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Get the Boots
This is the follow-on podcast from "Transcontinental Overload".
Everyone faces tough times. Some are chosen, others are forced upon us. What matters most is how we respond.
This podcast is about real people who have faced real challenges — setbacks, obstacles, loss, or life-altering changes, such as a move abroad — and found a way forward. Each episode dives into a personal story of resilience, courage, and sometimes transformation. My guests share what they went through, what shifted their mindset, and how they learned not just to survive, but to grow.
If you’ve ever wondered how others manage to rise from difficult moments with new strength and perspective, this is the space for you. Honest conversations. Practical wisdom. Hope for the journey ahead.
I'm Stephanie, and I love talking to people and hearing their stories. Moving on from my old podcast, "Transcontinental Overload", where I talked to guests about their experiences of moving and living abroad, I'm expanding my focus to include those who haven't moved countries. After all, life's challenges hit us all sooner or later, whether we've stayed in one country or not.
Join me as we uncover what it truly means to overcome, and how the toughest moments can sometimes open the door to the strongest versions of ourselves.
Get the Boots
57. Closing the culture gap: the power of vulnerability - with Christian Höferle
My guest today is "The Culture Guy" - Christian Höferle, founder, president and CEO of The Culture Mastery, a coaching, mentoring and consulting company based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Our conversation starts with Christian's early life in small-town Bavaria (incidentally, the exact same area and time period I grew up in), his experience as a 17-year-old exchange student in the US, and how this part of his life shaped his future mindset. We then meander through his professional life traveling from Germany to the United States, and finish by talking about the nature of his business.
We cover a multitude of cultural differences, expectations, and the importance of vulnerability in an international setting, and find some special Bavarian aspects of being German - which I'm always happy to talk about!
Christian shares some amazing insights into the German and American psyche and draws out some fascinating historical coincidences - if you're working in an international environment and are intrigued by how different cultures can work together more productively, you're in for an absolute treat.
Christian mentions Karl May, a German 19th and early 20th-century author, and in fact one of the most well-known German writers to date. He wrote travel adventure stories about the American Wild West despite never having travelled there himself, and his stories about Winnetou and Old Shatterhand were part of German children's childhoods for over a century.
Just because I promised it in the episode, here's an American swear word you might not know you needed: "BFE = Butt F%$ Egypt = the middle of nowhere". You're welcome.
Spider Murphy Gang is a Bavarian pop group we grew up with in the 80s. Watch the video of the song Christian quotes from to get some impressions of summery Munich in the 80s!
Eisbach-Surfen: The Eisbach is a side arm of the Isar, Munich's beautiful river, and there is a standing wave, where surfers gather at any time of the year to show off their skills.
Find out more about Christian and what he's up to on The Culture Mastery Website, his very funny and informative YouTube channel and podcast "Two Chaps Many Cultures" on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and IHeartRadio, or find him on LinkedIn and of course on Instagram.