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Wednesday, August 20 2025
Lost_in_Transition_BannerI’m on a BIG mission to help military & expatriate families around the world have easy access to experts and resources to help transition from feelings of loss and overwhelm to flourishing in the life they  deserve!”
Dr. Paulette Bethel, CMC
This audio seminar features:
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Ruth Van Reken
Bestselling Author
International Speaker
Third Culture Kid Expert
Listen to Ruth:

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Ruth Van Reken is a best-selling coauthor of the groundbreaking book, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds and author of Letters Never Sent.
Van Reken is a second generation adult Third Culture Kid (TCK) and mother of 3 ATCKs and best-selling coauthor of the groundbreaking book, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds (revised 2009 ). For nearly thirty years, she has traveled extensively speaking and consulting about issues related to global family living.  Ruth coined the term, Cross-Cultural Kids (CCKs) and is co-founder of the annual Families in Global Transition conference, which has been the global leader in cross cultural education and training to support the entire expat family for over 10 years. Her many writings also include Letters Never Sent , book contributions and journal articles.
 Ruth has been featured in several short films and documentaries on the TCK life and her work has appeared in The Telegraph, the Daily Beast and Among Worlds  Magazine and she  has been quoted extensively in online and print media around the world.
During Ruth’s call, we learned about:

  • Ruth’s Story
  • The definition, history & evolution of the Third Culture Lid (TCK) concept
  • TCK traits, cultural identity, gifts & challenges
  • Cross-Cultural Kids: the emergence of new language &  inclusion of added circles to the conversation
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About Author

Paulette Bethel, PhD

A native of culturally rich New Orleans, Dr. Paulette Bethel brings the essence of that heritage into everything she creates. She is a storycatcher, speaker and identity reinvention guide whose work lives at the intersection of culture, transition, and personal truth.

A retired U.S. Air Force officer, former therapist, and lifelong cross-cultural navigator, she is also a proud Air Force spouse and the mother of adult Third Culture Kids — experiences that deeply shape her understanding of identity, belonging and change.

Through her "Bella’s Front Porch" column and her platform, Step Beyond Coaching & Consulting, Bethel invites culturally fluid individuals — of all backgrounds, ages and identities — to reflect on who they are becoming. Her work affirms that identity is not a destination, but a dynamic, unfolding story — and we all deserve the space to live ours, out loud and in full.

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