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NEW EPISODE OUT NOW – Fostering Relationships

This week on Pardon Your French, we sat down with the lovely Sharon for a conversation that is honest, eye-opening, and incredibly important.

What does it really mean to foster in France as an English family?

We dive into: Navigating the French system as a non-French national

Opening your home and heart to children in need The emotional realities of fostering Balancing family life, identity, and responsibility

And something many of us can relate to…

Caring for parents while building a life here in France The invisible pressures of “being the one who holds everything together” Creating connection, stability, and belonging in a foreign country

This episode is about more than fostering children…

It’s about fostering relationships Building support systems And what it truly means to show up for others — without losing yourself

It’s real. It’s raw. And it’s a conversation that matters.

Listen now on your favourite platform And as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts

#PardonYourFrench #Podcast #Fostering #LifeInFrance #ExpatLife #RealConversations #Community

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In this episode, we dive into one of the most powerful and uncomfortable parts of personal growth: boundaries.

For many of us, especially those who naturally give, help, and show up for everyone else, boundaries can feel unfamiliar — even selfish. But learning to protect your time, energy, and emotional space is one of the biggest steps toward building a life that actually feels aligned.

We talk honestly about:

why boundaries are so difficult to set

the difference between being kind and being taken for granted

what happens when you start valuing your own energy

and how personal growth sometimes means outgrowing old patterns and relationships

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, stretched too thin, or responsible for everyone else's happiness, this conversation will resonate deeply.

Because growth isn’t always comfortable — but it is always worth it.

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NEW EPISODE: STARSHINE ADVENTURES Pardon Your French Podcast goes on the road… and this time, we’re heading to Manchester.

This episode feels different.

It’s not recorded in the comfort of our little French studio.

It’s recorded in motion. In anticipation. In that strange space between who you’ve been… and who you’re becoming.

We’re packing our microphones, questionable luggage choices, and one freshly French-salon-created Willy Wonka hairstyle… and heading to A Place in the Sun Live Expo — where we’ll be sharing our story on stage.

From quiet village life in rural France… to stepping onto a stage in Manchester.

From small beginnings… to starshine adventures.

This episode is about courage.

About saying yes before you feel ready.

About leaving the familiar to see what’s possible.

And honestly… about two women from the countryside wondering how on earth this became real life.

If you’ve ever followed a feeling… even when you didn’t know where it would lead… this episode is for you.

Listen now: Starshine Adventures

Because sometimes the road doesn’t just take you somewhere new…

It reminds you who you are.

#PardonYourFrenchPodcast #StarshineAdventures #PlaceInTheSunLive #Manchester #PodcastLife #NewChapter #OnTheRoad

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Pardon Your French — Episode: Petit à Petit

This week, France reminded us who’s really in charge.

The storm arrived without permission.

Relentless wind. Endless rain. Power outages. Fallen trees. Damage that changed landscapes overnight.

Roofs were torn. Roads were blocked. Homes were shaken. And for many, life paused completely.

In this episode, we talk about what it was like to live through it — the fear, the disruption, the aftermath, and the strange quiet that follows chaos.

But we also talk about something deeper.

How communities show up.

How strangers become neighbours.

How strength isn’t loud — it’s steady.

Because recovery doesn’t happen all at once.

It happens petit à petit.

Little by little.

This is a story of resilience. Of perspective. Of rebuilding — not just structures, but certainty.

Life in France isn’t always postcard-perfect.

Sometimes, it’s raw, unpredictable, and humbling.

And sometimes, storms clear more than just the sky.

Petit à petit.

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New Podcast Episode — Life & Death in France: A Funeral Culture Shock

Living abroad isn’t just about the food, the sunshine, or the dream.

Sometimes it brings you face-to-face with the moments that stop you in your tracks.

In this episode, we talk openly about life and death in France — and the profound culture shock around funerals, grief, and how loss is handled here.

The differences.

The silences.

The things no one prepares you for when you move countries.

This isn’t an easy episode — but it’s an important one.

About humanity.

About community.

About how grief looks different depending on where you stand in the world.

If you’ve ever lived abroad, supported someone through loss, or wondered how other cultures honour death — this episode will stay with you.

Listen now:

#PardonYourFrenchPodcast #LifeAbroad #CultureShock #LivingInFrance #GriefAndCommunity #ExpatLife #RealConversations

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New Podcast Episode — Les Temps d’Hiver

Winter has a way of slowing everything down.

The noise fades. The distractions fall away.

And what’s left… is the truth.

In this episode, we talk about les temps d’hiver — the winter seasons of life.

The heavy weeks.

The quiet struggles.

The moments where nothing feels easy, fast, or shiny.

But also the unseen work happening beneath the surface.

The strength being built.

The lessons you don’t learn in summer.

This isn’t a “push through it” episode.

It’s a sit with it one.

A reminder that winter isn’t failure — it’s preparation.

If you’re feeling tired, reflective, stuck, or simply human right now…

This one’s for you

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New episode: Sloe Janvier

January has a strange energy, doesn’t it?

The rush of Christmas is over.

The cold has settled in.

Money feels tighter.

Motivation feels slower.

This week on Pardon Your French Podcast, we’re talking about Sloe Janvier — that in-between time where life feels quieter, heavier, and a little stripped back.

And what shows up when everything else falls away?

Community.

Neighbours. Friends. Small acts of kindness. People who step in without being asked.

This episode came from real life this week — cars breaking down, plans wobbling, the cold biting hard — and being reminded that sometimes it’s not money, stuff, or perfect plans that carry you through… it’s people.

If January has felt slow, lonely, or a bit relentless for you — this one’s for you.

Listen now And tell us: who has shown up for you when you needed it most?

Sometimes, that’s the whole story.

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NEW EPISODE — Episode 38: Dead Week

That strange week between Christmas and New Year where: • no one knows what day it is

• motivation has left the building

• the house is quiet

• and everything feels a bit… flat

We’re calling it Dead Week — and we’re talking about why it feels so odd, why it’s actually normal, and why you don’t need to rush into “new year, new you” energy just yet.

We also do a gentle 2025 round-up — the real kind.

No highlight reels. No pressure. Just honesty.

If you’re feeling tired, bored, reflective, or not quite ready to start again — this one’s for you

Listen now

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