Chatting with Brazilian Maternity Psychologist Vanessa Santana!

I’m so excited to share something with you: on June 17th at 14h (Brazil) / 19h (Switzerland) I’ll be live on Instagram with Vanessa Santana, a Brazilian psychologist who has been supporting mothers through the emotional ups and downs of maternity for years.

Usually, I’m the one asking the questions — but this time, the tables have turned. I’ll be in the hot seat, sharing what it really means to navigate pregnancy and motherhood abroad.

What we’ll talk about

  • Cultural differences: how different countries shape our experience of motherhood.

  • Emotional highs and lows: the joys and challenges of raising kids far from home.

  • Practical tips: little things that make expat motherhood smoother (and less lonely).

And of course, a few funny stories — like the time I tried to survive a pediatrician appointment in a language I barely spoke.

Photo sent by a reader in Brazil.

Photo sent by a reader in Brazil.

Why this matters

Motherhood abroad is often painted as picture‑perfect. The truth? It’s messy, tender, and full of moments no one prepares you for. That’s why I wrote Maternity Abroad, now being read in 13 countries — to share stories and give other mothers the support I once needed.

👉 Mark your calendar: June 17th. Join us live in Portuguese on Instagram.

Bring your questions, your curiosity, or just yourself. I can’t wait to see you there.


Other Publications

Fifteen Minutes at a Time follows Emily and Daniel under the rain‑soaked arches of Waterloo Bridge, where routine turns into connection and glances say more than words.

This short story is free to read — a little escape into tenderness and possibility.

🌍 Parenting abroad isn’t just logistics — it’s identity, belonging, and the quiet work of building a home away from home. Parenting Unpacked is here to hold your hand through it.

✨ Coming soon — sign up to be the first to know.


Jessica Gabrielzyk

Jessica Gabrielzyk is a Brazilian writer living in Switzerland. She moved there with her husband and daughter, who was three months old at the time and had strong opinions about the whole thing even then.

She writes about change.

The visible kind and the kind that happens inside a person, while everything on the outside looks fine.

Her first book, Maternity Abroad, explored what it means to become a mother far from the system you trusted. It has reached readers in more than fifteen countries across five continents. Parenting Unpacked, her second book, follows the experience of parenting through major life disruption, whether that's an international move, a career loss, a new baby, or a life that simply stops responding the way it used to. My First American Coloring Book was created to help toddlers engage with daily life in the United States through play and familiar imagery.

She is a member of SIETAR, the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research, and the International Academy of Brazilian Literature.

She writes for the parent who is still inside it, getting through the day, and wondering somewhere underneath all of it who they are becoming.

When she is not writing, she is walking forty minutes uphill with a stroller, telling herself the exercise is the point.

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The Inspiration Behind “Maternity Abroad” 🌍🤰

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Jessie Cunniffe Brings Her Magic to “Maternity Abroad”