Welcome to the first episode of International Career Journey, a podcast for anyone who has ever had to rebuild a career, an identity, or a sense of home in a new country. I’ll be speaking with international professionals about the parts of the journey that rarely make it onto a CV — the doubt, the small wins, the cultural code-switching, the courage it takes to start again.
For episode one, I sat down with Sumati Sharma, Senior International Admissions Officer at a university here in New Zealand. Before that, she was a registered teacher in India, and today she supports international students — and their families — through what she describes as a life-changing decision: choosing to study overseas. We talk about a decision most people spend their whole careers avoiding: walking away from comfort.
Why leave an established career to become a student again?
Sumati arrived in New Zealand as an established education professional from India — a registered teacher with years of experience and a career that, by her own account, had become “getting really very comfortable.” She wanted more. So she did something that unsettled the people closest to her: she gave it up to become a student again.
When she told her family, the response was disbelief. Are you okay? Isn’t comfortable the whole point? It’s a question I imagine a lot of us have faced in some form. Her family’s support, once they understood, became the foundation she built on — but that didn’t erase the doubt that crept in afterward: visa rules to navigate, an unfamiliar academic culture, and the strange vertigo of being a confident professional one week and a first-year international student the next.
What does “unlearning” a career actually involve?
One of the most striking parts of our conversation is how quickly Sumati had to unlearn what had always worked for her professionally back home — and how unexpected some of her replacements turned out to be. A cold LinkedIn message. A cultural miscue involving coffee that she didn’t understand until it had already happened twice. A decision to volunteer her way into clarity rather than guess her way into a job.
I won’t spell out exactly how each of those unfolds — that’s the part worth listening to — but if you’ve ever had to figure out the unwritten rules of a new professional culture through trial, error, and a little embarrassment, you’ll recognise yourself in this.
How can you belong to two countries at once?
There’s a moment partway through the episode where I asked Sumati a question most migrants get asked constantly, and rarely get to answer on their own terms: “where are you from?” Her answer draws on a distinction from Indian philosophy that reframes what it means to belong to two places at once — and it’s one of those ideas that’s stayed with me since we recorded.
We also talk about home itself: what it felt like when her family finally arrived in New Zealand, and what happened to her sense of “home” the first time she went back to visit India afterward. I’ll let Sumati tell that part herself.
What this conversation stirred up for me
Interviewing Sumati for this first episode did something I didn’t fully expect — it turned the mirror back on my own journey. Listening to her describe learning and unlearning the rules of a new professional culture, I kept thinking about my own version of that: the habits I brought with me from Singapore that had to be retired, the new ways of working I had to try on before they fit, the mistakes I made along the way that taught me more than the things I got right the first time.
If there’s one lesson from my own journey that this conversation brought back to me, it’s this: learn to enjoy a joke, even when the joke’s on you. Rebuilding a career across borders means getting things wrong in public sometimes — misreading a room, missing a cue, taking something literally that was meant as banter. The professionals who seem to navigate this best aren’t the ones who never stumble. They’re the ones who can laugh at themselves, take the lesson, and keep going.
That’s really what this podcast is for. Not a highlight reel of successful transitions, but honest conversations about the unlearning it actually takes — including my own.
Watch or listen to the full episode
Frequently asked questions
What is the International Career Journey podcast about? It’s a podcast hosted by Dr Sherrie Lee featuring conversations with international professionals about rebuilding careers, identities, and a sense of home across borders.
Who is the guest in episode 1? Sumati Sharma, a Senior International Admissions Officer at a university in New Zealand, who moved from an established career in India to becoming an international student, and then rebuilt her career in international education.
What is Janmabhoomi and Karmabhoomi? It’s a distinction from Indian philosophy referenced in this episode that separates one’s birthplace from one’s place of work, offering a way to honour both without choosing between them. Sumati explains what it means to her in the full conversation.
Where can I listen to the podcast? You can watch it on YouTube or listen on Spotify — links below.
About Dr Sherrie Lee
Dr Sherrie Lee is a career coach and educator for international professionals, ICF certified in positive psychology coaching. She is a Professional Member of CDANZ, where she hosts the Character Strengths Special Interest Group, and writes and speaks regularly on international careers, character strengths, and cross-cultural belonging.
Learn more at thediasporicacademic.com, book a free 20-minute discovery call, connect on LinkedIn, or subscribe to the monthly newsletter International Career Journey on Substack.
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