Stay or go? It’s never just about the geography
Let’s figure out what you actually want — and why it feels so hard to know
Does any of this sound familiar?
- You built a beautiful life abroad, but somehow, it still doesn’t feel like enough
- You’re facing the stay or go dilemma and can’t seem to make a decision, no matter how many pros and cons lists you write
- You keep telling yourself you should be more grateful. Other people would love to be in your position
- You feel homesick, but you’re not even sure which home you’re homesick for
- You’re exhausted from holding it all together and pretending everything is fine
- Your family is back home and you’re missing milestones – birthdays, babies, aging parents – and the guilt is getting harder to ignore
- You have friends here who get expat life. But nobody who knows all of you – the version back home and the version you’re becoming
- You’re tired of trying to figure this out alone. You want someone who truly gets what it’s like to have your heart in more than one place
Imagine that you could
- Feel clear about what you actually want — not what you think you should want
- Stop being so hard on yourself
- Navigate the waves of expat life without feeling like you’re drowning
- Make a decision about staying or going that feels true to you, and that’s not driven by guilt or fear
- Feel at home in yourself, wherever in the world you are
- Set boundaries that actually stick, with the people you love most
- Move into your next chapter with confidence and a sense of direction
let’s work
together!
Coaching for Expats & Globally Mobile People
My coaching is not about helping you make a decision. It’s about helping you understand yourself well enough that the decision becomes clearer on its own.
It’s about helping you understand what’s really going on underneath the surface — the self-criticism you’ve mistaken for high standards, the quiet feeling that something is missing even when everything looks fine from the outside, and the version of yourself that’s been waiting to be heard
Here’s more about what working with me is all about:
My approach draws on my background as a former therapist and my own decade of living abroad. Our work together goes deeper than practical advice or problem-solving. It’s about helping you understand yourself well enough that the answers start to become clearer.
Our work together will focus on
- Getting to the heart of what’s really going on, because “I can’t decide whether to stay or go,” is rarely just about geography.
- Making decisions that feel true to you — not driven by guilt, fear, or what everyone else thinks you should do.
- Building emotional resilience so you can surf the waves of expat life without losing yourself.
- Overcoming that critical voice that tells you to be more grateful, try harder, or figure it out on your own. And replacing it with ways to be kinder to yourself that match your own personality.
You’ll walk away from our work together with a clearer sense of who you are, what you want, and how to be kinder to yourself as you figure it out.
What’s the Financial Investment for Coaching?
The average rate per 1:1 session is $200 (USD)*
Please set up a free consultation call or contact me so we can discuss how to best work together.
*I have a limited number of sliding scale spots available for clients who cannot afford this fee.
What’s included in working together?
Each session is 50 minutes. We work online via Zoom so you can connect with me from the comfort of your own home or office, wherever in the world you may be (typically at least 2x/month)
After each session I’ll share with you a list of curated resources to help you reflect on or take action between sessions
Ready to get started?
A few more things about my coaching
My work with clients is about more than just changing your thoughts. I believe the inner work isn’t complete unless it acknowledges how the cultures and systems we’re part of — or grew up in — influence how we show up in the world and with ourselves.
I want you to feel safe to bring your whole self to our sessions, which is why I strive to create an environment that is inclusive and welcoming. I’m an ally to the BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQIA+ and Fat Positive/Health at Every Size communities
Many of my clients, and I myself, are neurodivergent. If you are too then I want you to rest assured that my apporach is neurodiversity affirming. Our work together will honor your unique wiring rather than trying to work around it or change it.
My coaching program is not a cookie cutter model. I have tools and a framework that works for the majority of clients, but I strive to create a bespoke program for each client that takes into account their unique goals, needs, and preferences.
Coaching is not the same as therapy. I’m a former therapist, but do not provide therapy to my coaching clients. Some of my clients work with a therapist simultaneously for the treatment of a specific mental health diagnosis. Therapy often focuses on looking to the past to heal from old wounds whereas coaching focuses more on getting you from where you are now to the future you desire. We may dip our toes back into the past to help you better understand yourself, but we don’t stay there long. If I ever suspect that I client would benefit from therapy I don’t hesitate to refer them to one of my colleagues.
What my clients say
“Melissa is a warm, kind and caring coach. She’s a great listener and truly sees, hears, and understands her clients. If you’re looking for a compassionate coach, I highly recommend connecting with Melissa Parks.”
Former client
“Melissa is professional, organized, and very well tapped into helpful informational resources. I appreciated that when we talked, she was often able to offer insight into how the brain works, human psychological tendencies, and especially useful strategies for navigating situations.”
Former client
“I can’t say enough about Melissa. Her sessions are full of compassion, patience, understanding, and growth. She gave me just the right tools to gently guide me as I overcame stressful moments in my life and worked on being my best self. I learned so much from working with her that I still use to this day, which is so empowering. I really recommend working with her!”
Former client
“I like having all the tools you shared with me that I still get to fall back on and think about from time to time. I enjoyed having you to speak with and the way you helped me to accept my feelings and know that sometimes it’s ok to be mad, frustrated, sad, all that stuff but mostly you helped me to identify my stressful triggers with my work and my family so that I could control my emotions more, be more accepting of myself, and live life in a more even manner with my emotions and reactions with my team.”
Former client
My passion
for this work grew out of my own experience.
I spent a decade living abroad – in Spain and the Netherlands – building a therapy practice, navigating my own transitions, and quietly struggling with many of the same things my clients bring to me now. I know what it’s like to love your life and still feel like something is missing. To feel guilty for struggling when you chose this. To not know which home you’re homesick for.
That decade, and everything I learned along the way, changed my life. My goal is to help you find the tools that will help you gain clarity and surf the waves, wherever in the world you decide to call home.