Geopats Abroad Podcast

As of 2025–2026, an estimated 5.5 to 9 million American citizens live outside the United States, with some estimates placing the figure at around 8.7 million, excluding military personnel. Driven by remote work and economic factors, 2025 saw a record number of departures, with over 180,000 Americans relocating abroad and a rare, negative net migration trend.

With that trend in mind, Today I want to review and recommend an independent podcast that released 91 episodes from May 2018 until April 2022. Despite the podcast not currently releasing episodes, the show can be a valuable resource for current expats or those Americans so fed up with the chaos of the current administration that they are considering moving to another country.

Geopats Abroad is a society and culture podcast hosted by long-term serial expat Stephanie Fuccio, featuring candid conversations with international residents about the nuances of daily life, culture, and identity while living abroad. It explores the practical and emotional challenges of living outside one’s home

In the show, Stephanie has conversations with fellow internationals focusing on daily life and norms. Discussions focus on expat life, culture shock, food, language learning, and navigating relationships with both the host and guest’s home/host countries. Episodes often focus on specific regions or themes, such as life in China, Italy, Germany, or navigating different cultural spaces

Creator/host Stephanie Fuccio uses her experience as a “serial expat” to drive the dialogue. Stephanie Fuccio AI Writing & Communication | Helping Professionals Think, Plan & Communicate Clearly | Podcast Production & Growth

She has a Master’s Degree in ESL from the University of Arizona and a PhD. in Philosophy from Iowa State University and is currently working on her PhD. in Applied Linguistics & Technology.

Stephanie lives in the Basque Country, Spain, and has lived around the world, from Asia to Denmark.

As a host, Stephanie is superb, imbuing the show with low-key grace and a voice that makes listeners feel like they’re sitting in her living room chatting, rather than listening to a podcast. The intro and outro music is a soft, acoustic guitar, and the sound design of the show is lush and cozy.

One of my favorite episodes is Big and White: Two American Linguists Living & Podcasting in Nepal: S9E3.

Stephanie explains: “Big & White, their podcasting nicknames, are two American Linguists who, until very recently, were living in Nepal and creating a rather hilarious audio account of their daily lives. Their episodes covered much of what expat podcasts cover, like food, weather, language, and cultural differences, but there is an extra kick to their podcast. Their connection and the way they bounce off each other are so much fun to listen to. This is the main reason I became a fan of The Big & White Podcast in the first place, and definitely why I asked to interview them for the show.”

I’ll note here that Stephanie does something that all indie podcasters should consider. That is, she marks timestamps in her show notes of the topics covered in that episode. For a podcaster, a timestamp can affect your completion rate since listeners will go to the section of interest to them and then stop the episode. It’s a customer-centric tool that shows commitment to your listeners.

A quirky yet utterly fascinating episode was about Albanian language quirks and cultural nuances.

Stephanie explains: “Two Americans who barely traveled before the Peace Corps ended up mastering Albanian, building lives in tiny towns, and falling for a place that completely changed how they see themselves. Their stories about learning Albanian in real Albanian villages, picking up slang and dialects, switching between Albanian and Greek, and figuring out daily expat life through immersion and community are wild, and honestly, they reminded me how much language is tied to belonging. If you want to hear what fluency looks like when it grows out of real life in Albania, not textbooks, and how learning a language can change who you are, listen to the full episode.”

Stephanie Fuccio is a highly successful podcast consultant, and it’s heartening to see how she uses her expertise with fine-edged precision in her podcast. In essence, Stephanie practices what she preaches to her podcast clients.

If you are thinking of moving to another country (and who isn’t these days!), then Geopats Abroad is a must-listen resource. Even if you are a world traveler, Stephanie’s show has great value for you.