EVENTS
Online
I will be facilitating this event.
60 minutes webinar (recorded)
30 minutes (unrecorded, live Q & A’s)
8am London, 9am Paris, 11am Dubai, 3pm Singapore, 5pm Sydney, 7pm Auckland
Check your timezone here: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/
The session will be recorded for those unable to attend on the day. Please register in advance to receive the recording link.
For this special event, FIGT ANZA is joined by seven amazing global mobility authors.
EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
Register now:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkcO6tqzMuH9xuF430A0wMHaJJSzX1itWC
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email along with a reminder email a day or two prior.
AUTHORS’ BIOS
Yvonne Quahe is Singaporean by birth, a sociologist by training, a facilitator, coach, HR professional, and author of Whose Career – Yours, Mine or Ours. She has walked in the shoes of her clients, having lived abroad as a working professional and accompanying partner in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, the UK, and the USA.
She developed the Care Code (Clarify, Assess, Refocus, Explore) as a framework for systematic dialogue to transform the way individuals, couples, and HR professionals can approach the complex challenges faced by Dual Career Couples.
Yvonne has spent the last 13 years of her career designing and developing programs for Dual Career families in support of the World Bank Group’s efforts to facilitate talent mobility. She is currently the Career and Program advisor at the World Bank Group Family Network. In 2017 she designed the Career Lab to address the challenges faced by accompanying partners.
She is also the author of We Remember: Cameos of Pioneer Life, a social history of Singapore, using oral history as a medium of documentation, and the Culture Smart Guide to the Philippines. She speaks at international conferences, panel discussions, podcasts, and talk shows.
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An author, writer, speaker, researcher and economist, Mariam Ottimofiore
jokingly calls herself an ‘expat since birth’. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, she took her first steps in Manama, Bahrain, and attended her first school in New York City, in the United States.
By the time she was ten years old, her global childhood meant that she had grown up in three countries, in two languages and was constantly correcting the pronunciation of her name.
When she was 19 years old, Mariam left her home in Karachi with a blue suitcase and a one-way ticket to Boston’s Logan Airport. To date, she has lived in ten countries as both a Third Culture Kid (TCK) and an expat adult:
1. The Kingdom of Bahrain,
2. the United States (NY, MA, TX),
3. Pakistan,
4. the United Kingdom,
5. Germany,
6. Denmark,
7. Singapore,
8. the United Arab Emirates,
9. Ghana,
10. Portugal (from 2020 - till present)
Mariam is the author of two books on global living. She has a little tradition; every time she leaves a country, she writes a goodbye letter to it, but this time, Mariam did not want to wait and decided to write an entire book instead. The Guilty Can’t Say Goodbye is her unofficial love letter to Portugal. Please welcome Mariam Ottimofiore.
---
Catriona Turner is a Scottish writer and editor. Before living abroad, she worked as an English teacher in Scottish schools. She has since spent fourteen years globally mobile with her family, living in France (three times), Uganda, Congo, and Denmark.
Her first book, Nest: a memoir of home on the move, was published in June 2023, and she is now working on a follow-up memoir of returning to Scotland. Her writing has also appeared in anthologies, and she had a regular column in The International in Denmark.
Catriona has a passion for theatre and has been lucky enough to perform on stages in five countries. When she’s not working with words or rehearsing, she relaxes with old movies and a needle and thread, or just hangs out with her boys while they make her laugh.
Click here to read the first three chapters of Nest for free.
You can read more of Catriona’s writing at catrionaturner.com. Find her proofreading and copyediting services at thewordbothy.com.
---
Florence Reisch-Gentinetta has navigated many phases of expatriate life. At 25, she left her job and sedentary lifestyle to follow her boyfriend to West Africa. Two years later, they married and had two children: Constantin, born in Singapore in 2004, and Angelina, born in Brazil in 2007.
Florence is highly attuned to how these frequent changes affect her children, focusing on their emotions, needs, and happiness. A few months before leaving the Philippines, she discovered life coaching and recognized its alignment with her educational approach. She decided to pursue coaching to prepare for a new challenge: living as a split family with her husband working in Pakistan and the rest of the family based in Dubai.
This coaching experience helped Florence arrive in Dubai strong, serene, and at peace, managing alone with her two children. Her passion for coaching and its impact on those around her led her to make it her profession, specializing as an Expat-Coach. Wanting to reach more expats, she wrote her first book, “Expat Wife, Happy Life!” available in paperback, audio, and e-book in six languages.
In addition to her coaching career, Florence volunteers with the international expat community through Coffee With An Expat.
---
Margaret Ghielmetti has lived on four continents and has visited fifty countries - so far! She wrote Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist to inspire readers that it’s never too late to learn to live our own lives – if we dare to let go of outdated roles and rules we thought kept us safe . . . and to entertain readers with her adventures (and mis-adventures) abroad, sharing what each country taught her (that she never would've learned on her own.)
Ghielmetti is proud that Brave(ish) earned Silver in Story Circle's Gilda Prize: nominated memoirs are “Distinguished by their fresh voices, their honesty, and their authenticity. They make us laugh (even when we want to cry).” She’s delighted that the New York Times published her Tiny Love Story – “A Memory Mea Culpa" – on New Year’s Day 2023 . . . to have won two StorySLAMs with The Moth “live lit” storytelling show . . . and to have appeared on numerous podcasts, as she loves being in this conversations with expats, repats, and “international humans!”
Her solo show, “Fierce,” is about re-claiming her genuine voice and expression in mid-life; other creative passions include photography, improv, and coaching others to tell their stories. She wants everyone to find and have their voice in the world.
Brave(ish) takes Margaret and her Swiss hotelier husband from New York City to Paris, Cairo, Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt,) Chiang Mai (Thailand,) Bangkok, Singapore, and back to her hometown of Chicago, with significant “stops” in India and Switzerland. https://margaretghielmetti.com
---
Tanya Crossman is an Australian Adult TCK who has been working with TCKs and their families, educators, and other caregivers for nearly 20 years. Tanya is the author of Misunderstood: The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century (2016) and lead author of three white papers (2022-2023), in her role as Director of Research and International Education at TCK Training, a leading global provider of preventive care for globally mobile families.
Kath Williams is a professional social worker with an enduring passion for working
alongside Third Culture Kids as they grow and develop and to see them thrive. She is
currently employed as a Third Culture Kid Advocate by two mission organisations in
Australia.
Kath has 20 years’ experience working with children and teens, including working
with Indigenous communities, foster children, and community campsites. She
also spent two years in Cambodia, where she had a role in the student support
team at Hope International School and volunteered at the local international church youth group with middle
school and high school students.
When Kath is not working you can catch her going out for coffee and food with friends, exploring with her camera, going to any zoos she can,
reading, listening to music, and travelling as much as she can.
Together, Tanya and Kath spent three years researching, writing, and preparing to launch Thongs or Flip-Flops? Australian kids overseas and what comes next (2024).
30 minutes (unrecorded, live Q & A’s)
8am London, 9am Paris, 11am Dubai, 3pm Singapore, 5pm Sydney, 7pm Auckland
Check your timezone here: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/
The session will be recorded for those unable to attend on the day. Please register in advance to receive the recording link.
For this special event, FIGT ANZA is joined by seven amazing global mobility authors.
- Yvonne Quahe – Whose Career, Yours, Mine or Ours?
- Mariam Navaid Ottimofiore – The Guilty Can’t Say Goodbye
- Catriona Turner – nest
- Florence Reisch-Gentinetta – Expat Wife – Happy Life
- Margaret Davis Ghielmetti – Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist
- Tanya Crossman & Kath Williams – Thongs or Flip Flops?
EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
Register now:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkcO6tqzMuH9xuF430A0wMHaJJSzX1itWC
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email along with a reminder email a day or two prior.
AUTHORS’ BIOS
Yvonne Quahe is Singaporean by birth, a sociologist by training, a facilitator, coach, HR professional, and author of Whose Career – Yours, Mine or Ours. She has walked in the shoes of her clients, having lived abroad as a working professional and accompanying partner in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, the UK, and the USA.
She developed the Care Code (Clarify, Assess, Refocus, Explore) as a framework for systematic dialogue to transform the way individuals, couples, and HR professionals can approach the complex challenges faced by Dual Career Couples.
Yvonne has spent the last 13 years of her career designing and developing programs for Dual Career families in support of the World Bank Group’s efforts to facilitate talent mobility. She is currently the Career and Program advisor at the World Bank Group Family Network. In 2017 she designed the Career Lab to address the challenges faced by accompanying partners.
She is also the author of We Remember: Cameos of Pioneer Life, a social history of Singapore, using oral history as a medium of documentation, and the Culture Smart Guide to the Philippines. She speaks at international conferences, panel discussions, podcasts, and talk shows.
---
An author, writer, speaker, researcher and economist, Mariam Ottimofiore
jokingly calls herself an ‘expat since birth’. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, she took her first steps in Manama, Bahrain, and attended her first school in New York City, in the United States.
By the time she was ten years old, her global childhood meant that she had grown up in three countries, in two languages and was constantly correcting the pronunciation of her name.
When she was 19 years old, Mariam left her home in Karachi with a blue suitcase and a one-way ticket to Boston’s Logan Airport. To date, she has lived in ten countries as both a Third Culture Kid (TCK) and an expat adult:
1. The Kingdom of Bahrain,
2. the United States (NY, MA, TX),
3. Pakistan,
4. the United Kingdom,
5. Germany,
6. Denmark,
7. Singapore,
8. the United Arab Emirates,
9. Ghana,
10. Portugal (from 2020 - till present)
Mariam is the author of two books on global living. She has a little tradition; every time she leaves a country, she writes a goodbye letter to it, but this time, Mariam did not want to wait and decided to write an entire book instead. The Guilty Can’t Say Goodbye is her unofficial love letter to Portugal. Please welcome Mariam Ottimofiore.
---
Catriona Turner is a Scottish writer and editor. Before living abroad, she worked as an English teacher in Scottish schools. She has since spent fourteen years globally mobile with her family, living in France (three times), Uganda, Congo, and Denmark.
Her first book, Nest: a memoir of home on the move, was published in June 2023, and she is now working on a follow-up memoir of returning to Scotland. Her writing has also appeared in anthologies, and she had a regular column in The International in Denmark.
Catriona has a passion for theatre and has been lucky enough to perform on stages in five countries. When she’s not working with words or rehearsing, she relaxes with old movies and a needle and thread, or just hangs out with her boys while they make her laugh.
Click here to read the first three chapters of Nest for free.
You can read more of Catriona’s writing at catrionaturner.com. Find her proofreading and copyediting services at thewordbothy.com.
---
Florence Reisch-Gentinetta has navigated many phases of expatriate life. At 25, she left her job and sedentary lifestyle to follow her boyfriend to West Africa. Two years later, they married and had two children: Constantin, born in Singapore in 2004, and Angelina, born in Brazil in 2007.
Florence is highly attuned to how these frequent changes affect her children, focusing on their emotions, needs, and happiness. A few months before leaving the Philippines, she discovered life coaching and recognized its alignment with her educational approach. She decided to pursue coaching to prepare for a new challenge: living as a split family with her husband working in Pakistan and the rest of the family based in Dubai.
This coaching experience helped Florence arrive in Dubai strong, serene, and at peace, managing alone with her two children. Her passion for coaching and its impact on those around her led her to make it her profession, specializing as an Expat-Coach. Wanting to reach more expats, she wrote her first book, “Expat Wife, Happy Life!” available in paperback, audio, and e-book in six languages.
In addition to her coaching career, Florence volunteers with the international expat community through Coffee With An Expat.
---
Margaret Ghielmetti has lived on four continents and has visited fifty countries - so far! She wrote Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist to inspire readers that it’s never too late to learn to live our own lives – if we dare to let go of outdated roles and rules we thought kept us safe . . . and to entertain readers with her adventures (and mis-adventures) abroad, sharing what each country taught her (that she never would've learned on her own.)
Ghielmetti is proud that Brave(ish) earned Silver in Story Circle's Gilda Prize: nominated memoirs are “Distinguished by their fresh voices, their honesty, and their authenticity. They make us laugh (even when we want to cry).” She’s delighted that the New York Times published her Tiny Love Story – “A Memory Mea Culpa" – on New Year’s Day 2023 . . . to have won two StorySLAMs with The Moth “live lit” storytelling show . . . and to have appeared on numerous podcasts, as she loves being in this conversations with expats, repats, and “international humans!”
Her solo show, “Fierce,” is about re-claiming her genuine voice and expression in mid-life; other creative passions include photography, improv, and coaching others to tell their stories. She wants everyone to find and have their voice in the world.
Brave(ish) takes Margaret and her Swiss hotelier husband from New York City to Paris, Cairo, Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt,) Chiang Mai (Thailand,) Bangkok, Singapore, and back to her hometown of Chicago, with significant “stops” in India and Switzerland. https://margaretghielmetti.com
---
Tanya Crossman is an Australian Adult TCK who has been working with TCKs and their families, educators, and other caregivers for nearly 20 years. Tanya is the author of Misunderstood: The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century (2016) and lead author of three white papers (2022-2023), in her role as Director of Research and International Education at TCK Training, a leading global provider of preventive care for globally mobile families.
Kath Williams is a professional social worker with an enduring passion for working
alongside Third Culture Kids as they grow and develop and to see them thrive. She is
currently employed as a Third Culture Kid Advocate by two mission organisations in
Australia.
Kath has 20 years’ experience working with children and teens, including working
with Indigenous communities, foster children, and community campsites. She
also spent two years in Cambodia, where she had a role in the student support
team at Hope International School and volunteered at the local international church youth group with middle
school and high school students.
When Kath is not working you can catch her going out for coffee and food with friends, exploring with her camera, going to any zoos she can,
reading, listening to music, and travelling as much as she can.
Together, Tanya and Kath spent three years researching, writing, and preparing to launch Thongs or Flip-Flops? Australian kids overseas and what comes next (2024).
In-person
No current in-person events