Description
What Happens to Home, Identity, and Grief When You Build a Life Abroad?
What if starting over in a new country doesn’t just change your address, but brings you face to face with who you really are?
In this episode, I sit down with Melissa Parks to talk about living abroad, coming home, and the quiet emotional weight that can come with both. We explore what happens when the life you once wanted turns out to be harder than expected, especially for autistic and neurodivergent people trying to make sense of belonging, masking, grief, and identity.
Melissa shares how travel, culture, language, and big life transitions shaped the person she became, and why returning home can feel just as disorienting as leaving. Along the way, I also open up about my own experiences studying overseas, traveling alone, and trying to find comfort in unfamiliar places.
You’ll hear us unpack the difference between being unhappy and being uprooted, why grief is so often mistaken for failure, and what “home” really means when your heart lives in more than one place.
About the Guest
Melissa Parks is a writer, coach, and author of A Compassionate Mess. She works with people navigating life across borders, languages, and cultures, with a thoughtful focus on identity, belonging, and emotional well-being.
Key Timestamps
0:02 - I welcome Melissa Parks and we begin with her early picture of adulthood
1:06 - We talk about what “home” meant before life abroad
14:44 - Melissa shares when living abroad became real, not temporary
16:21 - We compare traveling to actually building a life in another country
19:27 - We explore whether living abroad changes us or reveals who we already are
27:13 - Melissa explains why people feel guilt when a chosen life feels hard
29:40 - We discuss how grief often gets mistaken for failure
35:36 - Melissa shares what people misunderstand about coming home
49:37 - We talk about her memoir, A Compassionate Mess, and the inner battles behind it
53:04 - We end with what “home” means today
Melissa's Resources:
Find her on all social platforms except Tictok
If you’ve ever felt split between places, identities, or versions of yourself, this conversation will stay with you. Listen now, and if it speaks to you, share it with someone who needs the reminder that they’re not alone.
#NeurodivergentConnection #AutismAwareness #LivingAbroad #IdentityAndBelonging #Neurodivergent
Hosted by Reid Miles.
Conversations unfold naturally — no scripts, no rush.
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🌐 More about the show and past episodes: https://podcast.ausha.co/neurodivergantconnection-thecuriousstroyteller
📩 Guest inquiries & media: Reid@AspergersStudio.com
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