S1/E08: #Foreign Affairs - From Global Upbringing to Superhumanizing the World with Ariane Sommer

Show notes

Big wings and small roots? In this episode, Frauke and Marie-Christine talk about the benefits and challenges of a global upbringing. Spending a considerable part of your life abroad and being exposed to a variety of cultures and customs, thoughts and attitudes, definitely shapes how you move in and between cultures, social circles and worldviews.

Episode Highlights

(00:03:14) Culture Chat: Frauke and Marie-Christine welcome Ariane Sommer, a published author, vegan biohacker and wellness entrepreneur, journalist, model and keynote speaker. Born in Germany into a diplomatic household, Ariane grew up in places as diverse as Sierra Leone, India, Spain, the US and the UK - and is a self-proclaimed “child of the world.” Due to her global upbringing, Ariane learned to appreciate and respect the differences these varying cultures offer as well as an innate awareness of what it means to be a citizen of the world. Ariane’s philanthropic, activist and business initiatives focus on aid for people in need, animal welfare and green/earth-friendly endeavors. Currently Ariane resides in Los Angeles and Berlin.

(00:26:45) Deep Dive: In the Deep Dive, Frauke & Marie-Christine further discuss the challenges as well as the benefits of a global upbringing: Big Wings and Small Roots. While moving away and growing up in different countries is an amazing experience, as everything in life, it also has its downfalls. The most obvious challenges are moving away from family and friends as well as developing a sense of belonging and attachment to a culture. These factors play a strong role in one's self-esteem and identity.The benefits of a global upbringing are that you learn to understand and acknowledge different ways of being and doing and consequently adapt your behavior to different cultural contexts and thus learn to easily move between cultures. Multicultural kids have a special skill of being able to quickly switch back and forth in their minds to adapt to different situations.

Of course, it takes some adjustments but at the end of the day, isn’t that what life is all about? Constantly adjusting to new situations, maintaining a form of mental agility at all times?

Final Thought: Home is where you feel comfortable, it could be a place but it could also be a person.

Our Interview Guest: Ariane Sommer has worked as a contributor and columnist for many of the German markets most prominent newspapers and magazines. Her work has international exposure in publications including Die Welt, Welt am Sonntag, taz, Interview Magazine, Vogue, Bunte, Gala, Cosmopolitan, Emma, Playboy, Emotion, InStyle and BILD. She has been featured as an expert on lifestyle, culture, health and wellness on all major German TV networks as well as US Channels and has hosted numerous TV shows broadcasted in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Publications: “Lieben lassen”, novel, published by Art Vivendi, 2015. “Foreign Affairs”, collection of 34 short stories published by Weissbooks, 2009. Her guide to personal style and etiquette, “The Bible of Behavior” by Argon and Fischer, 2002.

Arianes Website http://arianesommer.com/en/

Arianes SUPERHUMANIZE Podcast https://superhumanize.com/

Ariane As Vegan as possible blog: http://www.avap.life.com/

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