Majority of LaMatu clients have expatriate background, many consider themselves as highly skilled migrants and identify with the term “expat”. LaMatu coachees include professionals facing life transitions, identity dilemmas, or cross-cultural challenges that come with building a life abroad. Over the years LaMatu has provided individual coaching services to hundreds of clients living across Europe and representing 67 different nationalities.
As a seasoned expat and citizen of the world, I bring a truly global perspective to my work—drawing from over twenty years of international experience and fluency in five languages. In my work I regularly encounter coachees dealing with complex life dilemmas, and intercultural challenges that are pertinent to an expat life. People with a migration background often grapple with issues revolving around sense of belonging, loyalty, cultural norms, values, belief-systems and self-identity questions. A plethora of topics related to cultural values, integration, diversity and inclusion emerge in the context of both work and private life.
Relocation to a foreign country has a major impact on the family, friendships and the entire social life. Many immigrants have trouble finding new friends in their new home country, partially due to language and cultural differences. Changing environments requires a certain skill-set and attitude if one is to succeed in approaching strangers, establishing new connections and ultimately creating a new sense of belonging to a tribe and community.
Whether you have emigrated yourself, found yourself working with people from a different cultural background, or have aspirations of an international career, being able to maneuver the complexities of cross-cultural communications became a crucial survival skill in the modern world. Hiring a coach that can support you in developing your intercultural skills is a wise investment.
Thanks to my personal experience of my own expatriate experience spanning across over 20 years, having studied abroad, worked in multinational organisations I can relate to many of those challenges. I traveled across 63 and lived in 4 different countries, mastering 5 languages along the way. I conduct my coaching conversations in Dutch, English and Polish. I aim to support my coachees with the right dose of empathy and inspiration to make the most of that phase of their life.