“Mummy, tell me a story!” comes the evening plea. What story can I spin now? I’ve done the fairy tales, the cartoons, the bible stories, even put my kids in tales, and there always has to be one more. “How about a story about ….” I pause to think. “…. the girl and the kite?”…
“Mummy, tell me a story!” comes the evening plea. What story can I spin now? I’ve done the fairy tales, the cartoons, the bible stories, even put my kids in tales, and there always has to be one more.
“How about a story about ….” I pause to think. “…. the girl and the kite?” She nods in excitement.
“Once there was a girl who loved kites. She made small kites and big kites. One day she decided to make the biggest kite she could. She gathered bamboo sticks and very thin paper to make her kite.
Her kite was a bird, not just any bird, but a phoenix. Now, a phoenix is not a real bird, just an imaginary one, like the unicorn.
After she finished the structure, she painted on the bird. Soon, it was completed. The girl finished the biggest kite she ever made – The Phoenix.
English: The Phoenix Firebird Deutsch: Der Phoenix Feuervogel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When there was a strong wind, she took the kite outside. She ran and ran and ran, but the kite didn’t fly. She tried again. She ran and ran and ran, but the kite still didn’t fly. She tried once again, she ran and ran and ran, and finally the kite took off into the sky. She held on to the string so that the bird wouldn’t fly off. She moved the kite forward and backward, left and right. The Phoenix was flying high in the sky.
Then suddenly, the kite got stuck in a tree. Oh no! It was a very tall tree and she couldn’t climb the tree to get the kite. She was very sad. Then there was a strong gust of wind and shook the kite off the tree. The kite flew into the sky. The bird was free! The Phoenix was flying high!
The girl was so happy. She was so happy that she let go off the string and now the bird flew off into a distance. The girl was not sad. She knew that someone else would take care of her kite.
Much further away, there were some children playing in the field.
‘Look up! What’s that?’ cried one.
‘It’s a bird! A big bird!’ shrieked another.
‘No, it’s a kite!’ exclaimed the third.
The children were very happy that they found a kite. And they had a fun time playing with it.
The End.”
“Do you like the story?”
“Yes, you are a great storyteller!”
“Really? I’m a storyteller?
“Yes, you should go to the library and tell stories to the children.”
What is the third space? Learn how international professionals navigate cultural identity and career challenges across borders—and how to share your story.
At the start of 2025, I set out to deepen my craft as an international career coach through professional development, character strengths workshops, and strategic portfolio planning. This year brought planned happenstance—unexpected opportunities that aligned perfectly with my goal of expanding impact on international professionals.
From earning my Certified Career Services Provider credential to launching the CDANZ Special Interest Group on Character Strengths, from facilitating workshops for European audiences to exploring the contrasts between New Zealand and Singapore’s approaches to professional development—it’s been a year of chance and control, much like Jackson Pollock’s Convergence.
Join me as I reflect on professional development lessons, the transformative power of VIA character strengths in career coaching, and what it means to build a meaningful international career portfolio. Carpe diem—seize the day, make your life extraordinary.
From “chaotic” CV to coherent portfolio career: How I discovered my hidden pattern through Holland Codes after 25+ roles across two countries. A career retrospective for international professionals.
After living away from my home country for more than 10 years, I still struggle to answer one simple question: who am I? As a career coach for international professionals, I see this everywhere—LinkedIn profiles that sound the same, networking introductions that fall flat, people defaulting to stereotypes instead of their authentic stories. The truth is, being able to articulate who you are matters professionally. But how do you move beyond generic labels? In this post, I share my defining moment on a snowy mountain in Canada and challenge you to discover your own inciting incident—the experience that reveals what truly drives you as an international professional.
What does it mean to be an international professional? I share my backstory as an international professional – starting with some discomforting truths, but ultimately inviting you to join me in the spirit of Carpe Diem!