Citizens of the World: A Stoic Podcast for Curious Travelers

How much do you know about Romania? If you’re like most people, the answer is almost nothing. On this episode, Debbie Stowe enlightens us about this former Communist country filled with castles, cobblestones, and Dracula impersonators. Debbie is a native Londoner who’s been living in Romania since 2002. She wrote the Culture Smart Essential Guide to Romania and several other books, and pens expat articles and reviews for Bucharest’s Business Review.    We talk about where to find the best food, music, and museums when traveling in Bucharest and beyond. And Debbie shares some hilarious cultural shock stories that are truly cringe-worthy — especially if you’re a Brit.    If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   For more insider travel tips, visit postcardacademy.co     Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Author Jen Glantz — you may know her as the world’s first Bridesmaid for Hire — and her boyfriend Adam Kossoff don’t always know where they’re headed, but they know it will be a different city every 30 days.    A few months ago, they gave up their New York City apartments to become digital nomads who would spend every month experiencing life in a different American city.   We pack a lot into this episode, including dealing with getting laid off, starting over, building a location independent lifestyle, making friends in a new city, fun things to do in Portland, and more.    Of course, we talk about what a Bridesmaid for Hire is!! Visit postcardacademy.co to see a video of Jen at SXSW, where she talks about how she built her brand and offers lots of actionable tips to do this yourself.   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   Have a beautiful week, wherever you are ❤️ Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

In the last episode, we talked about how the Great Depression had positives for many women.     Because of the financial crisis, people were putting off marriage and single women were going to work, and living and traveling independently for the first time. They needed advice, and 1930s author Marjorie Hillis became their celebrated guru to the single girl.    In this episode, I continue my conversation with Joanna Scutts, who just published a book on Marjorie’s life titled: “The Extra Woman: How Marjorie Hillis Led a Generation of Women to Live Alone and Like It.” Today, we’re sharing some New York travel advice — what women would have heard in the 1930s, and then some updates based on Joanna’s recommendations.   Enter to win a copy of Joanna’s book before January 10, 2018, by going to postcardacademy.co/extra-woman   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   For more insider travel tips, visit postcardacademy.co     Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Before the TV series Girls or Sex and the City, Marjorie Hillis was America’s favorite bachelorette. But she wasn’t fretting about finding ‘the one.’ She was teaching women how to stand on their own two feet and enjoy their independence — and this was in the 1930s.    An editor at Vogue, Marjorie enjoyed living by herself, living by her own rules, and she wrote several guidebooks, including How to Live Alone and Like It, for women joining the workforce during the Depression.    Present-day author Joanna Scutts joins me on the Postcard Academy podcast to discuss her new book on Marjorie titled The Extra Woman: How Marjorie Hillis Led a Generation of Women to Live Alone and Like It. We explore Marjorie’s unlikely rise to celebrated guru to the single girl; New York life in the 1930s and 40s; why Marjorie’s advice is more relevant than ever; and why even President Roosevelt was photographed reading her book.   Enter to win a copy of Joanna’s book on Marjorie before January 10, 2018, by going to postcardacademy.co/extra-woman   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

When flames were scorching the Napa and Sonoma Valley wine regions in October, vineyard owner Amelia Ceja was speaking up for the California farm workers she saw picking grapes in the smoke. Amelia is the first Mexican-American woman ever elected president of a winery, and she was once a farm worker herself.   Amelia immigrated to America in 1967. Her father had come a few years earlier as part of an agreement between the United States and Mexico, which sent millions of laborers north of the border. With the Vietnam War going on, the U.S. had a labor shortage and needed people to work the fields.    I had to learn more about this woman who came to America without knowing English, and who went on to become the owner of a multi-million dollar winery. In this episode, we talk about pairing wine and Mexican cuisine; Amelia meeting Cesar Chavez; her involvement in helping the Smithsonian National Museum of American History tell a more diverse American story, and more.   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   For more insider travel tips, visit postcardacademy.co   Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Have you ever seen a photo so beautiful, you thought, “I’m going here.” I feel that way about Lake Bled in Slovenia, which is one of the six former socialist republics of Yugoslavia.   This summer I traveled through a few of those other countries: Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, and Montegro, but I ran out of time to see Slovenia. Now I’m kicking myself because, increasingly, stunning photos of this hidden gem are cropping up everywhere. That’s it. In 2018, I’m making a trip happen! So I called up Slovenian expert Noah Charney for a little background research.    Noah is an American writer and art history professor who has lived in Slovenia since 2006. He’s written several books, including The Art Thief, which was an international success. Most recently, he wrote Slovenology: Living and Traveling in the World’s Best Country.    In this episode, we chat about Noah’s life in Slovenia, and come up with some great ideas on what to eat, drink, and do when traveling through its capital, Ljubljana, and Beyond.    If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover us. 🤗   For more insider travel tips, visit postcardacademy.co     Instagram, Twitter, FacebookDo you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

After last week’s conversation with Artful Baker author Cenk Sönmezsoy, I wanted to dive a little deeper into Turkish food, so I contacted Robyn Eckhart, author of the new book: Istanbul and Beyond, named one of this fall’s top 10 cookbooks by Publisher’s Weekly.    Robyn writes about food and travel in Asia and Europe for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Lonely Planet, and other publications. She also publishes the award-winning food blog EatingAsia with her husband, photographer David Hagerman.    In this episode, we discuss how Turkey’s diverse geography influences the diet of the different regions, from the leafy greens of the Black Sea coast to the chili peppers of Hatay province. We also talk about what you should eat in Istanbul and Beyond and where to go to find the best food in Turkey.   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this episode to a friend.     You can follow Postcard Academy on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.     If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover us. 🤗Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the American listeners! If you haven’t made dessert yet, check out The Artful Baker, the most luscious baking book you’ll ever feast your eyes on. In today’s episode, I talk to its author, Cenk Sönmezsoy, an award-winning blogger, photographer, and food stylist based in İstanbul.    We chat about the success of his 11-year-old food blog, Cafe Fernando; why he’s obsessed with the Golden Girls; Dolce & Gabbana requesting a brownie recipe; travel inspirations; foods you must try when you travel to Istanbul; and more.   You’ll find interview highlights, and a mouthwatering recipe on postcardacademy.co   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this episode to a friend.     You can follow Postcard Academy on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.     If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on iTunes. This helps people discover us. 🤗Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

We’re exploring hipster London with Jeremy Burge. Since moving to London from Australia a few years ago, Jeremy has turned a side-project creating an emoji dictionary into a full-time career. Today, Emojipedia gets about 25 million visits a month 🎉    Jeremy’s part of the secret squad that makes the rules about which emojis are available to us. We have a fun conversation about the evolution of emojis, and World Emoji Day 📅, which he invented (this year the Empire State Building’s lights turned yellow in recognition). Jeremy also shares his favorite London travel recommendations. Coffee, bikes, Google campus. It’s a London hipster paradise.   Links to what we discuss can be found on postcardacademy.co   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this episode to a friend.     You can follow Postcard Academy on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.     If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on iTunes. This helps people discover us. 🤗  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Bestselling author and Paris resident Lindsey Tramuta says that for a time, Paris had become prisoner to its own grand history. While chefs and artists in other countries innovated, Paris rested on its laurels, serving up mediocre food and experiences to tourists seeking a cliche. In this episode of the Postcard Academy, I talk to Lindsey about her book, ‘The New Paris.’ 🇫🇷 Lindsey’s book champions the creative class that’s rejecting complacency. Inspired by the creativity they see in other countries, and disillusioned by the financial crisis, artisans and entrepreneurs are striking out on their own. We talk about the people and places making Paris a contemporary city bursting with energy 🇫🇷 In this ultimate Paris guide, you’ll learn more about Lindsey, an expat from Philadelphia, and hear where to go in Paris for the best food, cocktails, shopping, and so much more.    Links to everything we discussed can be found on postcardacademy.co   If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and tell a friend about the Postcard Academy podcast.     You can follow Postcard Academy on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.     If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on iTunes. This helps people discover us. 🤗  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.