New Moon Coaching for Expat Women

Every year on February 2nd, the United States pauses for a rather peculiar tradition: Groundhog Day. According to custom, the weather for the next six weeks is determined by a rodent just emerging from hibernation. If he sees his shadow, we settle in for more winter; if it’s cloudy, spring is around the corner.

As an expat, I’ve learned that the way this custom is celebrated tells you a lot about where you’ve landed:

• The Formal Tradition: In the nearly unpronounceable Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, a live groundhog named Phil is presented to the “Inner Circle”—men in top hats and bow ties who read a formal proclamation with theatrical gravity.
• The Colorado Twist: Here in Boulder, things are a bit more… “informal.” We have Flatiron Freddy, a stuffed groundhog (macabrely) dressed as a 19th-century settler, who is whisked around on a dog-drawn sled. It’s a lighthearted, slightly bizarre ritual that perfectly captures the local spirit.

Old Roots in New Soil. This tradition didn’t start here. It was brought to the “New World” by German and Dutch settlers who originally relied on badgers for weather forecasts on Candlemas Day. For those of us living between cultures, there is something deeply relatable about this: taking an old-world belief and adapting it to fit the animals and the landscape of a new home.

Beyond the weather, February 2nd represents the transition from darkness to light—a symbolic “awakening” that carries weight for anyone undergoing a major life change or spiritual initiation.

Beyond the Shadow: A Coaching Perspective

This year, the forecast for Colorado suggests the cold is on its way out. In a state that enjoys 300 days of sunshine, that is always welcome news. But how much should we trust a rodent—living or stuffed? With a historical accuracy rate of only 40%, groundhogs – whether living or stuffed- don’t make for reliable meteorologists. Perhaps the real lesson is that we have to find our own way through the transition, regardless of what the shadow says.

In my practice at New Moon Coaching, I look at these moments as “New Moon” phases—the quiet, sometimes dark space where the old version of ourselves hasn’t quite left, and the new one hasn’t fully emerged. It’s a time for planting seeds and finding your footing on unfamiliar ground.

If you were to look at your own transition right now, are you still in “hibernation,” or are you starting to see the first signs of your own personal spring? I’d love to hear how you’re navigating your current season in the comments below.