ME13: Nurturing Love on the Move (with Guest, Oxana Holtmann, MA, CPCC)

Today’s Mindful Expat Guest is Oxana Holtmann!

Oxana was born and grew up in the Siberian part of Russia. She has lived in Moscow, Germany, and now the United States, in Washington, DC. Oxana works as a Conscious Leadership and Relationship Coach, helping her clients nurture and strengthen their relationships, discover their creativity, and develop a sense of personal empowerment in their lives. She specializes in working with international or transnational people – people who may consider themselves “citizens of the world,” and who may call more than one place home. She is a Certified Professional Career Coach and she also has several other coaching certifications, including in relationship and leadership coaching. Oxana is also the founder of the Conscious Global Living Project, where she works to help people living global lives find a sense of “home” within themselves and nurture close, satisfying relationships even as they may be making frequent moves.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Some of the common challenges that expat partners face when they relocate together.
• How expat partners can avoid some common pitfalls and work to maintain a strong, loving connection in their relationship, even when they may be going through multiple moves on a regular basis.
• About some exciting research in the world of relationships — and what helps partners stay strong and connected even through challenging times.
• Some practical tips and strategies for nurturing our relationships on the move. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Oxana and I discussed the research of relationship expert John Gottman. To learn more about his research, you can visit the Gottman Institute’s website (where you can read a number of relevant articles for free). Gottman has also written a number of great books for couples, which you can learn more about here.
• We also mentioned the research of Esther Perel. To learn more about her and her research, you can visit her website or check out her TED Talks. Perel’s book, Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence focuses on helping couples maintain or enhance their sexual intimacy and excitement in their relationships.
• Oxana mentioned the work of relationship experts Gay and Katie Hendricks. To learn more about them and their work, you can visit the Hendricks Institute’s website.
• As her helpful resource, Oxana also mentioned the Hendricks’ other website, Hearts in Harmony — there you can sign up for their newsletter to receive information about articles, videos, online courses, and other resources for couples.
• Oxana mentioned the Yoga Studio app that she and her husband use to practice yoga together as a form of both individual and relationship self-care!

More about Oxana and how to follow up with her:

To learn more about Oxana, you can visit her website, www.oxanaholtmann.com. There, you can read more about The Global Living Project as well as the coaching services and workshops she offers. And to watch some of her videos that we mentioned, you can visit this page of her website.

Oxana has generously offered to share her e-book, Lasting Love on the Move, with anyone who wants to learn more about these topics. This e-book goes into more detail about many of the issues we discuss in today’s episode and is a great resource for couples living abroad. To sign up for Oxana’s newsletter and to receive the e-book, visit this page of her website.

In addition to her work with expat couples, Oxana also specializes in helping expats (re)discover their creativity! To learn more about Oxana’s book, Shake it Up: Refresh and Rediscover Yourself through Wonder and Body-Mind Adventures, you can visit this page of her website or get it from Amazon.

You can also find Oxana on Facebook or Twitter or you can email her directly at [email protected].

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