#15 Amanda McNeice – How her mamapreneur superpowers can unlock yours
Amanda is passionate about helping expats, particularly trailing spouses, figure out what the heck their new identity is now that they’ve packed up and and jumped on a plane. Not only are you now in unfamiliar surroundings, but quite often you can find yourself in unfamiliar shoes, trying to figure out how to navigate your new life here. She knows well those blisters that come with the new expat shoes. After packing up and jumping on the plane to Shanghai in 2010, she has found that these new expat shoes suit her and there is no going back!
Optimism is a happiness magnet, so the more optimistic you can be about where you are and what you’re doing, you’ll be set for life.
Show Notes
How she got to China
Amanda and her husband came in 2006 as almost newlyweds and did the backpacking-English-teacher gig for a while. They realized quickly that coming as an international school teacher, with housing, insurance and all that jazz, was the better way to do it. They returned to Australia so he could earn his degree and get the required two years of teaching experience. They landed in Shanghai in 2010, this time with an 8-month old son in tow and haven’t looked back!
Memorable “This is China” moment
For Amanda, it’s more about the culmination of piles of small daily challenges that send her over the edge and into fits of tears. Add to that the mental overload of having to learn new things all the time and it’s easy to see how a smallest thing can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and cause the occasional melt down. Tune into find out why she’s taken to coffee shops whenever she needs to ball her eyes out!
Greatest victories
Learning to navigate Taobao.com, getting her driving license, having a successful hypnobirth (in China!!). That experience, which she thought was impossible, gave her such a feeling of invincibility and gave her the impetus to launch her coaching company. Tune in to hear what it’s all about and how Amanda can come along side you and help get your business idea off the ground!
School situation
Her two-year-old attends a local Mandarin-only, Montessori kindergarten. The Montessori-style has brought order to their lives, Amanda says. There is a high teacher/student ratio which gives her daughter a lot of one-on-one attention which is awesome as well. Her four-year-old attends YCIS Puxi and Amanda loves that his Chinese and English are both focused on and improving. Additionally, you can’t beat the convenient location from their home.
Episode Links
- AmandaMcNeice.com (great free resource articles!)
- Taobao (online shopping, everything including the kitchen sink)
- Yew Chung International School (YCIS)
Amanda’s Tips & Tricks
Brings from home
Deodorant, dry shampoo
Fav local resource
Uber (car service)
Parting wisdom
Be optimistic because it’s a happiness magnet.
How to Connect
Online at www.amandamcneice.com
Email at amanda@amandamcneice.com
Pinterest; she has some cool expat boards and taobao ones.
