S2 EP003 | Joyride With Expatriates – Reinventing Yourself With Resilience

 

[00:00:00] INTRODUCTION

[00:00:00]

[00:00:05] Taty Fittipaldi: Hello and welcome to The Leadership Nest podcast. This is season two of the global leadership podcast that combines stories, knowledge and science to soar the leadership in you. I’m your host Taty Fittipaldi. During this season, we invited 20 different expatriates from around the world to share their stories, their learning journeys, and they’re tips to make you a better leader and an inspired person. You can also watch the live interviews on our YouTube channel search for coaching expatriates channel, then select the playlist called joyride with expatriates.

[00:00:43] Taty Fittipaldi: On today’s episode, we will talk with Felipe Marinho, the co-founder of Soulphia language learning [00:01:00] platform. He lives in the United States and originally comes from Brazil.

[00:01:04] Taty Fittipaldi: Here is his story.

[00:01:06]

[00:01:07] JOYRIDE WITH AN EXPATRIATE

(This section’s transcript was AI-generated and may contain errors)

[00:01:07] Taty Fittipaldi: Hi, Felipe. Welcome to our show. Thank you so much for joining.

[00:01:12] Felipe Marinho: Thank you, Tatiana. Thank you for having me today.

[00:01:15] Taty Fittipaldi: Sure, it’s my pleasure. Felipe, to warm up, how about you tell us where do you come from and what you, used to do, before you moved to the U. S.?

[00:01:26] Felipe Marinho: Yes, for sure. So my name is Felipe. I’m from Brazil.

[00:01:30] Felipe Marinho: I am 43 years old. And so basically what happens is that, uh, I worked all my life in Brazil in the same company for Shell oil. So I used to work in the retail, uh, that’s the part of Shell oil that works with the gas stations and lubricants. So I used to work in sales and marketing, real estate, business development.

[00:01:55] Felipe Marinho: And I worked with Shell Oil for about 15 years, from like 2000 [00:02:00] to 2015. And then, uh, one of my biggest dreams was to live abroad and to work, uh, abroad. And it was interesting because, uh, my wife, at the beginning, she didn’t want to move from Brazil to another country. But as we had this kind of shared goal, and she had the opportunity to move, faster than me at Shell.

[00:02:25] Felipe Marinho: So when she told, she told me, Oh, there’s opportunity to live in the U. S. What do you think? I said, I don’t need to think. I’m already inside the airplane. Let’s go. So that’s why I’m here. That’s a

[00:02:38] Taty Fittipaldi: very interesting story, Felipe. So, so basically your wife has had the opportunity and you followed her.

[00:02:45] Taty Fittipaldi: Tell me, how was this process of having to give up certain things that you had in Brazil, like your career or anything, and then follow her, and adapt in a new country? Tell me how this process was. Yeah,

[00:02:58] Felipe Marinho: so [00:03:00] for me, um, I, when I worked at Shell, I, I, I loved to work in the company.

[00:03:06] Felipe Marinho: So I was there for like, for 15 years. And so my, my, one of my biggest goals was, as I said, to move abroad for Shell Oil. And I participate in some processes like to live either in England. because the biggest, uh, office of Shell Oil is in London. And another opportunity was to come to the U. S., but the office of Shell Oil in the U.

[00:03:31] Felipe Marinho: S. is much more in Houston, where the headquarters is there. So I applied for some, some, some positions, it didn’t work out. And When my wife said that they had the opportunity, uh, it was a very good position for her and everything. I, I had this dream before, Oh, I want to live abroad. So I understand that for now I have to give up of my job, [00:04:00] of my career here.

[00:04:02] Felipe Marinho: It’s going to be a completely different adaptation to a new culture, to a new. Place and everything, but I think that the, the, the outcome. Of this move would be much better for all of us for my wife for me for my daughters That they would have this opportunity to grow I have two daughters. They right now they are seven and ten years old when we moved here The youngest one was two years old and the oldest was five.

[00:04:36] Felipe Marinho: So We as we live here for five years. So the youngest one she she Uh, grew from two to, uh, two to seven years old and the youngest from five to ten. So, uh, to, to give them this opportunity to grow here in the U. S., uh, super education, a super culture, uh, to [00:05:00] learn a new language for them. So I think that’s the, the, the outcome for all our family.

[00:05:07] Felipe Marinho: I think that it would be much. Much better than staying where I was. So, of course, uh, at Shell I had a position that I earned a lot of money. I was important and everything, but I think that thinking as a personal move, uh, I think it will be better for the family. So that’s why I decided to come. But, of course.

[00:05:29] Felipe Marinho: Uh, it’s tough this decision to give up.

[00:05:35] Taty Fittipaldi: I can imagine. And Felipe, let me, um, before we even move on, let me say how much I admire your courage and also your strength because you, you not only gave up thinking about, your whole family, you also supported your wife in her, uh, career.

[00:05:57] Taty Fittipaldi: Uh, you thought about your kids. So [00:06:00] you had a bigger vision and you put themselves first, even before yourself. So I just wanted to commend you, take this time to acknowledge you and your strength and, and your courage.

[00:06:12] Felipe Marinho: Thank you, Tatiana. So,

[00:06:14] Taty Fittipaldi: So you came here, uh, you know, many things might have happened during your stay here Suddenly, you know, a bird told me about this project called Sophia, so I just wanted to hear more about it.

[00:06:31] Taty Fittipaldi: Uh, so tell me about your project.

[00:06:34] Felipe Marinho: Yeah, so So, I So let me start from the beginning, from the, from, from what I said about the adaptation. So for me, what happened, I was very active at Shell, in a sense of, I had to travel a lot, uh, throughout Brazil, to different states, different cities, and everything. And In Brazil, [00:07:00] we had a, uh, huge support with us in a sense of my family, my wife’s family, we had friends.

[00:07:07] Felipe Marinho: So when you move to a new country, it’s basically your family. So it was my wife and I, my two daughters. And everything that you had like a support structure in the past, you don’t have anymore. So I’m just saying this because I, I had to be much more involved with my family in a sense of who’s going to pick up the daughters and who’s going to drop off at school, who’s going to cook, who is going to clean the bathroom, who is going to pay the bills, who is going to.

[00:07:40] Felipe Marinho: Uh, all the, uh, school activities and so on. So as Cecilia, my wife, then when we traveled here, she was the one who was like, okay, Felipe, I’m the one who is earning money, who is supporting the family. So you have to change completely your [00:08:00] role in a sense of Uh, you had to be kind of free to do everything regarding the family because if, if we both have this super active life in Brazil, it’s, it’s not going to work.

[00:08:14] Felipe Marinho: So I’m just saying this because when I moved here, what was my big, my first idea? I had a dream to move to another country and also to do an MBA here. And when I went to some schools here, just to understand how the school were, uh, and the programs and everything, I went to Columbia Business School, I went to Wharton, I went to New York University, and then I thought, wow, it’s going to be two years dedication at least, to say the least, and it’s going to be an investment of like 200, 000.

[00:08:47] Felipe Marinho: So this is crazy. I’m not going to do that. So, but what I decided to do, I decided to do a program at Columbia business school that it’s called advanced management program, [00:09:00] that it was like one month, uh, that it was that had a focus in strategy and leadership. And so I did that. So it was very interesting, and it was the first, uh, experience of having this kind of, uh, work environment in the, in the U.

[00:09:20] Felipe Marinho: S., had, uh, have, uh, um, Academic background with me to understand how the culture works and the behaviors and the people and so on. And I’m talking about this story because after Columbia Business School, I had access as I became an alumni. I had access to the Career Center. And I went to the Career Center and then I said, guys, I need a job.

[00:09:47] Felipe Marinho: I want to work, but it doesn’t have to be something that I travel a lot. I need to support my family, be here and so on. And then they said, Oh, you need to, uh, [00:10:00] apply for, we have a lot of positions here, but what you should do is that you should contact some of the alumni here. Because everyone here in the U S they’re much more open than in Brazil in a sense of, if you want to get a job, send a message to the guy, have a coffee with him.

[00:10:17] Felipe Marinho: If he doesn’t help you, he’s going to help. To know someone who’s going to help anyway through the Columbia alumni got a job at 7 Eleven and at 7 Eleven it was a job similar to what I had in Brazil in a sense of to work with convenience stores with gas stations to be a manager of some convenience store some some small sales team and I worked with them about for six months I didn’t adapt to the company and then when I left the company I said wow Okay, I had my first, uh, corporate experience in Brazil, in the U.

[00:10:57] Felipe Marinho: S., but what if [00:11:00] I, I use my time to create a company here to be an entrepreneur because in Brazil, Tatiana, I, I, I used to, I worked for Shell Oil for 15 years in Brazil, but I had a small experience that I had a restaurant in Sao Paulo for three years. And it was like a dream in a sense of create the restaurant, create the, the, the products to do the advertising, to have my own company.

[00:11:30] Felipe Marinho: And it didn’t work out that the restaurant after three years, I had to close the business. I had to shut down the business because there was a huge, uh, economic crisis at that time in 2006. And also, there was a violence crisis in Brazil, in Sao Paulo with the organized crime and so on. So our revenue dropped more than like 80%, so we decided to shut down the restaurant.

[00:11:57] Felipe Marinho: But it’s interesting because [00:12:00] this entrepreneurship dream didn’t sleep. It’s like a bear inside me that was like the, the, the, the, this bear was alive. And I was, and I said, okay. So I will stay at, shell try to grow, try, try to keep with my. Dream of moving abroad, uh, but this dream of entrepreneurship was still there.

[00:12:25] Felipe Marinho: So when I came here, it was interesting because I, I was talking to a professor in the U. S. at Columbia and he said, Felipe, you have to use this moment to do like, uh, to do recharge and create a new Felipe. So everything that you had in the past that you didn’t do, use this moment to do it. So I, I, I said, okay, why, so why do I want to really go to another company to, to send resumes, go to LinkedIn, to go after the Columbia [00:13:00] alumni again, why don’t I create a job?

[00:13:03] Felipe Marinho: And thinking about this, uh, it was interesting because when I came with, uh, with my, with my wife and my, my, my daughters, uh, for the, there was a program for the, Ex pats, husbands, or wives, when we arrived here. Oh, you’re going to have a coach to help you with your resume, to help you with your LinkedIn profile, and so on.

[00:13:29] Felipe Marinho: And it was interesting, in a sense, because we had some kind of support groups that we went to some meetings, we met a lot of people, and I became friends with some Brazilians that They moved also from Brazil to here for Bayer, but from people from different countries like Venezuela, from Turkey, from France, from Belgium.

[00:13:51] Felipe Marinho: Because one of the, I have the privilege to live to live here in the, in New Jersey. And when I say privilege, because there are a lot of [00:14:00] pharmaceutical companies here in New Jersey and there are a lot of expats in New Jersey, so it’s a much more global state, a multicultural state. So, it’s not the same experience of moving to the countryside of the U.

[00:14:18] Felipe Marinho: S. Only with the, like, the big farms, with the countryside people, much more American people, not so globalized. So, I have this privilege of mixing with multicultural people. And I’m telling this because I, I made some friends, new friends, and I started also to do a lot of volunteer work because I said, why don’t I go to do volunteer work in a sense of to get new skills, to meet new people, and also to, to do good for the society and the community and everything.

[00:14:56] Felipe Marinho: And so I’m, I’m telling a big story and then I’m [00:15:00] going to. To zoom at Sophia. That’s the name of the project that became a company that I’m working right now, that I started to do a lot of volunteer work in homeless shelters in New York city and in New Jersey. And one of the days I was with some friends and we went there to cook.

[00:15:21] Felipe Marinho: So we went there, we cooked, we donated money, we donated time, food, but. When we left, we were with that sense of, wow, we’re going to enter our cars, drive home, but the people are still living in the homeless shelter. And then we thought, why don’t we create an opportunity? To employ them and to generate revenue in a, with a product or a service that can be global.

[00:15:53] Felipe Marinho: And then one of my current partners, Tiago, he’s from Brazil as well. He said, why don’t we [00:16:00] create our online platform to teach English? Where, because these people here who are homeless in these shelters, they lost everything. They live in a shelter, but they are American, they speak English. And we train them.

[00:16:14] Felipe Marinho: And then we created this platform that we start with Brazil because we are Brazilians. And then if it works, let’s spread this and launch in different countries in the world. So this was like the basic foundation of our platform. And so we started with a pilot, with a homeless shelter in the Bronx, in New York City, with five tutors.

[00:16:37] Felipe Marinho: This was like October 2017. And then at that time, we were doing online classes, only individual classes, but in a period of like two months, we, in this small pilot, we gave around 400 classes. And then we said, wow, this makes sense. There’s a demand for that. So [00:17:00] since 2017, so 2018, 2019, and now we are in.

[00:17:04] Felipe Marinho: 2020. We are growing the number of students. So we had, we started with like 15 students and then we went to 100. We went to 1000, and the current number right now is 5,200 students. We have and so, and now my partners, what happened as well is that I have five partners and we are a super multicultural company because we have.

[00:17:34] Felipe Marinho: I am Brazilian. We have another partner from Brazil, Tiago. We have a partner from Venezuela, Julio. We have a partner from Mexico, Rafael. And we have a partner from the U. S., Mark. So we have these five partners. So we are in five. But the only full time worker as a partner and partner and employee. Let’s say [00:18:00] this way.

[00:18:00] Felipe Marinho: It’s me. I’m only one working the other four. They have other jobs. They work in different places. Uh, I gave them each of them. They have small tasks. So, so they do some work for Sophia. They invested money as well, but the only one. I was working full time, it’s me. That, that’s right. I, I was the COO, the operation officer.

[00:18:25] Felipe Marinho: Right now, I became the COO and the CEO. But the operation right now, we are spread out in two countries. We have our teachers that they live here in the U. S. Most of them, they left shelters and now they received houses, so they live in houses. So right now we have 50 tutors, five zero. that they work and live here in the U.

[00:18:49] Felipe Marinho: S., uh, either in the state of New Jersey or New York. And we have around 20 employees in Brazil. So these 20 employees in [00:19:00] Brazil, they are divided in different areas as well as operations, uh, sales, marketing, finance. Um, so we have 20 employees in Brazil and we have this 50 tutors who are working online with us right now.

[00:19:17] Felipe Marinho: So this is how we are right now. So we now currently we have more than 5, 000 students and we have 20 employees in Brazil and 50 here in the US with the tutor. So this is as we are now. So what started as like a. As a pilot, as a test, as something social slash volunteer, it became, it’s became, it’s becoming more and more as a business.

[00:19:46] Felipe Marinho: And now we, even the positioning we had to change because in the past it was like, Oh, we’re starving. Help us. Have the classes with us! We are going to die! We are social! Help us! [00:20:00] And right now, we are changing the positioning to be something like, we are the best English platform in the world. Because we have English teachers, we have the best content, we have the best user experience, so we are better than competitor ABCDE.

[00:20:18] Felipe Marinho: So join us now. So this is much more the approach that we have. And this was, is a kind of a learning process in a sense of changing the customer, changing the positioning, changing the product. So it’s a super adaptation process that we are facing right now.

[00:20:39] Taty Fittipaldi: Wow. Very interesting story, Felipe. And I think My biggest takeaway here is, if you move to a different country, you can reinvent yourself. You don’t have to use the traditional models. You don’t have to, stick to old concepts. You can do whatever. The sky is the limit and we should explore and take some risks.

[00:20:59] Taty Fittipaldi: And [00:21:00] we will be rewarded by, by the hard work. So super excited about this. So, let’s tell me a little bit about cultural change. What was one, when you came here to the U. S., was one, was one, uh, cultural change that made you have to change your mindset?

[00:21:17] Felipe Marinho: Yes, I, I, uh, this is a very interesting question.

[00:21:20] Felipe Marinho: I think that, for example, in Brazil, The people are much more open. They, it’s interesting because after one minute, you think that you know that person for ten years. The person talks about their life, their soccer team, uh, where, where they were born, their graduation and everything. So, They’re much more open, so you can, you become a person of connection, but on the other hand, the professional relationship, sometimes you go, you meet a person, you have a one hour [00:22:00] conversation about personal things, but you don’t have this professional approach in a sense, okay, how can I help Tatiana?

[00:22:09] Felipe Marinho: Tatiana can help me. Oh, okay, she’s selling socks. I sell tennis shoes. Why don’t we do a partnership where for every pair of tennis shoes that I sell, I will have one sock made for me by Tatiana. So I think that this gets lost in Brazil. I think that this is something that we need to evolve. And in the U.

[00:22:36] Felipe Marinho: S. it’s completely the opposite. When you meet someone, and this I had to adapt, they are super straightforward. They are here and say, Good morning, good morning. Why you came here? I came here to buy this black polo shirt. Black polo shirt, yes. Sorry, we don’t sell polo shirts here. Okay, but do you have black shirts?

[00:22:57] Felipe Marinho: I also don’t have black shirts. [00:23:00] Ah, okay. So, but, my friend, you came here to buy polo shirts and black shirts. We don’t have both. Have a great day. The door is over there. Bye. Oh, I’m from Brazil. I have just moved. Let’s talk. Why don’t we become a friend? My friend, my friend, I don’t have friends. I don’t want to be a friend.

[00:23:21] Felipe Marinho: You came here for the polo shirt, for the black shirt. I don’t have both, and I don’t want to have a friend. So let me say again, the door is over there. Go! Bye! So, this kind of approach that at the beginning was kind of shock for me, I said, wow, ha ha ha, everybody’s super straightforward. And, but it works very nice.

[00:23:45] Felipe Marinho: And I’m loving this. And even, I think that in the last five years, even when I have my relationship with my friends and family in Brazil, I was talking even with my mother. Last month, last week, and she said, Filipe, I think [00:24:00] that you’re becoming very straightforward. Because, I think that, uh, here, you, I, I think that the people are more open for business opportunities in a sense.

[00:24:13] Felipe Marinho: Like, as I said, I have the tennis shoes and you have the socks. Why are you here, Filipe? I have tennis shoes, you have the socks. Why don’t we create a product that it has my black tennis shoes with your red socks. Great! We also, and then person on the other side said, yes, red Sox just like the Boston baseball team.

[00:24:34] Felipe Marinho: Let’s create the Red Sox campaign. Let’s hug each other. I charge you five. You charge 55. Let’s sell a combo for 60. Let’s start the production next week. Let’s do the ads this way. Papa. Papa, Papa. I have these Instagram posts, you have yours, we created a business in five minutes, let’s go. Oh, by the way, I have just moved to Brazil and everything.

[00:24:59] Felipe Marinho: So [00:25:00] after you solve that thing of the business aspect, sometimes the person of five conversations start to open something. Oh, I have a daughter. Hmm. Wow. He told me after five meetings that he has a daughter. It’s a good sign. After more five meetings. Oh, I like the Yankees. And what about you? No, no. I don’t like the Y ’cause I like the New York mets.

[00:25:23] Felipe Marinho: Oh, so the person starts, you open a little bit, but it, it’s not like in Brazil that’s all open, but for the, but for the business sense, you, you, you can’t practical tracked, how can I get opportunities? Like Ana, Ana is a, is a, is the owner of a online platform like Zoom. If I am a online platform education, why don’t I get a partnership with Tatiana to help me with Zoom?

[00:25:55] Felipe Marinho: Right? Something like this. So, I like this approach. I think [00:26:00] that, to summarize, I think that this direct approach is something that I had to adapt. Ah, and just a quick joke. In Brazil, I used to say, hello, how are you? And do like this in the show. They’re like, hello, how are you? And here. The first time that I did this, the guy was like, he’s touching me, and I said, wow, yes, I should not do that, so this is something that I had to, I can’t touch too much, hug too much, it’s like, you need to have this safe space, like one arm, hello, how are you, and very far, and so on, so this is a cultural adaptation that I had to do.

[00:26:41] Taty Fittipaldi: That story is very interesting and, indeed, a lot of Brazilians report this as being, indeed one of their biggest, challenges. So tell me, you talked about, some of these cultural differences and some of the things that you had to adapt. What do you think People have to [00:27:00] have here in, when they go to a different country to live in a different country, what kinds of skills people have to have?

[00:27:11] Felipe Marinho: I think that, um, the main important skill is to have this flexibility, uh, in a sense of, uh, it’s interesting in a sense because as, for example, English is not our native language, we need to use more the ears, listen, um, Process and then speak.

[00:27:40] Felipe Marinho: And honestly I think that this is a an advantage in the sense that you need to understand what’s going on right now what’s happening in every place that you are to try to read the signs. Oh, should I wear? Why? For a simple [00:28:00] example as well. I went to the beach. And the type of clothes that we use at the beach in Brazil are completely different here.

[00:28:07] Felipe Marinho: So when I went, I had like a small shorts at the beach. And then when I went to the beach, the guy said, my friend, no one uses this. Swim shorts here. These are for like, swimming pools, my friend, not for beaches, you know. But I’m just saying this simple example because I need to read between the lines of what’s happening.

[00:28:29] Felipe Marinho: Why is everyone using that kind of shorts but not that short? Why everyone is caring? That type of bag and not that type. Why should I talk not that loud, but lower if everyone is speaking lower? So, why I can’t hug everyone? I need to ask permission? Hi Tatiana, can I give you a hug? When the first person told me that, I said, this is crazy.

[00:28:58] Felipe Marinho: Why the person needs to [00:29:00] have permission to give me a hug? But all of these Uh, reading between the lines and understanding the culture is the way that they were, the people were formed and, and built so far. So you are the one who is arriving and needs to adapt to their culture. Of course, you are, you are in your house, you speak Portuguese.

[00:29:26] Felipe Marinho: So I speak Portuguese with my daughter, with my wife, but outside you need to be very, You need to have this adaptability in a sense of understanding everything that’s happening in the culture regarding the habits, the culture, the behavior, the tone, how are the relationships, everything is more professional, is more straightforward.

[00:29:55] Felipe Marinho: You don’t have to be, to have feelings about the guy because the guy [00:30:00] You say, like, for example, in Brazil, we negotiate everything. Oh, how much is this water? Oh, this water is 5. Okay. If I buy two, 10. No, no, no, no, no. I ask again, my friend, I don’t want to pay 10. I want to pay eight. My friend, you want to pay eight?

[00:30:15] Felipe Marinho: Yes. Go to that store. Not here because here one is five, two is 10. No, but two. No, no, no. I’ll say that again. Go to that store. You don’t need to buy here. So it’s not that he’s some polite or he’s not educated and it’s not the guy from only this store. All the stores are here. So it’s part of the behavior, the culture.

[00:30:37] Felipe Marinho: So we, it’s like these, you have to adapt, you have to be open. And I just finished this part of this question that I think it’s. On the other hand, I think that when you move with your family, this adaptation process is for everyone, for you, for your wife or husband, uh, [00:31:00] your daughters, and, and I think that, honestly, this challenge either unites everyone and makes everyone stronger, that fortunately, this is what’s happening with my family, I think that our relationship as a family It’s stronger and we are much more together right now than we were in Brazil or either breaks The husband hates the wife The daughters they hate they want to go back to brazil or to the country that they came from so I think that it’s uh, I I don’t think that it’s uh, It’s a binary situation either it grows everyone.

[00:31:40] Felipe Marinho: They get stronger and bigger and I will say that again fortunately, we are in this uh Explanation loop of growing as a family or either is the opposite as well. It’s a explanation loop of decreasing and breaking. No, I hate you. [00:32:00] I thought that moving to another probably would make us stronger and together, but it’s the opposite.

[00:32:05] Felipe Marinho: So I think that’s it.

[00:32:08] Taty Fittipaldi: Wow, that’s an interesting take. Yes. So maybe there’s, uh, the reason why you’re such, such a, strong with your family is actually because all of you worked very hard together to make the adaptation. And that’s why it’s working so well for everyone.

[00:32:25] Taty Fittipaldi: Tell me something, Felipe. I’m very curious o know what kind of support groups did you have, since the beginning, since you came and up to now, what kind of support groups did you build for yourself to help you? You mentioned in the beginning of the interview that in Brazil you have the support and when you came here, you suddenly saw that you didn’t have as much support.

[00:32:47] Taty Fittipaldi: So tell me, what did you came up with to, to help you in the support area? So

[00:32:53] Felipe Marinho: what we have here is, so first of all, I, I [00:33:00] was fortunate as well because as part of the relocation package of my wife, we had the, those meetings like this, uh, uh, expats wife’s husband groups. So we started this way. Besides that, it was interesting because, uh, where my wife works, uh, they, they also had a lot of expats from different countries and from Brazil.

[00:33:31] Felipe Marinho: So we started to, to. connect with them. Like, oh, someone is doing a barbecue. Let’s go to their house. Oh, uh, this person has just moved as well from Brazil, or from Venezuela, or from Colombia, and he has a wife who has just arrived, or he has a husband who has just arrived. Why don’t you meet them to, to give some hints of the adaptation, and so on.

[00:33:56] Felipe Marinho: So, As I said before, I think that we are, we [00:34:00] are fortunate in a sense that New Jersey is a state that has a lot of expats here. And as someone gave up their family and friends from their original country, and now everyone is like, by themselves, I think that It’s kind of easier to create these bonding groups, either only Brazilians or either only expats or either foreigners.

[00:34:30] Felipe Marinho: But I think that it was interesting in this sense, or that we should, that we, we start to share everything, not only professional achievements. Oh, I got a job working days. I got a job doing that. I was promoted and so on, but also. Practical and personal things, like, oh, where did you open your bank account?

[00:34:50] Felipe Marinho: Oh, which type of credit card do you have? Oh, have you ever been to a Costco? The place that you can buy in bulk and [00:35:00] have discounts. Oh, what is that? Can you explain? Oh, you need to have this membership and na na na. So I think that These kind of supporting groups are, are very interesting. And then we created like, Facebook groups, and then involved in WhatsApp groups, and oh, it’s the final of the Champions League.

[00:35:19] Felipe Marinho: Why don’t we go to a, to the house of someone, to watch the games, you buy, you bring the food, you bring the barbecue, and so on. So, I think that these support groups, are super important to, to keep this balance, not only because, of course, you are super connected with your family, which is important, but, uh, for the husband and for the wife, these supporting groups are super important.

[00:35:44] Felipe Marinho: And, and as I said, um, you can either, uh, looking, look for, uh, groups. Of the same language, like resilience or in your profession. Oh, okay. So I’m a project manager. [00:36:00] I’m trying to relate with the project manager groups or expats, for example, in a general way or in a sense. Uh, and, and another thing that it’s very interesting that I also did, there are a lot of meetup groups, uh, and even the website meetups.

[00:36:17] Felipe Marinho: And when you go to the meetups, it’s interesting because they have different types of interests and you say there. Uh, meetups for entrepreneurship in online education and then they say we are going to meet on that certain date, certain time you go there and it’s interesting because the people and this is very interesting.

[00:36:39] Felipe Marinho: When you go, I went to maybe 10 or 15, maybe, yes, I went to around 15 different meetups and the people are super open to talk and, and, and this is a very interesting thing that we need to adapt as Brazilians because everyone has a speech. Hi, good morning. My name is Tatiana. I’m a coach. I do this and this and this and this and this and this.

[00:36:59] Felipe Marinho: [00:37:00] What about you? And then you say, wow, I didn’t create this before. I need to create something right now to talk to this guy. So you need to be kind of prepared how you’re going to introduce yourself. And what is your objective here? Because everyone is super objective. For example, I went to a meeting with the Columbia Business School alumni that it was something like this.

[00:37:20] Felipe Marinho: The guy said, Hi, my name is John, ta da da, ta da da da. I used to work for J. P. Morgan as a Auditor and I’m here because I want to see if I have some connection with anyone here to work in another bank. I said, great. What about you? My name is Philippe. I have Sophia. I have a platform on online education.

[00:37:40] Felipe Marinho: Like I said, Philippe, just to be clear, I don’t want to talk to you anymore today or never because my goal today is to get a job in a bank. You can help me anything at all. So it was nice to meet you. Have a nice life and bye. [00:38:00] And it’s interesting because after that, I said, well, this guy is super straightforward.

[00:38:04] Felipe Marinho: This was amazing because I don’t want to say hi to this guy anymore as well. But I’m just saying that these kinds of groups, uh, that you share. Interest. They are interesting to, to know new people, as I said, they have shared interests as you, and you can help each other in a personal way or in a professional way.

[00:38:27] Taty Fittipaldi: That’s very interesting. And it is an interesting tip. So you’re saying that when you go and meet new people, make sure you have your elevator speech ready because you will need it.

[00:38:40] Felipe Marinho: Yes. So right away, what’s your name? My name is Tatiana. Why don’t you do it? You need to have like those one minute, two minutes ready to say, do

[00:38:49] Taty Fittipaldi: you have any other tips to our audience in terms of getting adapted, do you have any tips that you want to share with them?

[00:38:58] Felipe Marinho: I think that, [00:39:00] um, what, what, what. What I say that I think that it’s super interesting is basically what I said in a sense that every time that you’re going not only for an interview, but to meet someone or any place, it’s super important to do like your previous research in a sense of, I’m going to do an interview with Tatiana because she’s the one she’s the biggest coffee producer So do a research about her about her company How what you do?

[00:39:34] Felipe Marinho: it’s related to her because there is this famous line here in the US that it’s what see what is In a sense of, okay, so I’m here, I can give this to Tatiana, Tatiana can give this to me. But if I only go there and ask, ask, ask, ask, ask. I want to receive a lot from Tatiana, but I can’t give her anything.[00:40:00]

[00:40:00] Felipe Marinho: This relationship is not gonna work. So I, you, you and I there, and the right thing to do, it would be even the opposite. When you meet someone, you should have something related to the other person that you could go for free. In a sense of, I create water. I’ll give you right away 10 bottles. So why I have this new company I need to share.

[00:40:25] Felipe Marinho: The only thing that I ask you is give me your perception about this. And if you can give me a post saying what you think about the water, I would appreciate, but I’m saying a sense that do your research, think about what you can offer to the other person. Think about what is your goal with that conversation in a sense of I’m going to sell.

[00:40:49] Felipe Marinho: Samoa. No, I’m here because I want to be invited to her swimming pool. I saw that that guy has a [00:41:00] super swimming pool and I don’t have a swimming pool in my house, but I want to go there. So I need to find a way. To go to his swimming pool. So I’m just saying a crazy example right now, but in a sense of what is the outcome to be a successful meeting?

[00:41:17] Felipe Marinho: Uh, if I go to the swimming pool, if I sell 100, if I get a job, if I know the meetings that I want to have a second meeting. Right? Because sometimes, uh, you don’t, the, the, the most important is that you can, that you keep building this relationship with the person. It’s not now, but maybe after five conversations, ten conversations, that can go to his swimming pool, uh, in a sense, right?

[00:41:46] Felipe Marinho: So I, and I think that you have to be open for that.

[00:41:51] Taty Fittipaldi: It sounds like what you’re saying is if you come from a culture that thinks that you can kind of wing it, [00:42:00] that’s not going to cut it if you go to a company like in the US who people are very straightforward. So it’s very important that you research what type of approach people have and then use the same approach to meet people, do business, live the daily life. So that’s an awesome tip, Felipe. I really love this tip. Um, thank you so much for sharing. So we are coming very close to the end of our session today, and I want to make a proposal for you. Thank you. As I mentioned to you before our interview, we are having this new deck of cards to help people with locus of control, with a self improvement.

[00:42:43] Taty Fittipaldi: And I wanted to share one card with you, uh, and you read the card, uh, let me know what comes to your mind in terms of what the card is saying and your adaptation process, uh, here in the, in the U S how, how does that [00:43:00] sound?

[00:43:00] Felipe Marinho: Okay, sounds like a plan. Let’s

[00:43:02] Taty Fittipaldi: go. Okay, so I am going to share my screen with you,

[00:43:06] Felipe Marinho: woohoo! I like this one. This is completely related to me. I decide about my level of resilience. I am in control of my life.

[00:43:21] Felipe Marinho: Strength comes to me in times of need and feels my discipline to strive. Yes, uh, I’m laughing because, uh, I think that when you move to another country, I think that you always can stay thinking about what you lost, right? I lost my family, I lost my friends, I lost my job. I used to earn money, now I don’t earn money.

[00:43:52] Felipe Marinho: Oh, I didn’t like to cook. In the past I didn’t cook, now I cook. So you can thinking about this. It’s what [00:44:00] you, what you lost and keep in that negative loop of, you don’t want to adapt and everything. And, and what I, what I understand and what I mean about what I, I understand about the word resilience is this kind of band that you’re.

[00:44:21] Felipe Marinho: And resilience is your capacity and your ability to adapt, to evolve, and try to get the opportunities that are in front of you and make it the best possible way. Okay, I lost. My job, but now I’m much more connected with my daughters, with their education, and in an important age as they are growing up. So, what I, what I gained, what I won is much bigger than what I, what I lost, so I need to [00:45:00] adapt.

[00:45:00] Felipe Marinho: I didn’t, I didn’t have to cook before. Now I have to cook, for example. I, I didn’t go to the school presentations before of my daughters. Now I have to go, and I love, and Um, when they don’t have the presentations, I’m concerned. Uh, so I think that the resilience, I think that is completely something that you control.

[00:45:22] Felipe Marinho: You choose to have it, you choose to adapt. I think that you choose to have this positivity on you. And if you have the right mindset, everything. We work out, start with the mind, and then, if you put your mind and you work on it, it’s gonna work. Because, uh, Sophia, what we have right now, it’s, uh, completely proof.

[00:45:51] Felipe Marinho: Because when you start to talk about online platform, where homeless people would give classes, I would say that 90 percent of the people, when we spoke [00:46:00] about this idea, they said, this is crazy, it’s not gonna work. You are so intelligent, Felipe, you speak so, you speak very well. Honestly, get a job, Filipe.

[00:46:09] Felipe Marinho: Go to a big corporation again. Go to work for Shell or another. You’re going to waste your time, your money, your life, and everything. So You have to be resilient because you’re going to face a lot of diversity professionally and in both ways, professionally and personally, especially when you move to another country.

[00:46:33] Felipe Marinho: In your own country, you already face a lot of problems. Imagine when you go to a different country. And the only thing that I’d like to finish is, I would say, kind of two tips or hints. One is, It’s super important to have the support of your wife or husband to everything that you are going to do. Either you are, are going to be [00:47:00] entrepreneur or you are going to be open, uh, to go to a new company or a new country or, or whatever you’re doing.

[00:47:08] Felipe Marinho: You have to have this support of your husband. This is super important. The second thing is. You need to have a lot of self assessment and you have to be open to recognize, in my case, I am super bad in finance. So I need to have a super finance director with us to help me see things that I can’t see and I can’t process.

[00:47:35] Felipe Marinho: So you need to be open. Okay, if I don’t speak English very well, How can I, uh, improve my English skills in a sense to persuade the other person to work for me and to do what I need the other person to do, right? And to sell my idea in my case. So I think that this self assessment. To be humble in a [00:48:00] sense of what are your weaknesses and what you need to improve And the third one in us is a sense to seek for help in a sense that I see that I I i’m not good in finance.

[00:48:13] Felipe Marinho: What can I do? Can I if I do a course at columbia business school and The outcome is that i’m going to be a super finance guy. No, it’s not philippe because I don’t like finance Don’t waste your time. Okay. So why don’t I hire something get a partner who is who loves the numbers and can be my finest?

[00:48:34] Felipe Marinho: Right arm that’s going to cover my blind spot, right? So I think that’s this husband support or wife do the self assessment and the third one that is this stick for help to cover Or these blind spots that you have are super important. Wow,

[00:48:59] Taty Fittipaldi: that [00:49:00] these are fabulous tips Felipe. I love them. I really love them.

[00:49:04] Taty Fittipaldi: Thank you so much for being so candid. So so frank about All the things that you experienced and the stories that you shared. They are so inspiring I think your initiative the sophia initiative is also very inspiring So I just want to take this moment to thank you so much for joining us today and for sharing these stories, these tips, everything.

[00:49:30] Taty Fittipaldi: I’m really glad. Thank you so much, Felipe.

[00:49:34] Felipe Marinho: very much. Have a great day. Tatiana. Thank you, everyone. Bye bye. Felipe.

[00:49:39] HIGHLIGHTS

[00:49:39] Taty Fittipaldi: This brings us to the end of these Leadership Nest episode. I trust you found value in acquiring insights that can elevate your decisions and performance in critical global leadership roles and situations. Stay tuned for a next joy ride with expatriates interview! we promise to surprise you with new stories and [00:50:00] concepts to help you learn more about international relocation, acclimation and cultural integrations.

[00:50:06] Taty Fittipaldi: Wherever you are in the globe, this is Taty Fittipaldi wishing you a beautiful day.

[00:50:12] Taty Fittipaldi: If you have any questions, you’d like us to answer in a future episode of this show, just go to speakpipe.com/tatyfittipaldi or click the link in the show notes, to leave us a brief audio message.

[00:50:30] Taty Fittipaldi: Make sure to visit us on our website www.theleadershipnest.com, where you can subscribe to our show anywhere podcasts are streamed, so you never miss the fun.

[00:50:43] Taty Fittipaldi: While there, if you find value in our show, you can also subscribe to our global leadership weekly newsletter from Coaching Expatriates®, where we deliver bite-sized lessons on global leadership, decision-making, and cultural competence to help you learn how to think, [00:51:00] relate and strategize in a whole different way as a global leader.

[00:51:05] Taty Fittipaldi: If you liked our show, you might want to check her online global executive leadership program. A nine week leadership development and learning system, that will help you lead internationally while making financially conscious and impactful business decisions.

[00:51:20] Taty Fittipaldi: Taty Fittipaldi is also available for private coaching. See the websites for more details at www.coachingexpatriates.com/executive-coaching.

[00:51:33] Taty Fittipaldi: Thanks for joining us this week on The Leadership Nest podcast. I trust you found a value in acquiring insights that can elevate your performance in critical global leadership roles and situations.

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