141: Brain-Based Cultural Awareness with Coach, Cindy Schmelzenbach Doing What Matters

“Real cultural awareness and real cultural sensitivity comes with recognizing that no matter how much I know, especially how much I know cognitively know about something, I never know everything about another person, culture, or way of seeing things.” – Cindy S.
On this episode, coach and author, Cindy Schmelzenbach shares her passion for embracing the beauty of differences and the value of cultivating cultural competence. Beyond exploring the natural bias that we all bring to relationships as humans, Cindy dives deep into brain-based awareness that allows us to:
Cultivate grace as we understand natural survival brain responses
Approach relationships with humility, wonder, and less judgment
Develop new neural pathways once we recognize our bias
Expand our connections and embrace differences as wholeness
Are you ready to show up curious to this courageous conversation? If so, take a few moments to download the FREE REALIFE Needs and Values Assessment as you go deeper in awareness of how you’re personally coming to the conversation!
After the episode, take a few moments to consider these reflection questions from “Different Like Me: Field Notes from a Cross-Cultural Coach” by Cindy Schmelzenbach:
What is the impact for me when I consider that my response to “different” may be rooted primarily in a biological default?
What can I do to more consciously challenge and choose my evaluation of that which is unfamiliar to me?
How can I partner with clients to empower them to make choices that transcend their biological default processes?
What does this understanding do to my tendency toward judgement?
How does this understanding of default processes impact my clients who are constantly in multi- cultural environments where “difference” is a constant factor?
What am I motivated to do in order to expand my view of the world and its varying people and cultures? as a badge of honor?
REALIFE Resources
Connect further with guest, Cindy Schmelzenbach: https://coachingwithcindy.com/
Cindy Schmelzenbach is an ICF Professional Certified Coach, a Professional Certified Life and Leadership Coach through PCCI, a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and a Conversational Intelligence® Enhanced Practitioner. She also has a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling and serves on faculty at The Professional Christian Coaching Institute.
Cindy and Harmon, her husband of almost 40 years, believe in fully engaging life, wherever God invites them, every moment, every day. They’ve spent over 20 years in successful entrepreneurial businesses in the US and Caribbean and another 20 years internationally in cross-cultural leadership roles within a global organization.
Cindy is especially drawn to the impact of coaching for cross-cultural contexts, “I am passionate about co-creating a space where powerful things happen that simply may not happen anywhere else!” Whether in one-on-one or group coaching contexts, clients discover the next steps in their journey to resilience, authenticity and thriving. Cindy is privileged to partner with clients who range from individuals quietly changing their world to public leaders who influence thousands with their decisions. Her current practice includes Life Coaching, Strengths® Coaching, Team or Group Coaching, and ICF Mentor Coaching.


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