Case Studies

Transition: A Scottish 50-something woman fell in love with an Egyptian hotelier while on vacation. She left her unhappy marriage, her career, family, friends, and westernized way of life, and moved to Egypt to marry the hotelier and start anew.

Ambitious Goals: The client wanted to combine her two lifelong passions of reading and travel into a career that complements her new environment. As an added challenge, she also battled imposter syndrome.

Solution: First, Sundae's strategies helped the client find clarity on what she wanted to achieve. Then, after the client named it, she and Sundae worked backward to break it down into small digestible chunks. In addition to live sessions, Sundae prepared weekly accountability goals to plainly identify the next step, keep progress on track, and minimize overwhelm.

Transformation: Though highly educated and extremely accomplished, the client overcame tremendous self-doubt and created her dream. She opened a travel business that takes visitors on unique guided tours including, featured locations from Agatha Christie novels.

Sundae's 1:1 coaching clients report:

• Higher energy
• Sharpened focus
• Elevated confidence
• Dependable follow-through
• Increased intercultural awareness
• Gratitude for new coping strategies

Transition: A global consulting company in Switzerland has a continuous influx of temporary foreign workers on rotating, 18-month assignments. These employees need to perform from day one of their secondment.

Ambitious Goals: The client sought out Sundae to help newly-arrived employees adjust quickly to the country. Although initially looking for "dos and don'ts," it was quickly apparent that more comprehensive support was necessary for the adaptation and maintained performance of the consultants.

Solution: Sundae designed, developed, and delivered a learning intervention centered around developing intercultural competencies. This monthly interactive training centered around the core concepts of culture and intercultural skill-building. These sessions were paired with a validated assessment of four key intercultural competencies and a 1:1 coaching session per individual.

Transformation: Participants were able to immediately incorporate self and intercultural learning into their personal and professional lives. The program ran for three consecutive years, receiving consistent praise from its participants for the impact it had on their mindset, attitude, and behaviors. It also fostered a sense of belonging in their new "home."

Transition: During the 2020 academic year, Verano Learning Partners, in collaboration with The Bridge School, acquired an international online educational institution. Although the client had 20+ years of experience, they were all within the US-based school system. The client partnered with Sundae for transition support into this new market demographic.

Ambitious Goals: The client's primary goal was to better understand the international market-specifically the American and British expat communities. The client was aware that their unfamiliarity with the issues the international market was facing put them at a disadvantage. They sought Sundae for intercultural guidance to learn how to best support an expat demographic and build out their offerings to meet their very unique needs.

Solution: Over an eight-week collaboration, Sundae helped the client define their vision, grow their understanding of the global mobility landscape, and identify new opportunities. Then, Sundae and the client co-created and implemented a process reflective of their evolving international objectives. Sundae also fast-tracked the client's success by connecting them with several expat influencers and other potential partnerships in the global mobility space.

Transformation: Ultimately, the client was able to offer solutions specifically designed to meet the needs of expat families during the challenging global pandemic. This includes providing uninterrupted, location-independent, quality education through a one-of-a-kind school. The greatest value reported by the client was the direction and insight they gained by working with Sundae, and the anticipated long-term impact that her methods will have on future business decisions.

Transition: An International NGO with a strong presence in West Africa wanted support for its office in Burkina Faso. The organization had recently undergone significant changes in its management personnel.

Ambitious Goals: As is often the case, the management transition sparked challenges. The director needed to recalibrate the energy in the office, promote positive team behaviors, and align his own managerial style to match the organization's objectives.

Solution: A three-part program was customized and delivered. Based on the NGO's core values, it identified how to optimize communication for improved overall team performance. Furthermore, it pinpointed specific behaviors that would encourage "living" these values to support the organization's goals.

Transformation: Quickly following the training, the director noted tangible changes within the team. These included the staff taking accountability for their performance and sharing ideas confidently and fearlessly in a group setting. He also reported a drastic reduction in tension and stress in the workplace, and a genuine feeling of "coming together" to achieve common goals.

Transition: The Global Academy needed an intercultural business module to complement its other leadership and communication curriculum. This prominent organization has a presence in 14 different countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Due to coastal and time constraints, flying their elite group in from seven regions was not feasible. Both group and individual learning were priorities for the project sponsor.

Ambitious Goals: Find a learning approach for an intercultural business module that would deliver deep level intercultural learning and build trust across geographies, time zones and cultures.

Solution: A blended learning solution was crafted and implemented. Tactics included a self-guided online tool, systematic learning objectives, and practice of simple-yet-effective techniques to enhance intercultural competencies. The curriculum also provides regular assignments and personalized feedback, as well as 1:1 coaching via phone and email.

Transformation: Operational for five consecutive years, the program receives raving reviews for its real-world application in its expansive cross-border business. Periodic virtual group workshops serve to articulate outcomes, celebrate successes, and define commitments for the future. The learning objectives are consistently applied to the participants' on-the-job challenges. Both the project sponsor and its C-level leadership team report exponential benefits from the continued use of key concepts and behaviors.