I may have given a TEDx Talk last weekend, and it might never see the light of day...

Although we CAN fix that.

Thanks for all your support in making this show! To support my creative projects of all stripes (but mostly YouTube videos) be sure to jump in with us over at https://patreon.com/jayswanson

In this long-overdue episode, my dad has to try mystery cheese from the grocery store because no one has the missing cheeses from my list (and the rest are closed). It's been one of those weeks 😂

Thanks for all your support in making this show! To support my creative projects of all stripes (but mostly YouTube videos) be sure to jump in with us over at https://patreon.com/jayswanson

Sunshine on Cooper is definitely high on this list, but in this episode I talk about a handful of practical things I've been doing to affect my mood, improve my days, and help me get out of the rut that I fell into for a few weeks there. I hope they're helpful =)

Thanks for all your support in making this show! To support my creative projects of all stripes (but mostly YouTube videos) be sure to jump in with us over at https://patreon.com/jayswanson

They can't all be highs, but what do you do when your best weeks somehow feel like the worst? I hit some real walls this last month, especially in the last couple of weeks, and I haven't had a good chance to share about why. At the same time, there are so many great things happening and so much to be grateful for. Life is downright confusing sometimes.

For me it serves as a good reminder that life is hard, no matter who you are. If nothing else, I hope that it sharpens my empathy for those around me. AND, spoiler alert, as usual, Garage Monologuing about it all helped feel me quite a bit better. So thanks for listening!

Thanks for all your support in making this show! To support my creative projects of all stripes (but mostly YouTube videos) be sure to jump in with us over at https://patreon.com/jayswanson

I've known Mark Shrime for almost 13 years. He's a surgeon, author, and American Ninja Warrior. Grab a copy of his book here: https://amzn.to/3n5Ijn3 And enjoy our conversation as we dive into the struggles of impostor syndrome, living abroad, and doing our best to share what we love with the people we love.

The cheese list, for those who'd like to try and follow along:

• Brie de Melun
• Cancoillotte
• Chabichou du Poitou
• Emmental français est-central
• Gruyère
• Mâconnais
• Pélardon
• Picodon
• Raclette de Savoie
• Rocamadour
• Tome des Bauges [fr]
• Trou du Cru

Thanks for all your support in making this show! To support my creative projects of all stripes (but mostly YouTube videos) be sure to jump in with us over at https://patreon.com/jayswanson

Puxan sits down to try some delicious cheese with me, wax lyrical on what it means to be French, and discuss our place in the world. Enjoy!
https://instagram.com/puxanphoto for all his photographic skills
And thank you so much for listening! You can support the show and get future episodes in real time at https://patreon.com/jayswanson

I've got good news! Fresh off the presses (or out of the post, rather). The Road to Citizenship continues, as do updates around the 2023 guide and coming of the app. Thanks for listening! You can support the show and all my work by becoming a Patron at https://patreon.com/jayswanson

Matt Jordan is a great friend I've had the pleasure of knowing for the last few years, with whom I just returned from a five day trip to Lapland (Finland) with a group of ten friends to celebrate his birthday. We had a blast, and our conversation about Matt's road to French citizenship led us to the importance of friendship, the challenges of making them (particularly in France), and the ways in which we might suggest anyone struggling to make friends abroad go about it.

Check out Matt's latest project and get your trivia on with Learn to Quiz over on Instagram: https://instagram.com/learntoquiz and be sure to let him know who sent ya ;D

Thanks as always for listening! You can support my channel and be a part of this journey towards Frenchness by becoming a Patron at https://patreon.com/jayswanson

Here are the cheeses we tried and the order we tried them in. Emily got them from a seasonal shop, so there was no goat cheese (apparently goat is highly seasonal?) but there are a lot of classics in here. Enjoy!

• Beaufort d'Ete
• Emmental de Savoie
• Cantal fermier affine
• Bleu du Vercours-Sassenage
• Morbier
• Lagulole reserve
• Livarot
• Reblouchon fermier
• Chaource
• Fourme d'Ambert
• Saint-Nectaire fermier
• Munster