About Daniela

Daniela Draugelis didn't just study cultural intelligence, she lived it before she even had a name for it. Born in Argentina to a Lithuanian immigrant family (her father fled Europe as a war refugee), she grew up speaking Lithuanian at home, celebrating cultural traditions on weekends, and navigating between worlds long before anyone called it "code-switching." Twenty-plus years of globally mobile life across China, Indonesia, the US, and now Pakistan, she's a certified Cultural Intelligence facilitator who helps executives, diplomats, and globally mobile individuals not just survive the crossing — but genuinely thrive. Find her at culturalpathways.com

What You'll Walk Away With

This is one of those conversations that gives you language for things you've always felt but couldn't quite name. Daniela walks us through the four pillars of Cultural Intelligence, including Drive, Knowledge, Strategy, and Action - and explains why having just one or two isn't enough. You can read every guidebook about your new country and still find yourself eating lunch alone in your car, wondering why nothing is clicking. We also get into the fascinating difference between tight and loose cultures, and what it costs us, both emotionally and practically, when we find ourselves leaping between them. And in true nomadic spirit, Daniela shares the moment she asked her Pakistani hostess for the "restroom" and was shown to a bedroom. Even after 20 years, culture has a way of keeping us beautifully humble!

Be Curious, Not Judgmental

Daniela's parting wisdom comes straight from Ted Lasso , and it might be the most portable cultural intelligence tool you'll ever carry.

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You can map the move. You cannot map the metamorphosis. Nomadic Diaries explores the interior journey of expat life — the belonging, the identity shifts, the repatriation, and everything that travels with you that can't be packed in a suitcase. This episode may be part of our Re-Entry Series (30 episodes on coming home) or The Belonging Project (29 episodes on belonging across cultures). Browse the full catalog at nomadicdiariespodcast.com and please share or leave a review if this episode resonated.