ABROAD STAGE

Oana Lacatis
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  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Biweekly

The podcast where stories cross international borders. Each episode explores the journey of professionals who hava built a life and career far away from home and learned how to adapt evolve & succeed in a new country, in different environments. The conversations go around success stories, culture, direction, family choices, failures and lessons. ABROAD STAGE helps you understand both challenges and opportunities of living abroad through our guests' own experiences.

Episodes

  1. Aug 12

    How to Win in China : Market, Real Estate, Network, Business

    n this episode of ABROAD STAGE, we sit down with Bjarne Bauer, Managing Partner at NAI Sofia Group Shanghai and one of the most experienced voices in China’s commercial and industrial real estate industry.It began with an interest in martial arts and a few Mandarin classes, then he went on to build his own company, join the global NAI network, advise international manufacturers entering China and work on transactions of millions of dollars.Bjarne explains why choosing a cheap factory can become an extremely expensive mistake. A factory might have lower rent, but if it is too far from talent, suppliers, customers and transportation infrastructure, the company may eventually be forced to relocate again. Sometimes moving a container across China can cost almost as much as shipping it from Shanghai to Europe or the United States.We also discuss China’s property crisis, ghost cities, industrial parks, apartment investments and why factories and logistics properties may offer very different opportunities from residential real estate.He's one of the best networkers I have ever met and his philosophy is simple: you harvest what you sow. Bjarne connects people, shares information and creates opportunities for others. Over time, this puts him at the centre of a network built on trust, generosity and long term relationships.On his Youtube channel you can find more info on properties and buildings in China. And as promised, here is the video on the BEST CITY in China according to Bjarne:    • China's Possibly Best City and Province  Best parts of the episode:🌍 How a 1 year China plan became a 22-year journey🌍 Building an industrial real estate company from scratch🌍 Why foreign companies are still investing in China🌍 The truth about China’s property market correction🌍 Renting versus building a factory in China🌍 The hidden costs of choosing the wrong location🌍 How foreign brands fail when they refuse to localise🌍 High context versus low context business cultures🌍 German and Chinese approaches to relationships and contracts🌍 Why apartments may be a questionable investment in China🌍 What outsiders misunderstand about modern China🌍 Undergoing open brain surgery while awake in Shanghai🌍 Why young professionals should experience living abroadThis is a conversation about China, entrepreneurship, industrial real estate, cultural intelligence, networking, trust and what happens when one more year becomes an entire life.If you are considering building a company in China, opening a factory, developing an international career or simply want to understand how business really works on the ground, this episode is for you.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━👤 GET IN CONTACT WITH BJARNE BAUER🔗 LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/bjarne-bauer-sior-44513329▶️ YouTube:   /  ⁨@crazybuildingscre⁩    🔗 Email:bjarne@sofiagroup.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEABROAD STAGE is about people who stepped outside their comfort zone and built extraordinary lives around the world.Every episode explores international careers, entrepreneurship, personal growth, identity and the lessons learned from living abroad.Subscribe for new episodes twice a month.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱ CHAPTERS00:00 Intro01:21 How Bjarne Ended Up in China07:18 Building His Own Real Estate Company12:07 Are Foreign Companies Still Coming to China?15:41 Should Companies Rent or Build Factories?18:16 The Hidden Cost of Cheap Factory Locations28:08 How He Built a Powerful Network31:29 The Biggest Mistake Foreign Companies Make36:03 China’s Best, Worst and Ghost Buildings39:04 Is Chinese Real Estate Still a Good Investment?47:08 High-Context vs. Low-Context Cultures50:03 Skills Needed for Industrial Real Estate53:10 China’s Economy Explained Through One Building56:50 Having Open Brain Surgery in China1:02:16 How Living Abroad Changes Your Worldview1:03:49 Books That Shaped His Thinking1:04:51 Where to Find Bjarne

    How to Win in China : Market, Real Estate, Network, Business

  2. Jul 8

    China Speed Meets German Precision: What We Must Change to Compete

    Marieke Bossek first came to China in 2007 as an exchange student. What started as a spontaneous decision turned into a 19 year journey that took her from building exhibitions to running German Center Taicang. Now she's preparing to lead German Center Shanghai, a 50,000 sqm ecosystem with office towers and a full business infrastructure. Marieke shares what she sees on the ground every day working with German companies in China.The reality is that you can no longer just put your European product on the Chinese market and expect it to sell. The market is more selective, the competition is fiercer and Chinese competitors are not sleeping, some are already exceeding in certain areas (Evs and robotics are the best examples)Companies that adapt to China speed, win. The ones that don't, fail.What many people don't realize is that for a lot of German companies, the China plant is the global money making machine. Some are shutting down plants in Germany and expanding R&D in China because that's where the customers, the data and the demand are.Marketing is a completely different game too. In Germany, work and private life are separated. In China, everything runs through WeChat (business and personal blended together). If your marketing isn't adapted, mobile first and integrated into platforms like WeChat and Xiaohongshu, you're invisible We dive deep into:🌍 What it was like working at the Shanghai Expo 2010🌍 Why Chinese language skills are a real superpower🌍 The truth about cultural differences between Germans and Chinese🌍 Why 565 German companies chose one small city in China🌍 Why companies that don't adapt to China speed will fail🌍 Marketing in China vs. Germany - completely different playbooks🌍 Stepping into a CEO's role🌍 Career advice for young professionals considering ChinaThis is a conversation about accidental paths, language as empowerment, adaptability, business realities in China and what happens when you stop planning and start living. If you've ever considered building a career in China, working in a cross-cultural environment or simply want to understand how German business really works on the ground in China, this episode is for you.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEABROAD STAGE is a podcast about people who stepped outside their comfort zone and built extraordinary lives around the world. Every episode explores international careers, entrepreneurship, personal growth, identity and the lessons learned from living abroad. Subscribe for new episodes every week.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱ CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction01:04 First Time Moving to China03:47 Exchange Year in Beijing06:45 Family's Reaction to Living Abroad08:06 First Job at Messe Düsseldorf10:41 Biggest Challenges and Failures12:20 Are Germans and Chinese Really That Different14:52 Drinking Culture and Hierarchy19:36 How Taicang Became a German Hub23:15 Advice for Companies Entering China28:37 China Plant as the Global Money Machine29:46 Do Patents Matter in China34:49 What Is German Center39:08 Why the Podcast Studio Is at German Center42:39 What Makes the Market Tough Right Now45:47 Chinese Language as Empowerment49:30 Career Advice for Young Graduates55:01 Long-Term Plans and China's Convenience

    China Speed Meets German Precision: What We Must Change to Compete

  3. Jun 15

    Career, Money and Life Lessons from a Managing Director Who Worked in 7 Different Countries

    Most people dream about living abroad. Few understand the price that comes with it.In this episode of ABROAD STAGE, I sit down with Manuel Murrenhoff, an international business leader, author and global career strategist who has lived, studied and worked across 7 countries and 4 continents.From Germany to the United States. From Vietnam to Kenya. From Nigeria to China.Manuel built his international career from scratch, taking opportunities most people would never consider. Along the way, he experienced culture shock, led teams across different cultures, managed businesses in challenging environments and learned lessons that no classroom could ever teach.In this episode, we dive deep into:🌍 What it really takes to build a global career🌍 Why he moved to Nigeria when almost everyone told him not to🌍 Leadership lessons from managing teams across continents🌍 The biggest differences between Europe, Africa, and Asia🌍 Why China completely changed the way he thinks about business🌍 How environment shapes success🌍 The hidden costs of living abroad🌍 Why curiosity may be the most valuable skill you can develop🌍 What 7 countries and 4 continents taught him about lifeThis is a conversation about international business, risk, growth, identity, resilience and what happens when you choose opportunity over comfort.If you've ever considered moving abroad, building an international career, starting over in a new country or simply expanding your view of the world, this episode is for you.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━👤 GET IN CONTACT WITH MANUEL MURRENHOFF🔗 Website:https://www.manuelmurrenhoff.com🔗 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-murrenhoff🔗 YouTube:   / @manuelmarcelmurrenhoff  📚 Book:www.amazon.com/Thriving-Expat-Master-Career-Abroad-ebook/dp/B07V42Q8GY━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEABROAD STAGE is a podcast about people who stepped outside their comfort zone and built extraordinary lives around the world.Every episode explores international careers, entrepreneurship, personal growth, identity and the lessons learned from living abroad.Subscribe for new episodes!

    Career, Money and Life Lessons from a Managing Director Who Worked in 7 Different Countries

  4. May 27

    Language & Leadership Lessons From a German GM in China

    Francis showed up to China in 2004 after replying an email from a headhunter. He landed in Beijing with np plan, got picked up by strangers and ended up teaching English in some small city in HebeiSounds insane now. Probably was insane then too.But that trip planted the seed for everything that came afterHe went back to Germany, spent years building a career there first. He knew wanting to live abroad and actually being valuable enough to get hired abroad are two completely different things, so he built the resume. Made himself hirable and kept pitching himself aggressively until an Austrian company finally said yes in 2017Francis was very intentional about everything. Nothing happened overnight. Even the move back to China was part of a long game. He just kept showing up until someone saw the value.One of the key lessons from the episode: you need to understand what value you actually bringIn this episode we talk about the difference between expats and what he calls "Flexpats." People who don't just get sent abroad temporarily by headquarters. People who genuinely build a life in another country and create their own path inside a different culture.That identity crisis became the reason he started the Flexpat Podcast.175+ episodes later, it's not just a show, it's an actual community. Online and offline network across China. What started as curiosity turned into a movementHe started the podcast because he was trying to solve his own problems and understand his own life in ChinaWe also go deep into leadership, management, Chinese business culture, language learning, the differences between European and Chinese companies.Francis explains how German companies have deep expertise and structured systems, while Chinese companies move faster and execute aggressively even without perfect systems. And the ideal setup is to combine German quality with Chinese speed (easier said than done, obviously)Chinese learning is another big part of his life.His approach is very practical. Forget trying to memorize thousands of words. Learn 300 to 500 useful sentences. Use them every day and build exposure into your life. Language only sticks when it becomes part of your environment. Family, work, relationships, business negotiations. That's why he eventually wrote the book Chinese On Your Terms.Makes sense. You don't learn a language by studying it. You learn it by needing it.Biggest lesson from the episode is: think deeply about what you want, talk about it openly, keep putting it into the world. Eventually opportunities start forming around it. That mindset shaped his career, his podcast, his network, his entire life abroad.Follow Francis on LinkedIn:   / francis007  Listen to the Flexpat podcast: https://www.chinaflexpat.com/Get the book: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Sofia-Xavi...

    Language & Leadership Lessons From a German GM in China

  5. May 15

    Living Abroad For 35 Years - A Life Between Cultures

    What happens when you grow up across five countries and never fully belong to just one? In this episode of ABROAD STAGE, we talk about identity, language, culture and how it’s like rebuilding yourself in new environments. Today’s guest has lived across Israel, Hong Kong, France, Canada and China, constantly adapting to new languages, new systems and new ways of thinking. We went deep into what happens when you spend decades living abroad and stop identifying with just one country, one culture or even one version of yourself. We talk about why China feels faster than the rest of the world, how language changes the way you think and why some people become addicted to movement, challenge and reinvention. Nil Larom is the founder of Insaight.ai, focused on AI adoption, leadership training, workforce upskilling and helping companies navigate technology in a more human and practical way. Topics we explore: • Learning Chinese through work • Growing up as a third culture kid • Why China feels more alive than the West • How different languages change your personality • Why social media feels increasingly disconnected • Identity, adaptation and rebuilding yourself abroad • How technology is reshaping human interaction • The real danger of AI and generic communication • The emotional side of never fully belonging anywhere • Why students should focus on projects instead of only degrees • The difference between real communication and algorithm-driven content If you’ve ever lived between cultures, questioned where home is or felt changed by another country, this episode will probably hit close to home. Reach out to Nil on LinkedIn:   / nillarom   Follow his work: www.insight.ai

    Living Abroad For 35 Years - A Life Between Cultures

  6. May 5

    From India to China - 13 Years Journey

    What if career growth doesn’t come from job hopping every two years? What if it comes from saying yes to uncomfortable opportunities, learning every department inside a business and adapting faster than everyone around you? Nitin Sanan came to China for 1 week. He never planned to stay. 13 years later, he built a career across all departments. Started as a service engineer, became the only foreigner inside a factory, communicated through drawings when language failed, helped scale operations in China and built a team so loyal they relocated to another city with him.In this conversation, he shares what China taught him about speed, leadership, communication and building a life abroad. You’ll learn: • Why living abroad can completely change your standards for speed, execution and ambition • Why his entire team moved cities with him and what creates real loyalty at work • Why going back home feels slower after living abroad • The cultural shocks he faced when first arriving in China • How he built a multicultural family abroad after meeting his wife in China • Why starting from the bottom makes better leadersIf you’ve ever thought about moving abroad, building a global career or becoming a better leader, this episode will challenge how you think about growth. Get in Touch with Nitin on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nitinsanan06 Follow ABROAD STAGE on Youtube for more conversations with global professionals building extraordinary lives far from home: https://www.youtube.com/@abroadstage

    From India to China - 13 Years Journey
  • 6 Episodes

About

The podcast where stories cross international borders. Each episode explores the journey of professionals who hava built a life and career far away from home and learned how to adapt evolve & succeed in a new country, in different environments. The conversations go around success stories, culture, direction, family choices, failures and lessons. ABROAD STAGE helps you understand both challenges and opportunities of living abroad through our guests' own experiences.

Information

  • Creator
    Oana Lacatis
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Oana Lacatis
  • Show Website
    ABROAD STAGE