Moving Abroad, Motherhood, and the End of Old Rules (with Vanessa Bennett) | Ep 85

What happens when motherhood cracks open the old “rules,” and moving abroad removes every last distraction?

In this episode of the House of Peregrine Podcast, Mickelle Weber sits down with Vanessa Bennett; therapist, author of The Motherhood Myth, and co-host of Cheaper Than Therapy—for a candid, elegant conversation on partnership, power, and the brave work of rewriting your life. Vanessa shares how losing their LA home to wildfires became the unexpected catalyst for a one-year move to Costa Rica: a reset to grieve, downshift, and decide what comes next from steadier ground.

Together, they explore how systems like patriarchy, capitalism, and colonialism operate as dominator models (someone “above,” someone “below”) and why the alternative isn’t matriarchy, but a partnership model built on sovereignty, care, and choice. They also unpack codependency vs interdependence, and why over-functioners often have to be the ones to put the rope down first.

In this episode:

• Motherhood as a paradigm shift for couples

• Dominator systems vs partnership models

• Codependency (“if you’re good, I’m good”) vs interdependence

• Why some therapy can reinforce hierarchy and how to vet support

• Moving abroad as a truth-teller (“Costa Rica divorce”)

• Finding stability even when there is no plan

Find Vanessa Bennett at https://www.vanessabennett.com and on Instagram @vanessa.s.bennett. Listen, follow, and subscribe to the House of Peregrine Podcast for more conversations designed to make expat life feel less lonely and far more intentional.https://www.houseofperegrine.com/podcast/ep-085

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