Expat Stories: Jo Parfitt Shares About Her Story and New Book Sunshine Soup

Jo Parfitt, author of the new book Sunshine Soup: Nourishing the Global Soul, is an institution in the expat community and almost needs no introduction. For those of you who are not familar with Jo, she is an incredibly prolific author, publisher and a pioneer in addressing the issues of accompanying spouses and aspiring expat writers worldwide. She has drawn from her own journey as an accompanying spouse - her struggles and successes over 25 years - to help guide and inspire other women find their voice and realize their dreams of being a writer while overseas.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jo in person earlier this year after first connecting with her back in 2006 to discuss the book she was writing at the time, Career in Your Suitcase. It was fantastic to discuss various aspects of our respective expat adventures - the moves, dealing with the changing nature of expat assignments, the challenges of running a portable business and more.

 

Expat Stories

Given Jo's expertise and some of the themes in her new book, I thought a great way to start a new blog series I'm calling "Expat Stories" was to have Jo share some insights into how to write your story, as well as a bit about her own. I don't know that there is anyone who knows the power of the expat story more than Jo does.

The "Expat Stories" series is designed to help expats celebrate and share their successes and inspire others in the process. Since our stories can often help us uncover our unique strengths, talents and wisdom, I'm hoping these stories will also help the expats telling their stories learn something about themselves or at the least share some valuable "lessons learned" with others.

I'm most appreciative to Jo for taking the time to share her story, thoughts and news about her new book...

 

So Jo, could you share a little bit about yourself and your story?

I wanted to be a writer since the age of 15 and this came true when I was 22 and had a cookbook accepted by a publisher. The book was French Tarts. I have not looked back since and, despite moving abroad aged 26 to Dubai. There, I received a stamp in my passport saying Wife - not permitted to take up employment - and my world crumbled. With a job based on my passion I am nothing without something fulfilling to do, preferably for money. So, from then on I was determined to find a way to work come what may, despite rules, despite being an expat partner and moving country every few years, despite having two children (now 18 and 20).  

I soon learned that work based on your passion is key to staying motivated and proactive. So, I found a way to keep my career alive, even if that meant just teaching French conversation once a week to friends, in my home, for cash! In the first 10 years of expatriation I did many things from teaching writing, French and word processing, to writing books, articles and teaching programs. I realised that it was tough getting established in one country and then starting from scratch elsewhere. I needed to make my career portable and sustainable through moves AND something I wanted to grow too. 

Thanks to the Internet, networking locally and globally, being an active marketer and the knowledge that niche is king, I have succeeded. We have been in the Hague for 6.5 years and I now focus on helping people to find their story, write it and get it published. I run Summertime Publishing and have clients all over the world.

 

Futurist Rolf Jensen has said "storytellers will be the heroes of the 21st century". I believe expats' stories can help them understand their unique talents, connect with others to create positive change and in turn become heroes in their own and others' lives. How can expats use writing to find the "hero within"? 

I ask my writing students try to find the hero inside yourself and share how they found that hero. Often the most effective stories go on a journey - from crisis to success. For example - if you can show yourself when you were down and then explain the catalyst that turned you around so that you became a hero, your story will help others to find the hero inside yourself.

Often you cannot see the hero inside yourself. Either because you take that aspect of yourself for granted or because you simply cannot see it. You need someone else to tell you why they admire you, where you shine and where you inspire others. With careful handling and extraction you can find your story or stories and discover that what you learned helps others, that your mistakes and failures make others realise they are not alone and that they have hope, and that by sharing your story you are not making yourself look stupid, but instead you are inspiring and empowering others. 

In any story it is important to find the conflict or contrast within and identify the catalysts or turning points. Deconstruct your stories and there you will find many elements that at the time felt like luck or serendipity, but that in fact there were reasons for those changes. Pinpointing the reasons will give others hope and ideas.

Finding a safe place in which to explore and find your story is an important part of the process. That is where a writers' circle can be so useful, or even a writing class that meets regularly. In my experience we often do not believe the good stuff we hear when we hear it from one person, but when a group of people say the same thing, then we do start to listen.

 

The idea of writing your story can be incredibly daunting. What is the best way to get started?

Write a list of all the defining moments in your life, the times you see as snapshots in your mind, and write yourself dry. There will be a few stories there that have real meaning or that were a turning point in which you learned a lesson you can share - pick those!

 

Writing is one of many popular portable careers with expats. As one of your programs is about teaching people to write their own life stories in order to write a book, blog or articles, can you share a few tips on how to use our stories to grow a writing career? 

Many people think that you need to be a skilled writer in order to be able to have a career as a writer - books, articles or blogs. I believe that your idea is more important, your story, what you have to say. Writers need to be authentic, truthful, honest. It is only when they share their story, even that means going to a place of pain, vulnerability and sadness, that others will connect with them. This is when a story resonates. This is when the listener can find something that speaks to them in the story.

Sure, you need to be able to write a sentence, but editors can fix mistakes. Editors cannot create a story out of nothing. My advice is always to write the way you speak, from the heart. That is your writer's voice. Then get a pro to tidy it up! 

You need to find your story, what makes you you, what defines you, what changed you, and then use that to make others connect with you. 

If you want to write a blog, you need to share stories from your own life in order to encourage people to sign up and to follow you.

If you write a non-fiction book, a how to book, you need to share how the content relates to you and prove you have the authority to write what you write. You do this by including your story.

If you write a novel, you will be influenced by events in your own life. 

That is why I created the Write Your Life Stories program. This course is run live over 8 classes, or can be taken online with a personal tutor. The tools here will really set you on the right road to writing compelling stories that have plot and pace and character and what I call SPICE. To find out more please download my free booklet How to Write Life Story - The Inside Secrets at www.joparfitt.com/freereport

My article writing course has been running for 10 years now and is now also available online as 8 lessons with a tutor. You can find out more about Definite Articles - how to write and sell articles based on your overseas experience at Amazon or via my website in the Home Study section.

I have also written a book on how to find the book(s) inside you, called Release the Book Within.

All my books are available via Amazon or my website.

 

Is there a story from your life that that has been particularly inspiring to expats struggling to move forward in their careers you can share? What lessons did you learn from that experience?

I tell the French Tarts story very often. I had the idea when I was in France doing my year abroad. I was lonely. I ate too many cakes - but it was while walking past a patisserie in Normandy that the title came to me. I could not cook and had no kitchen, but I was lonely so I decided to get French people to invite me to dinner (that solved the loneliness and ready meals) and said that I would put their recipes in my books. It worked. The first publisher I approached gave me a contract.

The lessons I learned here were many:

That a good idea is paramount.

That timing is paramount (this was the mid 80s and quiche was getting big, my book was the first).

I had the authority to do this as the recipes were from real people in a place in which I had lived.

That I did my research to find the perfect publisher before I wrote that letter. 

That I believed in my idea.

That I had an idea for which there is always a market.

See? Lessons for anyone in business!

 

Your new book is a story about six expats and their stories. It has been gettting rave reviews. Can you tell us about it and how we can learn more?

Sunshine Soup is a novel about six expat women, coming from the UK, US, Thailand, Ireland, Norway and Holland, living in Dubai in 2008. It focuses on Maya, a Brit, on her first posting and Barb, an American, on her 25th. As Maya learns the ropes and settles in, Barb's world begins to crumble. Themes include crime, intrigue, love, spirituality and food and, as I have had 24 years as an expat myself, its messages are of universal interest to anyone living abroad. Issues such as loss, identity, belonging, culture shock and hidden grief are all covered, so in a way, the novel is a parable. Readers are loving it and most say their only complain is that Sunshine Soup ends... they all want a sequel.

You can find Sunshine Soup on Amazon.

 

Many many thanks Jo for your time and your continued support of expats of worldwide in realizing their career aspirations!

EXPAT CAREER SUCCESS TIP: As as expat, it is likely you have a story to tell - if only the story of how you managed to leave your own country and find your new expat home. That story is sure to have clues to your unique strengths and qualities that are key contributors to your personal and professional success.

Choose a particuar accomplishment related to your move abroad or your life overseas. As Jo suggests above, reflect on the conflicts, contrasts or catalysts of change and consider possible reasons for them. Find the strengths or qualities you used in order to overcome the challenges you faced.

What do these things say about who you are, your natural talents or what you can accomplish in the future? How can you use this knowledge to guide your future career choices? Come back and share what you've discovered.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  career by choice can help you...become an expat and experience a global lifestyle ~ explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Brand DNA and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become highly visible, recognized and well compensated for the value you create ~ overcome challenges and grow as a leader on international assignments ~ leverage social media to build your global online network ~ develop a global mindset ~ find an international career coach and experienced guide ~ conduct an international job search ~ optimize your choices and discover success abroad on your terms by being your best self. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comments

[Anne Egros]

Hi Megan,
I never had the chance to talk to you despite many things we have in common but I wanted to drop a message to tell you that it is a great book review. I loved reading jo's book "life in a suitcase" and will read this new one too.
Best wishes
Anne

[Colleen Reichrath-Smith]

Hi Megan and Anne,
I'm working on the fourth edition of Jo's Career in Your Suitcase and it will be available in the fall of 2012. Jo's powerful expat experience and examples will continue to inspire alongside updated information on creating a portable career.
Best regards,
Colleen

[Megan Fitzgerald]

Hi Colleen, thanks for your comment. Jo mentioned that you would be in touch about the book. I look forward to speaking with you more about it. I'lm sure the updated version will be great!

Best,
Megan