Swedes on the Loose

Sandra and Christina swap Thanksgiving stories, from Beef Wellingtons to smoked turkey feasts. They gush over a new high-tech barn, and chat Christmas décor, glögg mishaps, kitten adoptions, and preparations for the Swedish-American Christmas Market. With Advent traditions, shopping plans, and upcoming visits, it’s a festive whirlwind of food, horses, and Swedish holiday spirit.

n this episode of Swedes on the Loose we and some of our Swedish friends compare Thanksgiving memories and traditions as Swedish expats—debating turkey vs. alternatives (prime rib, beef Wellington), favorite sides and desserts, and low-pressure Friendsgiving ideas. We chat with Lena, Suzanne and Anki, share family anecdotes, plan meetups, plus a fun horse-health tangent about “cresty” necks. Warm, community-focused, and full of food talk and laughs.

We catch up on life — a whirlwind New Orleans trip, rescued kittens needing vet care, the ever-growing dog & cat crew (Charlie, Gunner, Tucker, Finnegan, Phoenix, Felix), and plans for visiting a new barn with lessons and a jumping arena. We discuss podcast tech/platform worries and Ricky helping with editing, Ability360 and Mia gaining independence via paratransit, and an incredible Northern Lights sighting with requests for time-lapse photography tips. Cozy, pet-filled conversation with plans to record from the barn in December.

Today we recorded a short podcast episode to inform our listeners about difficulties with our current podcast provider, Pod Populi, which has been unreliable and failed to release scheduled episodes. We are actively seeking a new provider to handle podcast hosting, editing, and distribution, and are asking our audience for recommendations of reliable companies. Sandra recorded from New Orleans, where she is at a conference with Robert, her boss. We discussed our experience with a recent pivot in our podcasting venture, acknowledging a temporary setback with our videographer, editor and company. Sandra shared a personal story about the business venture, "Do Good Goodies," which faced challenges at a horse show event but resulted in positive connections and experiences. We emphasized how we are able to adapt and learn from setbacks, and we will continue producing content. 

Christina is fostering some kittens, we do a “warm up” about what makes us Vikings. Our mentality and approach on life. Since we are planning to gave a cool cat on the show. Sandra shares her motto, and that she wants to be useful & helpful.  Modus Operandi  meaning. And why are we the way we are??

Pernille (former President of IKEA North America) shares her story on how and why she moved from Denmark to the U.S. We get the inside scoop on what makes a good effective leader. Pernille's story is fascinating and inspiring. She is the most humble, relatable woman and we enjoyed every minute discussing what work/life balance looks like and how to achieve it. Check out her "new" company a Good Life Designed and take one of their courses! https://www.goodlifedesigned.com Follow them on IG: @goodlifedesigned

We share our thoughts on self-love and how the concept differs between Sweden and the U.S., we dive into cultural differences and generational perspectives. We cherish unexpected rain showers and hailstorms We reflect on email management, family life, and the importance of finding balance through small but meaningful self-care rituals. We invite our listeners to share their own definitions of self-love! 

Christina & Sandra talks with Suzanne from Scottsdale, Arizona—a marathon runner, IKEA fan, and dedicated SWEA advocate. Suzanne shares her journey from Sweden to running marathons like Boston and New York while balancing family and staying connected to her Swedish roots through SWEA a global Swedish women’s organization. We discuss the importance of Swedish groups like SWEA and Swedes Abroad, share stories about running, parenting, sobriety, and Swedish traditions like Fika.

Sandra MADE it to Christina in Wyoming! LOONG trip. BUT it was worth it, we did a lot of outdoor activities such as riding horses, exploring the Grand Tetons, and driving a UTV that could have ended at the end of a ravine!  We discuss the challenges of long road trips, managing work schedules with time zone differences, and the joy of spending time with family, including Sandra's daughter Vivi who came to Wyoming as well. We talk about language dynamics with bilingual fluency in Swedish and English, and a new housekeeper who speaks Spanish, providing an opportunity to practice languages. We also announce social media engagement efforts and invite our listeners to connect with questions or topic suggestions. We tease an exciting guest for their next episode and consider adding video elements to our podcast format. 

Sandra admits to feeling like the world is spinning way too fast with way too much on her plate. Christina suggests the tried true tool of writing things down to get things out of her head. Recently, Dr. Cal Newport was recently on The Mel Robbins Show talking about his new book Slow Productivity and attention managment which Sandra found useful if anyone else is feeling like they are in overdrive. It's also project season for Christina and Jeff in Wyoming! They are building a green house out of pallets and Christina scored old barn windows from Facebook marketplace - stay tuned for updates. Please note half of this episode was recorded with Christina in Wyoming and Sandra in AZ, but we had to cut when Christina's internet guy showed up.  For the second part of this episode Sandra and her daughter decided to drive the mere 14hrs to Wyoming to visit! Tune in!

Petter Svaetichin, an "old" friend of Sandra's from hotel school in Switzerland -HOSTA, joins us from Georgia! He takes us down a few rabbit holes from his life sharing some of his adventures working with the Swedish bllionaire businessman and explorer Frederik Paulsen developing Mammoth Vodka, restoring a Romanov castle in the wine country of Georgia: Chateau Mukhrani and developing a Padel Company, Padel Island Georgia. We learn about Georgia as a tourist destination with fantastic skiing and 12 different climate zones. Put it on your bucket list!

Christina is turning into Martha Stewart! She shares all many wonderful things about Bedford, Wyoming in the summer time. Sandra vents about the hell hole of AZ in the summer and gives an update on what her kids are up to. Christina gives us a run down on gas prices, electricity and water usage in Wyoming. We establish that Sandra met Christina's mom the very first time they met back in 2017 during a Swea event.  Here is the link to the company where Christina ordered the seafood that she talked up during this episode: www.alaskanseafoodguys.com and Sandra promotes Cafe Bliss in Fountain Hills, AZ run by a lovely Swedish family. Check them out on Facebook.  And check us out on Facebook too! Don't forget to like and subrscribe and leave us a review!

Debriefed Sandra's trip to Sweden and she shared that it felt pretty good coming back to AZ after all! Christina and Sandra invite you(yes, you!) to come sit with them for a cup of tea every week just to have a sounding board and someone to talk to. If you are in a transition phase right now, maybe just moved to a new city, starting a new job, maybe starting a new chapter of your life - it helps to feel grounded and in good company. Christina talks to her dad every day.  Who do you talk to daily? Can AI be that "person"? What's the difference moving as a 20 something yr old vs a 50 something yr old?  Who are you sharing your highs and lows with? Share them here !  2swedesontheloose@gmail.com

Sandra is tuning in live from Sweden and we have a fellow Swede on who used to live in AZ and moved back to Stockholm in 2012. We discuss the challenges involved in moving back to Sweden and finding competitive employment after spending years abroad. Swedish companies tend to dismiss experience that isn't Swedish. It's typically who know you know not what you know - which is so often the case just about everywhere.  We learn a tidbit bit about Grand Hotel which is 5 star hotel in Stockholm!

Christina shares how she ended up on "The Loose" - from Skanör, Sweden all the way to Bedford, Wyoming that she calls home today. 55 years worth!

We had the pleasure of having Cecilia Borglin from the organization Swedes Worldwide on the show. We talked about what they do for us Swedes around the world, changing legislations and keeping up with the rules and regulations. We also got a glimpse into Cecilias life, and how she moved from Sweden to Australia and back. Lots of great information!

Christina and Sandra process upsetting news regarding two friends in their mutual circle. When it rains it pours. On the same day as they receive this news Sandra continues to bump up against death the very same day and runs into the daughter of someowne who helped Mia back when she was struggling with her brain tumor dx and subsequent radiation injury. They touch on a newer test called Galleri that is a early detection test that screens for many different kinds of cancer. Christina's clairvoyant friend Suzanne in Sweden shares some messages from Christina's mom who is looking to connect from the "other side".  It's a day of processing. 

Sandra shares how she ended up on "The Loose" all the way from Sweden to AZ through several countries.  She takes us through the twists and turns of her life experiences and how she feels about being a Swede abroad.

We discuss how to give the podcast some direction!  We still need a motto. We'd like to have some guests on who can dive into various topics. What are some things that Swedes miss from Sweden. Christina promises to research the difference bewtween Nesquick and O'Boy?? Somehow we end up on the topic of curse words and how some are more accepted than others in different languages.

We judge each other! LOL! What Fathers Day is like for a divorced mom. FWY/HWY description (finally) Sandra found a Mantra! Sandra is the podcast queen. Sandra updates us on her dating life. Not Burning bridges is a great thing, Christina might get a job from it. Christina becoming an airbnb host, excited to take care of people again. We talk about Midsummer and how important it is for us. We talk about weather, and how hot it is in AZ and how pretty it is in WY. Why cactus are dying in AZ. Vivi competing in Flagstaff in eventing. Asking our audience for feedback!