Black Babes Abroad in Denmark with Candace Stephens
SEASON 7 EPISODE 8 |Flourish in the Foreign - Black Women Living & Thriving Abroad
Candace Stephens, a 35-year-old Black American who has lived in Denmark for over eight years, shares her journey from growing up in Rancho Cucamonga, California, to studying abroad in Newcastle, Australia, for six months and au pairing outside Paris for over a year.
Meet Candace
Candace is a strategist, storyteller, and igniter for women doing big things across cultures. Her work lives at the intersection of intercultural communication, magnetic branding, deep coaching, and community design.
She is also the co-founder, host, and community leader of Black Babes Abroad, a growing global network of over 2,000+ Black and Brown femmes building thriving lives abroad.
Connect with Candace
Website: https://itscandacebabes.carrd.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candaceroselyse/
What resources (books, blogs, services, apps) did you utilize to help you go abroad, stay abroad, and thrive abroad?
Much of my resources were based on community insights and word-of-mouth. I used Reddit a lot to get a feel for the places I was exploring, language apps like Memrise to cozy up to local dialects, and more books on rest and identity reformation than culture, to be honest. Much of what allowed me to stay abroad so long is that I focused on how I could rebuild my life to thrive there long-term, rather than get too caught up in what all the guides said I "should" do when living abroad.
What's something you wish people would ask you about your life abroad?
The sacrifices it took to create a life I could have never imagined. I often think the wanderlust of it all overshadows the really hard, intentional work it takes to continuously choose a life abroad.
What wellness practices/mindset shifts have you adopted to support your wellness, sustainability, and longevity abroad?
Presence. Slowing down. Forgiving myself for running at unsustainable paces for people and things that were never for my highest good or comfort. I have slowly begun unlearning the capitalistic tendencies that had me putting productivity over peace, and busyness over stillness. I frankly just began truly believing I deserved more out of my life, not just in money or items, but in freedom and space. So my mindset has gone from "do more" to "be still."
What is the motto (affirmation, prayer, poem, song lyrics, etc.) that you live by?
So many, but my top two are "you can never fly too far away from yourself" and "You are everything you believe you are."
This Episode Covers:
First Months in Denmark
Building a Home Abroad
Learning Danish
Pregnancy in Denmark
Raising a Multicultural Child
Survivor’s Guilt After Leaving the U.S.
Episode Credits:
Christine Job-Creator & Host
Zachary Higgs-Theme Music
Subscribe to the Substack: https://christinejob.substack.com/
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