Rooted and Routed Podcast

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the local feels like the outsider, and the foreigner feels at home? In this episode of Rooted and Routed, Sabiya sits down with Dieter Withoeck, her husband, a Belgian who has lived in India for nearly two decades, and a returning guest from Season 1. Together they unpack one specific tension: the difference between collective and individualist societies, and how...

Send us Fan Mail Visibility without values is just noise. Ketaki Tanaji Golatkar returns for Part 2 of our conversation on Rooted and Routed — and this time, the lens turns from identity and belonging to the work itself. After 21 years across global communications, diplomacy, and international sport, including heading Global Comms for the International Cricket Council, she has spent the last year...

Send us Fan Mail Ketaki Tanaji Golatkar is a global communications leader, a DEI advocate, and the founder of GoodDay PR and Strategic Communications. She has worked across agencies in Bombay and London, led a diplomatic project on Indo-German relations, and spent a decade in international sports — including heading Global Comms for the International Cricket Council. In this episode, she joins Sab...

Send us Fan Mail Marie Truchassou is a global mobility HR consultant, founder of My Expat Compass and Forwards International HR, and one of only two people in France to hold both the GPHR and SPHRi certifications in international HR. In Part 2 of this conversation on Rooted and Routed, she goes deeper — into the systems, the failures, and the future of global mobility. In this episode: How AI is r...

Send us Fan Mail Marie Truchassou is a global mobility HR consultant who lived and worked as an expat in India — before becoming the person advising organisations on how to do it right. French, countryside-raised, she packed up her life and moved to India alone –  navigating a new country, a new culture, and a new career, all at once, with no blueprint. In Part 1 of this global mobility podcast co...

Send us Fan Mail For Rika Bouffe, Indonesian by birth, married to a French husband, and an expat spouse who has built a life across Indonesia, France, the United States, and India, home was never going to be a fixed address. It had to become something else entirely. In this episode, Rika shares one of the most honest and layered conversations we've had on Rooted and Routed. She talks about ob...

Send us Fan Mail Season 2 of the Rooted and Routed Podcast is officially wrapped, and this is your recap.  From authentic voices to deep-dive conversations, this season has been about growth, identity, and navigating change. Thank you to every subscriber, listener, and guest who joined the journey. As we reflect, we’re also reimagining what’s next. The conversations are evolving in direction, in d...

Send us Fan Mail In part 2 of our conversation, Carlos Ruano unpacks the quiet decisions and systemic gaps many never hear about — from pensions to policy reform, reinvention, and the emotional costs of service.   What We Cover in This Segment: Why some diplomats transition into real estate, coaching, or other services tailored to diplomatic families How working inside institutions contrasts with...

Send us Fan Mail As always, Rooted and Routed isn’t here to deliver headlines. We’re here to hold space for the stories that shape people, quietly and powerfully. In this part 1 episode, Sabiya sits down with Carlos Ruano — a diplomat, academic, and cultural observer who has lived in 10 countries, worked in international diplomacy, global education, and policy design, and held roles from UN specia...

Send us Fan Mail When you build a team across continents, how do you turn multiple worldviews into business results, not chaos? In this episode, Bindi Basan shares how she created multicultural teams that didn’t just show up, but stood out . We also dive into how she uses her fitness and dance practices as leadership tools; consistency, resilience, focus and how those bleed into work when it matte...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when your cultural heritage comes from one country, but your upbringing and worldview are shaped by another, and then you return to that ancestral culture as an expat? In this episode, Sabiya welcomes Bindi Basan, a British-born transformation leader with Punjabi roots, whose global career has taken her from Yorkshire to Mumbai, Dubai, Singapore, and beyond. Together,...

Send us Fan Mail #rootedandroutedpodcast #studententrepreneur  ====== CHAPTERS: SEASON 2 - EPISODE 8 - SARAH OLIVIER - PART 2 ====== 00:00 Coming Up 00:43 Sarah Strides (www.sarah-strides.com) and Sarah's support system 02:42 Living Independently 03:29 Belgian Government's Student Entrepreneur Initiatives 05:41 Ghent University 07:20 Role of personal stories amongst young entrepreneurs 0...

Send us Fan Mail What’s it really like growing up as an expat kid—and how does that shape your future? In this powerful episode, host Sabiya Pathan Withoeck sits down with Sarah Oliviers , a Belgian veterinary student, international show jumper, and tech founder, to share her incredible journey—from discovering horse riding in Pune, India, to launching a veterinary admin app called VACS .   In Par...

Send us Fan Mail In this heartfelt Part 2 episode, media founder, writer, and PhD researcher Joanna Dukkipati joins Sabiya Pathan Withoeck for a rich, reflective conversation that flows from food and migration to parenting and decolonising language, to claiming space and redefining inclusion.   What you’ll hear in this episode: - Food as a thread of identity: Joanna shares her new documentary proj...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to create a platform that amplifies voices often left unheard—and keeps growing with intention? In this deeply personal and reflective episode, Joanna Dukkipati — writer, media founder, and PhD researcher — shares her journey of evolving identity, inclusive leadership, and the quiet power of gathering voices from the margins—not marginalized, but ready to be cent...

Send us Fan Mail #jwmarriott  #marriottsuitespune   In Part 2 of this immersive conversation with Chef Christian Huber of Sorriso, Pune, we explore the unfiltered realitybehind the world of international kitchens and authentic cuisine. From peeling potatoes to leading a brigade, Christian shares what it really takes to thrive as a chef abroad—and why fame isn't the same as mastery. 👨‍🍳 Key...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Rooted and Routed , host Sabiya Pathan Withoeck dives into the emotional and cultural layers of expat life with Christian Huber—Executive Chef at Sorriso, Marriott Suites Pune. From growing up in Italy to building a life and legacy in India, Christian reflects on what it means to belong in a place far from home. With over 15 years in India, he shares how food ca...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful part 2 conversation, Summie Yeung, a Life & Transition Coach, and former Hong Kong immigrant breaks down her coaching philosophy and insights on cultural integration, burnout, and parenting Third Culture Kids (TCKs). Listen as she shares real stories, research, and strategies that inspire resilience, clarity, and authenticity.  What You’ll Learn: Co-Created Co...

Send us Fan Mail  Part 1: Summie Yeung on Rooted and Routed What does it really mean to grow up between cultures—and how do those experiences shape the way we live, work, and find our place in the world? In this powerful episode, we sit down with Summie Yeung , a Life and Transition Coach, immigrant, and self-identified Third Culture Kid (TCK), to explore her journey from Hong Kong to the UK. At j...

Send us Fan Mail From a notebook of handwritten questions to a platform that shares global voices, Rooted and Routed turns ONE!  What began as quiet conversations has grown into a space for honest stories on identity, belonging, and the layered realities of global life. In just one year, we’ve explored: Identity & belonging Parenting across cultures Repatriation, integration & career break...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Part 2 of our conversation with Anna Skorobogatowa What are the unspoken rules and emotional costs of life behind the diplomatic title? In this episode, Anna shares the lesser-heard realities of being a diplomatic spouse, from relocation stress and identity loss to navigating unstable regions while parenting. We dive into: The emotional toll of raising children in regions facin...

Send us Fan Mail What does it truly mean to build a life in constant motion, while raising children, adapting to new cultures, and supporting a partner who represents a country abroad? In this deeply personal conversation, Anna Skorobogatowa, a diplomatic spouse of 23 years across 9 countries and 4 continents, shares the emotional, invisible, and often overlooked layers of life behind the scenes....

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to lead in tech, raise culturally grounded children, and embrace change across continents? In this episode, Arnaud Luc—tech leader at Cambridge Mobile Telematics—shares his journey from the French countryside to winning global recognition at Apple’s WWDC and the Webby Awards. He unpacks the realities of working with GenAI, explains the difference between AI, mach...

Send us Fan Mail #rootedandroutedpodcast #technology  In this heartfelt and insightful episode of Rooted and Routed, host Sabiya Pathan-Withoeck sits down with Arnaud Luc, a French-born tech leader who has built an inspiring life and career across continents. From growing up in the French countryside to navigating startup life in Texas and raising a bicultural family in Boston, Arnaud shares how h...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Jan Thomas, Head of Emerging Technologies Banking and Payments at DNB, and an expat living in India on his first international assignment. From leading tech innovation to quietly transforming lives through charity, Jan’s journey is one of cultural curiosity, inclusive leadership, and heartfelt giving. We talk about chai breaks, culture shocks, dive...