Frame of Reference

Michelle has been a staunch mental health advocate, done TED Talks and is a published author of a memoir titled “Breaking into my life”. She knows first-hand what it feels like to struggle with a mental illness, spent years working to eradicate mental health stigmas at the workplace and within the first responder community as well. In this episode we explore the topic of mental health, managing ou...

As a suicide survivor at age 19, child of an alcoholic – she had been looking for strategies to overcome depression for a long time. Studying psychology wasn’t enough, at the age of 38 – she discovered the right formula to overcome depression without meds or therapy. We discuss some of these strategies, some of her thinking and how logic, patience, kindness and ambition can go a long way to help o...

Zack is a talented speaker, having done multiple Ted Talks, he has his own show & podcast called the Zack Ballinger show . He also wrote a book called “Don’t Be a Zombie: How to find a career you love”. We talk about career growth, feeling stuck, pandemic burnout and how to recognize one’s inner purpose.

Carlos is well-versed in all things third-culture. We talked a lot about the idea of settling, nomadic lifestyles and the effect of growing up across various continents. His interests & talents in film and how he acquired the taste for that was also something that resonated with me and will with a lot of listeners. A good role model of a TCK that has his head on his shoulders, with a truly glo...

Varun and I had a very insightful chat on identity, growing up as a TCK and then navigating socio-demographic landscapes. Particularly about Singapore, we talked about the current views on being Indian and living in Singapore during the pandemic.

Scarlett tells us an interesting experience that is rarely discussed - growing up as the child of a diplomat. We also discuss topics like art and museums in the modern world contrasting with colonial history. Along the way we discuss other topics like sustainability and clean cooking!

Chatting with Emil its easy to sway into philosophical and moral dilemmas and banter simultaneously. He's a TCK through and through, but one who's grown to be quite a role model for a lot of us who may feel lost when we were younger, not being able to understand who we are and why we do the things we do. A deeper understanding of character, identity and motivations helps steer this conversation in...

This conversation was so easy, speaking with Lansana was like speaking with one of my high school or university friends growing up. There’s an unspoken connection there and that’s so unique to third culture kids. We dissect a few things in this conversation, such as the idea of emotional intelligence in a world full of left-brained thinking, balancing religion and ethnicity growing, linguistics pl...

Laura has great energy, especially when it comes to the topic of Third Culture. We exchanged experiences on International Schools, cities, travelling at a young age, living outside of our comfort zones and coming to grips with various cultures coalescing in one place. We talk about how that mindset can help you think positive and can be adapted as you continue to grow!