9-Signs you're not getting it. It's culture stupid! [Podcast] In this 23-minute podcast, we talk about the biggest mistakes that people make in international business. Or in other words, 9-signs you're not getting it. It's culture stupid! We cover 9 (plus a bonus) of...

Democracy and Cultural Diversity [Podcast] In this 23-minute podcast, we talk about what democracy is and how it is seen differently in different cultures. The Western concept of democracy is very different from the Indian or Russian, just to name a few. "Nothing is...

Lucas Martinez on the Next Generation Job Search Lucas Martinez is the co-founder and co-CEO of Talent.com, the fast-growing global player in next-generation job search platforms that is connecting the world to work. With more than 30 million jobs available in 78...

Humor and Cultural Differences There is very little culturally neutral. If anything at all. Humor is one of those topics that are not culturally neutral. What is funny in one culture is not considered funny in another culture. In this podcast, we not only explore how...

Cultural Superiority in Business Everybody suffers from the "better than average syndrome". In other words, we all suffer from Cultural Superiority in Business. This happens between individuals, but certainly between cultures. And this can hamper international...

Organizational Culture Explained In this podcast, we focus on the mess that happened within the Amazon Corporate Culture. We take a closer look at Organizational Culture and explain what is/was going by explaining what Organizational Culture is. Understanding how...

The Cultural Differences Between North & South America In this podcast, we take a closer look at the cultural differences between the countries that compose The Americas. Understanding these differences will help you when you're doing business in these countries....

Peter van der Lende and Chris Smit Interviewed by Leonardo Marra About This Week's Guests Peter van der Lende and Chris Smit Peter van der Lende and Chris Smit are interviewed by Leonardo Marra for his podcast, called The International Business Podcast, which you can...

Jessica Stone About This Week's Guest Jessica Stone Jessica Stone is an international journalist who can attest to the power and the purpose behind what we are doing here on the Culture Matters Podcast. She has written a book sharing her stories of cross-cultural...

International Mergers & Acquisitions; What are the Cultural Implications? What this podcast will be about: Mergers & Acquisitions and the Cultural Implications Most M&A's are based on economical decisions: Economies of scale Reduced workforce (= fewer...

Ivana Lodovici About This Week's Guest Ivana Lodovici Ivana Lodovici is the Director of International Recruitment at YER USA. YER USA assists European companies with the selection of North American-based candidates. Ivana was born in Italy and spent her youth in...

How will business change after Corona? What will be the cultural implications? What this podcast will be about: The World Will Never be the Same; or Will it? For some, working from home was already part of their daily work-life. For many, it has been a forced decision...

Global Talent Sourcing Podcast, Culture Shock, and Cultural Competency What this podcast will be about: Why Global Talent Sourcing from Other Countries? Why Is Cultural Onboarding So Important? Dealing with Culture Shock It is NOT about the Legal or Accounting Stuff...

How to do business in India podcastIn this how-to-do business in India podcast, we don't really go over any cultural dimensions (in our webinar we will).Instead, we go over some common misconceptions and misunderstandings that non-Indians (mostly Westerns) have about...

Deanna Singh About This Week's Guest Deanna Singh Deanna Singh, the author of Purposeful Hustle, wants to live in a world where marginalized communities have power. As an expert social entrepreneur, she is obsessed with making the world a better place and she will...

Working with International Virtual Teams Working internationally is one thing. But working with an International Virtual Team adds a couple of challenges. I call it you're missing the "touch" factor; meaning that you're missing those visual queues that you would...

How to Do Business in the US Why the US Is Sometimes Ahead and Sometimes Behind In this podcast of early December 2020, we talk about recent developments and how different cultures/countries are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. "Sometimes the USA is ahead of the...

The Culture Matters in International Business Podcast A new Format for this Podcast Your Hosts: Chris Smit Peter van der Lende "Understanding cultural differences can be the descisive factor in success or failure in International Business" In this short introduction...

Theresa Sigillito HollemaAbout This Week's Guest Theresa Sigillito HollemaTheresa is an American who left her home country more than 20 years ago and has been living in Europe ever since, mainly in the Netherlands.She is an expert on virtual working.She has traveled...

What Can You Expect During this Webinar on International Business Development? * How to go about international Business Development and/or expansion. * Why it is important to pay attention to Cultural Differences when working internationally. * How you can save time...

Bart De Pau About This Week's Guest Bart De Pau Bart De Pau was born to a Dutch father and a Belgian mother and grew up in Zeeland (the province that is famous for its massive sea defenses). He set up a Summer/Winter School: intensive Dutch courses with accommodation....

Chris Smit About This Week's Guest Chris Smit For once I've got myself on my own podcast... Well, actually I was being interviewed by Jonathan Westover. And this podcast was first published on the Human Capital Innovations (HCI) Podcast. We talk about the importance...

Rachel Jensen About This Week's Guest Rachel Jensen Over 8 years ago, Rachel moved from New York to a small Caribbean island off the coast of Belize for a job. Today she still calls Ambergris Caye home and despite the cultural differences and nuances, she has adapted...

Peter Kozodoy About This Week's Guest Peter Kozodoy Peter Kozodoy is a TEDx speaker, author of Honest to Greatness: How Today's Greatest Leaders Use Brutal Honesty to Achieve Massive Success, and serial entrepreneur, currently serving as the CEO of Stradeso and the...

Melissa LamsonAbout This Week's Guest Melissa LamsonMelissa Lamson, CEO of Lamson Consulting, works with successful leaders to refine their professional skills and create inclusive workplaces.She knows that when leaders present the best version of themselves,...

Judith Hornok About This Week's Guest Judith Hornok Judith Hornok is THE DECODER. She studies the “special codes” of individuals and groups worldwide. Over fifteen years she has researched the social-emotional mindset of the Arab people in the Gulf. During her...

AllanHeida About This Week's Guest Allan Heida Allan Heida is a Craft Beer nerd and guide. He loves to educate people on Craft Beer and the culture that surrounds it. He has been into craft beer on the amateur and professional level, having worked behind the bar and...

Lawrence Draken About This Week's Guest Lawrence Draken Lawrence Draken published "The Year of the Rabid Dragon" in November 2018, a medical mystery set in Beijing, China. The story wound around political intrigue, cover-ups, and secret interrogations, but most of...

Lawrence Draken About This Week's Guest Lawrence Draken Lawrence Draken is an author and small business owner. Her latest book, “The Year of the Rabid Dragon” is a medical-thriller based in Beijing, China, centered around a virus that is spread through the civilian...

Lisa Fain About This Week's Guest Lisa Fain Lisa Fain is the CEO of Center for Mentoring Excellence, and an expert in the intersection of cultural competency and mentoring. Her passion for diversity and inclusion work fuels her strong conviction that leveraging...

Mathieu Gram About This Week's Guest Mathieu Gram Mathieu GRAM injects, through his Olympic level coaching, a fusion of cutting edge science insights on physical, mental, nutritional, medical and neurologic key performance indicators into high powered executive's...

Michael Cobb About This Week's Guest Michael Cobb After success in the computer industry, Michael formed ECI Development in 1996. This residential resort development company owns projects in Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama including 5 miles of beachfront,...

Anke Hermann About This Week's Guest Anke Hermann Originally from Germany, she lived in Australia and the UK before. In 2004 she decided to quit her IT job in London to move to Spain and start a sewing business - with nothing but a love for sewing and plenty of...

Richard Conrad About This Week's Guest Richard Conrad Richard Conrad grew up in Washington, D.C., studied engineering and economics at Vanderbilt University, earned a master's degree in Economics as a local student at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and later...

Jan Potgieter About This Week's Guest Jan Potgieter Jan Potgieter is the Founder & Managing Director of Imperium Global Negotiation Solutions. Jan is the creator of the Imperium negotiation methodology which enables the new class of elite business negotiators to...

Rachel Smets About This Week's Guest Rachel Smets Rachel helps ambitious professionals CHANGE from STUCK in an unfulfilling career to a meaningful FREEDOM lifestyle. Find Clarity, Confidence and Create your next step to live the life you desire. Rachel is dedicated to...

Richard Conrad on Doing Business with China and Japan About This Week's Guest Richard Anderson Richard Conrad grew up in Washington, D.C., studied engineering and economics at Vanderbilt University, earned a master's degree in Economics as a local student at Fudan...

Andrew Henderson on the Best Country to Live About This Week's Guest Andrew Henderson Andrew Henderson works with six- and seven-figure entrepreneurs who want to keep more of their own money, build a freedom lifestyle, and grow their wealth faster. He has traveled to...

Rebecca D. Costa is an American sociobiologist and futurist. She is the preeminent global expert on the subject of “fast adaptation” and recipient of the prestigious Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Award. Her career spans four decades of working with founders, key executives and venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. Costa’s first book, The Watchman’s Rattle: A Radical New Theory of Collapse, was an international bestseller. Her follow‐on book, titled On the Verge was introduced in 2017 to critical acclaim, shooting to the top of Amazon’s #1 New Business Releases. Costa’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, SF Chronicle, The Guardian, and other leading publications.

Jen McFarland, the host of Women Conquer Business Podcast, has spent over 10 years as a business analyst and growth strategist. She lived and worked in Kazakhstan for two years where her experiences made here a champion for equity, human rights, and cultural competency.

Harry Mitsidis, the most traveled person on the planet. Listen to this podcast to find out why he does what he does. Learn more…

How culturally neutral (or not) do different cultures deal with brain disfunctions? Find out what Dr. Lynette Louise has to say about this.

How culturally neutral (or not) is performing Magic in different cultures? Listen to this podcast with Jennifer S. Royal.

Some real up-beat good stories from Sierra Leone, Africa with Angela Betancourt. Listen to the Culture Matters Podcast.

Authentic travel and tours with Monica Irauzqui. Listen to the Culture Matters Podcast.

From cruise ships to masterminding with Ronan Leonard. Listen here to the Culture Matters podcast on International Business.

Why Travel Matters with Craig Storti. A discussion among intercultural colleagues in this podcast. Click here to learn more.

From virtual dinners to open roads projects with Eric Maddox. Listen here to the Culture Matters podcast on International Business.

In this Culture Matters podcast on international business we talk with Mikkel Thorup, we talk about expats, culture and money…

How does life look like in Colombia. Especially if you’re the “odd one out”? Find out from Isabel Cortes. Click to learn more.

Three kids, in three different countries around the world share their experiences at there respective schools. Listen to this very interesting Podcast…

Dr Carlos Coria Sanchez talks about how to do business in Mexico and Latin America in a successful way. Listen to this podcast…

Jon Pepper from Tigit Motorbikes in Vietnam. He’s an up and coming entrepreneur. From a game server business at 15 years old. Hostel business in Vietnam at 22 years old and now Tigit Motorbikes at 29 years old. Tigit Motorbikes has 3 main offices across Vietnam. Self-funded from $200 and the purchase of 1 motorbike to what is now a million dollar business with over 350 motorbikes.

In this interview he hits the nail right on the head: Cultural Differences isn’t about them (the others), but it is about YOU. As soon as you understand that your cultural battle is half won as well as your way to becoming culturally competent.

Dan Schawbel is a New York Times bestselling author, Partner and Research Director at Future Workplace, and the Founder of both Millennial Branding and WorkplaceTrends.com. He is the host of “5 Questions with Dan Schawbel”, a podcast where he interviews a variety of world-class human by asking them 5 questions in less than 10 minutes. Dan’s new book is called Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation.

John Amaechi is a psychologist, New York Times bestselling author and former NBA basketball player. All this united in one person? Yes! and with 6′ 4″ he not only physically stands tall but also when it comes to his view on sports, business and other international matters.

Marketing Manager at De Pindakaaswinkel.

Together with his two friends, Michiel and Bas they started the idea of flavored peanut butter in Michiel’s house.

Currently, they have four shops in the Netherlands and are considering expanding to Scandinavia.

Mounir Azegra is the founder of iWannaBurnFat.com. iWannaBurnFat provides evidence-based training and nutrition information to the fitness community. With the use of scientific research and logic, he has helped thousands of people improve the way they look and feel. He’s also a second generation Morrocan living in the Netherlands. Having a multi-cultural upbringing gives him a unique ability to coach individuals from different cultures.

Dylan Bollen is a Ph.D. student in astronomy and astrophysics at KU Leuven University and Macquarie University, Sydney.

It’s the second time he is on the show and this time we talk about how he adapted to Australian culture and dealt with his (mild) culture shock.

Nate Regier, Ph.D., is CEO and co-founding owner of Next Element, a global leadership training and certification firm specializing in communication and conflict skills. He’s an expert in social-emotional intelligence and leadership, positive conflict, neuropsychology, and group dynamics. Regier is a co-developer of Next Element’s Leading Out of Drama® training and coaching system, an LOD® master trainer, and Process Communication Model® certifying master trainer. He is the co-author of Beyond Drama: Transcending Energy Vampires, and his just-released second book, Conflict Without Casualties: A Field Guide for Leading with Compassionate Accountability. He’s an enthusiastic dad and husband

Ferry is a non-food retailer from the Netherlands. In his position as president for the Foreign Trade Association (now called Amfori) he was part of the success of the growing community of BSCI . BSCI is the leading platform for social compliance in the world. He decided to start helping retailers and brands with the implementation of social compliance systems and founded the consulting company CoComply in Brussels.

Kea is currently the director of the European umbrella organization of Youth For Understanding and responsible for positioning YFU as an expert in intercultural education, creating partnerships and advancing the organization strategically. Youth For Understanding (YFU) is a volunteer-based global non-profit community driven by the passion of people, consisting of 55+ member organizations across six continents. As a leader in intercultural exchange and educational programs for more than 60 years, YFU has impacted more than 270.000 students – and their host families, schools and networks – and more than 70.000 volunteers.

Matt Javit was a five-time sales award winner with the international Technology Consulting company that he spent 9 incredible years with but then he left it all behind in February of 2017, along with his vast work network, volunteer efforts, and friends & family, to follow his love of travel with his wife.

Alexandria believes in creating purposeful communities where people feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to create a real human connection.

Alexandria’s why led her to become an advocate for incorporating the human element back into modern business practices.

Her leadership and teachings on these principles have earned her recognition by top leaders within Central Florida, and now she’s expanding to the West Coast.

Nathan Hirsch is a 28-year-old serial entrepreneur who is an expert in hiring online and building eCommerce businesses.
 
He co-founded his first eCommerce company out of his dorm room in 2009 drop shipping products on Amazon.com and built it to sell over $25 million worth of product over 5 years.
While scaling, Nathan discovered the power of outsourcing and ended up building a remote army of freelancers.

Justin Locke spent 18 years playing bass with the Boston Pops, and gradually transformed into an author, playwright, and speaker.

He has written several books that seem appropriate for this podcast.

His first book, “Real Men Don’t Rehearse”, gives an inside look into major orchestra culture.

Henk bought his first camera when he was 16 years old with which he started taking pictures of empty factories and forgotten castles.

Now he flies around the world as Captain on a Boeing 787.

While his crew is relaxing at the local swimming pool, he ventures out to desolated city palaces, overgrown industrial factories or rusted war vessels.

Dr. Alain Krapl is an Associate Professor of Finance and Director of the International Business Program at the Haile/US Bank College of Business.

He earned a B.A. and M.S. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Connecticut.

His teaching interests include international finance, financial management, and derivatives securities.

Full Circle Sailing with Monique and Paul van der Linden

Monique and Paul have been cruizing the globe in their Full Circle Sailing boat since 2011.

They have been around the world and are planning to keep on doing this for at least two years (at the time of this writing).

Paul is an ex-marketeer and has been sailing longer than Monique.

Monique is an ex-stewardess who was looking for someone to go sailing with.

They found each other and off they went.

With their Full Circle Sailing business, they sometimes take guests for a stretch.

Jesse is the Chief Learning Officer at Lingo Live and oversees the development of the company’s learning program and coaching community.

Focused on situated approaches to learner development, his learning program design leverages meaningful relationships, real-world contexts and behavior change models for optimal impact.

His primary mission aims to empower people with the confidence and knowledgeable skills to participate fully and authentically in a target community.

Andy Molinsky is the author of two books – Global Dexterity and Reach – and is a professor of international management and organizational behavior at Brandeis University in the US. He writes regularly for Harvard Business Review, Inc.com, and Psychology Today and is the creator of the new online course Mastering American Business Culture.

Dylan Bollen, a Ph.D. student in astronomy and astrophysics at KU Leuven University in Belgium, and Macquarie University, in Sydney Australia

Ron Carucci is co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change for their organizations, leaders, and industries.

In addition to being a regular contributor to HBR and Forbes, and has been featured in Fortune, CEO Magazine, BusinessInsider, MSNBC, Inc, Business Week, Smart Business, and thought leaders.

He is the best selling author of 8 books, including the Amazon #1 Rising to Power, the Journey of Exceptional Executive.

Prof. Dr. Dr. Andrea Maier, Professor of General Medicine and Aged Care also connected to The University of Melbourne, Australia, where she is Divisional Director of Medicine and Community Care.

Then there is The Royal Melbourne Hospital where she is Professor of Ageing.

And if that wasn’t enough she also has a chair at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Tyler Muse is the Founder and CEO of Lingo Live, a language learning company he started in 2012 after learning Spanish with a woman in Guatemala, over Skype. Today, Lingo Live helps thousands of working professionals throughout the globe express their authentic voice and communicate more effectively in their jobs through highly-personal one-on-one English communication training. Lingo Live’s mission is to encourage meaningful human connections through learning.

Cy Wakeman is a dynamic international keynote speaker, business consultant, New York Times bestselling author, and global thought leader with over 25 years experience cultivating a revolutionary new approach to leadership. Her newest and most anticipated book, No Ego.

Joe Cobbs is Associate Professor of Sports Business at Northern Kentucky University, and co-founder of KnowRivalry.com.

Research, teaching, and industry engagement in the Department of Marketing, Sports Business, and Construction Management.

Specialties include team rivalry, international sponsorship, and the business of Formula One racing.

Neil Krishan Aggarwal is a cultural psychiatrist.

He is an Assistant Professor at Columbia University, member of the university’s Committee on Global Thought, and Fellow with the Truman National Security Project.

His research focuses on conceptions of culture and psychology in clinical and forensic mental health settings.

Jean Paul Wyers is the founder and director of Protocolbureau, an organization based in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Most people associate protocol with etiquette and Royalty, but the official definition of protocol is “how meetings with officials should be organized”.

In a modern translation, the method of protocol is also used by Protocolbureau to manage meetings and events with VIP’s, large clients and other important stakeholders.

Protocolbureau supports organizations at official occasions and in less formal situations such as networking events, fashion shows, and even dance events.

Peter Alexander Kerkhof’s academic position is research fellow at the Linguistics Department of Ghent University, Belgium. Peter Alexander is a historical linguist and philologist of the Old Germanic, Old Romance and Old Celtic languages.

“History is the product of our invented past.”

Deborah Moody is Executive Director of the Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants or ACPWC.

The ACPWC offers training and certification courses for wedding and event planners.

They also have a membership association which provides continuing education and support for wedding professionals.

Her tips to become more culturally competent are:

Take the time to do (some) research. So when you come to a new destination or meet new people you know something about that culture. Not all, but something.
Be open to new experiences. Realize that new cultures can enrich you.
If you can, Travel. Even if it is only within your own country. Set out to make a friend where you go.

Laura Lindsay is Director of Global Communications at Lonely Planet; an avid traveler she has worked in the travel industry for almost a decade interspersed with visiting over 40 countries.

Currently looking after Lonely Planet’s brand communications; Laura is responsible for Lonely Planet’s reputation in the media, profiles of the company’s spokespeople and internal company communication.

Most recently, driving the company’s story of transformation from guidebook publisher to multimedia brand.

Laura also manages the company’s largest brand campaign, Best in Travel.

Be curious. Being curious about your new surroundings, the people, the food is the best way to experience different cultures.
Engage with the local people. Go to that man around the corner. Talk to the waiter. Share stories and expertise.
Don’t always focus on the negative. The food you didn’t like, the way you were treated. Although bad experience stories seem to be interesting to tell at birthdays, remembering the good things is really more enjoyable.

Ask the Pilot: Patrick Smith

Patrick Smith is an airline pilot and the host of www.askthepilot.com. His book is COCKPIT CONFIDENTIAL: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel. He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

His tips to become more culturally aware are:

Be patient. Patience is a virtue. And this is even truer when you’re dealing with different cultures.
Be open minded. Ask yourself “what if…” (they were right).
Be humble towards the other culture. Let the experience and what is happening around you come to you. Rather than imposing your own thoughts on them.

The Textile Industry and Culture with Imran Rath

Imran Rath is from Pakistan. He has been living in Belgium since 2005 and is Running a Global Sourcing company in Belgium Since 2005, before that he was living in New York.

His tips to become more culturally aware are:

When you go and visit a country that you’ve never visited before make sure to read-up on where you’re going. Read something about the history, the differences between North and South, East and West.
Take out a map. Make sure that you somewhat understand, from a geographical standpoint, where you will be going.

How to make your organization GREAT, with Shane Green

Shane Green, A world-renowned keynote speaker, author of Culture Hacker, and television personality, Shane Green is a business magnate who consults global Fortune 500 leaders on customer experience and organizational culture.

Shane draws upon his foundation at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and works in multiple industries to transform your employees’ mindset, experience, and habits to improve customer experience, employee retention, and organizational performance.

As a catalyst for the modern service economy, Shane Green and his team inspire companies and their people to move beyond the mundane and out of status quo so they want to exceed the expectations of their internal and external customers.

His tips to become more culturally aware are:

If your organization has values (and yes, it has values), make sure those values carry meaning to the people working in your organization. And you know what? Fresh them up while you’re at it. You’ll be surprised how much that will mean to them.
Select the right people for your organization. Both for your sake and for their sake. It will take more time, but in the end, it will get you the right people on board and will save you a ton of money avoiding hiring the wrong type of people.
What does the first day of work look like for someone new in your organization? Make it an experience rather than a procedure they need to go through. Make them 🙂 at the end of the day.
Interview Links

Links that are mentioned in this episode:

Email: [email protected]
Get the book Culture Hacker here

In light of recent times and all the debate about immigrants and refugees around the world, Shaima joined forces with Chaithanya to put forth the stories of immigrants from different backgrounds that have called America home. Her purpose in doing so is to paint a different picture of immigrants and refugees by displaying their side of the stories and the struggles of starting from nothing.

Stefan and his “Dream-Life” family

Full-time daddy who travels with the family for many years around the world.

Author, blogger, and part of a family that live their dream!

Worked 13 years for an international bank in the IT department and headed several multi-cultural teams and projects.

His tips to become more culturally aware are:

Be very aware of your intention when you deal with other cultures. Don’t be shy. If you approach other people with a smile you’ll be OK.
Go to a Cultural Awareness workshop or course. Period.
We’re all human beings; don’t think in terms of “high-cost employees” and “low-cost employees”. This creates a wrong kind of inequality thinking

Jordan is a traveler. And he’s spent many of his years in Latin America and Spain. He passes his days perfecting his Spanish, eating fun food, and talking to the people. Never about culture. But always about culture.

Lucas has been writing guidebooks for Lonely Planet since 2002, mostly specializing in Latin America.He lived in Guatemala for over 10 years, publishing a magazine and working with local NGOs. He is now based in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Alan Rose is Professor emeritus of University of Idaho. Born within the sound of bow bells, he has lived in France for three years and spends three months every year in Paris.

Joe Lurie, Author of the Award Winning, Perception, And Deception, A Mind-Opening Journey Across Cultures, is Executive Director Emeritus of UC Berkeley’s International House where he served for two decades. Currently a cross-cultural communications, speaker and university lecturer, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya and directed academic programs abroad in Ghana, France, and Kenya for the School for International Training.

Joe Amato began teaching at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) in Marshall, Minnesota where he was a founder and chair of the History Department. He taught a range of courses in European intellectual and cultural history with a particular interest in the Middle Ages, Renaissance, German, Italian, and French histories and European rural life, as well as taught ethics and introductory social science courses. Joe has given countless lectures and talks on a variety of subjects in the region, throughout the state, Midwest, and at national conferences. Reading and speaking a variety of European languages—Italian, French, Russian, Spanish, and German (and some Biblical Greek)
He is widely traveled in Western Europe from the British Isles and the Netherlands to southern Italy, Greece, and Sicily.

Jelle is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for people, cultures, technology, design, and food. With his company Zeropoint he works with virtual teams from Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Together with his colleague Bart van Loon, he has been dealing with virtual teams for the last 7 years.

2016 Year-End Podcast and Videocast Thank You! With this podcast, I want to thank everyone that came to my website. All the listeners of the podcast and the watchers of the recently added videocast. Also a big thank you to the readers of my books. And last but...

Palle is a Danish podcaster and radio journalist traveling to every country in the world.

Mathilde is a 24-year old Master’s student at Copenhagen Business School within the field of business, language, and culture. She is currently doing an internship in Paris for a company that provides business assistance to Danish companies in France and helps Danish companies overcome the cultural barriers that exist between the two countries.

Odi (his calling name) just completed his Master degree program at Anglia Ruskin University, Uk, Cambridge, where he took a class in Intercultural Communication to help him realize his dream to make Nigeria a better country.

Natasha Aks is specializing on doing business in Russia and communicating effectively with Russians. She has been exposed to different cultures, studies, and work-wise, for the last 16 years, having lived and worked across the world, in Russia, the US, Germany, and in the UK. Natasha gained her practical business experience, having worked in media industries for over 11 years. Natasha’s work included acting as a mediator between Russian, Kazakh, Ukrainian, and English teams, bridging any possible gaps, identifying and resolving issues and problems, and, ultimately, making projects happen. Now she consults on doing business in Russia from the communications perspective and is a published author of a series of articles about doing business in Russia.

Henrik Jeppesen visited every country in the world just before his 28th birthday.

Stephen Frost is Head of Diversity and Inclusion for KPMG UK. He served as Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games from 2007-2012. He was educated as a Hertford College Scholar at Oxford University and a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University. He also teaches inclusive leadership at Harvard Business School and an extended class at Sciences Po in Paris. He advises several organizations and governments worldwide and is the author of the book The Inclusion Imperative.

Audrey Mezas is the Dutch owner of Expat in Amsterdam. She is an Expat/Executive Personal Assistant to athletes, professors, families, international entrepreneurs and business executives. The difference between Audrey and say a relocation company is that she delivers “tailor-made personal” service for each of her clients and accompanying them almost everywhere they need to be. Audrey also trains teams in Executive Excellence and has moved 17 times and lived on four continents. Audrey is the “Expat in Amsterdam.”

Jeri Weber, a US American lawyer knows about the demands of the legal profession and working with other cultures. She spent the first 18
 years of life viewing the world through her US perspective.

About This Week's Guest Bart van Loon After volunteering for the United Nations in the aftermath of the Kashmir Earthquake in 2005, Bart realized the potential of the South Asian labor market in Europe. Ever since he is building long lasting professional relationships...

About This Week's Guest Hugo Messer Hugo Messer has been building and managing teams around the world for over 10 years. His passion is to enable people that are spread across cultures, geography and time zones to cooperate. Whether it’s offshoring or nearshoring, he...

About This Week's Guest Jeroen Ketting Jeroen Ketting is a Dutch business advisor, author, and speaker who has helped hundreds of companies succeed in the challenging Russian market. His thought leadership and contributions to the public debate have made him a...

About This Week's Guest Bjoern Lasse Herrmann Bjoern was born in Germany, and has become a recognized entrepreneur and expert on data products for businesses, performance benchmarking and business ecosystems.Most recently his team & Most recently his team & he...

About This Week's Guest Paul MacAlindin Paul MacAlindin is an internationally renowned conductor and author of "UPBEAT: the story of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq". He led the orchestra from 2008- 2014 in Iraq, France, Germany and Britain, solving enormous...

About This Week's Guest Professor Erin Meyer Erin Meyer is a professor and INSEAD, one of the top international business schools and the author of the best-selling book “The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business”. She is here to...

About This Week's Guest Alfredo Behrens Alfredo strongly believes in drawing management lessons from indigenous organizations to increase the efficacy of teamwork. He offers a Brazilian Carnival Parade training module to this effect. Alfredo holds a Ph.D. degree...

About This Week's Guest Lisette Sutherland Lisette is the Director at CollaborationSuperpowers.com, a company that helps teams work together from anywhere. She is also a Funder of Happy Melly, a company helping to globalize companies that are improving the lives of...

About This Week's Guest Trajan King Trajan has worked and lived in 6 countries, speaks a handful of languages, and works for clients worldwide. He's consulted for Apple, Adobe, Yahoo!, eBay, IBM, and others.  He currently runs a membership community for entrepreneurs,...

About This Week's Guest Tim Kuppler Tim is the Director of Culture & Organization Development with Human Synergistics. He also founded CultureUniversity.com which features insights from top culture experts. He led major performance and culture transformations...

About This Week's Guest Jeanne Boden Jeanne Boden is Managing Director at ChinaConduct, a company specializing in training and coaching European, Chinese, and people from around the globe in EU-China cooperation and communication. As a Belgian/European Jeanne Boden...

About This Week's Guest Tayo Rockson The CEO of UYD Media and host of the As Told By Nomads podcast. His three tips to become more culturally competent are: Be curious. Explore what is out there. Explore what you don't know or think you don't know. Travel. By...

About This Week's Guest Sundae Bean Sundae Bean is an executive coach, intercultural specialist and trainer. She supports organizations by helping their employees and the accompanying families live well and work successfully across cultures – without losing their...

About This Week's Guest Anna Maria Darmanin Anna Maria is an entrepreneur, a policy adviser, a sailor, a University lecturer where she teaches Intercultural Communication. A Maltese, who lives in different places at different times of the year: Belgium, Canary...

About This Week's Guest Pellegrino Riccardi Pellegrino Riccardi is a Cross-Cultural Expert, Keynote Speaker, and People-Watcher. In this interview he hits the nail right on the head: Cultural Differences aren't about them (the others), but it is about YOU. As soon as...

Why Doing Business is Never About the Price Possibly a bold statement, but I still believe it is true: doing business is hardly ever about the price. It is much more about emotions and... about people, or the perception that we have of other people. Listen to the...

About This Week's Guest Susan Salzbrenner Susan Salzbrenner supports multicultural teams, professional athletes, and leaders of today and tomorrow to navigate diverse cultural contexts. She is an organizational psychologist, consultant, and trainer, focusing on...

How Culture and Personality are Intertwined Culture and personality. Where do they fit? How are they mixed together? Is there overlap? Which one dominates? In this short podcast, I'll give you my, non-academic, view on this very interesting topic. I'm curious to hear...

About This Week's Guest Thomas Kessler Thomas Kessler is Partner and Managing Director of Global PMI Partners and draws on 20 years experience in Mergers & Acquisitions and particularly in Post Merger Integration. The importance of culture in transactions is one...

How to Explain Culture to Kids Kids are no adults. With this I'm not telling you anything new. Most of the work I do is with adults. In fact, all of the work I do is with adults. Except for this one time I had the opportunity to work with Children. I was asked to...

About This Week's Guest Christophe Van Gampelaere Christophe is the Belgian partner at Global PMI Partners, the only global consultancy focused exclusively on international merger integrations and carve-outs. His three tips for becoming more culturally competent are:...

How to Work with a Virtual Assistant; Cultural Differences Working with a Virtual Assitant (VA) from a different culture is not always easy. In this podcast, I talk about my own experience and how you can benefit from this as well. Overcoming the Cultural differences...

About This Week's Guest Julie Fisher With a doctorate from Johns Hopkins, Julie Fisher Melton has been a consultant on micro-enterprise and on partnerships between northern and southern NGOs to Save the Children, Technoserve, and many other organizations. She taught...

Do's and Don'ts in International Business I get the question pretty every time I give a workshop or lecture: "Can you give us some do's and don'ts on how to do this or that?". When this question gets asked, I always warn people that do's and don'ts are very...

About This Weeks Guest Madi Sharma Madi Sharma is an entrepreneur and a social capitalist. She's a member of the European Economic and Social Committee, and living her life with one strict motto No Excuses! Her tips to become more culturally competent are: Say "Thank...

Why Company Culture Matters [Podcast] Why does company culture matter? because it can make or break your organization and your success. When I talk about "company culture", for me it is the same as corporate or organizational culture, so I'll use them interchangeably....

About This Weeks Guest Vanessa Shaw Vanessa Shaw is an experienced consultant, trainer and active speaker at leadership conferences. She is a work futurist on a mission to help organizations and teams collaborate virtually in a way that builds trust and fosters...

Summer 2015 Hi there, It's summer, and it's warm at the time of this writing. Hopefully you are enjoying the weather as wherever you are in the world, and maybe you're even enjoying your holiday. I hope you are. This podcast is only a short...

Uncertainty Avoidance in International Business The Hidden Cultural Dimension You Need to Understand When Doing Business Overseas This podcast is something different from the regular Interview podcasts that I do. I wanted to pay more attention to Hofstede's fourth and...

About This Weeks Guest Professor Dr. Alexandre Mottrie Prof. Dr. Alexandre Mottrie is Head of the Urological Department of the OLV Hospital Aalst in Belgium. He is also President of the European Robotic Urology Section and the worldwide Society of Robotic Surgeons....

About This Weeks Guest Neil Miller Neil moved to Chennai in January 2010 with his wife and four suitcases.  He prepared by reading a lot of good books and meeting a lot of knowledgeable people.  However, nothing could have prepared him for what he experienced trying...

About This Weeks Guest Sabina Idler Sabina Idler is Founder, UX researcher and Interaction designer at UXkids. She is passionate about designing and improving interactive media for all ages. Sabina grew up in the south of Germany. Since then she has lived in the US...

About This Weeks Guest Ms Sigrid Kaag is the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon. In this episode she talks about her experience working for the UN, and her intercultural experience throughout her impressive career.         Interview...

About This Weeks Guest Sunder P is the Managing Director & CEO of TTK Services Pvt. Ltd., a TTK group company focused on providing technology enabled consumer services. He is responsible for business strategy and the overall profitability of the firm,...

About This Weeks Guest Timothy J. Bridgman Timothy was born in UK, lived in Poland on/off since 1999, went to Poland to try to become Poland's first world fusion music DJ, then over the same period became lecturer at University of Lodz. Left employment at University...

About This Weeks Guest Amanda Workman Amanda grew up in Eastern Africa, lived and worked in Hong Kong, and has traveled and worked throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, India, China and Western Europe.  This lifetime of experiences have given her a passion for...

About This Weeks Guest Teresa Knapp Teresa Knapp is the Director of Program Development for International Student Exchange. She has been in the field of student exchange for 25 years. Her 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Get rid of common sense; what...

About This Weeks Guest Andy Molinsky Andy Molinsky is a professor of organizational behavior at Brandeis University's International Business School and the author of the award winning Harvard Business Review Press book "Global Dexterity".  He also blogs regularly...

About This Weeks Guest Kiran Beersing-Vasquez A 20-year-old student of mixed background. Born in the UK and moved to Belgium at age 9.  Attended an international school in Brussels, which had 9 different language sections, and students from all over the world with...

About This Weeks Guest Stephen Frost Stephen Frost is Head of Diversity and Inclusion for KPMG UK. He served as Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games from 2007-2012. He was educated as a Hertford College Scholar at Oxford...

About This Weeks Guest Alexander McNabbAlexander McNabb is a publishing, digital media, and communications consultant based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In his spare time, he writes thriller novels. His 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent...

About This Weeks GuestAlfredo Roach Alfredo is a program and project management professional, and seasoned civil engineer with fifteen years of combined design, construction, and contract management experience. His 3 tips for becoming more culturally...

I wanted to take this opportunity to say Thank You for your support in 2014. I hope 2015 will even be better!   Well, it’s nothing very special: Try to be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book now and then, get some walking in, and try to live in...

About This Weeks Guest Josh & Erin from travelwithbender.com have been travelling with their two children since May 2012. It’s an open-ended, unplanned, round-the-world trip discovering amazing places for families. They have stayed in hostels and 5 star luxury...

About This Weeks Guest Karen Smits is an international expert on Organizational Anthropology. She finished her Ph.D. in Social Sciences on cross-cultural collaboration in mega projects, for which she had the opportunity to gather data in the Panama Canal...

About This Weeks Guest John Amaechi is a psychologist, New York Times bestselling author and former NBA basketball player. All this united in one person? Yes! and with 6' 4" he not only physically stands tall, but also when it comes to his view on sports, business and...

Summary Greeley Koch is the executive director of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and a world class business traveler. A twenty-five year veteran of the travel industry, he is an advocate of passenger safety, comfort, and security, while boosting...

Summary After completing his Master's in International Relations at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and two EU-related internships in Brussels, Wytze Russchen worked as a political adviser to Mr. Willy De Clercq, a member of the European Parliament and...

Summary Peter lived and worked in 8 countries across Europe, Latin America and North America. After 17 years at KLM, Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, Peter is now managing his consultancy business in the airline and travel industry from...

Summary Yet another Frenchman living in London... Pierre is head of Public Affairs within Eurostar, the high-speed train company that connects London to Brussels and Paris. During the interview Pierre talks about his experience in Canada, Brussels and now London as...

Summary Professor dr. Giampaolo Viglia is a Research Fellow at University of Eastern Piedmont and Professor at Toulouse Business School. Interested in Consumer Decision Making, Pricing and Overconfidence In the amazingly interesting interview we talk about cultural...

In this episode I Interview Paul Wait.

Paul wait is CEO of the Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) which represents 80% of business travel in the United Kingdom alone

Paul talks about his time in Scotland, his time at American Express (27 years!), and his time heading the sales teams at Virgin Atlantic. He is one of the rare top managers that really understands the strategic importance of managing and understanding cultural differences.

Summary In this episode I Interview Deva Rangarajan. Professor dr. Deva Rangarajan is of Indian origin and has been living in Belgium for the last 10 years. Deva Rangarajan is a professor at the Vlerick Business school and is currently in the middle of setting up a...

Summary In this episode, I Interview Bernard Foccroulle. Bernard Foccroulle is General Director of the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and Chairman of ENOA (European Network of Opera Academies) In this interview, we discuss Opera, and how culture also has had and still has...

Summary In this episode, I Interview Tom Andriola. Tom Andriola is currently the General Manager of Healthcare Informatics at Philips Healthcare Greater China, a business dedicated to technology innovation, improving patient care, and saving lives. He also is...

Summary In this episode I Interview Lulu Wang. Lulu Wang is a famous Dutch writer of Chinese origin. She has published 10 books, of which 3 are published internationally. Her first book The Lily Theater is published in 28 countries. Her tenth book is...

Summary In this episode I Interview John Alexander. John is from Australia, but lives in Sweden. John explains the differences between Hard Consensus (Dutch) and Soft Consensus (Swedish). He also describes the differences between Australians and Brits. John shares a...

Summary In this episode I Interview Bob Grol. Bob is a born and raised Dutch-man. He currently runs his own organisation called FYPS (For Your Professional Solution). Learn from Bob in what way, and how and why the Dutch are as direct as they are. And why that is...

Summary In this episode, I Interview Richard Hill. Richard is the author of "We Europeans" (1992), "Euro managers & Martians", "The Art of being Belgian", "Great Britain Little England", and a number of other books. Learn how Richard explains why (he thinks) the...

Summary In this episode, I Interview Dorothy Dalton. Dorothy is an International Talent Management Strategist who connects people, organizations and opportunities. She is Co-Founder of “3Plus International”. An organization to support professional women via mentoring...

Summary In this episode I Interview Antoin Deul. Antoin (a Dutch National) is a global project manager and staff scientist who has lived in the US for 12 years and has worked, and is working on sustainability projects in many countries. Find out from Antoin why it is...

Summary In this episode I Interview Anis Bedda. Anis is an independent consultant in the areas of business development, communication and innovation related projects. A partner of Global enterprise and ex-manager at Hub Brussels. Build Your Cultural Competence In the...

Summary Welcome to the Culture Matters Podcast Introduction Episode. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural...