Member since October 2025
I was born and raised in a homogenous community, but I always knew there was so much more to learn about the world, so when I got the change, I moved to South Korea to live for a year. I learned so much about myself and the world, but the real learning started when I got home and went through reverse culture shock. I picked up a book by Geert Hofstede and started learning about cultural values. The book put so much perspective on my experiences abroad, and it empowered me. As I continued through my life, I spend a lot of time working with refugees and immigrants, which bolstered my cultural engagement opportunities. I learned more and more about how culture impacts our behavior. A few years ago, I had the change to become certified by the Cultural Intelligence Center, and I started by business, Beyond Tourism, with the goal of training people to be better at communicating cross-culturally. I am on a mission to reshape how people think about culture and help them understand how their own culture impacts their behavior.
I am passionate about helping people connect cross-culturally, listening to and sharing music from all over the world, and meeting people from other cultures. I have a radio show every week on my local community radio station where I play music from all over the world from 4:00-5:30pm CT (89.3fm KZUM). I am also passionate about girls and women's rights, and I volunteer for my local Girl Scout council.
When I lived in South Korea, I tried really hard to meet and make friends with Korean people, because I knew that I wanted to learn from and connect with the local culture as best as I could. I met a woman in my gym who spoke English, and we became friends. I appreciated how she showed me around and exposed me to aspects of the South Korean culture that I wouldn't have been able to access. In South Korea, it's common for good friends of the same gender to hold hands, and a few times we did hold hands. This was extremely uncomfortable to me, as an American that was always told that holding hands was only for romantic partners. But, I held her hand anyway, and embraced the different behavior, no matter how uncomfortable it made me. This is a great example of how we can learn to adapt our behaviors to other cultures, and the closeness and connection it can bring to our cross-cultural friendships, if we are able to move through the discomfort.
*This talk is especially powerful for diverse teams that have dealt with conflict, giving them the words they need to express their differences in a non-judgmental way, leading to better collaboration and cooperation.
Why Cultural Intelligence Matters at Work
In today’s diverse, fast-paced workplaces, misunderstandings often stem from invisible cultural differences rather than personality conflicts or performance issues. This session introduces cultural intelligence (CQ) as a practical skillset that helps professionals communicate more effectively, adapt their behavior, and collaborate across differences. Participants will explore how everyday workplace interactions—feedback styles, meeting dynamics, decision-making, and communication preferences—are shaped by cultural values, often without us realizing it.
Attendees will gain a clear understanding of the four capabilities of CQ—Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, and Action—and how each one builds their cultural skill-set. Through examples and discussion, we will unpack common cultural blind spots that lead to workplace friction, such as interpreting silence, giving and receiving feedback, navigating hierarchy, and balancing relationship- and task-oriented work styles. The session provides a practical framework for recognizing cultural assumptions and adjusting communication to reduce conflict and build trust.
This session includes a case study where participants apply the CQ model to a real workplace scenario involving cultural miscommunication. They will assess their own assumptions, identify cultural values at play, and practice strategies for adapting their approach. Attendees will leave with actionable tools they can use immediately: a simple method for interpreting cultural cues, effective strategies for cross-cultural communication, and a roadmap for developing cultural intelligence on the job. The goal is to empower professionals to work more confidently and collaboratively in any cultural context.
Why Cultural Intelligence Matters in Mental Health Care
Mental health professionals work at the intersection of identity, worldview, and lived experience — all of which are profoundly shaped by culture. Yet many clinical misunderstandings arise from unseen cultural differences in emotional expression, communication patterns, family dynamics, and beliefs about help-seeking. This session introduces cultural intelligence (CQ) as a practical, research-based framework that helps clinicians move beyond generic cultural competence checklists.
The session breaks down the four capabilities of CQ—Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, and Action—and demonstrates how each one improves therapeutic presence and responsiveness. Through real clinical examples, we will examine common cultural blind spots such as misinterpreting affect, misunderstanding family roles, or assuming resistance. Participants will gain insight into key cultural values (such as individualism/collectivism, direct/indirect communication, and power distance) and learn how these values influence client expectations, communication styles, emotional expression, and the clinician–client relationship.
This presentation includes an applied practice component using a culturally complex case vignette. Participants will identify their own cultural lens, assess the client’s cultural values, and use the CQ framework to adjust their therapeutic communication and approach. Attendees will leave with concrete tools for session planning, culturally attuned questioning, and strategies to reduce unintentional harm in cross-cultural interactions. The goal is to equip clinicians with actionable skills that enhance empathy, reduce misinterpretation, and support more effective, ethical, and culturally responsive mental health care.
When I lived in South Korea, I tried really hard to meet and make friends with Korean people, because I knew that I wanted to learn from and connect with the local culture as best as I could. I met a woman in my gym who spoke English, and we became friends. I appreciated how she showed me around and exposed me to aspects of the South Korean culture that I wouldn't have been able to access. In South Korea, it's common for good friends of the same gender to hold hands, and a few times we did hold hands. This was extremely uncomfortable to me, as an American that was always told that holding hands was only for romantic partners. But, I held her hand anyway, and embraced the different behavior, no matter how uncomfortable it made me. This is a great example of how we can learn to adapt our behaviors to other cultures, and the closeness and connection it can bring to our cross-cultural friendships, if we are able to move through the discomfort.
*This talk is especially powerful for diverse teams that have dealt with conflict, giving them the words they need to express their differences in a non-judgmental way, leading to better collaboration and cooperation.
Why Cultural Intelligence Matters at Work
In today’s diverse, fast-paced workplaces, misunderstandings often stem from invisible cultural differences rather than personality conflicts or performance issues. This session introduces cultural intelligence (CQ) as a practical skillset that helps professionals communicate more effectively, adapt their behavior, and collaborate across differences. Participants will explore how everyday workplace interactions—feedback styles, meeting dynamics, decision-making, and communication preferences—are shaped by cultural values, often without us realizing it.
Attendees will gain a clear understanding of the four capabilities of CQ—Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, and Action—and how each one builds their cultural skill-set. Through examples and discussion, we will unpack common cultural blind spots that lead to workplace friction, such as interpreting silence, giving and receiving feedback, navigating hierarchy, and balancing relationship- and task-oriented work styles. The session provides a practical framework for recognizing cultural assumptions and adjusting communication to reduce conflict and build trust.
This session includes a case study where participants apply the CQ model to a real workplace scenario involving cultural miscommunication. They will assess their own assumptions, identify cultural values at play, and practice strategies for adapting their approach. Attendees will leave with actionable tools they can use immediately: a simple method for interpreting cultural cues, effective strategies for cross-cultural communication, and a roadmap for developing cultural intelligence on the job. The goal is to empower professionals to work more confidently and collaboratively in any cultural context.
Why Cultural Intelligence Matters in Mental Health Care
Mental health professionals work at the intersection of identity, worldview, and lived experience — all of which are profoundly shaped by culture. Yet many clinical misunderstandings arise from unseen cultural differences in emotional expression, communication patterns, family dynamics, and beliefs about help-seeking. This session introduces cultural intelligence (CQ) as a practical, research-based framework that helps clinicians move beyond generic cultural competence checklists.
The session breaks down the four capabilities of CQ—Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, and Action—and demonstrates how each one improves therapeutic presence and responsiveness. Through real clinical examples, we will examine common cultural blind spots such as misinterpreting affect, misunderstanding family roles, or assuming resistance. Participants will gain insight into key cultural values (such as individualism/collectivism, direct/indirect communication, and power distance) and learn how these values influence client expectations, communication styles, emotional expression, and the clinician–client relationship.
This presentation includes an applied practice component using a culturally complex case vignette. Participants will identify their own cultural lens, assess the client’s cultural values, and use the CQ framework to adjust their therapeutic communication and approach. Attendees will leave with concrete tools for session planning, culturally attuned questioning, and strategies to reduce unintentional harm in cross-cultural interactions. The goal is to equip clinicians with actionable skills that enhance empathy, reduce misinterpretation, and support more effective, ethical, and culturally responsive mental health care.
