Black Expat Stories in Mexico with Courtney Bowden
SEASON 7 EPISODE 19 |Flourish in the Foreign - Black Women Living & Thriving Abroad
Courtney Bowden shares her transformative journey from burnout and grief in the U.S. to finding peace and purpose in Mexico. After the tragic loss of a close friend and feeling disillusioned with the American Dream, Courtney takes a leap of faith to move abroad.
Meet Courtney
Courtney Bowden is an award–winning storyteller and social impact filmmaker committed to reshaping how Black people are seen, heard, and remembered in the media. Based in Mexico, she is the creator and host of Black Expat Stories, a podcast and developing docuseries chronicling the journeys of Black Americans driving “America’s Next Great Migration.” Courtney’s storytelling uplifts the voices often left out and paints a vivid picture of what freedom can look like abroad.
Connect with Courtney
Website:http://thecourtneybowden.com/
What resources (books, blogs, services, apps) did you utilize to help you go abroad & thrive abroad?
Blaxit Global, Communities like ExodUS Summit, and the XPat App. Books like All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou, We Quit America by Dr. Yanique Redwood & Ronnie Galvin, and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson were also helpful.
What's something you wish people would ask you about your life abroad?
I wish people asked more about how living abroad has sparked my creative awakening. Leaving the U.S. gave me the space to slow down, to breathe, and in that space, my imagination opened up.
What wellness practices/mindset shifts have you adopted to support your wellness, sustainability, and longevity abroad?
One of the biggest shifts for me has been really tending to my body and spirit in ways I never made space for in the U.S. Somatically, that looks like regular chakra cleansings, reiki healing, and spending as much time as I can near the water. Swimming every day has become like exercise, meditation, and a reset for my nervous system. I’ve embraced rest as an unapologetic practice — not an afterthought. Living here has also opened me up to indigenous rituals and plant medicine ceremonies that have deepened my healing.
On the mental side, I’ve committed to consistent therapy, unplugging from the constant noise of American news media, and intentionally diversifying/curating my information diet. And I make more time to read for pleasure, which has been so restorative.
What is the motto (affirmation, prayer, poem, song lyrics, etc.) that you live by?
"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." - Audre Lorde
This Episode Covers:
Growing Up in a Sundown Town
Pandemic and Decision to Move Abroad
Reflections on Life in Mexico
Migration as Liberation
Aging Abroad
Pride in Black Identity and History
Wellness and Decolonizing Life
Embracing the Black Girl Soft Life
Episode Credits:
Christine Job-Creator & Host
Zachary Higgs-Theme Music
Subscribe to the Substack:https://christinejob.substack.com/
If you enjoyed this episode, listen to these next:
“Read, Write, & Create” in Malaga with Lori L. Tharps
Embracing the Soft Life with Victoria Childress in Italy
"In Every Mirror, She's Black" in Sweden with Lola Akinmade Åkerström
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