Hi, I'm Katherine!
Your (former) serial expat-turned-clarity coach for expats who feel a bit upside down about life abroad.
Welcome to Bad Days Abroad – the place where you can stop feeling anxious about your future and find clarity on whether you should stay or go.
Bad Days Abroad exists because I understand one thing very clearly, and that is that expat life is not a never-ending vacation free of challenges. In fact, so much of expat life can make you feel isolated and alone.
Ever since founding Bad Days Abroad in 2018, it’s been my mission to help expats around the world feel that they’re not alone with their frustrating experiences abroad.
What started out as a raw and honest personal blog has since turned into a thriving community and a signature coaching method, based on my own experience of solving my never-ending (at least it seemed like it for a long time) confusion around whether to stay or go.
All of my solutions are there to help you figure out where all of this is going and what your next steps should be so you can live a life that feels secure but also fun and full of possibilites (sounds impossible, but it truly isn’t!)
This is what Bad Days
Abroad stands for.
no stone left unturned
I believe in digging deep so we can get to the core of how expat life has shaped who you have become and what you need going forward.
When you can’t understand what you’re missing that’s making you miserable, or even how to fix it, you risk making a decision that will only act as a bandaid.
That’s why we first dig into everything you’ve experienced while living abroad that has brought you to a standstill.
Carving out your
own path
I don’t believe in one size fits all life paths. What’s more, I can’t stand social comparison and trying to keep up with the neighbors.
I fully believe in doing whatever the heck makes one’s heart sing, even if it doesn’t make sense to others (especially if it doesn’t make sense to others!).
That’s why I will 100% commit to helping you discover your unique path in life and support you in feeling confident and secure about your choices.
Be(coming) your own best friend
I believe in be(com)ing your own best friend – being self-compassionate when you mess
up (we all do!), staying in tune with your changing needs and honoring those needs,
whether that means pivoting when necessary or setting healthy boundaries.
Because if you don’t have a good relationship with yourself you will struggle on many fronts in life.
Telling it like it is, with kindness
One of the core values that Bad Days Abroad was founded on was honesty.
Without honesty, we can’t identify what’s really not working, nor can we find the right solution.
I value people who are kind and supportive and whom I can trust to be honest with me about where I’m getting in my own way.
You can trust me to be that one person for you.
Fun facts about me.
I'm an adult Third culture kid
Someone who falls between the cracks of several cultures, not really belonging anywhere and yet knowing exactly how to navigate unfamiliarity. I have family in Estonia, Switzerland and UK and I spent my formative years in Estonia, Russia, Finland and Switzerland.
Countries I've lived in
I've lived in Russia, Estonia, Finland, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Portugal and UK. Although my passport country is Estonia, I consider Switzerland and Portugal my other heart homes.
Why I repatriated
A combination of expat burnout, identity crisis, need to settle down and curiosity about life in Estonia after 15 years abroad. It was a decision I made after several years of quiet pondering. Read more about it here.
biggest lesson
There's no such thing as the worst country in the world. Our success or failure in a foreign country is very individual. It depends at least partly on our current needs and values, whether those can be met in our new surroundings and our ability to adapt to things we can't change.
Things i love
I'm very passionate about good food and trying out new dishes - it's the most exciting part about traveling for me (that and taking photos). I also love hiking in nature and I feel particularly at peace in the forest (that's those Estonian roots in me!).
Language nerd
I've always been good at picking up new languages. In contrast, I'm terrible at math or any hard sciences. Growing up it was my goal to become a polyglot. While I did manage to learn 5 languages, on an average day I feel like I can't speak a single language well.