Thank you for stopping by to vote for your favorite topic/speaker for our Survive and Thrive Abroad Global Virtual Summit. The roster of topics and speakers is determined largely by vote, so now’s your chance to help us decide on our speakers and get them in front of the crowd. Check out the titles and pitches below, find your favorite, and then click on the VOTE NOW link.
Please note that opportunity to vote ends on September 3rd at 10 pm PST. Also once you vote you will also receive a link to get a promo code for discounted tickets to the summit.
TOPICS AND SPEAKERS
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How to find your "girl tribe" as an expat
Presented by: Naama Barnea-Goraly, Founder and CEO of Girlintelligence
Women need a community of women to thrive. We all want and crave a "girl tribe" but building one takes time and requires knowledge of cultural contexts and nuances. Finding good friends as an adult is difficult no matter where you are, but it becomes more difficult when you move to a new country and don't know anyone. I moved to the U.S. when I was 29 to start a post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford, in this talk I will share how I found my new "girl tribe" and tips on how the audience can find one too.
Intercultural communication in a global world
Presented by: Alexandra Paucescu, Management/Diplomatic spouse/writer/ contributor/ NGO volunteer at the Romanian Embassy, Berlin
As a diplomatic spouse I meet regularly people from all over the world, host or participate in international events and also studied cultural diplomacy and intercultural communication. I am fully aware of the importance of proper intercultural communication in today's world.
Lessons from living in different countries
Presented by: Galina Livitina, Program Manager at Google (via Crowdstaffing)
I'd love to share my experience as an immigrant and then as an intern abroad, as well as some of the lessons I learned in adapting to the new environment.
- Looking back at my experience as a young/teen immigrant, how did I view success and how my cultural baggage helped - or weighed me down in my career.
- Carpe Diem - what I wish I did while living abroad as an intern.
- Would love to encourage my fellow expat women (and men) to embrace the change and be proactive in exploring new opportunities.
A Mindful Way Home
Presented by: Angelic Ingram, Founder, Mindfulness Coach, A Mindful Journey to Freedom
How to overcome the emotional challenges after relocation through mindfulness
How to harness Expat Mom Guilt
Presented by: Nina Hobson, Blogger at The Expater
Mom guilt is a sad phenomen. Having moved away from 'home', the sting feels even sharper for expat mums. We feel guilty for taking our children away from our birth countries. We feel guilty for the shift in career that expat life has brought upon us. And most of all, we feel guilty when juggling family, a career and a new culture becomes too much. In this talk I'd like to reference my own background. I'm a mum of three and I've lived in ten countries. My six-year old child was born in Switzerland, went to kindergarten in Belgium, preschool in the UK and school in Chile. Soon we'll be moving to Ecuador. I used to feel guilt and shame for my expat life, but over the years I've harnessed my negative thoughts into positive energy. My years of work boil down to five steps:
- Be mindful
- Identify your personal goals
- Be outwardly curious
- Make a plan
- Seek out allies
Expat life is a journey, with a lot of bumps and twists on the way. I'd like to share my map with fellow expat mothers so we can all enjoy the ride together.
How to reach your life / professional goal and not giving up even tho the journey is long, tough and bumpy
Presented by: Pauline Simard, Creative project manager / Video producer at Spritz Marketing
It's been two years I moved to the US and I would like to share my own experience. I was working as video producer for 5 years in France I decided to get out my comfort zone and push myself and come to the US (one for the most difficult country to immigrate). I first came with a student visa in order to improve my English, I was enrolled into an international language program and I traveled by self during 2 months after the end of my program: it was the beginning of the journey. I was 25. I wanted to move in the Bay Area but I wasn't the perfect candidate: no tech network, no master degree, English wasn't my native language and it was one of the most difficult time to immigrate to the US. But I worked my ass out. I decided to come back couple months after I left the country (end of 2018) to find a job and make things happen. I was preparing my trip, networking as much as I could in France: spending time on LinkedIn, sign up for virtual webinar, updated my resumé and try to connect with people I hadn't any connections. When I was in the US in early 2019, I had a desk at WeWork to give myself a goal and be in a professional environment. I started to reach out to people, shooting email, going to networking event, startup-pitching in order to have a better understanding of the business here, in the Bay Area, the skills / profile the company are interested by and also have more clue about the visa application and requirements regarding my situation and goal. I haven't had that much energy, dedication and patience.
From $35 to TSL (The Sky is the Limit): Teachings To My Young Expat Self
Presented by: Emma Porfireanu, Master Enterprise Architect at Salesforce
The talk will recount the journey of an expat woman from entering US with $35 to reinventing a new career path for herself. Highlights of the talk include:
- how to build an evolutionary mindset
- how to learn things that you did not think you could learn
- how to find your true strengths
Citizen of the world, what this truly means
Presented by: Therese Lafleche, Owner of Passport Lifestyles
How this lifestyle is possible for anyone regardless of current location or social class. How do easily integrate into your new home and make the fact that you are a foreigner work for you and not against you.
The Power of Women's Networks
Presented by: Natasha Kennedy, Founder of Lets.Education and Knowledge Vault and Natasha Kennedy
Being a woman abroad can be a lonely journey especially if you have had to leave a career and network behind. Getting out there and staring a new business or starting again can be challenging without support. Women's networks are incredibly powerful and can help you put down roots, become integrated into the local culture and give you a sense of community. It is so easy to feel like you disappear, to be the wife of, the mum of etc and I truly believe that a network of women can help you become visible again.
Choose Leveraging the power of choice........ corporate America
Presented by: Jessy James, Sr Consultant at KornFerry
Power of choice: Minority groups including immigrants, face challenges that are unique to them; these are not understood by other groups. There are ways to face these headwinds and grow in the organization, through contribution and making an impact. I would like to talk about different methods to do this, which are based on 40 yrs of research and experience across hundreds of organization Inclusive Leadership: The world is turning upside down with COVID and technology taking over our lives; workplaces may seem diverse but a lot of talent leaves because they do not feel included. What does it take to be inclusive. I would like to talk about our research at KornFerry on what the competencies of an Inclusive Leader are and how to develop inclusive leadership.
Raising Intercultural Families to Thrive
Presented by: Denise Suarez, Parenting coach at Con Cariño
This talk will share ways expat moms can raise their children with several cultures in an enriching manner. The talk will help participants define the main characteristics of the culture they identify with, state what aspects of the cultures they want their families to work with and against, discover their family values and effectively communicate all of this with other family and community members.
Surviving emotional turmoil and befriending chaos
Presented by: Laura Sagen, CEO/Founder of The Hair Fuel
How uprooting offers an opportunity to find inner home — and to build the sturdiest of vessels to carry through the turmoil of relocation irrespective of geographical location: that of self-trust.
What Is Home?
Presented by: Adri Bruckner, Communications Consultant at Explorers Coaching & Consulting
What does it mean to be home? To be away from home? In other words, how does your perspective change when you move abroad? As an American who's lived in seven countries and learned five languages, my experience has changed my perspective on my own country and on myself. I've defended the U.S. on a number of occasions in several languages, to criticism by everyone from government officials to taxi drivers to friends and in-laws. But I've also defended my choice to leave the U.S. to people enamored with the American Dream. As for my perspective on my own identity, in Japan, I was considered tall and overweight, but also beautiful because of my blonde hair. In the Netherlands, my blonde hair was nothing special, but I was suddenly short and thin. These experiences have helped me understand that I can and should just be me, wherever I am. And that we are much more than where we are from -- we are all a unique blend of our life experiences.
Culture Shock Calamity! How to Survive those Early Months in a New Country
Presented by: Nicole Webb, Journalist, Author, Speaker at Mint Mocha Musings Pty Ltd
Top Tips for where to start when you land in a foreign country
- How to put one foot in front of the other with each new day
- How to step further into the fray and forge new connections
- How to embrace your new life and find yourself amongst the foreignness
Creating a pathway overseas
Presented by: Ellie Newnham, Head of Transit Agency Relations at Uber
- How to look for jobs overseas
- Navigating visa discussions
- Accelerating your career when overseas
How to start a business and raise capital when you start from nothing with no investor network as an expat
Presented by: Elsa Jungman, Founder & CEO of Dr. Elsa Jungman (ELSI Skin Health Inc.)
- Get your startup idea out
- Build early traction when you have no resources
- Get in front of first investors
- Raise your first money (not friends and family)
- Develop your business as a foreigner and solo founder
The power of a global perspective
Presented by: Chitra Madhwacharyula, Vice President, Global Customer Success, Services & Delivery at Joveo, Inc
- Will share my experiences and stories of working in different countries and being exposed to different cultures (India, Singapore, U.S, Europe, China, Scandanevia etc)
- Will share some of my main takeaways from my experiences like
- How a global perspective can be a differentiator for your personal and professional success
- Why people should feel comfortable about getting out of their comfort zone and be exposed to different cultures
Nomad in Residence - A different kind of love story
Presented by: Emma McLaren, CEO & Founder of Myrth
Through anecdotes and personal stories, I will share my thoughts on the:
- top 5 tips I give every person who travels a lot or lives a nomadic life (ex-pats included!);
- importance of self-care and self-awareness when living and traveling abroad;
- topic of “settling down” (often controversial amongst ex-pats and nomads);
- pros and cons of being the New Girl;
- and the importance of long-distance friendships.
Journey to the Crossroads for Expats and Mompreneurs
Presented by: Natalie Greaves, Founder & CEO of World A Girl
The decision to take the leap and become an expat is never an easy one, but how do we handle a move abroad, running a business and raising a little person. It's definitely enough to make you holler. But it doesn't have to be. In this discussion, we'll talk about how organization, taking risks on top of risks, and building the proper advocacy network can help us to model expat excellence for our young ones in tow.
Creating Connection Abroad
Presented by: Catriona Turner, Writer and Blogger at the Frustrated Nester
I'll share my experiences of creating connection in new countries as a newly-arrived expat. I'll talk about overcoming my own prejudices, strategies I've developed, insights gained from my leadership of an expat organisation, and my experience of building an online expat community with the #MayontheMove Instagram challenge, which I founded in 2019. I hope that I'll inspire others to gain confidence in creating connections for themselves, to widen their expectations of where connection can come from, and empower them with tools to build their own community.
In-dependence to Inter-dependence (secrets of success)
Presented by: Deepti Vyas, Manager at Facebook and a LifeCoach
As women and especially as expats we have become really good at being independent. We left our country of origins to settle in foreign lands and make something out of our lives. In this process, we get very focused on becoming independent. This is a good first step but to really go far and succeed we really need to understand how to create a support circle around us and learn interdependence. It takes a village to really make us succeed, so here is how to find our village.
Reach your goals no matter what!
Presented by: Diane Hageman-Domingos, CEO Marketing Agency of BerryMarketing.be
How to unlock your potential no matter the situation. If I could do it, so can you! I know how it is to be in a new place and not necessarily have the means or resources to reach your goals I will give you tips and tricks in how to make your dreams a reality.
Don't forget yourself, your image and culture is your strength
Presented by: Lucia Gaggero, Photographer of Lucia Gaggero Studios
- Our Image, why it's important for us and in a business
- Our Image Vs what’s given to us by magazines and medias
- Our origins and individuality why it's important to keep them alive
- The right balance between integrating into a new country while being our self and developing our business. I can add more or delete topics, it all depend how long is my speaking time 🙂
How to BELONG - wherever you are
Presented by: Estefania Barsante, Founder & Coach of EB HR & Coaching
- How Belonging works in our home country
- What are the main challenges when you live abroad
- Self-Clarity as an essential tool to build Belonging
- Practical ways to help you build a sense of Belonging, wherever you are
Intuition Abroad
Presented by: Charlotte Tamason, Founder and Director of Health by Intuition
- How tapping into your intuition changes your life for the better
- How intuition can really help to bring ease to your life as an expat
- Feeling the difference between an intuitive 'yes' and a 'no'
- The different ways our intuition speaks to us
- A guided meditation journey to tap into your intuition and receive guidance on a question you have (approx 10 min)
How passion and networking transformed my career
Presented by: Ramona Arora, Business intelligence Analyst at Touch of Modern and SF chapter lead at Products by Women
As someone who moved to the US as an international student two years ago and has moved around in my home country all the time, one of the topics close to my heart is passion. Passion is something that helps me believe in the next step and networking is something that has guided these visions. From being the first individual and also the first female in my family to move to the US to excelling a Business Intelligence Analyst role and rocking a SF Director position at Products by Women, I've built my journey with hard work and networking. I want to share networking tips as I was also laid off this year and secured another job. I believe this session will be well informed but candid at the same time.
Living in different countries -Exciting or Tiring?
Presented by: Namrata Rao, Senior Product Manager at JLL Technologies
There are a lot of changes around you that affect all your five senses here. The scenes you witness; the conversations you hear; the scent in the air; the cuisine of the place; the different kinds of feelings you experience. The top three aspects that stood out for me were: Physical Environment, Culture, and Relationships. I will be elaborating on personal experience in these three aspects. While going through all the ups & downs of a move, it is possible to feel at loss for leaving our comfortable home environment. But remember two things:
- No matter what was the reason for your move, have a strong individual purpose that lets you hold your ground
- The sense of adaptability, cultural respect, and independent thinking that you will cultivate within you will elevate your living much more than anything else can Based on my personal experience, I will speak more about the last two takeaways.
Overcoming Loneliness and Finding Your Tribe
Presented by: Stephanie Galavodas, Positive Psychology Coach at The Positivity Coach
- Understand the culture shock wave
- Understand the common reasons why we feel lonely when we first move abroad
- Learn how to understand what it is you truly want in life
- Discover ways to meet new people and cultivate deep and lasting friendships
“VIRTUALLY SPEAKING” – STORYTELLING FOR ENGAGING REMOTE PRESENTATIONS
Presented by: Donna Griffit, Chief Storyteller at Donna Griffit Corporate Storyteller
With Remote Meetings as the New Normal, Your Company’s Messages Matters More Than EVER! Turn Your Employees into Power Presenters! Remote Work has changed EVERYTHING! Suddenly, your Sales Team must engage leads and close deals remotely, managers are wrangling team meetings across multiple time zones, and everyone is “Zooming Out” from boring, dull messages. Companies that adapt their messages will win, others will simply fade away. You cannot afford for your company’s messages to be less than perfect! In just one session, see the difference in their presentations!!! Learn how to apply the simple principles of the age-old art of storytelling to your messages to win the trust, the hearts and the minds of your audience, ESPECIALLY when you’re not in the same room with them! Donna Griffit, a Corporate Storyteller of over 15 years, will talk about the winning ingredients of a brief, powerful story for any type of presented or written message and the best practices for remote presenting. Participants will emerge with a simple, yet powerful tool to create stories of many formats, repeatable with any type of content for any medium.
You aren’t a robot so why do you sound like one when you introduce yourself?
Presented by: Joanna Bloor, Potentialist & Fairy Godmother at The Amplify Lab
We buy everything on emotion and justify on fact, any marketer can tell you this. But what about people? How do you answer the question "What do you do?" Most people answer with just facts. Yet every decision made about you and your opportunities is made in a room you're not in. And in a world where the line between humanity and technology is getting blurrier by the day, why are we still sounding like robots, why are we just giving the facts? Using a combination of comedy and facts Joanna shares her ideas helping her audience take agency of the conversations in rooms they're not in. Known for "live coaching" audience members she teaches them to walk away with a bold, compelling, authentic, and unique answer to the question "What do you do?” And this idea, as Joanna will share, is just the first step in the adventure called the Future You.
Being diverse and unique
Presented by: Juliana Furlanetto Odoni, Marketing Director at Siemens Healthineers
The importance of recognizing and accepting our own divergences, inconsistencies and contrasts to be open to understand, embrace and exercise diversity by all means.
The Birds
Presented by: Liz Bullen, Content at Facebook
I moved to Tunis shortly after the revolution of 2011 to take a position at a local advertising agency. What at first blush appeared to be a professional growth opportunity soon turned into much more, as I watched a nation of my contemporaries face the incredible challenge of creating a new identity for themselves. Wrapped up in that cultural moment, I too found myself compelled to reevaluate some of my culturally-inherited beliefs, and to open my perspectives a little wider - beyond my fears and biases. In this moment where Covid19 has in many ways upended life as we know it, there are some parallels, and insights, I have to share today, and an invitation to all to seek the new perspectives that are sometimes hidden in unexpected places.
Health Equity and Covid-19
Presented by: Alekhya Pochiraju, Biomarker Operation Manager at Genentech (Roche)
My name is Alekhya and I work at Genentech (biotech company) and have been following The Expat Women for a while now and have tremendously benefitted from events and articles. As an expat woman from India, living in USA (now in San Francisco), I'd love to contribute to the community. If there are speaker opportunities on my expat experience (such as calling a new country home, or navigating professional landscape as an immigrant or even adapting to a new culture), please let me know. Additionally, I'd also be interested to speak on topic of health-equity, more so among minorities & people of color, should this be of interest to Expat Women community.
COVID-19 pandemic has cast a spotlight on existing racial and ethnic health-disparities and the urgent need to understand and address barriers facing underrepresented groups who are at greater risk from COVID-19. I've given a similar presentation at Elevate 2020 (https://girlgeek.io/conferences/elevate2020/) and have an upcoming one at Biomarkers & Precision Medicine USA Congress conference (https://www.oxfordglobal.co.uk/) in Oct 2020. Links to these talks are also on my Linkedin page.
How to be comfortable being uncomfortable
Presented by: Yasmine Lesire, Founder and Manager of I Learn French / A City for Her
I would like to discuss the power of enjoying being uncomfortable. Many ladies avoid making connections, meeting people, attending events because they refuse to feel and face un-comfortableness. They are totally right, this is not a nice feeling and it's stressful ..but there are many ways to overcome this feeling and to make this feeling a partner in crime rather than an enemy. Being able to face this feeling and get used to it will help them make connections and meet people wherever they are. This uncomfortable feeling is also very common when adults learn a new language. To be able to speak the language, learners have to go over these fears and to make it happen.
Expat Woman in Tech. Sales. How to win deals over native speakers.
Presented by: Alena Sabitava, AT&T Route-to-Market Success Manager at VMware
- there is no language barrier
- women are equally successful in tech
- women are equally successful in sales
- be ready to learn. A LOT. but it pays off
- salespeople get the same big paychecks as engineers
Redefining yourself
Presented by: Saylee Joshi, Solutions Architect at Iterable
Redefining your self in new environment.
From Italy to Silicon Valley. How to survive the first year and a global pandemic
Presented by: Carlotta Addante, Event and Communication Specialist at Bay Area Italian Events
Relocating abroad is never easy: no connections, no language proficiency, little knowledge of the country is hosting you. But it is even more difficult when a global pandemic hit the entire world and you found yourself alone and stuck in a new country. This is the story of how I was able to overcome difficulties of relocating in the US, become a startup-er and then adapt my life and our business to the new world we are now living in
How to build a network from scratch
Presented by: Ekaterina Yufereva, Customer Service Team Lead at Booking.com
- Get out and learn something new
- Join a professional community... or many communities. Find your tribe
- Don't hesitate to share and ask for support
Overcoming the life challenges by community support
Presented by: Julia Minkowski, Co-Founder of Russian Speaking Women in Tech Silicon Valley
- Crisis happens when we expect this the least
- Good word and encouragement can do miracles
- Community support
- Personal experience
Investment Fundamentals 101
Presented by: Caroline Bell, COO & Co-Founder of FinMarie & Summerhill Invest
Learn how to make the most of your income and manage your finances as an expat and have greater control and confidence with your finances, which always becomes more complicated when dealing with multiple countries.
How to handle yourself when you are an Expat?
Presented by: Marianna Kisvardai, Transition and Relocation Coach at The FootlooseCoach
I discuss some rarely mentioned and hidden aspects of expating and living a travelling lifestyle. I strongly believe that living as an expat, practises for building mental stamina, emotional flexibility and spiritual grit, are as important as taking your passport with you ( if not more). I have gathered and will share practical and well tested ideas how to be at your best, living anywhere; so your location wont distract your impact. I use coaching exercises to let the practises stick. I have lived and worked in 11 countries so far, just living my 12th expat chapter now. I am keen to speak about my own experiences, everything over the daily nitty gritty tasks and welcome to discuss the questions of the audience.
How to create and mantain deep and meaningful relationships abroad (working title)
Presented by: Gabriela Encina, Self Employed Psychologist
It revolves around how difficult it is to find friends abroad, especially adults. The limiting beliefs refraining us to connect with others, how important it is to maintain your friendships back home and of course, tips and advises on how meet and cultivate expat friendships.
From Corporate to Entrepreneurship: 10 Mistakes to Avoid
Presented by: Anna Boroshok, Founder of Fearless Female Founders, We Fearless
Anna will share her journey from humble beginnings (living in a desert with a single Mom) to corporate life at Google and her transition to multi-entrepreneurship. She will share her perspectives on doing business as a woman, embarking on the entrepreneurship journey and how she handles money and money mindset.
Building a brand with no boundaries
Presented by: Victoria Watson, Self Employed Business Coach & Mentor
Your personal brand is your best asset when it comes to building your career and growing your business There are no boundaries and the world is your network. The talk will be about the important of personal branding how it can shape your career and business and how to consciously develop your brand in a way that supports your goals. I will speak about how you can do this both online and offline.
Be inclusive - Expat communities within or separate from the local communities
Presented by: Bianca Fesenbeckh, Director of Retail Sales at Yoga Design Lab Inc.
Especially in my area you see a lot of expat communities, mainly gated. Many people living as so called expats build their own towns and have almost no connection to the real world. I want to call attention to this issue and talk about inclusivity, ways this can be achieved as well as the rough start any expat can have which usually lead to a grouping together of expats.
Building the Brand of You in a New Country
Presented by: Roslyn Mendelle, Partner Liaison & Communications Lead at Situ Systems
How to build a strong network and career in a new country - How I did it Seeing your own self as a brand, a start up - strategizing your own growth My personal story: meeting my wife at a crossroads, moving to Australia. Starting fresh, anecdotes about being the only gay Jewish couple in the entire town we moved to. The strategic moves I made that enabled me to break into the job market and reach a senior position I love within 1 year. For example, getting that first job. Networking in a new country- getting to know the 'respect' markers, what this new society looks for in a 'respectable' person. Holding an event and recording it, using that collateral for the next job application. When we start to see ourselves as a brand, doors open up. Do's and don'ts of marketing oneself.
Empower yourself with self-security and confidence for lifelong thrive
Presented by: Alice Avril, Self-Mastery Coach at Alice Avril
My talk will empower women with simple tools to build self-security and no longer depend on expectations and external factors. Giving first a thorough understanding of self-confidence, I will then share practical techniques to reconnect to the woman within and with our deep powers to secure ourselves with who we are. It will take women through the impacts that challenges (travelling, crisis situation, etc.) have on our lives and personal confidence. And explain how self-confidence can easily be shaken if we do not nurture it. To then share practical yet powerful exercises and techniques to build self-security.
Takeaways:
- Understand the fundamentals of self-confidence
- Run through a quick practice exercise to reconnect with the woman within
- Discover several key techniques to build self-security
Working at big companies abroad and finding the strength to start your own firm
Presented by: Anastasia Krasnoperova, CEO of Großjungig AI
I will speak of cultural differences of the four countries I have lived in and tell about my ways of handling difficult situations at work and in personal life. I will talk about importance of finding what you love doing and finding the inner strength to follow through. I will tell my story of how and why I created my startup and why I didn’t stay at a big tech firm. I will speak about networking and mentoring and helping.
How Life coaching can help you thrive with your goals
Presented by: Ritu Gaur, Life & Leadership coach
- How to set the right goals
- What it takes to achieve the goals
- How to follow through correctly and overcome the challenges during the journey
Expat Writers: Finding Your Voice and Thriving
Presented by: Caroline Allen, Book Coach at Art of Storytelling
Expats are uniquely positioned to be writers. Thrust into the unknown, questioning cultural constructs, being forced inside to find core truth, these are how philosophers and Changemakers are made. Writing your expat story not only offers this wisdom to the world, the process itself with transform you and align you more fully with your authenticity and purpose. The takeaways are why it’s important that expats write their stories, how to begin your book, and how to keep going even in tough times. I bring 20 years of book coaching experience, working with dozens of nationalities in many genres and with a variety of learning styles. I also bring a decade of expat experience, my repeated struggles, and my own knowledge as an award-winning novelist to the table.
Migration of emotion
Presented by: Gabriela Sirbu, Therapist & Speaker at Migration of emotion
Behind the decision of moving, working and living in another country always lies a feeling; one that gives us the necessary energy to proceed with the action. I like to call it Migration of Emotion because we take with us our feelings about how it is going to be in the new place to which we have decided (willingly or unwillingly) to move and live. I have identified some categories of feelings people act upon when they take this decision. I would like to talk about these feelings and how do they influence no matter if we want it or not, if we are aware of them or not. Most people are not aware of them, because we don’t really think about them. We just feel them and act upon them.
Thriving in Transition
Presented by: Priya Jindal, Founder of Nextpat
- What are the stages of reverse culture shock
- How can you prepare yourself for it
- What might prepare you before, during, and after your return
- How to evaluate what you want to integrate and apply it in a familiar context
From Expat To Flexpat: A new way of living and working globally
Presented by: Dominika Miernik, Career Transformation & Expat Coach at DM Coaching
The talk will focus on a new way of living and working internationally as a flexpat. Dominika Miernik will share her own personal experience about her transition from expat to flexpat. She will explain what are the practical and effective steps you can take to build a successful flexpat career and experience. You will discover what is the difference between expat, flexpat and digital nomad, what questions you must ask yourself before starting this kind of lifestyle to avoid failure, what are the main challenges of living as a flexpat and how to overcome them.
Expat Life - Attitude, Expectation and Identity
Presented by: Tanya Arler, Founder of A Happy Expat
I will cover the three mindset keys to successful expat living, particularly as a spouse. Attitude is the most self-evident but I remind the audience that just because they are positive people doesn't mean they need to be the perpetual cheerleader in family. they can have bad days, and they can share that with the family. Expectation - or actually expectations you don't know you have - is what I consider the most important to master, but often overlooked. Frustration, sadness, anger are more often than not a result of unmet expectations. Where it gets complicated is that we are not consciously aware of most of our expectations. They are ingrained in us and come from our home culture. Things that we consider self-evident become moot. When confronted with these it conjures anger and frustration. Identity is of course a focal point for any expat spouse. In my talk I cover several aspects but focus on not trying to replicate who you were and what you did in your previous country, but rather look for what you got out of what you did. Did your part time job give you a sense of purpose, routine, a busy mind, a sense of self, a sense of achievement.. ? If you can figure out why your previous identity made you feel good you can look for different ways to fill that need within the context of your new home. I cover other things, but I feel those are the 3 keys.
Live Your New Story
Presented by: Dominique Narciso, Success Coach and Founder of The Narciso Kim Group
I wrote a book about my journey from trailing to thriving - as an ambitious, professional spouse. The talk will highlight a simple framework that helped me overcome professional identity loss and helped me redefine what success meant in the context of an international lifestyle. I'll talk about personal growth, empowerment, and developing a growth mindset.
How your personal bias is limiting your career choices
Presented by: Veni Singh, Product Manager at Netflix
- Accept and identify their own biases
- Understand how they are holding them back
- Develop a lens and framework to move beyond it. Link to one sample script: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gpjA-qdJSffPVQhT-wjoJhxRwxI1eoly0tS37ikkIcI/edit
- Additionally, I am leading the Inclusion and Diversity efforts for the Product organization at Netflix and am uncovering a lot of topics and discussion areas. If that is more relevant, I am happy to focus on that or be part of a panel on this.
How to build a location-independent business with a remote team
Presented by: Maria Rygge, Partner & Marketing Manager at AweSM Pte. Ltd.
Maria will talk about how to build a business where you just need your laptop and WiFi, selling your knowledge, having the freedom to travel to anywhere and have your clients anywhere all over the world. She will share the story of how she and her partner started with zero and within 1 year moved from Norway to Asia and just 2,5 years later is managing a remote team of 11 people, having clients in Europe, Asia and US.