Join Brandi and James as they talk to Alex Galloway about the different types of care that are needed and available for cross-cultural workers. This includes ways sending organizations can be resourced and equipped and how to find outside or external help when needed. This type of help can be cousneling, spiritual direction, coaching and healing prayer and they disucss how to know what help is right and what a hollistic approach looks like.

Dr. Alex Galloway, Psy.D. is a clinical Psychologist who has specialized interest in trauma recovery, sexuality and the holistic care of God’s people. He enjoys encouraging, equipping, and empowering those who minister on the “front lines.” Additionally, he trains and consults with sending agencies to ensure that our “sent ones” are Sent Well. He serves at sentwell.org

Join Brandi and James as they talk with Bethany Hiser about the socially acceptable addiction to work. There can be an unhealthy attachment or co-dependency on work that shapes our identity and sense of acceptance. Work often becomes the socially acceptable addiction, particularly for those in full-time ministry and cross-cultural work. A significant part of our identity is formed by what we do, which can lead to burnout.

Different from simply being empathetically impacted by work co-dependency is the need to solve others’ problems to feel okay yourself. This overextension of self is often rewarded and may appear positive on the outside but can lead to burnout and compassion fatigue. Are we motivated by a need to be needed because we aren’t okay unless everyone else is? The root of addiction lies in deriving something from a behavior or substance. There is a deep need that must be met through our relationships with our creator, not through our identity in our work. 

“We have to know we have worth and value and live out of that place” Bethany Hiser

Bethany currently works as the Director of Soul Care for Northwest Family Life, a network of therapists trained to work with survivors of domestic violence and sexual trauma. As a bilingual social worker, chaplain, and pastoral advocate, Bethany has worked in a variety of ministry and social service settings with people affected by addiction, sexual exploitation, incarceration, and immigration. After experiencing her own burnout, she has become passionate about being a sort of midwife alongside other helping professionals, as they navigate secondary trauma, move toward groundedness, and uncover their belovedness. She works in the US, yet has a global heart as a TCK. She has offered Soul Care support and training to organizations in India, Bolivia, and Thailand, as well as spent significant time in Central America, Scotland and France. She is the author of From Burned Out to Beloved: Soul Care for Wounded Healers, partly her story, but moreso a trauma-informed holistic soul care guide for other helping professionals. Bethany lives in San Diego with her husband Kenny and their two young daughters in an intentional neighborhood community.

Website / Substack Newsletter /Social Media

Join Brandi and James as they interview John Fawcett and discuss resilience and stress for cross-cultural workers. John defines resilience as the capacity or ability to manage, cope, and thrive amid change. Change is a constant in life, and the stress it brings can lead to distress. The ability to navigate these changes and distress is what defines someone as resilient. 

John has over 25 years experience in international humanitarian aid focussed on the development and implementation of comprehensive staff support processes, cross-cultural team development and leadership effectiveness.

John has considerable experience in designing and implementing comprehensive staff support processes at local and global scales. He has worked across cultures and languages and has very wide global experience in applying these practices. In the early 1990’s he moved to humanitarian work in post-genocide Cambodia and began developing staff support processes for World Vision International in the context of the Cambodian and Rwandan tragedies. He was then asked to direct World Vision Internationals newly established Staff Support Program. In this role he developed and a global network of trained staff who provided onsite support for staff in WVI field locations.. In 2003 he edited and published the “Stress and Trauma Handbook: Strategies for Flourishing in Demanding Environments, (World Vision Publications)”, which has proved to be a foundation text for those in the business of supporting those who provide intentional care for others. A few years later he took up the role of Director of Staff Support for Save the Children USA and lead a process to develop an internal, comprehensive staff support strategy. Since leaving Save the Children John has consulted with many stakeholders in Emergency and Preparedness programs and with governmental donor agencies. He has published widely in the fields of research and strategic implementation. 

He now lives in his home country of New Zealand, enjoying a time of semi-retirement with a focus on family, environmental conservation and resilience.

Find John at https://www.resiliencecheckin.com

Join Brandi and James as they talk with Dr. Frauke and Dr. Charlie Shaefer about the theology of suffering. We all have one, as it frames the way we believe about the nature of God and the suffering we encounter. Frauke talks about what often causes spiritual struggle is the discrepancy between prior assumptions and what people experience. Charlie adds that a theory of suffering is we try to reconcile a loving God with the experience of pain around us.

This is so relevant for cross-cultural workers because the reality of encountering suffering is much higher in the difficult locations they live and serve. Our bodies are wired for meaning-making, and we are trying to get a sense of orientation and predictability for the world. This makes spending time to form and revisit a theology of suffering an important part of the life of the cross-cultural worker.

Check out their book Trauma and Resilience, which James highly recommends. You can take this spiritual resilience questionnaire James put together from their book.

Charlie and Frauke met in a Folk Religions class in the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary after Charlie had returned from working in Togo, W. Africa and before Frauke left Germany for Nepal to work in a rehabilitation hospital for those with leprosy. About a decade later they reunited in Grenoble, France. Married in 2000, they work together as a psychologist, Charlie, and psychiatrist, Frauke, sharing their God-given desire to support the mental health needs of global workers and others in ministry.

Frauke and Charlie particular passion is for strengthening the resilience of global ministry workers, who face high levels of stress and trauma in the locations where they live and the type of work they do. Providing training, retreats, counseling, psychiatric care, and consultations, Charlie and Frauke focus on the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of these workers, their families, and organizations.

While based in North Carolina, God has called them to minister in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America. Frequently traveling or using video conferencing technologies, Charlie and Frauke continue to serve those global workers who have responded to God’s call.

Join Brandi and James as they talk with MaDonna Mauer about the challenges of raising a TCK with disabilities. There may be more limitations, challenges, and minimum care necessary to live cross-culturally with a family member with a disability. However, there are also beautiful opportunities to see God at work in your family and in the lives of those around you.

After graduating from university, MaDonna began her cross-cultural work as a teacher for a Christian international school in China. She quickly learned about TCKs through her work and later even more from her German MK husband (Uwe). They have three adult TCKs. They moved to Taiwan a few years after their middle child was diagnosed with Cri-du-Chat Syndrome. MaDonna has an MA in Care and Counseling and works as a short-term counselor with Global Crossroads Consulting, helping clients and families in all kinds of transitions. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Intercultural Studies department at Columbia International University, researching the lived experiences of missionary families who have a child with disabilities. MaDonna, Uwe, and their middle daughter still reside in Taiwan.

Ways to get in touch with Madonna,

Join Brandi and James as they have Dr. Keith Webb back on. This time, they discuss the importance of financial planning for cross-cultural workers. So often, this is an afterthought, a point of contention, or even a theological block. Keith talks about financial planning as having Faith in Advance. Keith has developed a training called Money Matters, which focuses on building financial sustainability. This course particularly focuses on the 30s-40s age group, helping them start NOW to plan for the future.

Keith E. Webb, D.Min., PCC is President of Creative Results Management, a coach training organization for Christian leaders. He designed The COACH Model® and is author of the best-selling book, “The COACH Model for Christian Leaders”. For 20 years, Keith lived and ministered in Japan, Indonesia, and Singapore. Keith teaches practical skills for mission workers. His latest course is “Money Matters,” how to build financial sustainability.

For Money Matters and a special discount: https://workshop.creativeresultsmanagement.com/moneymatters-special

For Coaching Training: https://creativeresultsmanagement.com

Brandi and James talk with Anna Danforth about her own TCK experience and what it has been like to parent her two TCKs. Check out TCK training, which offers over 80 workshops driven by research and designed to equip TCKs and their families. This conversation covers a range of TCK experiences, including raising young TCKs, transitioning, ruptures, repairs, and launching.

“You will never regret prioritizing you kids, especially if you have chosen a life of major transitions and globe-trotting” – Anna Danforth.

Anna Danforth is an author, TCK advocate, and traveling speaker/trainer with TCK Training. Growing up in Cameroon as a third culture kid, she developed a deep passion for helping global families thrive in cross-cultural environments. Anna holds a degree in Secondary French Education and an MAEd in Instruction and Curriculum. Married to her high school sweetheart from DR Congo, Anna and her husband raised their two children in Lesotho and South Africa, where they continue to work in education and job skills training. With extensive experience as a TCK, global worker, instructor of expat families, and teacher at the Africa Orientation Course, Anna brings unique insight to her writing and training. She is the author of Raising a Family Overseas, a practical guide for global families, and Sam’s Roommate Disaster, a children’s book that gives voice to the unique experiences of third culture kids. Anna’s work equips families and educators to navigate the challenges and opportunities of living abroad with resilience and connection.

Join Brandi and James as they speak with Lisette Gabre about proactive member care. They discuss the gap between what we know and what we do regarding care. In a holistic view of care, how do we engage the whole self: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually? This involves understanding ourselves well enough to recognize that each aspect may not always be healthy simultaneously. For instance, what rhythms or routines do we have in place for all who we are? Everyone understands the benefits of going to the gym, but many still don’t prioritize it. Listen to the conversation about ways to be set up for healthy living cross-culturally.

Lisette Gabre is an extroverted Swede who moved to Asia almost thirty years ago with her husband and at that three very little children. She raised her three TCKs in Asia from baby to 18. The kids are now grown and she is a grandmother of six. Lisette has been involved in member care since she prepared to move to the field. Presently, her pillow and husband are in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but she serves the world as the TCK and Family Care Specialist for OM International. Lisette is often invited as a speaker, trainer or facilitator. Lisette loves to laugh, talk, write, and drink coffee with friends. Journeying with little children, teens and families online or in real life gives her much joy. Together with her friend Linda Fox, she has developed the ProActive Member care training. Historically, we have always taken our struggling people to the “hospital” (counseling centers, etc. where they would receive care. By changing our mindset and doing ProActive member care instead, we will change the hospital to a “gym” and come alongside our workers on the field as they actively are part of the care they need.

You can con tact her at Lisette Gabre or find her ProActive member care resources here.

Also check out:

Third Culture Kids: A Gift to Care For by Ulrika Ernvik

Join Brandi and James as they talk Pilgrimage with Eve Austin. Eve Austin has an MS in Clinical Psychology and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She takes a holistic and client-centered approach to counseling, walking alongside clients through the process of tuning into their hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. She incorporates expressive arts, movement, functional nutrition, and spiritual components into sessions at the client’s request. She enjoys working with children and teens, helping them gain tools for emotional resilience and navigating key developmental stages. Visit https://eveaustin.com to find out more.

The Camino de Santiago

Take your stuck places on a walk—a long wandering walk. Show them the transformative wonder of creation. And notice how they shift!

“The Camino has truly captured my heart. The best way to describe it is as an intense emotional and spiritual cleanse. The exhaustion, struggle, challenge, and wonder are like a rolling pin — pressing, purging, and flattening every little malignant lump of anxiety out of your soul. I think we have forgotten our primal needs—movement, light, water, dirt, laughter, a destination, and an unclenched mind. The unchanging fundamental compounds of joy.” @bt_harmen

Click here to join the Camino de Santiago – COUPLE’s Pilgrimage September 2025 – WAITLIST. Also, go to thewaybetween.org to find other Camino experiences.

Join Brandi and James as they review the highlights of the podcasts from last year. With 12 episodes, they had many wonderful guests covering a broad range of topics impacting cross-cultural workers. This episode ends with three guest spots sharing stories of their holiday memories living cross-culturally. Meet our Guests below or in the podcast!

Eve Austin lived for 20 years living in Tajikistan and Turkey with my family from 1996-2016. During that time, she was a mom, missionary, educator, and entrepreneur. She transitioned into counseling in 2013 and worked abroad with culturally diverse populations, including refugees and survivors of human trafficking. Her life and work overseas provides her with understanding and empathy to journey with clients from diverse backgrounds through the challenges of transition, relocation, and cultural adjustment. https://eveaustin.com

Lisette Gabre is an extroverted Swede who moved to Asia almost thirty years ago with her husband and at that three very little children. She raised her three TCKs in Asia from baby to 18. The kids are now grown and she is a grandmother of six. Lisette has been involved in member care since she prepared to move to the field. Presently her pillow and husband are in Chiang Mai Thailand, but she serves the world as the TCK and Family Care Specialist for OM International.

Anna Danforth is an author, TCK advocate, and traveling speaker/trainer with TCK Training. Growing up in Cameroon as a third culture kid, she developed a deep passion for helping global families thrive in cross-cultural environments. Anna holds a degree in Secondary French Education and an MAEd in Instruction and Curriculum. Married to her high school sweetheart from DR Congo, Anna and her husband raised their two children in Lesotho and South Africa, where they continue to work in education and job skills training.