Geopats Abroad : Chats with expats, immigrants, and locals

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What do you get when you have two American Expats and one German Expat talk about a book by a former American Expat living in 1990’s Former East Germany? This culturally windy episode dripping with heaps of blasted stereotypes, linguistic gems and lots of laughter. We are delighted to have Nicole Palazzo, Host of the Expat Cast Podcast on the show today. 

Original publication date: July 26, 2019

 🌍 Tools & resources for living, traveling, and working abroad: https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/living-abroad-resources

🛍️ Geopats Abroad Stationary Store: https://geopatsabroad-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=geopats_shop&utm_content=episode_description

🛠️ Podcast & creator tools I use: https://podcaststeph.substack.com/p/podcast-tools-i-use

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew

Although Aseloka Smith of the Colored Girl Beautiful podcast  was touched by the places in Latin America that she lived earlier in her life, it's her time travel  (via a very specific book) that's had more of an impact.  During this conversation, Aseloka and I dig into the emotional, racial and creative layers woven into her podcast. And there are many. We also tap into the practical side of creating a podcast because the fact that Aseloka did the Google Podcast Creators Program, a Master’s degree and worked a full time job while creating season 1 of TCGB is nothing less than amazing and I am pretty sure we can all learn from her. A special shout out needs to go out to Nicole Hill, the Producer of TCGB. You’ll know why after listening to this conversation.   

The Colored Girl Beautiful's information:

Instagram: @coloredgirlbeautiful, https://www.instagram.com/coloredgirlbeautiful/

🤸🏽Music from
Damon Castillo (earlier episodes): https://www.damoncastillo.com/
and
Key Frame Audio (more recent eps) :https://keyframeaudio.com/

Top 3 services that have help me while living in different countries (mostly for Americans): Affiliate links so I'll get a small commission.

🔥 Traveling Mailbox: scan/forward postal service for Americans. It's saved me time, money and headaches.
https://travelingmailbox.com/geopats/?ref=3422

🔥Chase Sapphire Credit Card: annual fee, NO currency conversion fee. Used this in many countries globally.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19Q/MDNYO68N38

🔥 Stackry: Shop in the U.S. and have the items shipped internationally.
https://www.stackry.com/register?referral=7118738

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The Global Soul by Pico Iyer is a seminal geopat book. Stephanie and Summer (Steph’s Co-Host on the new podcast Creatively Complicated) dig into this book in a very big way. This is not a regular episode because Steph is not interviewing Summer about her reading story but instead they are discussing both of their reactions to this book. Summer read this book for the first time recently thanks (or no thanks, lol) to Steph’s persistent recommendation and Steph tried to reread it for the first time since she fell in love with it in 2002.   

Original publication date: July 5, 2019

 🌍 Tools & resources for living, traveling, and working abroad: https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/living-abroad-resources

🛍️ Geopats Abroad Stationary Store: https://geopatsabroad-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=geopats_shop&utm_content=episode_description

🛠️ Podcast & creator tools I use: https://podcaststeph.substack.com/p/podcast-tools-i-use

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew

We hope to shake up your podcast creation process by hearing how others use the medium around the world. Today, we are headed to India, to talk to Vishnu Padmanabhan from the Writer and Geek podcast. Vishnu is a Podcaster by night (literally) and an Engineer by day but admits that photography would be his alternate career, if possible. If you’re a fan of the Geopats Coffee podcast then you’re familiar with Vishnu’s Co-Host and brother, Shankar.   

Vishnu and I covered everything that you can in podcasting, including: their podcast setup, dividing up tasks with a Co-Host (even if they are your brother!), podcasts in India, editing tech and tips, audience, outsourcing, podcast hosts, Podcasters community in India, advice for new Podcasters and more. 

🤸🏽Music from
Damon Castillo (earlier episodes): https://www.damoncastillo.com/
and
Key Frame Audio (more recent eps) :https://keyframeaudio.com/

Top 3 services that have help me while living in different countries (mostly for Americans): Affiliate links so I'll get a small commission.

🔥 Traveling Mailbox: scan/forward postal service for Americans. It's saved me time, money and headaches.
https://travelingmailbox.com/geopats/?ref=3422

🔥Chase Sapphire Credit Card: annual fee, NO currency conversion fee. Used this in many countries globally.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19Q/MDNYO68N38

🔥 Stackry: Shop in the U.S. and have the items shipped internationally.
https://www.stackry.com/register?referral=7118738

This episode is a special one for sure. As many of you who have been listening to the podcast, follow me on the socials or participate in #PodRevDay know, I am a huge fan ofPodchaser, the IMDB of Podcasting. But some folks I talk to outside of the U.S. have expressed concerns about some Podchaser features not working as well in the country that they lived in. So, what else could I do but ask Bradley Davis, the Co-founder/CEO Podchaser on the show to ask him some globally minded Podchaser questions.  

Bradley and I cover accessibility and language issues, combined geographic & language search dream functionality, the push and pull of keeping podcasting open and the messiness that organically ensues and so much more. What we intentionally don’t cover are Podchaser or Bradley’s podcasting origin stories. Why? Because they have already been well covered on other podcasts this year (Podlovers Asia, Inspired Money and The New Media Show), so I am instead adding to these episodes in the show notes at https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatspodcasting/13

Bradley's Info:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/beradleydavis

Podchaser account: https://www.podchaser.com/creators/bradley-davis-107Zzj5f17

Podcast interviews with Bradley that cover Podchaser's origin story (and other stories as well):

1. Podlovers Asia:

https://podloversasia.com/podchaser-bradley-davis/

2. Inspired Money:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/from-side-hustle-to-vc-backed-startup-podchasers-bradley/id1278174903?i=1000466611645

3. New Media Show:

https://newmediashow.com/2020/05/04/podchaser-ceo-interview-368/

This episode was created with:

• Due to technical difficulty, this interview was recorded with Zoom Cloud Recording. Steph recorded with her Samson Q2U microphone
• The episode art was made with Canva, https://www.canva.com
• Producer & Host: Stephanie (Gmail: stephfuccio(at)gmail.com). 
• Guest Editor: Linda Cherwon: 

Producer, Host, Editor: Stephanie Fuccio: https://www.stephfuccio.com/contact.html

questions for audio creatives newsletter: https://stephfuccio.ghost.io/

Geopats YouTube channel: under construction

This podcast was created with (affiliate links):

• Streamyard for recording, going live, and distributing FULL videos to LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube: https://streamyard.com?pal=5673660346007552
• Buzzsprout for podcast hosting: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1907332
• Acon Digital's DeVerberate to reduce echo: https://a.paddle.com/v2/click/11427/147398?link=3691
• Tube Buddy to optimize YouTube: https://www.tubebuddy.com/globalpodcasteditors

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In the podcast episode we chat with Tatjana, in her words “a German married to an Indian-Chinese - or Chinese-Indian depending on the mood of the day”. Tatjana grew up wanting to live in different countries, so she went into Hospitality in order to do so. Of course, at the same time she read voraciously. In fact, while living in Dubai, one of the six cities she has called home thus far, she met her husband. Just before she moved to India to be with him she started reading the works of Indian Author Chetan Bhagat. And thus began her bookjucation of India and Indian culture. I was fortunate enough to sit down with Tatjana in my home in Shanghai and chat about some of Chetan’s books that had an impact on her life in India. We also dig into her bookology, her favorite books and places to read them and so much more. 

Original publication date: May 31, 2019

 🌍 Tools & resources for living, traveling, and working abroad: https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/living-abroad-resources

🛍️ Geopats Abroad Stationary Store: https://geopatsabroad-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=geopats_shop&utm_content=episode_description

🛠️ Podcast & creator tools I use: https://podcaststeph.substack.com/p/podcast-tools-i-use

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew

Send us Fan Mail

Working in Thailand can expose cultural differences in workplace communication that language skills alone won’t solve. Evo Terra learned that a smile during conflict could signal discomfort rather than agreement, and understanding those signals became essential to avoiding mistakes that could damage working relationships across cultures.

Evo is a podcasting pioneer, Podcasting for Dummies author, and longtime business and marketing professional who lived in Bangkok for more than two years. After struggling to find work and realizing his direct American communication style wasn’t translating well, a friend recommended Working with the Thais. The book became a practical guide to understanding Thai workplace culture, saving face, hierarchy, feedback, and cross-cultural communication.

Listen for:

• How Thai workplace culture differs from American workplace culture
• Why direct communication can create problems when working with Thai colleagues
• What smiling during conflict can mean in Thai culture
• How saving face affects workplace relationships in Thailand
• Why hierarchy and status shape communication in Thai workplaces
• What the Thai wai reveals about respect, status, and social expectations
• Why Western management styles can backfire in Thailand
• How working abroad can change cross-cultural communication habits

How Thai Workplace Culture Differs From American Workplace Culture

Evo came to Thailand with years of experience in advertising, marketing, startups, and business operations, but his usual direct style wasn’t helping him professionally. Working with the Thais gave him a framework for understanding why pressure, urgency, criticism, and hierarchy operated differently than he expected.

What Smiling During Conflict Can Mean in Thai Culture

At the school where Evo taught adults, he confronted a scheduler who kept assigning classes during hours he couldn’t work. She smiled during the tense exchange, a reaction he might once have read as dismissive. Instead, the book helped him recognize that the smile could signal discomfort, and the aftermath showed how badly a direct confrontation could damage a working relationship.

How Saving Face and Hierarchy Affect Thai Workplace Relationships

Evo became more aware of how public embarrassment could affect not just one person, but how others around them viewed that person too. He also began noticing how status changed tone, deference, body language, and even who initiated the Thai wai. Those patterns made hierarchy far more visible than it had been to him in American workplaces.

How Working in Thailand Changed Cross-Cultural Communication

After leaving Thailand, Evo found that the lessons stayed with him. He now pays closer attention to the status and role each person brings into an interaction, not to rank people, but to understand what the relationship requires. The experience made him less “in your face” and more aware that clear communication depends on how the other person interprets the exchange.

CONNECT WITH GUEST: EVO TERRA

Podcast: Podcast Pontifications
https://podcastpontifications.com

CONNECT WITH HOST STEPHANIE FUCCIO

https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/contact-stephanie

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Working with the Thais | The Dragon Page | Podcasting for Dummies | The Three-Body Problem | Bangkok | Thailand | Thai wai | saving face

Music by Damon Castillo, featuring “Sometime Guy.”

Original publication date: April 23, 2019

 🌍 Tools & resources for living, traveling, and working abroad: https://geopatsabroad.substack.com/p/living-abroad-resources

🛍️ Geopats Abroad Stationary Store: https://geopatsabroad-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=geopats_shop&utm_content=episode_description

🛠️ Podcast & creator tools I use: https://podcaststeph.substack.com/p/podcast-tools-i-use

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geopatsabroad/

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnfWdoMjmqpcbULZw-hVgew

Welcome to a language learning conversation in 3 acts with Kerstin Cable of The Fluent Show Podcast. Act 1 is where Kerstin and I share our empathy for the language learner during the sometimes arduous process. But then we hit heads in act 2 by arguing (respectfully, of course) about natural ability when it comes to learning languages. But don't worry, by act 3, we shift to swooning, with languages being the things we fall in love with. Do you want to learn German? Try the German Uncovered Course. I am! https://school.fluentlanguage.co.uk/p/german-uncovered/?affcode=28114_oc64fynv (https://school.fluentlanguage.co.uk/p/german-uncovered/?affcode=28114_oc64fynv) 

🤸🏽Music from
Damon Castillo (earlier episodes): https://www.damoncastillo.com/
and
Key Frame Audio (more recent eps) :https://keyframeaudio.com/

Top 3 services that have help me while living in different countries (mostly for Americans): Affiliate links so I'll get a small commission.

🔥 Traveling Mailbox: scan/forward postal service for Americans. It's saved me time, money and headaches.
https://travelingmailbox.com/geopats/?ref=3422

🔥Chase Sapphire Credit Card: annual fee, NO currency conversion fee. Used this in many countries globally.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19Q/MDNYO68N38

🔥 Stackry: Shop in the U.S. and have the items shipped internationally.
https://www.stackry.com/register?referral=7118738

Why is calling podcasting an "industry" frowned upon in Germany?

We dive into this cultural difference in podcasting and so much more during this conversation with Doris Hammerschmidt of Medienproduktion München.  We also chat about the two waves of podcasting in Germany, the term "podcast industry", what it's like to write a book about such a fast-changing industry, exciting new audio tools, and the possible future of podcasting in Germany.  

​Doris Hammerschmidt is a trained radio journalist, editor, and voiceover artist. She is co-owner of the agency Medienproduktion München, with which she has been producing podcasts since 2005. In autumn 2020, she will publish her first book on podcast production by companies, organizations, solopreneurs, and other professionals.

Podcasting Globally newsletter: https://podcastingglobally.substack.com/

More info available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYCan0cv10U

🤸🏽Music from
Damon Castillo (earlier episodes): https://www.damoncastillo.com/
and
Key Frame Audio (more recent eps) :https://keyframeaudio.com/

Top 3 services that have help me while living in different countries (mostly for Americans): Affiliate links so I'll get a small commission.

🔥 Traveling Mailbox: scan/forward postal service for Americans. It's saved me time, money and headaches.
https://travelingmailbox.com/geopats/?ref=3422

🔥Chase Sapphire Credit Card: annual fee, NO currency conversion fee. Used this in many countries globally.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19Q/MDNYO68N38

🔥 Stackry: Shop in the U.S. and have the items shipped internationally.
https://www.stackry.com/register?referral=7118738

This is our first before and after language follow up episode. Cameron and I chatted about his Mandarin Chinese language learning process and progress in September 2019, in episode 21 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage/21 (https://www.stephfuccio.com/geopatslanguage/21)). At the end of that episode we had him write his own questions for this six month follow up chat.  

🤸🏽Music from
Damon Castillo (earlier episodes): https://www.damoncastillo.com/
and
Key Frame Audio (more recent eps) :https://keyframeaudio.com/

Top 3 services that have help me while living in different countries (mostly for Americans): Affiliate links so I'll get a small commission.

🔥 Traveling Mailbox: scan/forward postal service for Americans. It's saved me time, money and headaches.
https://travelingmailbox.com/geopats/?ref=3422

🔥Chase Sapphire Credit Card: annual fee, NO currency conversion fee. Used this in many countries globally.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19Q/MDNYO68N38

🔥 Stackry: Shop in the U.S. and have the items shipped internationally.
https://www.stackry.com/register?referral=7118738