The life of a Third Culture Kid therapist

The life of a Third Culture Kid therapist

Rachel is, amongst many other things, a Third Culture Kid therapist specialising in Life Story Interview and Accompaniment, an approach she developed from her Sociological doctorial research into TCK identity, belonging and relationship to place. This podcast is a place she comes to contribute her ponderings on personal growth, working with pain, and the transformative change that comes from a better understanding of our own stories. For more information about Rachel’s therapeutic work, please visit: www.explorelifestory.com or drop her a line at rachelcason@explorelifestory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

October 9, 2026 • 24 mins
I recorded this while holding a lot of sadness - sadness for the pain in hear in so many TCK stories. In this episode I wonder about how much the stories of these sadnesses have to tell us about who we are - and my own experience of the hope this can bring.

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In this episode, I wanted to reflect on how complicated it can be to work with safety. It's what so much wellness work is focused on - generating a bodily experience of safety, regulating our nervous system and reaching for calm and trust. But what do we do when we simply don't feel safe - and have good reason for that?

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September 25, 2026 • 24 mins

200th episode! Eeeep! So good to look back and celebrate getting here!


This episode is a revisit of a short workbook I developed a while ago - My Optimal Functioning Manual - because I am feeling the urge towards a check in around noticing what is going on when I feel most functional! It can be complicated for TCKs to explore their own personal preferences after a life of 'rolling with it' and high adaptation demands. Explore t...

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September 18, 2026 • 28 mins
Today I'm pondering how Joy works for Third Culture Kids - why it can be hard to access, why our experience of it can feel complicated and how we can expand our story of Joy. Thanks for joining!

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September 11, 2026 • 22 mins
New season here in the UK, but I'm pondering the wonders of the last - specifically summer visits that had me enjoying anew the magic of having a loft - this time to share... Settledness as a TCK still feels new; but the idea that I could offer settledness? Brand new!

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August 21, 2026 • 24 mins
A sense of inadequacy pervades for so many TCKs, and this week I'm reflecting (having had my own bruises triggered) on what pieces of our story make us sensitive to this - and how a sense of "good enough" matters...

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August 14, 2026 • 23 mins
Have you ever found yourself having finally achieved a goal or sitting in a chapter of life that you've been longing for... only to feel a sudden slump of mood, even a sense of dread? I have, and in this episode I ponder how it makes sense to me in the context of my TCK story...

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August 7, 2026 • 21 mins
Powerlessness is a theme that shows up a lot in TCK stories. In this episode I'm exploring why this is and the difficulty of owning the power we gain as adults.

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July 31, 2026 • 21 mins
I was reminded recently of the nuance between doing things that we feel are good for us because we 'should' or because we want to treat ourselves well. It is not uncommon for me to hear TCKs (myself included!) preoccupied with trying to crack the 'right way' to do our lives, and how this can bring a lot of anxiety. In this episode I explore what would shift if we were more preoccupied with treating ourselves well, than getting it r...

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This week, I'm observing my behaviour around my garden - how I seem to get lost in how to keep showing up to it after the big push of landscaping... and how this is mirrored in many ways as I navigate settledness as a TCK.

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July 17, 2026 • 21 mins
This is a bit of processing moment today! I'm reflecting on those familiar sticking places we come back to - the same sinking feelings - and how we can disrupt the cycle by finding and naming the beliefs about ourselves that underpin them. And then change our stories - fundamentally! Walk with me as I ponder!

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July 10, 2026 • 17 mins
Today I'm reflecting on how hard it can feel to tell our story in a way that fully reflects our experiences, and the pain of seeing our attempts to share misunderstood. These reflections took me to Rousseau's 'Surprised' piece - where he depicts a tiger in a jungle, frightened in a storm. There is a connection, I promise!

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July 3, 2026 • 23 mins
In this episode, I'm reflecting on my week off recently... and on how hard I'm finding it to tell the story outside of the familiar 'learning and growing' genre, and to instead sit with a new story - where it was straightforwardly and uncomplicatedly good.

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This episode tracks a little conversation with the biggest welcome - to Lindsay Linder, Life Story's Communications Associate! Lindsay has been working with me for a number of years now, but thanks to a recent grant, is now coming on board to help me even more - listen for more details! Also do check out my new 'My Team' page for more of her story - https://explorelifestory.com/my-team/

...

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July 1, 2026 • 18 mins

I am so excited to introduce to you my new team member - associate coach, Mary Talbot! Here is a short episode of us in conversation around her story, and what she's bringing to Life Story Therapies! Do check out the 'My Team' page on the website for more information!


My Team | Life Story Therapies


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June 26, 2026 • 20 mins

So many TCKs I meet are deeply invested in social justice issues. Here I explore why this happens, what this involvement contributes to our stories, and how we can navigate identity throughout.


And for those interested! https://toilettwinning.org/


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June 19, 2026 • 18 mins

An encounter with a harpist, and the joy of being in the audience. In this episode I reflect on the narrative so many Third Culture Kids encounter around their duty to lead.


And for those interested - https://www.eiralynnjones.com/


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Here I explore that tension I see myself and so many other TCKs carry in our stories - a sense of needing to figure out how to do life 'right'. I connect this to the necessity in childhood for many of us to figure out the correct way of being for the current cultural context. The urgency that surrounds this can often inhibit our ability to give ourselves goodness...

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June 5, 2026 • 24 mins
It's common for Third Culture Kids to ask themselves, 'Who am I?' With Life Story Therapies we look to our stories to inform the answer to this - but these same stories can also help us but showing us who we didn't get to be. There will have been chapters for us where options were limited, as well as opportunities opened, and in this episode I explore how looking at who I didn't get to be can offer expansiveness to our sense of sel...

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Typically, Third Culture Kids carry grief triggered by the changes experienced in their early years. Here, I'm exploring how changes we may be working to choose in later life may actually need us to do grieving first. Grief reminds us of our story, why the things we find hard are hard, and makes space for us to change the next chapters.

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