April has rolled around faster than we could blink…but that also means that we’re all set to bring to you a new story of another inspirational woman as part of our ‘Entrepreneur of the Month’ feature for April. This month, we have the absolute pleasure of shining the spotlight on none other than Angie Weinberger. Angie is an Expat Coach in Switzerland who’s on a mission to bring the ‘human touch back into global mobility through digitalization’ as she likes to put it 😉
Being an expat myself, it brings me immense pleasure to feature her story and all the work she’s doing for expats to have an easy transition in a new country. How I wish I had someone like her when I moved 😉 But nonetheless, read on as we take you through her journey in this interactive feature.
Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself
My name is Angie Weinberger and I moved to Switzerland in 2009 from Germany when I got a job offer from PwC internally. Rather than opting for an international assignment and staying in Germany, I chose to transfer. This decision was driven by my long-standing dream to return to Zurich, a city that left a lasting impression on me during an internship back in 1997-1998. So yes, you can call me an expat 🙂
Having lived and worked across various countries like the UK, Australia, and India, I consider myself a citizen of the world, aligning with what I call the “Global People Club.” My passions extend beyond borders; I find joy in writing books, savoring spicy cuisines, and cherishing the wholesome food my Kashmiri partner cooks. While Bollywood dancing and movies once captivated me, my focus has shifted towards the tranquility of yoga.
I’m super passionate about exploring the world and you’d often find me working remotely from different corners of the globe. Last year alone, I found myself immersed in the cultures of India, Germany, and Pakistan, adding rich layers to my global experiences.
Tell us about your current business. What are you doing exactly?
As an expat, I knew well the hardships and struggles faced by my fellow expats. Whether it’s the uncertainty of starting a new life, setting up a new home, or managing numerous moving processes, it can all be quite stressful. What makes it even more challenging for expats is when the country they’re moving into isn’t very welcoming to foreigners in general, which I feel is the case with Switzerland. It always seems to me that there is a class divide here between the Swiss and foreigners. However, even though integration might take longer here than in other countries, most expats still want to stay after they’ve gotten through the first two years.
Amongst all this chaos, an advice from someone who has been through it all could be of great help for expats to get through it and come out strong!
With exactly this thought, I started my company ‘Global People Transitions’
It was a long-term dream of mine to do something for the expat community with my expertise. At the same time, I felt a growing frustration towards the untapped potential within the Swiss job market, particularly when I witnessed numerous remarkable women being underemployed or unemployed. To solve all of this, at Global People Transitions, we offer a range of services for expats, ranging from Coaching, Intercultural Competence Training, bespoke retreats for global leaders and more. You can read more about it HERE.
Tell us your story, how did you come up with this idea?
Back in the day, when I used to work in Human Resources with a focus on Global Mobility, I realised that there’s a significant gap within the corporate world, especially between talent-leadership development and Global Mobility. For years, we have tried hard to address this issue, but I was convinced that the only solution lies in individuals taking ownership of their careers and lives. So, I decided to take on this mission to bring the Human Touch back into Global Mobility and I started my company in 2010 with a blog to help expats with their career transitions….and then it slowly blossomed into what it is today.
Did you know? Research shows that these “transitions” range in the top ten stress factors in the world!
As an Expat Coach, I assist my clients with their international careers and transitions with the help of various tools I am developing. These include – workbooks, worksheets, and the RockMeApp. While I work with expats directly, I have also continued to work within companies as a Global Mobility Project Manager since 2015. Additionally, I lecture on building global competency and managing diversity, equity, and inclusion. In comparison to other expat coaches, I may adopt a more academic approach as I constantly work on deepening my expertise in psychology.
My specialty lies in relationship and trust-building across cultures, constructing global, virtual teams, and enhancing purpose, performance, and productivity. My latest book also focuses on these topics.
What is a day like “in your heels?”
As a morning person, I used to be part of the 5 AM club, but last year, I decided to ease into my mornings a bit more and now, I typically wake up around 6 AM. Before diving into my day, I like to prioritize moments of meditation to center myself before meeting with clients. Post that, my schedule usually consists of dedicating about half of my day to client consultations, while the remaining portion is dedicated to curating and disseminating content related to Expat Careers and Lives, along with Global Mobility topics. To manage projects effectively, I collaborate with freelancers, ensuring regular communication through a dedicated Slack channel where we touch base at least once a day.
Working predominantly from home allows me the flexibility to attend workshops and lunch meetings with potential clients and other industry connections, which I thoroughly enjoy.
Do you have any specific advice to fellow entrepreneurs?
- I’ve learned that as business owners we always work against our own self-doubts when we encounter crises. We often forget that every crisis has the potential to move your business forward.
- I believe it is essential to connect with relevant coaches or take up trainings to move forward in your personal and professional life. I strongly practice what I preach and am constantly working towards levelling up on a personal and professional front with different trainings. I love to learn and I do this by disciplining myself about how much money and time I will spend on training and self-improvement.
I feel like I’m a Porsche now (because all the investments I made in myself) are equivalent to the cost of a Porsche.
- As a woman, I don’t think you have a particular advantage in this market. I stopped believing in Prince Charming a long time ago and relied on myself heavily for financial matters, and even supported my partner for a long time. It helps to have a career leg you can count on in case your income level is too low or in case there is global pandemic. I also think it is critical that you take care of your physical and emotional well-being as an ‘entrepreneuse.’ Too many entrepreneurs burn out because they are trying to do too many things at the same time.
Pace, persistence and patience are key.
Are you an expat looking to kickstart your life in a new country? Angie is offering an exclusive 10% off on all licenses on her website if you use the code ‘MSS2024’
Would you like to connect with Angie? Feel free to reach out to her on her LinkedIn.
For more information, head to her website: https://globalpeopletransitions.com/
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