The Red Couch Talks
The Red Couch Talks
I’m inviting exciting people to an interview on the Red Couch. I started this video series as an experiment in 2022 on YouTube for International Women’s Day and was mainly promoting female leaders. I’m opening it up to everyone. My idea is to ask you only about five to six questions and then post them on YouTube. I’m learning to interview people so I can eventually have a podcast. I’m using my red couch because this is the only piece of furniture we‘ve had since I was eight, and it’s been around the block. It’s almost falling apart, to be honest, but it’s my happy place where I can chill.
My Red Couch Talk with Monica Shah
Monica Shah Zeeman has been working with international families for twenty years to support their lives abroad. I met her at ETH the renowned federal university in Zürich, Switzerland where she had moved with her family. Monica is the founder of Children First which offers early schooling and a tutoring center for students in Swiss schools. She is a child development specialist with an unusual background in social entrepreneurship. She first worked in Bern as an Assistant Headteacher at the da Vinci Academy. I discovered when I invited her today that after graduating from Oxford University the first charity she founded was part of a network of community education charities across the UK one of which became the first Academy school in the UK, in East London. She has a psychoanalytic diploma and launched a counseling service for mothers with babies called the Mothering Project in north London. Her textbook ‘Working with Parents’ was published by Heinemann in 2001 before she moved to Switzerland. In Zurich she gives talks on Choosing the best school for your child and parenting Multilingual Children, is the President of Circle of Schools and you can find some of her writing as well as other interesting articles on the Family Matters Switzerland website. Monica lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-shah-zeeman-0853b415/
Website
Family Matters Switzerland
https://www.familymattersswitzerland.ch/author/monicashah/
My Red Couch Talk with Brian Padilla
Brian Padilla currently serves as Vice President, Human Resources Business Partner for Lionsgate Entertainment. In his role, Brian leads strategic HR Business Partnerships across Lionsgate’s Television Businesses, which include Scripted and Unscripted Television Production, and Worldwide Television Distribution. Brian also leads Production HR, which services Lionsgate’s slate of active television and motion picture productions. Prior to joining Lionsgate, he held progressive roles in HR at companies such as Miramax, Creative Artists Agency, and NBC Entertainment.
Brian holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Massachusetts’ College of Liberal Arts, a Master of Music in Voice Performance from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, and an Executive Master of Professional Studies in Human Resource Management from Cornell University’s School of Industrial & Labor Relations. Brian is an avid supporter of live classical music and an amateur pianist. He currently resides in the Los Angeles area.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianpadilla-hr/
My Red Couch Talk with Flavia Augusta de Almeida
Following Flavia Augusta de Almeida’s academic pursuits, she accumulated over 16 years of experience in corporate architecture before relocating to Basel. While in Basel, she decided to amalgamate her corporate expertise with teaching skills, earning certification as an English instructor. Drawing from her personal foreign language learning journey, passion for languages, academic training, and professional teaching background, she established “faa Language Coaching”.
Specializing in instructing adults for effective communication through language development and cross-cultural training in English, Flavia also offers guidance for English examinations such as the Cambridge Certificate and TELC. Additionally, she assists clients proficient in English to enhance spoken clarity through accent-neutralization techniques.
You find her on:
My Red Couch Talk with Barbara Hesse
Having called Switzerland home for over 13 years, Barbara Hesse decided to embrace a new journey after spending a substantial amount of time in the Corporate World. Motivated by a genuine love for people, presentations, and her impact, she took the leap into self-employment. In the Big Four corporate setting, Barbara found her niche for over two decades, specializing in proposals and supporting colleagues in showcasing the added value and client benefits, extending her reach to presentations. During this corporate journey, Barbara recognized and empathized with the insecurities that often lingered. Her response was compassionate and proactive—she initiated internal training programs to create a positive shift. The joy and success experienced in this endeavor became a driving force, ultimately leading Barbara to focus exclusively on this impactful work.
OCTOBER 2023
My Red Couch Talk with Sandipta Jadhav
Sandipta Jadhav is an Indian immigration lawyer and Global Mobility specialist with close to two decades of experience in global people transitions. She has witnessed hundreds of global aspirants immigrate to and from India and many other countries including Germany. She was born and raised amidst the bustling streets of South Mumbai, India. Central to her professional ethos is an unwavering commitment to customer experience and consistently striving to surpass expectations and craft unparalleled journeys for each valued individual she serves. She has a proven track record of success in helping individuals and organizations navigate the complex world of immigration.
You can find Sandipta Jadhav on LinkedIn.
Rajeev Ranjan
My Red Couch Talk with Rajeev Ranjan
Rajeev Ranjan: With over 12+ years of experience in the software industry, Rajeev has versatile business experience and an entrepreneurial attitude with a global perspective. He completed his MBA from FHWS Germany and his Bachelors from Birla Institute of Technology in India. He has worked in 15 countries on three continents (Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific), leading and managing business activities and partnerships across diverse markets and cultures.
In his multiple roles, ranging from international sales to strategy and alliance management, he has helped enterprises transform their experiences through digital transformation by solving their current and future needs. Currently, he is associated with Newgen Software as Director of Global System Integrators Sales.
Rajeev has also been associated with leading business schools in India as a guest lecturer, such as Welingkar Institute of Business Management, JAIN (CMS), Christ University Institute of Management, and Presidency School of Business, where he has covered topics related to Leadership, International Business, Business Marketing, Artificial Intelligence, Block Chain, Digital transformation, etc.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is a topic close to his heart. It has been part of multiple sustainable non-profit initiatives related to skill development and education to alleviate the lives of those who need helping hands.
Linked
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeevranjan26/
Doreen Cumberford
My Red Couch Talk with Doreen Cumberford
Doreen Cumberford helps globally mobile expats, digital nomads, and returnees to create happier, easier, and more successful transitions while relocating overseas. A Certified Coach, and 30-year licensed Practitioner, Doreen speaks, writes, and teaches about the principles and practices necessary to joyfully navigate mobility from cradle to grave, or from launch to landing. The author of Life in the Camel Lane, Embrace Your Adventure and Arriving Well, she is currently writing Aftermath: How To Move Home After Living Overseas. Nomadic Diaries a Podcast, will launch in December 2023. A native of Scotland, living in 8 overseas countries over four decades on four continents has enabled her to support globally mobile communities in creating more satisfying lives and building their dreams no matter where they land.
The Nomadic Diaries Podcast
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/doreenmcumberford/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RockYourReentry
Hannele Secchia
My Red Couch Talk with Hannele Secchia
Hannele Secchia is an Adult Third Culture Kid working in global mobility and raising her own Third Culture Kids. Although her passport countries are Finland and Germany, she grew up between Ethiopia, the UK, and Kenya. When she married, she added another two countries to the mix, as her husband is South African and Italian. Hannele currently works as a leader among the expat community in Ethiopia to facilitate thriving – before, during, and after their stay. The blend of her own multicultural family, her experiences crossing cultures continually throughout her life, her heart for those who are globally mobile, and her background in HR are the perfect combination for this work. She also brings her learning from both the corporate and the non-profit sectors to bear in her current role as the President of Families in Global Transition, where she is helping to position the organization strategically for the future. She is on the brink of another big transition this coming year as she moves to Finland, where she will theoretically be a repatriate, although she does not fit that box either, never having lived in Finland!”
Hannele Secchia’s social media links are:
Adam Brody
The Red Couch Talk with Adam Brody
Website: www.adambrody.com
Instagram: adambrodyzurich
Facebook: Adam Brody Zurich
Linkedin: ADAM BRODY GmbH
Angie Weinberger is The Global Mobility Coach and author of The Global Mobility Workbook (Third Edition). She is also the Founder and the Managing Director of Global People Transitions GmbH. Angie also considers herself a social media junkie and a Bollywood lover. She was born in a small German village near Lake Constance in the 1970s and grew up in Germany. Her first “intercultural” experience was moving from the South of Germany to an area near Heidelberg, where her parents took over a children’s home.
Curious about foreign cultures and eager to have a fully immersive experience in another culture, she moved to the UK at the age of 19 where she worked as an Au Pair for a local family. This experience taught her that there is more to living abroad than language, the experience of cultural adjustment, and that other cultures view Germans differently than she expected.
After that gap year, she returned to Germany to study International Business Studies at the University of Paderborn. Her career in Global Mobility started to take shape when she was accepted to study in Australia focussing on International Human Resources. Tasmania was the starting point of her true interest in the topic as during her thesis Angie researched Short-Term Assignees and the failures of the company which had sent them out to other countries. Being away from home and family also taught her how to make friends anywhere in the world and that she was able to keep a clean kitchen in the student dorm.
After completing her degree, she started working in Human Resources as a Global Mobility Specialist and HRBP. She experienced Expat Life when she went on assignment to India in 2006. There, she worked as an HR Project Manager supporting a large strategic outsourcing project at a global bank. Working in a growth market was an eye-opener and Angie still has very fond memories of her time in India. She became a fan of Bollywood and learned to dance and eat with her hands.
In 2007, Angie was headhunted by PwC to take on her first real Global Mobility leadership role. With PwC, she finally managed to return to her dream city Zurich where she is still based to date. Once the Swiss Global Mobility team and function were up and running,
Angie decided to follow her long-term wish to help more Global Mobility Managers, Expats, and Expat Spouses through coaching. From her blog, she launched her company Global People Transitions GmbH in 2012. If you want to read more about how she came to make this dream come true, read her story here.
Today Angie is also a Professional Certified Executive Coach, Intercultural Trainer, and Group Seminar Facilitator. As a certified Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator, Angie can run intercultural assessments for managers and staff. She combines intercultural coaching, her long-standing Global Mobility expertise, and workshop facilitation skills into programs for Global Mobility Managers, Expats, and Expat Spouses.
In her consulting work at various medium-sized and larger companies, she still experiences Global Mobility challenges every day. She is passionate about bringing out the best potential in her clients and is on a mission to bring the human touch back into Global Mobility. She is a guest lecturer at various academic institutions and teaches “Global Mobility” and “Intercultural Management” in Germany, Holland, France, and Switzerland.
Angie regards ongoing education as highly important. To keep growing as a coach and meaningful individual, she is taking part in the Expat Coach Coalition, a special education for coaches and facilitators offered by Sundae Schneider Bean. She is a member of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research in Switzerland (SIETAR CH), for which she was the Communication and Digital Media responsible between 2014 and 2017. She also lectures for the Erasmus University, ExpatiseⓇ Academy and is a member of the global Expatise Academy Advisory Board.
Her working languages are English and German, but she can also communicate in French and Spanish, understands Swiss German, and studied Arabic at a beginner level. To give back, she supports migrants and refugees as a trainer and mentor in Zurich. When Angie is not working (hard to believe!), she enjoys hiking in the Swiss or Italian countryside, watching movies, and indulging in the cooking of her Pakistani partner. She loves Bollywood, creative writing, and spending time with friends and family. Obviously, she would love to travel more and eventually become a “digital nomad”.
Angie is the author of The Global Rockstar Album – 21 Verses to Find Your Tact as an Inclusive Leader (2023), The Global Mobility Workbook (Third Edition, 2019), The Global Career Workbook (2016), a self-help job search guide for internationally mobile professionals who are undergoing a career transition in a market with which they aren’t familiar. Angie is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Global People Club Sandwich where she regularly writes and edits inspirational articles about various aspects of Global Mobility. She started her blog in 2010 and has published over 360 posts ever since. Do you want to become a reader of the Club Sandwich? Sign up here.
With the eye of attention that she usually reserves for the Expat Experience, Angie recently started a video series called “The Red Couch Talks”. You can find the previous sessions on Angie’s YouTube Channel.
