In this candid one-on-one, journalist and political analyst Zerlina Maxwell shares why she pressed pause on the chaos of U.S. headlines and chose a new life in Sicily. Just days after the 2025 Inauguration, with her Italian visa freshly approved, she relocated to Palermo to prioritize peace, healing, and a different way of working.

You may know Zerlina as host of Mornings with Zerlina on SiriusXM and author of The End of White Politics. In this rich discussion with Courtney, she opens up about therapy, loss, reinvention—and what distance from America is clarifying about media, power, and joy.

Also in this episode:

• Why Palermo—not Rome—and what daily life looks like (yes to seaside runs, no to $11 eggs)
• How she miraculously exited the U.S. just days after the 2025 Inauguration.
• The shrinking space for Black women in mainstream media—and how she’s reshaping her role
• Media diet vs. outrage machine: protecting your mind in a volatile news cycle
• “Peace protocols” for the Trump 2.0 era: the simple habits keeping her grounded
• The Inner Work Dispatch: her mental-health–focused Substack and community
• Her take on the Blaxit movement—and advice if you’re contemplating a move

Join our global community and get every new episode sent directly to your inbox: https://blackexpatstories.myflodesk.com/

Ready to start charting your own journey abroad? Download our FREE Blaxit Soundtrack & Soul Work Journal—a curated blend of music and guided prompts to help you reflect, dream, and move with intention: https://blackexpatstories.com/soundtrack

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Resources mentioned:

• Zerlina’s Substack, The Inner Work Dispatch:https://zerlinamaxwell.substack.com/

Zerlina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerlinamaxwell

• Courtney’s essays:

— Don’t Save Her. She Don’t Wanna Be Saved: A Love Letter to the 92%: https://courtneybowden.substack.com/p/dont-save-her-she-dont-wanna-be-saved?utm_source=publication-search

— Just Gimme a (Mexican) Minute: https://courtneybowden.substack.com/p/just-gimme-a-mexican-minute-moving

— The Mainstream Media Is Playing In the American Public’s Face: https://courtneybowden.substack.com/p/the-mainstream-media-is-playing-in

Support the work: We’re evolving from a podcast into a docuseries documenting America’s Next Great Migration: the Blaxit. And we need your help!

• Monthly support: https://www.patreon.com/c/blackexpatstories

• One-time gift: https://ko-fi.com/blackexpatstories

Special thanks to Bianca Cooper and our community of monthly supporters for making this episode possible.

Thank you for listening! Remember, you can also watch every episode on our YouTube channel.

In this powerful panel episode, meet four dynamic moms—Crystal, Rachel, Kissha, and Candice— who left behind the grind and fear of American life to reimagine motherhood abroad.

From Mexico to Spain, they share what it means to raise free Black children, navigate long-distance parenting, and prioritize their own well-being—even when it goes against everything society tells them they should be.

Also in this episode:

• What drove each mom to make the life-altering decision to leave the U.S.
• How their children are adjusting — from language immersion to navigating new school systems
• The realities of long-distance motherhood and co-parenting across borders
• How they’re rebuilding community, accessing medical care, and securing support systems abroad
• And why choosing yourself isn’t selfish — it’s necessary, even when it defies every expectation placed on Black mothers

Ready to start charting your own journey abroad?

Download our FREE Blaxit Soundtrack & Soul Work Journal — a curated blend of music and guided prompts to help you reflect, dream, and move from decision to departure: https://blackexpatstories.com/soundtrack

Rate, Review & Share!

If this conversation resonated, please be sure to rate, review, and share this episode with your community.

Join the convo on social:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackexpatstories/

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@blackexpatstories

And make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel so you can watch every new episode: https://www.youtube.com/@BlackExpatStories

Meet Diva Green — a Brooklyn-born Afro-Latina of Panamanian descent, destination storyteller, and founder of I Got Your Black, a platform connecting travelers to Afro-Indigenous communities around the world through culturally immersive experiences.

After a personal reckoning with systemic racism, grief, and disillusionment with life in the United States, Diva set out on a global journey that transformed her purpose — and her platform. Through I Got Your Black, she’s helping Black travelers move with reverence, not entitlement, and amplifying the stories of communities often erased from the mainstream travel narrative.

Also in this episode:

• How witnessing state violence pushed Diva to use travel as activism
• The six transformative months she spent living in an Afro-Mexican town
• What she learned, unlearned, and the powerful lessons she's applying to her life today
• How I Got Your Black evolved into an award-winning platform
• The emotional complexity of returning to the U.S. after years abroad
• Why she believes the Blaxit movement is powerful — but not without challenges
• How to travel and migrate mindfully without replicating patterns of gentrification or extraction
• …and so much more!

Connect with Diva Green:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igotyourblack_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@igotyourblack

Ready to start charting your own journey abroad?

Download our FREE Blaxit Soundtrack & Soul Work Journal — a curated blend of music and guided prompts to help you reflect, dream, and move from decision to departure: https://blackexpatstories.com/soundtrack

Rate, Review & Share!

If this conversation resonated, please be sure to rate, review, and share this episode with your community.

Join the convo on social:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackexpatstories/

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@blackexpatstories

And make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel so you can watch every new episode: https://www.youtube.com/@BlackExpatStories