastevere. ***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! In order to help newer listeners discover some of our earlier episodes, every Friday we are now airing an episode from our vast archives! Enjoy!*** ------------------------------------- COME TO ROME WITH US: Our 4th annual Bittersweet Life Roman

en

39:31

Episode 646: Celebrating Life while You're Alive...

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/09/14

Today we're joined by Katy's sisters, Dana and Sara, to chat about what's on the horizon for Dana, considering her diagnosis of terminal brain cancer last year. As always, Dana shares inspiring words of hope and fortitude, proving that a terminal cancer diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean an instant end to a happy and rich life. They also attempt to address the question: would you want to know how much time you have left? For most of us, this is abstract question we'll never have to face. But Dana

en

40:09

The Bittersweet Past: Who Is Rome for?

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/09/11

In cities like Rome, tourists are part of the city's identity, its reality, its way of life. When they go away—and don't come back—the city will inevitably change and adapt. Will the countless AirBNBs turn back into regular rentals, and will that in turn cause locals to move back to the historic center? Will the souvenir shops that have crowded out the artisanal workshops close their doors? Will restaurants that once hawked mediocre fare to tourists be forced to raise their standards in order to

en

34:20

Episode 645: Dogs vs. Cats

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/09/07

It's a debate as old as time, and today Katy and Tiffany are tackling it: Which are better: dogs or cats? And perhaps more importantly, which make better pets? Is the loving loyalty of a dog a more important trait in a pet than the independent, low-maintenance lifestyle of a cat? And crucially: which animal is cuter? Katy had a dog as a young person, and now she has cats. Tiffany grew up with cats, and now has a dog. Does that mean cat people can become dog people and vice versa? We tackle this and

en

34:32

The Bittersweet Past: Why Is the Media Obsessed with...

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/09/04

Are you tired of watching every one you know go to Italy? Florence-based food blogger and culinary tour guide Coral Sisk was, and she penned a viral complaint about it for the popular online foodie publication Eater, with the specific complaint that the media turns too much of its focus on Italy—particularly when it comes to food programming—so tourists think it's the "only" place to go. The comment section was wild, with most of the responses somewhere along the lines of "I love Italy and there's

en

31:36

Episode 644: Listeners Ask: Do You Journal?

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/08/31

Do you write in a journal? If you don't know, have you ever done so in the past? Have you ever used a journal as a means of self-therapy? These and other similar questions come to us in a two recent email from two long-time listeners, and we decided to devote an entire episode to this interesting topic. (Since we're both writers, you might not be surprised to hear our answers!) But listen all the way to the end to discover the published journals that we have most enjoyed reading. WE LOVE LISTENER

en

28:17

The Bittersweet Past: I Was Here

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/08/28

On a past Bittersweet Moment, Tiffany remembered accidently smearing a bit of lipstick on the doorframe of one of the buildings she lived in her first months in Rome, and how that red streak is still there, 18 years later. And how, somehow, every time she sees it, it reminds her of her earliest days in Rome, almost an "I was here" moment. This episode from our archive is Inspired by this idea. Katy and Tiffany talk about other moments in their life that they have felt a similar sensation, how common

en

28:52

Episode 643: Defending the City You Love

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/08/24

When a stranger online started badmouthing Rome, Tiffany's reaction was viceral. It was almost as if someone had insulted her mother. On this week's new episode, Tiffany and Katy chat about what it means to love a city so much that you are sometimes blinded to its faults. They also touch on why, despite popular opinion online, it's perfectly okay to romaticize living in Italy. (Tiffany has been doing it for the last 22 years and show no signs of falling out of love with Rome.)

en

28:40

The Bittersweet Past: Seeking Wonder (with Andrea Scher)

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/08/21

What is wonder? And how does it affect your life? Perhaps most importantly, what can we do to harness it? In this episode from our archives, we are joined by Andrea Scher, author of Wonder Seeker: 52 Ways to Wake Up Your Creativity and Find Your Joy, a playful, practical, and effective guide to finding wonder and joy in your daily life. Andrea's passion and life's work is to cultivate a sense of wonder, and to help others do the same. She discusses how her need for wonder has grown out of her innate

en

40:40

Episode 642: Are Tiffany and Katy Grown-ups?

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/08/17

Last week we aired a fascinating and inspiring conversation with Julian Shapiro-Barnum about his new book How to Grow up without Becoming a Grown-up and his strategies for resisting the pull of what can often end up being a constrictive and joyless adulthood. Today, Tiffany and Katy continue the conversation. They wonder: have they managed to remain childlike (or hey, even childish) despite the fact that they have entered long since adulthood? And does having your own kids keep you young, or does it

en

32:08

The Bittersweet Past: The Sounds You Love

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/08/13

In this episode from our archives, we ask our listeners: What are the sounds you truly love, not for how beautiful they are, but for what they mean? Sounds that, for whatever reason, make you happy? Sounds that, when you hear them, you know something good is about to happen? We asked and you answered. We asked our listeners to send in the sounds that mean something to them, and we got so many, we almost couldn't fit them all in one episode! Happy listening. ***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been

en

43:10

Episode 641: How to Grow Up without Becoming a...

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/08/10

What can kids teach us about how to live? This is a topic close to the heart of today's guest, Julian Shapiro-Barnum. An actor and comedian, Julian is perhaps most known for his web series Recess Therapy, in which he interviews children playing outside in New York City. He joins us this week to talk about his new book, How to Grow Up without Becoming a Grown-up. He shares what he has learned from his young interviewees: how to notice the beauty all around you, how to believe you can make a

en

31:31

The Bittersweet Past: Does Language Shape Your Thinking?

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/08/07

Does the language that we speak influence the way that our thoughts work? An article in the New York Times by Guy Deutcher, Does Your Language Shape How You Think? explores this topic in depth. Taking inspiration from the article, Katy and Tiffany muse on this topic on this episode from our archives. We consider how gendered nouns influences how we think about objects, how specific we choose to be—or are forced to be—depending on the language we are speaking, and other language-rich ideas. ***The

en

43:50

Episode 640: Planning for the End (with Katy's sisters)

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/08/03

What does it feel like to plan for the end of your life when your only in your mid-50s? Could you plan your own funeral/celebration of life? What about going through your childhood mementos to decide what your children would actually want, and what you need to ruthlessly trash. These are all things that Katy's sister Dana has had to thing about lately, after her diagnosis of stage-4 glioblastoma brain cancer. But luckily, she's not having to think about it alone. She's been supported by her

en

20:15

The Bittersweet Past: Answering Listener Questions

The Bittersweet Life ·

2026/07/31

We are proud to say that we have some of the most engaged listeners in the entire podcast world! We get lots of mail from our listeners, both comments and questions about specific past episodes, as well as suggestions for future episodes and questions about life (often expat life) in general. Every so often, we grab a few of those letters and read them on air, address the questions and offer our suggestions. Today we hear from a third culture kid who is married to another third culture kid, and the

en

1,191 results

Similar Podcasts

وجوه من الـظل

Medi1 Podcast

It"s Been a Minute

NPR

Searching For Heroes With Benjamin Hall

FOX News Podcasts

Q with Tom Power

CBC

Data Over Dogma

Daniel McClellan and Daniel Beecher