A Portable Identity. Charise Hoge MSW

A Portable Identity is the accompanying spouse’s definitive guide to success during international relocation. The most profound change a woman will experience when she moves overseas in support of her husband’s career comes from within herself, to her own sense of identity. With two, three, or more years of an overseas assignment, a woman faces the formidable task of creating a life for herself in an unfamiliar country. Unlike any other book about overseas living, A Portable Identity explains with clarity, candor, and compassion how global relocation affects the accompanying spouse’s identity at each stage of the move – from pre-departure to arrival, while living overseas, and during repatriation or future moves. The book also explains why the thoughts and feelings she may experience as an expatriate spouse are normal within the context of so much change, and how she can shape her identity in a way that honors her sense of self while living in a foreign country and culture. The authors are two former expatriate spouses who are also counselors and life coaches specializing in relocation for over twenty years. With practical exercises, inspiring stories, and The Wheel, an innovative model for taking charge of change, a spouse can make choices for a happier and more meaningful life overseas. The result is a successful transition to life abroad and a more “portable” identity that can thrive away from home. A Portable Identity is essential reading for military, corporate, non-governmental organization, missionary, and foreign service spouses. The book is also a valuable resource for professionals, including human resource managers, international relocation specialists, employee assistance professionals and therapists. The book provides them with critical information that they can utilize to better assist the accompanying spouse during an international move. A Portable Identity has received rave reviews from around the world and is recommended reading by the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW).