What happens when you move somewhere new — but never quite feel at home?

In this episode, Tatjana sits down with Genna Resch, who traded the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong for a small town in Bavaria.

Recorded in collaboration with CreativeMornings Munich, this conversation explores what it means to start over in a completely different environment — the loneliness, the unexpected grief of leaving behind a familiar life and identity, and the experience of feeling visibly different in a place where you don’t quite fit in.

Genna shares what it was like to navigate a new culture, learn a new language, build community from scratch, and find connection while still figuring out where she belongs. Together, they explore a question at the heart of MITA: What actually makes a place feel like home?

For Genna, home is less about geography and more about connection, community, and feeling seen.

You'll Hear About

About My Guest

Genna has roots in Singapore, grew up in Hong Kong, and has called more cities home than most people have passport stamps. 

Today, Genna is a certified breathwork coach and Secret Sunrise facilitator who helps people regulate their nervous systems and find their way back to joy, whether that's through a guided breathwork session or a sunrise dance at dawn. 

She works with clients both online and in person across Germany, and is launching her breathwork app, Breathe with Genna, to bring nervous system tools to even more people.

Connect with Genna:

The MITA Podcast:

Website – https://www.tatjana-krajsic.com/the-mita-podcast

Produced by Between Tracks:

https://www.betweentracks.com/

What makes a good leader?

In this episode, Tatjana speaks with DZ Tan about leadership across cultures - and how living between Singapore, Australia, and Germany shaped his understanding of communication, trust, hierarchy, and human connection.

Together, they explore the hidden emotional layers of leadership: what it means to create psychological safety, why people often leave managers rather than jobs, and how empathy can transform workplace culture. DZ also reflects on returning to Singapore after more than a decade abroad - and the challenge of adapting not only professionally, but personally.

This conversation is not about corporate leadership models. It is about people: how we relate to one another, how culture shapes behaviour, and what it truly means to lead with humanity.

DZ Tan is a problem solver with a passion for bridging business and design to create meaningful impact. His international experience spans Australia, Singapore, and Europe, where he has worked with diverse teams and cultures.

With over 15 years of experience, he has led cross-functional teams in industries such as automotive, healthcare, and smart cities, designing user experiences that resonate and drive results. Previously, he worked at frog Design and Reply, collaborating with clients like BMW, IKEA, and Infineon to deliver innovative solutions.

Leadership and people development are close to his heart because he believes we need different kinds of leaders, each with their own unique strengths and styles. Guiding individuals to uncover their leadership potential and grow into impactful leaders brings him immense fulfilment.

DZ is dedicated to fostering growth, empowering teams, and building collaborative spaces where people feel valued and inspired. Outside of work, he coaches and mentors emerging leaders to discover their leadership style and confidently navigate the challenges of team management.

The MITA Podcast:

Produced by Between Tracks: 

https://www.betweentracks.com

What if the border isn’t a line - but a way of life?

In this conversation, Tatjana sits down with Robie and Alejandro Flores, siblings and filmmakers who grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border, where crossing between countries was part of everyday life and identity was never singular.

Through the lens of memory, grief, and storytelling, they reflect on what it means to live between cultures, languages, and expectations. They share the quiet tension of trying to belong, the instinct to shape-shift across spaces, and the realization that wholeness can exist in the in-between.

An exploration of identity beyond borders and an invitation to rethink what it truly means to belong.

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You’ll Hear About

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Robie Flores is a filmmaker and editor drawn to telling stories that explore the nuances of her fronterizo and Mexican-American communities. Her first feature, The In Between, which received support from Ford Foundation and ITVS among others, had its world premiere at SXSW 2024 and its European premiere at FilmFest München. Her other work has been presented on CNN, Bloomberg, Independent Lens, BET, Fusion, and Teen Vogue.

Alejandro J Flores is a Texican filmmaker living between Mexico City and Eagle Pass. He is interested in exploring the intersections of queer and Fronterizo identity, its evolution, and how it can empower others. He produced The In Between, which had its world premiere at SXSW 2024. He and his sister, Robie, co-founded the independent production company, Ambiente Films.

Connect with them:

Instagram: 

Website:

https://www.theinbetween-film.com/

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The MITA Podcast:

Website – https://www.tatjana-krajsic.com/the-mita-podcast

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What if sound could help restore balance in the body?

In this episode of The MITA Podcast, Tatjana speaks with Australian sound healing practitioner Robin Hart about discovering crystal bowl therapy after the devastating Black Summer bushfires.

After witnessing the grief and trauma in her community and experiencing unexplained health issues herself, Robin began exploring vibrational sound as a form of healing. Today she works with crystal bowls tuned to specific frequencies to support relaxation, emotional release, and deeper states of calm.

They talk about sound as medicine, the nervous system’s response to frequency, and why ancient sound practices are finding renewed relevance in modern life.

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You’ll Hear About

▪ The impact of the Black Summer bushfires on Robin’s community

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About the Guest

Robin Hart is a crystal bowl sound healing practitioner and the owner of Miracles By The Sea, a hair and beauty salon in Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia.

Her path into sound therapy began after the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–2020, when she sought ways to heal from the emotional and physical impact of the disaster on both herself and her community.

Working with crystal bowls tuned to the 528 Hz frequency - often referred to as the “love frequency” - Robin integrates vibrational sound healing into meditation sessions, community gatherings, and sound healing spas at her local yoga studio.

She regularly collaborates with musicians and wellness practitioners, including performances at the Four Winds Sound Pavilion and Murrah Dream Retreat in Australia. Robin is currently completing advanced training in International Crystal Sound Therapy and continues to explore the role of sound as a powerful modality for healing mind, body, and environment.

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The MITA Podcast:

Website – https://www.tatjana-krajsic.com/the-mita-podcast

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In this episode of The MITA Podcast, Tatjana speaks with architect Ngata Tapsell about Māori identity, ancestry, and belonging in modern Aotearoa New Zealand.

After 12 years abroad, Ngata returned home to reconnect with his cultural roots. Together, they explore growing up between Māori and European heritage, the resurgence of te reo Māori, language loss, indigenous knowledge systems, and the structural inequalities that continue to shape Māori communities today.

Ngata shares how the Māori concept of interconnectedness informs both his personal identity and his architectural work - and why we are, as he says, “our ancestors’ wildest dreams.”

A thoughtful conversation about cultural continuity, indigenous worldviews, and what it truly means to come home.

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You’ll Hear About

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About the Guest

Ngata Tapsell is an architect from Auckland, New Zealand, and the founder of Falk Tapsell Architects. 

He is of Māori descent (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pūkenga, Tainui, Ngāti Porou) and Danish, Scottish, and Irish lineage, and he has spent his career exploring the tensions and opportunities inherent in culturally diverse individuals and communities. Borne from his own upbringing, this lived experience underpins a deep professional interest in the complex interrelationships that exist between cultures and their representation in the modern built environment.

Ngata has amassed considerable and varied experiences over the course of his 25+ year career.  Half of that time was spent working in markets as diverse as Australia, Asia, and the Middle East, and as such, his professional expertise encompasses a range of building typologies at a variety of scales. A leadership style developed across a portfolio of large complex projects, his unique cultural outlook, and the drive to push boundaries are all cornerstones of his work.   

Ngata’s expertise has been recognised through his appointment to various industry advisory boards, design panels, and directorships. He is a trusted voice in a wide range of forums and a thought-leader in the field of culturally responsive design.

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LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/ngata-tapsell-35967620

The MITA Podcast

Website – https://www.tatjana-krajsic.com/the-mita-podcast

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In this deeply personal conversation, Tatjana sits down with Soledad, who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border at four years old after the sudden loss of her father. For nearly two decades, she lived in the United States without legal status - growing up undocumented in the country she would come to call home.

This episode tells the human story behind the label “living undocumented in the U.S.” Beyond politics and headlines, Soledad shares what it means to move through childhood and early adulthood with chronic uncertainty: the vigilance, the fear of being noticed, and the emotional weight of building a future while technically not allowed to belong.

And yet, through relentless determination and a deep belief in education, she became the first in her family to earn a PhD in the life sciences. Today, she is a scientist, professor, and mother of two, raising the next generation with the stability she once lived without.

A story about growing up invisible in a country where attention could mean deportation - and finding the courage to claim your place anyway.

You’ll Hear About

About My Guest

At four years old, Dr. Soledad Reyes de Barbosa crossed the US-Mexico border with her mother and sisters after her father was killed in Mexico. She grew up undocumented in California, navigating fear, instability, and limited opportunities - yet never letting go of her dream of an education.

As a child, she helped her mother sell homemade bread and tamales. As a teenager, she worked in her aunt’s taco truck. Without access to financial aid because of her legal status, she sold food at construction sites to pay for college.

She became the first in her family to earn a PhD in the life sciences. Today, she is a UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow, building her path toward becoming an Assistant Professor - and a proud mother of two incredibly resilient micro-preemies.

Connect with Soledad:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nabora.reyes

Facebook: Soledad Reyes

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The MITA Podcast:

Website – https://www.tatjana-krajsic.com/the-mita-podcast

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com 

Nearly 7,000 languages are spoken in the world today - and up to 1,500 could fall silent within this century.

Tatjana sits down with Mandana Seyfeddinipur, linguist and director of the Endangered Languages Archive, to explore why language loss is never just about words - but about identity, power, and human diversity. Growing up between German and Persian shaped Mandana’s path toward documenting endangered languages across the globe.

Together, they examine how globalization, migration, and marginalization accelerate language shift - and why when a language disappears, centuries of cultural knowledge vanish with it. They also discuss how language shapes the way we think about time, space, and family, and how Covid-19 and digital technology have become both threats and tools in preserving linguistic heritage.

You'll Hear About

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Mandana Seyfeddinipur is a linguist specializing in language documentation, psycholinguistics, and digital preservation. She studied linguistics and Persian studies at the Free University of Berlin and completed her doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics at Radboud University Nijmegen, later conducting postdoctoral research at Stanford University.

Since 2010, she has been based at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where she became head of the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme. She now leads the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR), one of the world’s largest digital collections dedicated to preserving endangered languages. Her work focuses on audiovisual documentation, linguistic diversity, and training scholars and communities to build sustainable multimedia language archives.

Connect with Mandana:

The MITA Podcast:

Website – https://www.tatjana-krajsic.com/the-mita-podcast

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com 

Tatjana sits down with Patricia Grasmann, a Third Culture Kid who grew up across seven countries, to examine how a life shaped by constant movement forms identity without a single place to call home. Patricia reflects on growing up between Venezuela, Asia, and the U.S., the adaptability this lifestyle demands, and the often-unspoken grief of repeated, abrupt goodbyes.

Together, they explore language and belonging, privilege and loss, and how roots can exist beyond geography. Patricia also shares how becoming a mother and building a life in Munich is reshaping her understanding of home and identity.

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You'll Hear About

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Timestamped Chapters

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Patricia Grasmann identifies as a Third Culture Kid. With Venezuelan parents and a childhood shaped by life across Latin America and Asia, she later spent 15 years in Washington, DC, working in the non-profit and higher education sectors. After living in London, she now resides in Munich, where she is embracing expat life once again while learning German and raising her family between cultures.

Follow Patricia:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pcgarcia2020

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The MITA Podcast:

Website – https://www.tatjana-krajsic.com/the-mita-podcast

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Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com 

Welcome to The MITA Podcast

A few years ago, I gave a keynote at Creative Mornings about roots. It opened up something I'd been thinking about my whole life: what does it mean to grow up between cultures?

I grew up in Germany as the child of immigrants, speaking two languages, feeling connected to two places. It was beautiful, but frankly, it wasn't always simple. I was expected to hold on to my family's traditions while fitting into the culture around me. Sometimes I felt caught between two worlds, never quite sure where I truly belonged.

That keynote became the starting point for this podcast. I wanted to explore what roots really mean.The cultural and ancestral roots — and the invisible ones beneath the surface. The inherited trauma we carry. The ancient wisdom we've lost touch with. The patterns that quietly shape how we move through the world.

In each episode, I'll be talking with leading thinkers, culture changers, artists, authors, spiritual teachers, doctors, and experts from many walks of life. People who can help us understand what lives beneath the surface.

Join me every Thursday starting February 6th.

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com