Episode Takeaways:

Welcome to HTFA the podcast for families where one parent works away, and for those who support them. I am Rhoda Bangerter, here to help you build connections across the distance. Flor Garcia works across cultures and helps organisational leaders deliver sustainable, cost effective solutions for global teams. Flor is also the President of Families in Global Transitions. She has experience of frequent business travel in family life, and now that her children have grown up she explains to us how she and her husband adapted frequent business travel with children who have flown the nest!

Key Takeaways

Flor’s story and message to new mums with travelling partners

• Flor was born and raised in Venezuela, where she lived until age 22. In 2002, she left her homeland, got married, and settled in the southern United States. There, she and her husband started their family, welcoming their first son just a year and a half after marriage as her husband worked on building his career and started travelling. She acknowledged the loneliness of those years and offers hope.
• She emphasizes self-compassion: “You don’t have to know it all or do it all perfectly.”
• Avoid isolation and seek connections, even if language or cultural barriers feel daunting.
• Your capacity for resilience and adaptability is a gift to your children.

“there is the hope of knowing that, you know, you're raising children that are going to grow in a way that they are going to learn by example what it is to be, to adjust, to adapt, to be agile. In different circumstances, they see their mothers juggling and trying different things.”

Careers & Community:

• The importance of nonlinear, portable careers—embracing flexibility and finding the common thread in your professional path.
• Families in Global Transition (FIGT) is a supportive community for anyone navigating globally mobile lifestyles. It offers resources, networking, and opportunities for learning and growth.

Adapting in New Seasons:

• With grown children, Flor Garcia now joins her husband on trips, enjoying new routines and intentional reconnection as a couple.
• She highlights the importance of being intentional about rediscovering partnership when transitioning into “bird launcher” parents (i.e. children flying the nest)

Flor Garcia is a global cultural strategy leader who advises senior executives on how to lead and perform across complexity. With over 15 years of experience, she has partnered with multinational organizations to align culture, leadership, and business strategy across regions.

Flor is known for translating cultural dynamics into practical leadership actions that improve decision-making, alignment, and performance. She has led large-scale global initiatives reaching thousands of leaders across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.

As President of Families in Global Transition, she also supports a global community navigating identity, mobility, and belonging across borders.

Fluent in English, Spanish, and German, Flor brings both lived experience and strategic rigor to her work.

She is the co-founder of Leading Across Culture, where she helps organizations turn cultural complexity into clarity, connection, and growth.

Connect with Flor

LinkedIn

Leading Across Culture

Find out more about Families in Global Transitions (FIGT) at Families in Global Transition - Home

Two events you may be interested in:

FIGT is holding a session on nonlinear careers in June -ideal for anyone wrestling with professional transitions across borders (43:17).

FIGT April Forum: Connect with globally-minded peers and experts, membership optional.

Contact Rhoda: rhoda@amulticulturallife.com

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Buy the book: Holding the Fort Abroad

Your partner's job opportunity in another country seemed like an exciting idea, but lengthy work assignments mean you're holding down the family fort - alone.

OR Your partner is working and living in another country, and you feel like you are shouldering all the home responsibilities alone.

You may be wondering:

• How can we be a family when we're miles apart?
• Can I cope, alone, when troubles arise?

I believe there are answers to the above questions, and the answers start with you. In this context, it's more important than ever to invest in yourself, to care for yourself, to set your own goals and to watch yourself grow. Equally important is to nurture your relationship with your partner and learn to parent together.