Podcast | The Culture Mastery: Recent Episodes
Christian Höferle
Music industry executive Patrick Joest shares his experience of being a German-Argentinian Jew in different cultures For years he had been traveling back and forth for work between Germany and the United States. Dozens of times Patrick Joest had visited Los Angeles. When his company sent him and his family on an expatriate assignment to California, Patrick quickly realized there’s ...
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The week in review with Two Chaps – Many Cultures Hard to believe that our new live video format has already seen three weeks worth of broadcast. Two Chaps – Many Cultures has been very well received within our community and a wider audience. During the daily live sessions from July 20 to 24, the two chaps (Brett and Christian) and ...
Read More The post Exploring Identity Through the Lens of Different Cultures appeared first on The Culture Mastery.
Join Brett Parry and Christian Höferle as they explore the mysteries of human behavior. No holds barred. Only straight talk about culture, human potential, and personal growth. Streaming live where possible. Taking questions from you. Including colorful and diverse voices from various corners of the world. This is their inaugural podcast episode. Join the two chaps for a dose of ...
Read More The post Two Chaps – Many Cultures [episode 1] appeared first on The Culture Mastery.
Necessity is the mother of invention. In times of social contact restrictions and work from home the way we present our work has been changing. In our case we would like to think the Covid-19 pandemic has made us more creative. One of the avenues we use to reach our clients and our own industry is through live content. For ...
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The automotive marketing maven tells his cross-cultural tales of selling Porsches, Chevys, Subarus, and VWs around the globe Selling a product requires understanding the needs and desires of your potential customer. You need to recognize what problems customer have and how your product can be a solution to that problem. Sales and Marketing are professional tasks that are difficult enough ...
Read More The post Tim Mahoney’s Success Recipe for Working Across Cultures? “Human Stories, Simply Told” appeared first on The Culture Mastery.
How Malcolm Ohanwe shines light on inequality by nudging white folks to talk about it He works for one of Germany’s biggest public broadcasting companies, the Bayerische Rundfunk. The country today is as diverse as it has probably never been, yet when Malcolm Ohanwe stepped foot into the BR offices for the first time he “thought I entered Narnia. Everything’s ...
Read More The post A Conversation about Identity, “Race,” White Blindspots, and Apfelschorle appeared first on The Culture Mastery.
Back from California’s beaches Martin Brem reflects on expat life He works for one of the most global businesses in one of the most global industries. Yet, when Martin Brem made a professional move from Central Europe to Southern California for the music business, his Red Bull wings didn’t fully prepare him for the cultural change he was about to ...
Read More The post Learning to Go 120 Miles Wide and 2 Inches Deep as a California Expat appeared first on The Culture Mastery.
Russell Harlow on why even monkeys fall from trees Can you be “too Japanese” as a foreign professional in Japan? Apparently you can. On this episode Russell Harlow tells us how his success in adjusting to his new environment in Tokyo initially had a detrimental effect on his effectiveness as a leader of a multinational organization in Japan. Russell is ...
Read More The post Adapt. Don’t Adopt. [The Culture Guy Podcast] appeared first on The Culture Mastery.
Ted Terry on how a hyper-diverse community becomes inclusive He is in his 30s. He has been called a hipster. And he is the mayor who has been putting a small town just outside of Atlanta on the map. Ted Terry shot to fame via an episode of season 2 of the hugely successful Netflix show Queer Eye. during which ...
Read More The post The Mayor who Manages a Multicultural Municipality [The Culture Guy Podcast] appeared first on The Culture Mastery.
Inês Nascimento shares her experience of being a serial expat She had always been curious about “the world out there” and so Inês Vieira Nascimento started working for international companies, supporting business functions and employees navigating the challenges of international transition. Then she became a serial expat. As an HR manager, Inês began her career in global mobility roles in Portugal. ...
Read More The post When Everything You Think You Know About A Country Is Wrong [The Culture Guy Podcast] appeared first on The Culture Mastery.
Darren Menabney talks about the things you may want to stop doing when working across cultures When Darren Menabney moved to Japan in 2011 it was to attend an MBA program in Tokyo. Before that, the Northern Ireland-born Torontonian spent over twenty ye...
Everybody needs a coach – here’s why Let’s call this the coaching episode. A whole podcast about the fact that you won’t reach your top goals without someone who holds you accountable and cheers you on at the same time.
Dave Kerpen: “No one I know grew up feeling ‘normal'” Those of you who have ever worked with The Culture Mastery or who have experienced me on a stage or in a training room know this: In our work the concept of “normal” usually comes with quotation marks. “Normal” is an arbitrary concept because what’s normal for one culture may be everything but for another. So when I heard that Dave Kerpen, the founder of Likeable Local and Likeable Media, the author of four best-selling books, the LinkedIn Influencer and Inc.com contributor, was about to publish a new book by the title of “Normal” I naturally wanted to take a closer look. Now, it should be noted that I have been following Dave online for quite a while, mainly because of the quality content he produces. Then, about four years ago, we met in real life under the most random circumstances. You’ll have to listen to this episode to find out the specifics. In his upcoming book Dave approaches the idea of “normal” with young people in mind: “It’s the story of four 12-year-olds living in New York City, each of whom thinks that their family isn’t normal, and longs for a better life. Sixth grade is a major struggle for each of the four kids in their respective schools, and at home. However, through a variety of different paths, they all end up meeting at a new school. “Thanks to a very special teacher, their lives change forever. For 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th graders and their parents and teachers, Normal is a compelling character-driven tale of growing up feeling like you’re alone and different, and coming to realize that you’re neither. It’s full of laughs, tears, and an ending you’ll never forget.” To pre-order “Normal” please visit the Publishizer Page where you’ll find various options to get the book. If you want to connect with Dave and find out about his work, there are plenty of avenues to do so: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and his website.
Do you have feedback for The Culture Guy, Questions, Comments? Listener feedback for The Culture Guy Podcast continues to be excellent and we encourage you to keep sending us your input for future episodes:
- What are your tips and tricks for cultural adjustment?
- What were some of your most memorable “cultural fool moments”?
- Which topics would you like to hear discussed on future podcast episodes?
To send in your feedback for the show, please email Christian and use our social media outlets: The Culture Mastery Facebook Page, the
He grew up in the Austrian culture, his family taught him the traditional values of their native country Bangladesh, and he attended university in Scotland. Today, Sudip Khan lives in the Southern United States and inquiries about his background remain a part of his multicultural life. Born and raised in Vienna, you’d think Sudip is as Austrian as it gets ... Read More
Trevor Gillies talks about his experience with racism and ethnic inequality as a U.S. third-culture kid in Deutschland Spending your childhood and adolescence abroad and being raised as a third-culture kid (TCK) is a unique experience. As the child of U.S. service members, Trevor Gillies grew up as the only black kid in a Southern Germany town in the ’80s and ’90s. Today, as the United States and Germany are still grappling with unresolved issues of racism and inequality, Trevor’s story illustrates how our difference can make a difference, rather than be seen as a threat or a challenge. Trevor was born a U.S. citizen in Nürnberg, Germany and he lived in the country until he was 20 years old. He grew up bilingual in his English-speaking family and being enrolled in the German school system for 9 years. Unlike most other American service families which are deployed in Germany, the Gillies’ did not live on a military base which meant for Trevor that he was fully immersed in the regional Franconian culture and its dialect. During his conversation with The Culture Guy Trevor shares his stories:
of attending public school as the only person who looked different than the rest of the student body of his teacher, Frau Fuchs, who ensured that everyone in class was treated equally and of the girl whose parents didn’t want her to hang out with “a guy like him”
Today Trevor serves as Key Account Manager for I.K. Hofmann USA, a German personnel services company with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, GA and their international hub in Nürnberg, Germany. He has been with the company for ten years. In his current position with I.K. Hofmann he is based out of Chattanooga, TN and is responsible for business development, relationship management and acquiring new clients throughout the Southeast Region. Many companies often don’t fully understand how the special skills of bicultural team members can be leveraged to improve organizational performance. Read more about this topic on our blog. Connect with Trevor via LinkedIn, Facebook, or his company.
Do you have feedback for The Culture Guy, Questions, Comments? Listener feedback for The Culture Guy Podcast continues to be excellent and we encourage you to keep sending us your input for future episodes:
- What are your tips and tricks for cultural adjustment?
- What were some of your most memorable “cultural fool moments”?
- Which topics would you like to hear discussed on future podcast episodes?
To send in your feedback for the show, please email Christian and use our social media outlets: The Culture Mastery Facebook Page, the Facebook Page for The Culture Guy Podcast, our company’s Twitter feed, Christian’s personal Twitter, and our Instagram profile. Sharing is caring In fact,
When companies fail abroad, 50% to 70% of the time this is due to cultural differences that have not been addressed, says Sophie Lechner. The CEO of Global Commerce Education and creator of The G2 Experience is dedicated to making her clients aware of the dissimilarities and contrasts between markets and countries. Sophie Lechner about how organizing diversity properly will ... Read More
Adjusting to cultural differences between Spain and the Spanish-speaking parts of the Americas Spanish is the world’s second most common language with more than 400 million native speakers. Comparable to English it has been a lingua franca for centuries and you’ll find people on five continents whose first language is Spanish. This linguistic commonality, however, does not translate into cultural ... Read More
Working with professionals from Japan, Mexico, and the USA For three decades Jack Parsons worked for a Japanese car manufacturer who is building vehicles in the United States. In fact, Honda was the first automaker from Japan which established a production subsidiary in the U.S. In his functions at Honda Jack was responsible for training and supporting his company’s network ... Read More
From Third Culture Kid to International Business Etiquette Expert She lived abroad as a child and as an adult; she studied, worked, and traveled to more than 70 countries on 7 continents; she speaks French and Czech. Today Sharon Schweitzer has built a career around understanding cultural differences and the tremendous role they play in building strong and successful international business ... Read More
Four countries, four cultures, four MBA universities Throughout his almost 20-year corporate career Matt Burns has had the opportunity of working for companies with operations around the world. Currently, he is in what he describes “the midst of a mid-career renaissance,” as he is completing an International Executive MBA program at four universities in four countries. This academic globe-trotting is serving ... Read More
Three countries in seven years For many Western expats the list of destinations for an overseas work assignment often include countries among the developed economies as well as the leading powers among the developing nations. So living in Australia and Indonesia might not be considered unusual for a student and young professional from Germany. However, relocating to Iran – a ... Read More
Rachel Smets shares her confidence hacks for moving abroad On this episode Rachel Smets, author of “Awaken Your Confidence,” shares her experiences of moving abroad and living in different countries. Born and raised in Belgium, she currently resides in the Netherlands. She left home in her mid-20s and moved to Spain where she landed her first job abroad. Over the years, Rachel has lived in ... Read More
An attempt to digest the Charlottesville riots and the rise of violent hate groups in the United States This episode begins with a different song, as it covers different terrain. I recorded it on August 13,
Silke Irmscher talks about transitioning from Saxony to Java On this episode Silke Irmscher, founder of Culturenergy, tells her story of how she left Germany and fell in love with Indonesia and, in fact, found love on the island of Java.
Marie Gervais talks about Nabil from Nottingham and being allergic to rice in Japan On this episode Marie Gervais, the CEO of Shift Management, Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), shares how she learned that people can be plotted on a continuum of cultural rigidity. Sometimes people’s positions on this continuum changes over the course of a lifetime, but sometimes it does not. And for those of us working across cultures it isn’t always necessary to impose cultural agility on people who are resistant to such a transformation. Marie also recalls her experience with an allergic reaction to rice while living in Japan: “I really thought Japan would be easy for me. It wasn’t.” To learn who this mysterious Nabil from Nottingham is, you’ll have to listen to the episode. Suffice it to say, he can be quite a misleading character. Marie’s company specializes in helping people develop intercultural competency, manage a diverse workforce and strategize for career flexibility. Shift Management focuses on using online courses, web coaching and blended learning programs to help individuals and industry build talent. Connect with Marie via LinkedIn, her Twitter accounts for ShiftWorkPlace and WorkAndCulture, or via her company page on Facebook. Please check out her YouTube channel, Canadian Workplace, and subscribe to it, if you find her material as valuable as we do.
Do you have feedback for The Culture Guy, Questions, Comments? Listener feedback for The Culture Guy Podcast continues to be excellent and we encourage you to keep sending us your input for future episodes:
- What are your tips and tricks for cultural adjustment?
- What were some of your most memorable “cultural fool moments”?
- Which topics would you like to hear discussed on future podcast episodes?
To send in your feedback for the show, please email Christian and use our social media outlets: The Culture Mastery Facebook Page, the Facebook Page for The Culture Guy Podcast, our company’s Twitter feed, and Christian’s personal Twitter. In fact, we would be honored if you could help us spread the word about The Culture Guy Podcast. Tell your networks and show people this page so we can get a feel for which cross-cultural topics you are most passionate about. Please use the hashtag #TheCultureGuy when you share this idea with your connections.
If you are interested in learning more about cultural competence, we invite you to sign up for our newsletter, The Culture Reflections. As a token of our appreciation you will receive a series of complimentary white papers on cultural competence from us!
Melissa Hahn shares how the question of identity can shape a relationship between partners from different cultures. She also describes how the geographical distance within one country can equal that of the opposite ends of a continent. Born and raised in Arizona, Melissa has had many opportunities to travel and live abroad and to experience other cultures. However, the first time she moved it was within the United States: From her home in the hot desert climate of the Southwest to the sometimes brutal cold of the State of Minnesota, in the upper Midwest of the country. She has been to more than 20 countries around the globe, lived and studied in Poland, and now, back in her home state, Melissa works as a cultural consultant and author. During this interview Melissa shares her experience of living in a mixed-culture relationship. While she hails from a European-American, Protestant background, Melissa’s husband Mike has Korean and European-American parents with a Catholic and Buddhist upbringing. Becoming aware of your and your partner’s identity During her interview with Christian Melissa points out that in an intercultural relationship both partners should understand the importance of cultural identity: “Be aware that both of you ‘have a culture’.” While she finds it okay to initially not know very much about the partner’s ethnic, societal, linguistic, behavioral, and cultural background, there should be a mutual interest in finding out about each other’s traditions as much as possible. Connect with Melissa via LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Make sure to also check out Melissa’s articles on Harvard Business Review. How you can win a prize and become the next guest on The Culture Guy Podcast by sharing your story Together with our friend Carmen Ring we created two contests. The first one already happened on Carmen’s website and the winner of that contest will be featured on the podcast in the near future. The second contest starts right here: Send in your story about why you want to take your business or your project abroad. What drives you to take your product or service to markets outside your linguistic and cultural home? The best story will win a translation of their short-form bio (1 page) into Spanish or French from Carmen’s company, Best Interpreting. Submit your story before April 30th, 2017. The winner will be announced on a future episode of the podcast.
Do you have feedback for The Culture Guy, Questions, Comments? Listener feedback for The Culture Guy Podcast continues to be excellent and we encourage you to keep sending us your input for future episodes:
- What are your tips and tricks for cultural adjustment?
- What were some of your most memorable “cultural fool moments”?
- Which topics would you like to hear discussed on future podcast episodes?
To send in your feedback for the show, please email Christian and use our social media outlets:
Carmen Ring explains why tolerance will only get you through the first year of an intercultural relationship Born in Ploiești, Romania – at a time when the Iron Curtain was still closed and her country was governed under the dictatorship rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu – Carmen now lives in New York State with her American husband and their toddler son. ... Read More
On this episode Pellegrino Riccardi explains how he reconciles his three cultural backgrounds Born in the UK to parents who came from Avellino in Southern Italy, and raised in a bicultural family in Bath – an English city which first experienced visitors from ancient Rome as early as AD 60 – Pellegrino now lives in Norway with his Norwegian wife ... Read More
The Culture Guy pontificates about cosmopolitans, the signs of the times, and how four agreements will help you stand for who you are. We have been seeing a rise of nationalist, protectionist, or xenophobic tendencies across the world. The Culture Guy Podcast takes a look at the dilemma this creates for some of us. For those who live and work across cultural ... Read More
Getting outside of your comfort zone is easier with the tips in Andy Molinsky’s new book, Reach Exactly a year after he first appeared as a guest on The Culture Guy Podcast, Andy Molinsky is back. In this first episode of 2017 Andy talks about his latest book, Reach: A New Strategy to help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. Often, ... Read More
Why international attorneys need to learn about intercultural communication Jeri Weber is an attorney-at-law and an intercultural consultant for legal professionals. She was born and raised in the U.S. Midwest, spent time in Asia as an exchange student and has lived and worked in China, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. On this episode Jeri highlights the fact that most ... Read More
Why Mitch Patel thinks skills can be taught and not attitude Mitul “Mitch” Patel is the founder and CEO of Vision Hospitality Group, Inc., which will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. Mitch is the son of immigrants from India – his father came to California from a village in Gujarat with $8 in his pocket. Today Mitch leads an ... Read More
Cheri Tree is the founder and CEO of B.A.N.K.code, a company which developed a unique personality-based sales training approach. On this episode she shares the story how her nomad upbringing lead her to crack personality codes. Coming from a U.S. military family, Cheri traveled a lot during her childhood and when she was a student. Now, as an adult, she ... Read More
When people communicate they don’t only use their words, they always include parts of their body to convey their message. Depending on where in the world we are from, we use our hands, our heads, and the rest of our bodies differently. You’ll find hundreds of infographics on the internet highlighting how some gestures work in certain cultures but would ... Read More
During this episode I’ll be talking about sex. In a clean and mature way. It is still a podcast around the topic of sex – and about sexism. Let me be really clear: sexism will hurt your business. And sometimes you will encounter it coming from angles you weren’t expecting. I recently wrote a piece about this topic on our ... Read More
When he moved within the United States, from Maryland to Arkansas, Michael Spencer realized that some of the stories about the U.S. South are sometimes more than just stereotypes. Or, as he found out, Southerners like their tea sweet.
In the past few weeks we have been posting several useful articles on our Facebook Page about life abroad, the challenges of expatriation, raising children overseas with two languages, and repatriating back home after having lived abroad for years. So it is time we let someone who has been through all of these stages share her story. Meet Germany-native Tina ... Read More
Brett Parry, who serves as the Director of Communication and Marketing for SIETAR USA, is an independent intercultural coach and facilitator. Originally from Australia, he works throughout the United States from his home base in Chicago. In his role at SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research), he has spearheaded efforts to revamp the organization’s online presence and digital ... Read More
Joe Lurie, the author of Perception and Deception – A mind-opening journey across cultures, is back for another conversation about bringing people from around the world together. If you missed the first time Joe was a guest on The Culture Guy Podcast, you can listen to the episode in the archives. During this new episode Joe shares with Christian his ... Read More
As the daughter of first generation immigrants to Australia, Stephanie Barros learned from childhood on how to balance the cultures of her birth country and those cultures represented in her family who, hailing from the Philippines, combines roots from England, Spain, Portugal, and Germany. Today, living in Singapore with her family and working as an executive for a U.S.-based, multinational ... Read More
Living abroad as an expatriate family comes with privileges and challenges. Belén Galindo Lizaldre and her husband Roberto Goñi Ruiz uprooted their family of four from Pamplona (Spain) to move to Chattanooga, TN in the United States. Three years in the Tennessee Valley have left a lasting impression on this expat family and on this episode Belén & Roberto share ... Read More
In this episode Christian talks once more to Kyle Hegarty, who is the Managing Director of Leadership Nomad, part of the TSL Group, where he focuses on helping companies expand across the globe. This is the second time Kyle is a guest on the podcast.
In this episode Christian talks with Andreas Kambach, a native of Germany who works as a management consultant for Liebich & Partner, predominantly in Southeast Asian markets. Andreas has spent most of his professional career working for German tool manufacturers and helped build sales and distribution arms in India, China, Thailand, and Singapore. Today he utilizes his experience of developing ... Read More
In this episode Christian talks with Tayo Rockson, whom some might label as a poster-child third-culture kid (TCK). Tayo was born in Nigeria and grew up in several different countries, among them Sweden, Burkina Faso, Vietnam, and the United States. He is the author of “The Ultimate Guide to TCK Living: Understanding The World Around You” and host of the ... Read More
In this episode Christian talks to Mykola Latansky, founder of the True Success Movement and President of the Academy of True Success. Mykola is Ukrainian and grew up in the Soviet Union. Shortly after the collapse of the USSR he hopped through the now rotting Iron Curtain to explore Western Europe. Not always did he follow all the laws during ... Read More
In this episode Christian talks to Mamie Lamley, founder of Mandala Mystics and Coach at Empowerment on Fire. Ms. Mamie is a native of Waiʻanae, a small city on the island of O’ahu, which is part of Hawai’i, the 50th State of the USA. During the interview she explains how to properly pronounce these place names, and you’ll learn what ... Read More
In this episode Christian talks to Joe Lurie, author of the book Perception and Deception – A mind-opening journey across cultures. The book is is an engaging and insightful introduction to cross-cultural communication in a globalized world.
In this episode Christian talks to Kyle Hegarty, who is the Managing Director of Leadership Nomad, part of the TSL Group, where he focuses on helping companies expand across the globe. Kyle has spent the past decade living in Southeast Asia and tells p...
In this episode Christian talks to Johnnie Cass, communication expert, international speaker, NLP master, and coach from Sydney, Australia. Johnnie has been traveling the word for the past 15+ years and has worked with tens of thousands of individuals on five continents, coaching them all to greater levels of personal and business success. With a diverse background in film, television and ... Read More
In this March 2016 episode Christian talks to Erin Meyer, Professor at INSEAD University in Paris, one of the leading international business schools. Erin is also the author of The Culture Map. Originally from Minnesota,
In this February 2016 episode Christian talks to Dr. Takanori K. Endo, CEO of Mind Life Solutions, and Crucing, LLC. Dr. Endo is a licensed clinical psychologist, international trainer, and speaker. Since 2005 he has dedicated his time to researching h...
In this first episode of 2016 Christian talks to Andy Molinsky, author of the book “Global Dexterity” and Professor of International Management and Organizational Behavior at Brandeis University. Andy specializes in cross-cultural interaction in busine...
In this episode Christian talks to Robert Riopel, international trainer and teacher for New Peaks. Robert is Canadian and lives in Calgary, Alberta with his wife Roxanne and his razorback pig Gracie May - you'll have to listen to the show to hear what ...
In this episode Christian talks to Dianne Hofner Saphiere, creator and principal of Cultural Detective® (CD). Cultural Detective is a dynamic tool system that develops invaluable competence in individuals and organizations.
Trisha Carter tells The Culture Guy about her adjustment process coming from an Anglo-Saxon culture and going into Southeast Asian cultures. - In this episode Christian talks to Trisha Carter, founder of the Cultural Intelligence (CI) Collective in Sy...
Welcome to Episode 001 of The Culture Guy Podcast – the official first chapter of this series. In this episode Christian talks to Alan Headbloom, Principal of Headbloom Cross-Cultural Communication in Allendale, Michigan (U.S.). Alan shares with us his work experience and some of his “cultural fool” moments he had when studying in Southwestern Germany. Alan has a track record ... Read More
This is Episode 000 of The Culture Guy Podcast.
This show is created and hosted by our CEO, Christian Höferle (also known as The Culture Guy, and on the show he will explain how he got this nickname). It is dedicated to everyone who is passionate about cultures and how culture influences everything we do: The way we talk, the way we listen, the way we act or react, the way we feel and the way we see the world. This show is a place for you to connect and engage with people from around the world who care about cultural understanding, making meaningful global connections, and fostering diversity. Together we will learn on this show how culture shapes all our behaviors and how we can inspire, motivate, lead, and communicate better across cultures.
Join Christian on a journey to becoming agents of peace. Because together we will make the world a more peaceful place by helping people from different cultures understand each other better.
In this pilot episode, Christian sets the context for the program and asks listeners for their input:
- What are your tips and tricks for cultural adjustment?
- What were some of your most memorable "cultural fool moments"?
- Which topics would you like to hear discussed on future podcast episodes?
To send in your feedback for the show, please email Christian and use our social media outlets: The Culture Mastery Facebook Page, the Facebook Page for The Culture Guy Podcast, our company's Twitter feed, and Christian's personal Twitter. In fact, we would be honored if you could help us spread the word about The Culture Guy Podcast. Tell your networks and show people this page so we can get a feel for which cross-cultural topics you are most passionate about.
Please use the hashtag #TheCultureGuy when you share this idea with your connections.