A Culture Story with Flor — Happy [US] Mother’s Day. Flor is my guest today. Flor is a DEI and Language Consultant working with multilingual families for more than 8 years. Her passion for her native language Spanish has brought her to create Little Nómadas, a platform for cross cultural individuals and families to learn the Spanish language and Latino culture while creating a sense of belonging and identity. She teaches Spanish to children, teens and adults and designs diversity and inclusion programs for nonprofit organizations.
https://littlenomadas.com/

A Culture Story with Joseph — Today, my guest is Joseph. Joseph Melkonian works in economic research in Chicago and will be starting a PhD in public policy this fall at Harvard. Joseph's experience growing up between Morocco and California has shaped his love of couscous, salsa, and cross-cultural spaces (both domestic and international). He enjoys biking around, shopping at ethnic grocery stores, and getting lost in libraries.

A Culture Story with Louise — Today, my guest is Louise. Louise Wiles supports clients through the challenge and opportunity that comes with change and transition, including international relocation. Louise uses a strengths-based wellbeing framework as the foundation for her work with clients, helping them to create positive change based on an inspiring future vision. Louise draws on her personal and professional experience as an expat, repat, narrative coach and learning and development professional with an academic background in organisational psychology. Louise is author of Thriving Abroad: The definitive guide to professional and personal relocation success and host of the Thriving Abroad Podcast. To learn more go to https://www.ThrivingAbroad.com and register for the regular newsletter.

Story is...... — In this episode, I offer a brief exploration of “story is” - one of my open-ended prompts in each episode.

A Culture Story with Greg — Today, my guest is Greg. Gregory Coles is the author of Single, Gay, Christian: A Personal Journey of Faith and Sexual Identity (IVP, 2017) and No Longer Strangers: Finding Belonging in a World of Alienation (IVP, 2021). He holds a PhD in English from Penn State and lives in central Pennsylvania, where he works as a writer, speaker, and worship leader. Greg is a frequent contributor with organizations like Revoice and The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender, and curates most of his creative activities at gregorycoles.com.

A Culture Story with Henriette — My guest today is Henriette. Dr. Henriette Javorek Runte, aka Dr. J is a multilingual academic with degrees in Human Biology and French Literature. She is also the creator and host of the podcast, “Language and Culture with Dr. J,” and the founder of Quadylle Books and Events. She writes under several different pseudonyms and has just recently published her first novel, We Fade to Green.

A Culture Story with Jake — My guest today is Jake. Jake began traveling in 2010 when he started teaching English in South Korea. Since then he has taught students from more than 20 countries. Originally from South Carolina, he now lives in Denver, Colorado. His first book of travel stories, I’M NOT FROM AROUND HERE: TRAVELS IN ASIA, is available in paperback in his shop: https://jakehollingsworth.bigcartel.com. Also, he once ate a dog in Korea. It was delicious.

A Culture Story with Kelly — Today, my guest is Kelly. Kelly Wagner (she/her) is a Program Manager on the Global Engagement and Education Abroad (GEEA) team of the University of Michigan (U-M) International Center. Kelly also serves as the current Chair of NAFSA Region V. Since graduating with her M.Ed. in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago in 2014, Kelly has worked passionately to create a globally inclusive campus environment for the institutions where she has served.  This is especially true when it comes to training faculty, staff and students about intercultural theory and practice. Kelly was a Fellow at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communications (SIIC) the summer of 2017, and she became a Qualified Administrator (QA) for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) in 2016.

A Culture Story with Stephen — Today, my guest is Stephen. Stephen is the host and producer of TCK Care, a podcast sharing stories, strategies, and support for third culture kids in all walks of life. Having grown up overseas himself, Stephen worked in an international school in Southeast Asia for five years, coordinated care for families serving globally for three years, and is currently studying to become a licensed mental healthcare professional. You can connect with Stephen on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tckcare/ and his podcast can be found on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/tck-care.

A Culture Story with Ava — Today, my guest is Ava. Ava Hussaini is a DEI practitioner & consultant based in Boston. Her cultural journey as a CCK and her intersectional identity inspired her PhD dissertation and career in the world of DEI to bear personal history and ongoing experiences to further expanded here life-long mission to make the workplace a better place for everyone.
You can connect with Ava on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ava-hussaini-she-her-hers-01a675181

A Culture Story with Stewart — Today, my guest is Stewart. Stewart is a third year student at Lancaster University in the UK who's passion for effective cross-cultural communication came after a back to back trip to Fiji and Iowa. Considering his home is Manchester, these two trips were a far-away reality from what he was used to and provided interesting and eventful examples of why culture is so important. Since then, Stewart has gone on to work with a team of 10 from 9 different cultures to create Context - a cross-cultural education tool that uses stories to educate on culture. The app is planned to launch in mid 2021.

A Culture Story with Carolina — Today, my guest is Carolina. Carolina is a multi-cultural international transition coach and a seasoned expat herself. She serves international individuals and families through one to one session’s, works with corporations to support their expats and is available for public speaking engagements. Carolina is a well-known and valued member specially in the French and Portuguese speaking global communities. Carolina is a former board member for FIGT, Families in Global Transition and is serving as the co-leader for the FIGT Brazilian Affiliate.
Learn more about Carolina: https://www.carolinaporto.net/ ; https://www.instagram.com/carolinaporto_mambembe/

Home is..... — Today’s episode is just me... hi, hello! I take a few minutes to answer my own rapid-fire open-ended question “Home is......”

A Culture Story with Jonathan — Today, my guest is Jonathan. Jonathan Walthour is a storyteller who still thinks he is a TCK. Having grown up in Nigeria, his family moved back to the US when he was 10. Since then Africa has remained a part of his life through two siblings adopted from Ethiopia and his wife who is from Kenya. Jonathan is the host and creator of TCK Tales (https://anchor.fm/t-c-k-tales) and a host of TCK VOF (https://open.spotify.com/show/5X3sASeaUQum62mCowmEKY)

A Culture Story with Sundae — My guest today is Sundae. Sundae is a solution-oriented coach and intercultural strategist for individuals and organizations. She helps you adapt as quickly (and painlessly!) as possible, expedite success, create meaningful connections (abroad and at home), and cherish the experience. American by birth, Swiss by marriage, and expat in South Africa by choice. Her clients range from European multi-national organizations to international NGOs, from West and East African country directors to new and seasoned expat spouses, representing over 60 countries across 6 continents.

A Culture Story with Calvin — Today, my guest is Calvin. Calvin Karuniawan Widjaja is the host and creator of Global CKtizens a Facebook Livestream and Youtube show that advocates Third Culture Kids and multicultural communities of all profiles. Through his experiences with dealing with reverse culture shock from his birth country Indonesia and characteristics that he formed from his second home Singapore and other subcultures he encountered in his time abroad Calvin dedicates his effort to provide a platform so others who might experience the same issue can know that they are not alone and their experiences matter. Calvin has been featured on podcasts made by and for TCKs along with contributing several self-published and externally published articles to tell his experiences dealing with identity crisis and intercultural challenges.

A Culture Story with Jenny — Today my guest is Jenny. Jenny Lee has gone from agency work to freelance design to learning how she loved being a part of a team. These days she builds and leads a team at Ramsey Solutions as the Creative Director. Outside of work, Jenny "makes stuff that says something" -- sometimes that looks like lettering, sometimes it looks like a rambling essay. Find her on Instagram at daddysangbass.

A Culture Story with Chris — Today, my guest is Chris. Chris O'Shaughnessy is an Adult Third Culture kid, international speaker, author of Arrivals, Departures, and Adventures In-Between, and globetrotting adventurer. He is a passionate and versatile presenter, comedian, and writer who uses a unique blend of storytelling, humor, and provocative insight to engage his audience. His website is chris-o.com and you can connect with him on Instagram at lordchristophero.

Not Really a Story....I Just Wanted to Reflect a Bit Today [December 31, 2020] — This episode is me solo asking a bunch of reflection questions as we end out 2020. Happy New Year and THANK YOU for listening to A Culture Story!

A Culture Story with Marilyn — My guest today is Marilyn. Marilyn Gardner is a writer and public health nurse living between worlds but mostly in Boston. Marilyn was raised in the country of Pakistan and went on to raise her own children in Pakistan and Egypt. She has lived in Pakistan, Egypt, Northern Iraq, and the United States. She is the author of Between Worlds: Essays on Culture & Belonging and Worlds Apart: A Third Culture Kid's Journey. You can find her writing about communicating across the boundaries of culture and faith at A Life Overseas, Plough Magazine, Fathom Magazine, Among Worlds Magazine, and her own blog - Communicating Across Boundaries.

A Culture Story with Ben — Today, my guest is Ben. Born in Jerome, Idaho but raised in Southeast Asia (Hong Kong and Taiwan), Ben Voegele considers himself a citizen of the world. Professionally, Ben has been a teacher, international school administrator (Shanghai, China), coach, writer, speaker and is currently dabbling in the real estate industry. In May of 2020, Ben launched the webcast/podcast series “BenThere” in which he interviews guests who have a strong connection to growing up outside of their passport countries or a true understanding of living internationally (season two BenThere is available now!). A proud “TCK” himself, Ben is presently back stateside (Utah) where he lives with his wife, Emilee and dog Kayla.

A Culture Story with Cat — My guest today is Cat. Cat Marte a purpose driven professional with over four years in the field of international education. With a degree in psychology and master’s in international communications, she now uses her lived experience and training to help others build purpose driven careers and businesses through her career and success signature coaching program. You can connect with Cat on Instagram @iamcatmarte or visit her website catmarte.com

A Culture Story with Jonathan — My guest today is Jonathan. Jonathan served as a pastoral counselor and cross-cultural coach in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for eight years. In 2019, he and his wife, Elizabeth, published their book, "Serving Well: Help for the Wannabe, Newbie, or Weary Cross-cultural Christian Worker." Prior to working in Southeast Asia, Jonathan served as a youth pastor in the Midwest for ten years and as an inner-city ER/trauma nurse for three years. He is also a licensed attorney. Jonathan continues to provide pastoral care and empathetic coaching for Team Expansion and Seeing the Hearts of the Hurting. He still loves One Direction.

A Culture Story with Loubelle — My guest today is Loubelle. Loubelle is a 20-something year old Filipino-Canadian currently living in Maastricht, The Netherlands. She was born and raised in Al Ain, The United Arab Emirates where she lived for 17 years, before immigrating to Canada in 2008. Loubelle is a Registered Nurse (BScN, RN) by profession and had worked in Toronto for approximately six years before deciding to pursue higher education in The Netherlands. As such, she completed her Master’s Degree (MSc Healthcare Policy, Innovation and Management) in 2018 and then decided to pursue a new career in Europe. Currently, Loubelle works as a Clinical Safety Specialist for Medtronic, and is planning on finally settling down in the Netherlands where she has met the love of her life. You can connect with Loubelle on Instagram at: loubellebutalid

A Culture Story is Nick — My guest today is Nick. Nick Dunn began his international education career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in western China. In 2014, he became an F and J advisor for the 10,000+ international students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is now the Assistant Director leading the Training, Operations, and Programs branch of ISSS. Beyond the office, Nick is an independent intercultural trainer passionate about building strong communities. He can often be spotted on bike rides with his amazing wife and three brilliant kids. You can connect with Nick on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-dunn-international/

A Culture Story with Priya — My guest today is Priya. Priya Jindal is the founder of Nextpat, an organization focused on supporting cultural transition for individuals and organizations. Priya is a military brat and has spent 10 years as a foreign service officer spending many years overseas and navigating diverse global cultures. She has found navigating an ever-changing America a surprising cultural challenge each time she returns and strives to support others transitioning to new cultures, whether that be into a corporate sector position or return to home. Website: www.nextpat.us

Before My Guests’ Stories — I almost titled this episode, “It is What it is” simply because I’m new to hosting and producing a podcast. And as such, this is not the most polished podcast you’ll listen to in terms of editing segments and eliminating background noise. But, I hope it is a podcast that piques your interest as I have guests share their stories and we unpack experiences through a cultural lens. Thank you for listening to, A Culture Story.

What is THIS Podcast? — In this episode, I share my three intentions for this podcast and what you can expect to hear in each subsequent episodes. Listen in to A Culture Story.