New Moon Coaching for Expat Women

This year, my son started high school. He is what you call a freshman, a student fresh out of middle school. In this new American landscape, I’m learning that each of the four years is a milestone with its own name: freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. It’s a progressive climb—9th through 12th grade—that feels like a countdown to a future I’m still trying to map out for him.

Back home, schools are often divided by specialization—scientific, classical, artistic, technical, etc. Here, the comprehensive model is the standard. Whether you are in Colorado or Connecticut, the core is the same: English, Biology, Algebra, Civics. But within that structure lies a dizzying array of “levels.” Navigating these choices felt more stressful than buying our first home. For an expat parent, it’s not just about selecting a class; it’s about deciphering a code you didn’t grow up with, while the stakes for college applications loom in the background.

There is a unique kind of “cultural exhaustion” that hits when you realize your child’s roadmap looks nothing like your own. Often we don’t feel adequate to help them making the right choices.

Each school here carries a mascot and a slogan—values meant to create a community culture. It’s no surprise that many choose names rooted in strength: Warriors, Knights, Panthers, Coyotes. These names reflect a world that views life as a series of battles to be won. Even as parents, we often feel we have to be “Warriors” ourselves—fighting for our place in a new society, defending our children’s potential, and staying tough through life struggles.

But as I watch my son navigate this transition, I find myself fantasizing about a different set of mascots. Instead of identifying with the “combat arena,” what if we looked to the “universe of wisdom”?

What if we coached ourselves—and our children—to identify as The New Pythagoreans, The Shrewd Thinkers, or The Magellans of the West?

In the expat journey, the goal doesn’t always have to be “winning” or “toughness.” Perhaps the real success lies in the curiosity of the explorer and the resilience of the philosopher. We aren’t just surviving a new system; we are expanding our territory of the mind.

If you could pick a ‘mascot’ for your family’s expat journey, what would it be? Are you a family of Explorers, Philosophers, or perhaps The Adaptable Coyotes? Share it in the comments.