hierarchy

Episode #132: 'From Mississippi to the Mekong' w/ Deborah Pembleton

In this episode, I got to have a conversation with my longtime friend, Dr. Deborah Pembleton, who shares the story of her upbringing in small-town Mississippi and the evolution of her deep sense of connection with Thailand and the Asian region. Deborah is Professor of Global Business Leadership at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Minnesota, and has led study abroad programs to the Bahamas, China, and Thailand.

In our conversation, we refer to a few culturally-specific terms and places:

  • A ‘tuk tuk’ is a three-wheel motorized version of a rickshaw that one finds in abundance on the streets of Thailand.

  • Khon Kaen is a city in the northeastern part of Thailand.

  • The Hmong people are indigenous to East and Southeast Asia — many Hmong live in disaporic communities in places including the U.S. state of Minnesota. For more information, check out the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul, MN.

Episode #112: 'Room for One More?' w/ Thorunn Bjarnadottir

I was pleased to sit down with my longtime friend and colleague, Thorunn Bjarnadottir, to discuss her upbringing in Iceland and her insights on some of the cultural differences she has experienced during her many years living and working in the U.S. Formerly the Director of Intercultural Education in the International Student and Scholar Services office at the University of Minnesota, Thorunn is now the founder and CEO of Dancing With Differences.

Episode #93: 'Be Who You Are' w/ Haerin Park

I was thrilled to sit down with Dr. Haerin Park for a conversation about her experiences growing up in South Korea and adjusting to a very different cultural context in the U.S. Haerin is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut, and in this episode she shares some hard-won insights about finding a greater sense of 'authenticity' in her cross-cultural interactions.