The Cultured Chameleon

Chris is an international speaker, comedian, author, and podcast co-host of "Diesel and Clooney Unpack the World." Chris travels the world as an ATCK and discusses topics of empathy, anti-bullying, cross-cultural understanding, globalization, and resilience with those who desire to learn. We hope you enjoy this episode! Check out Chris' website: https://www.chris-o.com/chriso/index.html Check out...

Becky Matchullis is an ATCK who grew up and was raised in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Canada. She is a family resilience coach who specializes in international and cross-cultural workers. Becky was a delight to have on the podcast to share her resources and insights into the grief process and how to build resilience. Check out all of the resources down below! Resources: Becky's Website: https://w...

Megan C. Norton is an Adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK) who works as an intercultural trainer, podcast host of "A Culture Story," co-founder of a non-profit for US diplomat kids, and a writer. Eugene and Lukas had the privilege of talking to Megan about her TCK experience growing up in several countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Germany to name a few. They discussed the concept of belonging as...

Lukas and Eugene had the privilege of talking to Matt Bagley, an American expat living in the United Kingdom for almost two decades. Matt is a history teacher at TASIS and is the current head coach for the Scottish national lacrosse team. Matt shares his story of his search for adventure as a young 20-year-old, and how that journey opened up paths to the UK. Matt also discusses his head lacrosse c...

Lukas and Eugene welcome Dr. Ingo Tophoven to the podcast to talk about mental health systems for the global church. Dr. Tophoven shares about his upbringing in Germany as a native citizen and becoming an international student to the United States on several occasions. Dr. Tophoven discusses his past counseling and ministry experiences over the past two decades that involve being authentic about m...

Eugene and Lukas take some time to reminisce on man's one true love...food. Whether it's exploring past favorites from Germany, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Canada or talking about the unforgettable experiences of eating animal intestines, or biscuits and gravy. Sitting around a table and sharing a meal brings us together and is one of best ways for TCKs to experience their diverse backgrounds...

Eugene and Lukas discuss the topic of church hurt in this podcast episode. Eugene and Lukas think about some of the specific themes of church hurt such as, spiritual, sexual, emotional, and physical abuse in the church. Understanding the complexity of this topic and talking about different ways of recognizing how one can spot certain aspects of church hurt. They discuss the idea of church hurt as...

Lukas and Eugene discuss the specific identifiers that characterize people with diagnosable obsessive-compulsive disorder and one of the treatment interventions utilized. Although most people will refer to their behaviors as "OCD" or will stereotype this disorder, only 2-3% of the population is diagnosed with this disorder. Mindfulness Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a style of therapy used to int...

News: The Cultured Chameleon Patreon is coming out next week! Thank you all for listening and supporting us this far!  Lukas and Eugene discuss parenting styles that are cited in literature (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and negligent) as ways of understanding how parents have raised their children. The conversation explores some cultural differences cited in the literature concer...

Lukas and Eugene bring Capri Tophoven to the show! EMDR trained therapist, missionary kid, pastor's kid, and a mother to third culture kids! The show talks about generational upbringing where Capri's parents immigrated from Mexico to Texas during the "Pancho" Villa Revolution. Capri shares her life stories about dealing with her father's abuse, the family mission trips to Mexico, and inviting fami...

Lukas and Eugene spend a festive Christmas podcast talking about Christmas traditions, fake tree vs. real tree, white Christmas vs. beach Christmas, and what cross-cultural Christmas experiences that others have experienced. Thanks to all the Chameleons and non-Chameleons who responded to our Instagram questions and polls! Lukas and Eugene also share some of their Christmas traditions and experien...

Eugene and Lukas discuss the evidence-based treatment known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which was created and developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro. Eugene shares his training experience with the EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program that trains clinicians to use EMDR for under-served communities around the world. EMDR is a great tool to help people dealing with trauma to r...

Lukas and Eugene discuss the great aspects of coping skills such as working out, yoga, journaling, playing music, dancing, etc. that people can integrate into their life to provide a sense of balance. They also discuss the negative side effects of overusing a singular coping skill and that coping skills will not fix personal issues without outside professional assistance from a therapist, psychiat...

Lukas discusses his conference experience in November for Missions and Mental Health. Eugene and Lukas talk about challenges that New Sending Countries (NSC) TCKs experience compared to Old Sending Countries (OSC) TCKs. They also explore the idea of cultural humility and how that can be practiced on their end when thinking about traveling overseas, or helping other countries establish mental healt...

Eugene brings the topic today! Diving into Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and some other interesting tid-bits of theories that help us conceptualize how our thoughts and beliefs can influence anxiety, depression, identity, and belonging. We also use our backgrounds in music and dancing to help discuss these theories and their usefulness. We hope you enjoy the...

Eugene and Lukas pivot during this conversation to discuss how boundaries can be helpful for Christian workers (missionaries, pastors, volunteers, etc.) and how it can be difficult for Christians to implement healthy boundaries with others. The conversation also explores cultural considerations for explicit and implicit boundaries in Eugene and Lukas' diverse upbringing. We hope you enjoy these co...

Eugene and Lukas believe that learning the art and skill of setting boundaries is a life tool that will be used in any country and throughout most peoples' lives. In this episode, Lukas shares psychoeducational material on boundaries, the six different categories we conceptualize boundaries, and a common Dialectical Behavioral skill used in counseling to help people learn how to express their need...

Eugene and Lukas share personal stories of the significant events and experiences that prompted them to explore and commit to clinical mental health counseling as a career and passion. For those who are interested in pursuing this profession or maybe have an affinity for the healthcare side of things, this is a great podcast that breaks down some basic differences between the career paths of psych...

Eugene and Lukas discuss Attachment Theory and how it can be used to have a basic understanding of interpersonal relations that stem from early childhood experiences and onwards. The God Attachment Theory is an interesting branch out of Attachment Theory that has potential to be used for counseling Christian individuals who may be experiencing psychological distress. We hope you enjoy this episode...

Lukas and Eugene meet up with Josiah to talk about his experiences in Latin America where he spent time in Costa Rica and Guatemala during different stages of his early life. We dive into some of the cultural differences and cultural shock aspects he experienced transitioning to Latin America and then when he came back to the United States. Josiah also offers personal tips and insights for other T...

Eugene and Lukas continue the episode with Taylor Joy Murray on exploring Japanese and American identities and how she integrates the most salient ones to who she is. Taylor's official release date for her book "Stop Saying I'm Fine: Finding Stillness when Anxiety Screams" is November 8th. You can find her book on her website: www.taylorjoymurray.co and continue to follow and support her endeavors...

Eugene and Lukas got to sit down with author and speaker Taylor Joy Murray on her latest upcoming book "Stop Saying I'm Fine: Finding Stillness when Anxiety Screams." Taylor is a third culture kid who grew up in Japan and talks about her upbringing in Japan and America, and how these two cultures impacted her identity and also her struggle with anxiety and anorexia. The conversation was fruitful w...

Eugene and Lukas find themselves on the 7th week of their podcast and decided to make it a short one. Incorporating some biblical ideas of sabbath and what rest means to them, they discuss how this integrates with the clinical/pop culture practice of self-care.  Support Us on Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=83622204 Connect with us on our social media: Instagram: @theculturedchameleonpodcast Face...

Lukas and Eugene sit down with Sheri Bukowski, a professional therapist and colleague of Eugene's, to discuss the life of a "military brat." In this discussion we hear the stories of growing up in a military family, the many moves that characterized her life, and how she became who she is today. We also talk about identity formation and sifting through a variety of cultural experiences, how one fi...

Have you ever had the feeling of being at home inside of an airport? We have, and we decided to explore where that feeling stems from for each of us. Whether it's mailing out 300 letters while waiting for a plane, or rushing to the farthest gate possible, or constantly worrying about your itinerary many of these experiences bring about a sense of being at home for us TCKs.  Support Us on Patr...