The text simply said, “Several of my colleagues were talking about the potato story.” How can so much be held in such a simple sentence? If you’ve read the book I wrote on transitions, then you know the story of a woman who didn’t transition from the field as well as she could have and left potatoes in her bed. It’s the kind of story that sticks with you, because we all know that transitions are HARD and can bring out the worst in us. Who amongst us is above such an out-of-character reaction to transition?

Transitions aren’t just moves from one country to another. You might have a child heading off to college, a new role in your organization, or be adjusting to a slowly unfolding post-pandemic world. The good news is you don’t have to go it alone! Here are a few of my favorite transition resources:

1. Looming Transitions: Starting and Finishing Well in Cross-Cultural Service by Amy Young (me).

After the book was published, people wanted a downloadable workbook to go with it and resources for families. People also wanted to be able to listen to it as they puttered around their homes or went on a walk to process the transition. I heard “the people” and I wanted all of these resources to be super affordable!

The book is available on amazon physically or in kindle. Get it here.

The downloadable workbook is available here.

The audio book is available on Audible, but I have no control over the price. So it is also available here for only $10 and you get the workbook as well.

22 Activities for Families in Transition (based on Looming Transitions) is available on Kindle and a downloadable version here.

2. Ten Things to Check Off Your List During Transition by Jenilee Goodwin.

“You know the feeling. Your brain is full of things to do and tasks to complete. You’re in the middle of a transition. It might be big or small, planned or forced, far or near, but it’s transition, and there is a mountain of things to get done to make it happen. We’ve all been there. For overseas workers, transition is something that happens regularly and sometimes not at the best of times or in the most happy circumstances.”

Continue reading here and get the simplified checklist here.

3. Sometimes what you need is an actual person to walk through the transition with you to hold your hand, nudge you along, point out what you might miss, or simply remind you that what you’re doing is hard and how brave you are being. Here are two people I recommend, and each has a program/plan to help you:

Tim Austin of Encompass Life Coaching. You can set up an exploratory call with him here. He also has a Transitions Mini-Course available here.

Sara Simons of The Way Between. You can set up a personal package with Sara or join a virtual transitions cohort.

Regardless of whether you need a book read to you, a workbook to go through, a checklist, or a person, potatoes in your bed are avoidable, wink. Transitions are hard, that’s a fact. But they can also be holy times and these resources will help you navigate this season better than you could without them.