The Good Expat Life

28/04/2026

Living abroad can change you in ways you don’t always expect.

Not just in the obvious ways like new culture, new routines, new surroundings, but in the much quieter, more internal ones.

How you relate to people.
How you experience closeness and distance.
How you begin to question where you belong… and sometimes, who you are in the process.

I remember noticing how certain patterns in my relationships became more visible after moving. Things that had felt manageable before suddenly felt amplified.

That’s often what happens in expat life – it brings things closer to the surface.

Which is why I’m really looking forward to being part of the 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭.

It’s a space where both the practical and emotional sides of living abroad are taken seriously. Where conversations move from career and business to identity, relationships, burnout, and belonging.

I’ll be speaking about attachment and relationships abroad – something I see again and again in my work with expats and international couples. And that I have lived myself!

If you’re navigating your own version of this journey, you’re very welcome to join us.

📅 May 5–7
🎟️ Free access

Register via the link in the comments.

23/04/2026

When I first moved abroad, I often wondered: “Why does this feel so much harder than I expected?”

On the surface, everything was “fine.” But underneath, there was a quiet disorientation — in my relationships, in my sense of self, in how I found my place in a new culture.

That experience has shaped so much of the work I do today.

And it’s also why I feel genuinely honoured to be speaking at 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 this May.

This is a space that doesn’t just talk about moving abroad as an adventure – but as a deeply human experience. One that touches identity, attachment, belonging, career, and the way we connect with others.

Across the summit, the conversations move from relationships and emotional wellbeing, to career transitions, business building, visibility, and finding your voice abroad.

I’ll be sharing insights into how our attachment patterns show up in expat life – and how understanding them can help us build safer, more supportive relationships, even in unfamiliar environments.

If you’ve ever found yourself navigating that in-between space of living abroad… this might resonate.

📅 May 5–7
🌍 Online, join from anywhere
🎟️ Free ticket

You can register here via the link in the comments - I look forward to seeing you there.

13/04/2026

🌿 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 – 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐞 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 (𝐎𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞) 🌿

As part of my ongoing training as an advanced hypnotherapist, I’m currently looking for a small number of practice clients who feel ready for change.

Hypnotherapy offers a calm, focused way of working with the subconscious mind – supporting shifts that often feel both natural and lasting.

I’m offering a single session at a reduced fee of DKR 400 for:
✨ Stopping smoking
✨ Weight loss support
✨ Improving sleep

These sessions are ideal for you if you feel ready to approach one specific area with curiosity and openness.

📍 Sessions can be conducted in English or Danish and take place in person at my practice in Odense C. During my training, sessions are not available online. Subsequent sessions can be bought at my usual rate once I have qualified.

I have a limited number of spaces available, which will be offered on a first-come basis.

If this resonates with you, you’re very welcome to get in touch:
📧 henriette@thegoodexpatlife
Subject line: Hypnotherapy practice client

Feel free to share with someone who might benefit 💚

08/04/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬!

10 years ago, when I founded The Good Expat Life, my world looked very different.

For as long as I can remember, I had dreamt of working therapeutically. A year after repatriating from England, I spent a summer quietly registering my business, holding a hope that one day it might become my full-time work.

At the time, I was a single mum of three teenagers, their dad still living abroad, and I was supporting us through my job as a school teacher.

Then life took an unexpected turn. I suffered a head injury on a school trip – ironically to my beloved London – and from that point on, the pace and demands of school life took too great a toll on my health.

So, for some years, I lived a double professional life: seeing clients one day a week while teaching the rest. Until 2021, with two children having flown the nest and the youngest on a gap year, I took a deep breath and let go of the financial security of teaching to go all in.

I haven’t looked back since!

Today, my children are fully grown and living their own lives, and I often smile at the thought that I now have a new “baby”: my clinic. Watching it grow has been one of the most meaningful journeys of my life.

It feels almost unreal that 10 years have passed.

I’d love to invite you to pause and look back too: What did your life look like in 2016?

27/03/2026

Recently, I had to cancel a long-planned trip to Cambodia and Vietnam due to the ripple effects of the conflict in the Middle East.

In the grand scheme of things, it clearly falls into what many would call a luxury problem.

And yet, if I’m honest, cancelling the trip brought up something that felt remarkably like grief.

That reaction made me curious about something many of us experience but rarely talk about: the surprisingly real sense of loss that can arise when plans, hopes, or anticipated experiences disappear.

In a new blog post, I reflect on anticipation, environments that nourish our nervous system, and why certain disappointments can feel deeper than we expect.

Writing about it made me realise how many psychological ideas sit quietly inside experiences like this: anticipation, unacknowledged loss, how certain environments regulate us, and the slightly awkward shame we sometimes feel about being disappointed by things that might seem “small”.

Interestingly, this reflection has inspired me to explore some of these themes a bit further over the coming weeks, rather than taking April off from writing here as I had originally planned. You are welcome to join us in the Facebook support group for expats, where I will share some of these April reflections alogn with some of my own photos from Vietnam: The Good Expat Life – Worldwide Expat Support.

For the blog post, you can read the full piece here.

Sometimes, the losses that affect us most are not the ones the world immediately recognises as grief.A cancelled journey, a postponed plan, or an experience we had quietly been looking forward to for months can touch something deeper in our nervous system. This reflection explores why certain places...

25/03/2026

𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞: 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

When an international chapter comes to an end, most of the visible pieces are usually well organised: the move, the job, the practicalities, the paperwork.

What is far less recognised is the internal transition that follows.

Repatriation touches identity, belonging, meaning, and relationships.

You return with expanded perspectives, changed values, and new ways of understanding yourself, and often meet environments that expect you to be the person you were before you left.

From a psychological perspective, this is not a problem to be solved.
It is a developmental process.

The task is not to “go back”, but to integrate!

In my clinical work, I see again and again how powerful it is when this phase is understood in that way. The feeling of being in between is no longer a sign of failure, but a sign that something in you has grown and is still finding its place.

In my own expat and repatriation experiences, one of the most important realisations was that belonging became less about geography and more about where I can be met as the person I have become. That shift changes the whole narrative: from loss to integration.

If this is something you are navigating at the moment, you do not have to do it on your own.

I offer a 25-minute free, non-binding consultation, where we can explore what you are going through and whether I am the right person to support you.

It happens only very rarely that I don’t have a waiting list – and right now there is space to begin.

I am currently preparing to close down shop for a few weeks, and I will be back in my practice again on 13th April – refreshed and ready to work.

You are very welcome to reach out already now if you would like a time after my return. Also, you are welcome to join in the conversation in my Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thegoodexpatlife

22/03/2026

🌿 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Repatriation is often described as a practical transition.

Finding a home.

Starting a new job.

Getting the children settled.

But for many internationally mobile people, the real movement happens beneath the surface — in identity, in relationships, in the quiet question:

“Where do I belong now?”

In my latest blog post, I write about the emotional and psychological side of returning home after living abroad, and why this phase deserves far more attention, both in organisations and in our private lives.

If you are navigating this transition yourself, I would love to hear what has surprised you most about coming back — what has felt easy, and what has been more complex than expected.

🔗

Repatriation is the phase no one prepares you for! To begin with, the emotional and psychological aspects of expatriate life are finally receiving the attention they deserve. Today, many organisations recognise that international assignments succeed not only because of the employee’s performance, ...

14/03/2026

𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲

A common fear I hear from returnees is: “Have I lost the person I became abroad?”

This month, in my Facebook group, we’re exploring identity as part of the repatriation journey. It’s one of my favourite subjects, because our sense of self is so closely tied to our mental health and emotional wellbeing. I wanted to share a few reflections here as well.

From a psychological perspective, identity does not disappear – it expands.

The task in repatriation is integration, not going back.

Which parts of yourself only exist because you lived abroad? Personally, I noticed that in English, and in England, I felt much safer expressing myself emotionally. I continue to weave that into my merged identity between my expat self and my home self.

If you’re curious to learn more about identity in expat life, I’ve written about it in several blog posts, and in 2024 I gave a presentation on identity for expats on The Expat Woman. You can listen to it here:

Listen to my podcasts and watch videos on expat life and mental health. From psychotherapist Henriette Johnsen and The Good Expat Life.

08/03/2026

𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝟏𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 😳

Normally, on International Women’s Day, I use this space to highlight women I admire and find inspiring.

This year feels a little different.

2026 marks 𝟏𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 and began my journey of supporting expats around the world. Allowing the spotlight to fall briefly on my own work feels slightly uncomfortable. Not only because it has taken me years to find my voice in public, but also because celebrating anything personal can feel complicated in a world that often feels increasingly uncertain and fragile.

Many people are currently facing unimaginable loss, displacement, and upheaval. In that context, speaking about expatriate life, and about my own joy in the work I do, can feel like a delicate balance.

And yet, perhaps this is exactly why the work matters.

Over the past decade, building this practice has been a whirlwind of personal and professional ups and downs: sleepless nights, tears, plenty of learning, and many moments of laughter along the way. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: A deep sense of purpose and privilege that I still carry with me every day.

With the anniversary approaching, I’ve been reflecting on my why. Quite simply, I created the therapeutic space I once needed.

As an expat myself, I longed for a service that truly understood the invisible layers of that experience: the identity shifts, the quiet grief, the cultural in-betweenness, the questions about belonging, the strain on relationships, the reinvention, and the resilience.

So much of it goes unspoken, yet it shapes everything.

I wanted to create a place where none of those curveballs need explaining: Where lived experience meets professional care.

And why do I keep going?

Because every single day, the world walks into my practice.

It is a profound privilege to be trusted with people’s inner lives. To sit beside them in vulnerable and courageous moments. To witness the turning points, the softening, the strength, and the thriving.

There is deep joy in seeing people reconnect with themselves, with each other, and with a sense of belonging: Wherever they are in the world.

And I continue to learn something new every day: about people, about relationships, about resilience, and about what it means to be human.

To all my clients, past and present: thank you for allowing me to walk alongside you. It is an honour beyond words.

And heartfelt thanks to the many people who have supported this journey: collaborators, colleagues, friends, my husband for believing in this dream, and everyone who has listened, encouraged, and helped along the way. You know who you are.

Over the coming months, leading up to the official anniversary in August, I’ll share a few reflections from the past decade.

For now, I find myself wondering:
What has the past 10 years changed in your life?

02/03/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝

For a long time, the focus in the expat world has been on adapting to life abroad.

But in my clinical work, and in my own life, I repeatedly meet a different reality:
Coming home can be the hardest transition of all.

In March, I will be exploring:
✧ Why the return can feel emotionally disorienting
✧ Feeling like a stranger in your own country
✧ Identity shifts and relationship changes
✧ How to build a meaningful life that includes your international self

Most of this will unfold inside my private Facebook group, because repatriation is a deeply personal experience that deserves a safe and supportive space.

If this resonates with your story, you are very welcome to join us there:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thegoodexpatlife

01/03/2026

🌿 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 – 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐞 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 🌿

I am adding yet another string to my bow, and as part of my training to become a certified, advanced hypnotherapist, I am currently looking for a small number of practice clients.

Hypnotherapy is a gentle and focused way of working with the subconscious mind and can help create positive and sustainable change with issues such as habits, sleep, self-confidence, and overall well-being.

I am offering 6 individual sessions at DKR 400 each, for:

✨ 2 people who want to stop smoking – 1 session per client
✨ 2 people who want to lose weight – 1 session per client
✨ 2 people who want to sleep better – 1 session per client

📍 Sessions take place in person at my practice:
Baumgartensvej 46, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
(They are not available online during my training.)

Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

If this speaks to you, please email me before 20th March 2026 at:
📧 henriette@thegoodexpatlife
Subject line: Training client hypnotherapy

Feel free to share this post with anyone who might benefit 💚