How can professionals — not just tech experts or big corporations — use AI to work smarter and think more creatively?
What are some underrated AI tools that save hours in each work week?
How does AI change the way we work, lead, learn, and connect?
What can Chinese professionals teach the world about fast, practical AI adoption?
Alysia Lee Asp is a Creative Innovation Coach, AI Integration Specialist, and Award-Winning Educator helping professionals bridge creativity, psychology, and technology to work smarter and think bigger. Based in Shanghai for over a decade, this “Queen of AI in Shanghai” is known for making innovation practical, human, and globally accessible.
Host: Sigrid Winkler, Founder & CEO of CITY COWBOYS
Links: Find Alysia Lee Asp on
WeChat: alysialeeasp
Email: transform@creativeforachange.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alysialeeasp/
Website: flexmytech.com
Understand why our values are so important to how we interact with our environment.
Why is an expat assignment so hard for the spouse?
The true value of intercultural trainings?
Preparing local teams for global roles.
Andreas Bastian has worked in various senior management positions at several multinational companies, including Volkswagen and BP.
With a wealth of experience in developing global teams and businesses, Andreas has lived and worked across diverse markets in China, Japan, Indonesia, and Germany.
Dr. Andreas Bastian
ICUnet Group China
https://www.icunet.cn/en
Managing Director Asia-Pacific
Andreas.Bastian@icunet.group
Get to know the challenges of Overseas Chinese students and professionals
How can they integrate in other cultures and create value in their home country?
Contact Adam Sevcik (Find on LinkedIn)
Wechat: AdamSev_01
Contact Francis
Wechat: Flexpat2020
Confident communication drives career success.
Speaking with confidence is a skill that can be trained and strengthened.
Practical strategies to recognize and avoid common communication mistakes.
Build powerful new habits to express your ideas effectively in every conversation.
Corinna Rothenburger
Born in Germany in 1965, Corinna Rothenburger is a seasoned language and communication expert with more than 25 years of experience in broadcasting, public speaking, and professional training. She built her career across several major radio stations in Germany, working as a speaker, writer, and event presenter.
Since 2012, she has been based in Shanghai, where she continues to share her passion for communication as a German language trainer for companies, adults, and children—helping learners not only master the language but also express themselves with confidence and clarity.
WeChat: CorinnaRothenburger
Learn Chinese. Finally be able to speak fluently. It is possible.
Alla is the founder and manager of Sino.Sphere an online Chinese school which delivers media-based courses to students from all around the world.
Sino.Sphere offers a fresh alternative to traditional rote-learning based approaches, instead engaging its students with modern Chinese media produced for natives in China. We have taught over 500+ students from across the globe and you can find us on Instagram, as well as on LinkedIn as Sino.Sphere.
Alla Garside (find on LinkedIn)
Instagram: Sino.Sphere
Wechat: Allaelizaveta01
Contact Francis
Wechat: Flexpat2020
Learn from an Artist who started working in China 1987.
What is the role of your own skills and your relationships?
Is this still valid today?
Find Daniel:
instagram link @danielmkrause
Wechat T4PHAGE
Learn to work in a Chinese environment. What does it take?
Which value is the Chinese company looking for?
How can you influence and change the Chinese team?
What is low and high context culture?
Read the book: "Culture Map" from Erin Meyer to learn more about low and high context culture.
Contact Jeanne de Gayffier:
Find her on LinkedIn or wechat: j_fengshu
Find Francis on wechat: Flexpat2020 or Linkedin (Francis Kremer)
Learn to communicate between German and Chinese teams. What it takes to be strategic and reach your goal.
Unlock effective communication and bridge cultural gaps between German and Chinese teams by mastering strategic clarity, cultural empathy, and the human factor; learn to leverage practical tools and cultivate adaptability to achieve successful and sustainable collaboration.
Dr. Ellen Wieck-Mesarosch
Leadership Coach & Consultant for German-Chinese Cooperation projects
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ellen-wieck-mesarosch-01876410b
Wechat: Ellen-WM
Website: www.ellenwieckmesarosch.com
Prepare for an internal transfer to China. Build your China-focused career in your home country.
Learn about the e-commerce system in China and how a flexpat can provide value.
Why is Chinese so important for your flexpat career?
Contact Marvin:
Wechat: MarvinFreericks
Leave your preconceptions behind and travel into an unexpected China.
Individually. Luxury. Unscripted.
Contact Rene & Andrea:
Email: rene@chinaserendipity.com
Website: www.chinaserendipity.com
Wechat: bolinxiatian2016
Health insurance need-to-know
- understand the Chinese hospital system
- save cost on insurance
- key risks to insure
- prepare to return back home
Find Le'An Insurance
Wechat_ID: k522621972
Official Wechat Account: LEAN MEMBER SERVICE
Official Website: www.lean-insurance.com
Contact Francis on Wechat: Flexpat2020
Sometimes a flexpat career ends - and then? Learn about how to get ready for the next step for your career and your family.
Contact Tim:
Tim.kullack1@gmail.com
Wechat: tdoe123
Job Search Realities in 2025
What's actually happening in the job market right now?
Where to look - how to handle in-house recruiters, headhunters, career coaches and your network?
Why mindset matters more than ever?
Smart ways to handle interviews and explain career gaps
Miriam Wickertsheim leads Direct HR, a China-based recruitment firm with 17 years of history in the market, supporting Western and especially German companies in building high-performing teams.
Find Miriam's YouTube Channel "China Perspectives" at https://www.youtube.com/@MiriamWickertsheim and follow her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriamwickertsheim/
Learn about Real Estate in China and how to build your business
- Start, build and grow a business
- Integrate as a flexpat in a complex market
- Insights into Real Estate in Shanghai
- Why is transparency such a key value?
- Advice for flexpats and founders
Bjarne Bauer is the Managing Partner of NAI Sofia Group Shanghai, providing Industrial Real Estate & Office Property brokerage. Bjarne has been working in the commercial real estate industry for 25 years and has advised numerous multinational companies on matters relating to China’s real estate market, in the process handling deals totaling over CNY 20 billion in transaction value.
Find Bjarne Bauer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjarne-bauer-sior-44513329/
Wechat ID: wxid_kunfonw4i8s122
How will the Trade War affect you?
Why has China been so competitive in the past as a sourcing location?
How does South East Asia compare to China?
Why do the US and China trade so much?
What can be alternative countries to source from?
What does it take to be competitive today?
Sebastian Maling started his latest company Flexbag in 2024 after a successful entrepreneurial career in China and Europe.
Find Sebastian Maling on LinkedIn / www.flexbag.com
Learn about what has changed for flexpats in the past 5 years
Why are flexpats still searched for?
Which skills are required for a flexpat career?
What does it take to build a flexpat career from scratch?
How to prepare for a flexpat career?
How can flexpats differentiate on the job market?
How can you find a flexpat job while based outside of China?
Every flexpat should read Dragon Suit, Gabor`s recent book.
List of all online stores: http://www.dragonsuit.info/
Amazon: https://amzn.to/41WjhWe
Please also tune in to episodes
136 "Dragon Suit" discussion with Gabor Holch
20 Leadership advice with Gabor Holch
129 Expats leave China
Gábor Holch spent twenty years advising, coaching and training multinational executives in China, Asia and Europe. Trained in languages, philosophy and diplomacy, he briefly worked for intergovernmental development organisations before moving to China in 2002. Since then, he became a Mandarin-language Certified Management Consultant, founded his Shanghai-based consultancy and helped thousands of managers at firms including ASML, Bayer, BMW, Nissan, Nokia, Patek Philippe, PepsiCo, Peugeot-Citroën, Porsche, Roland Berger and Walt Disney. He has authored four books and delivers keynote speeches on the challenges and successes of expatriate executives, culture in the future of work and global leadership.
Find Gabor Holch on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaborholch/
His services & articles at www.eastwestleadership.com
Building the Life You Want in China:
Are you a flexpat looking to build a secure financial future while still enjoying your life abroad? In this episode, we talk with Dan, an experienced financial advisor specializing in expat financial planning. We explore key tactics for balancing current lifestyle choices with long-term savings goals, examine the ins and outs of investing while dealing with currency fluctuations, and discuss family considerations such as funding education and ensuring your loved ones are protected. Whether you’re new to China or have called it home for years, this conversation is packed with insights to help you create and maintain the life you want.
1 Stay flexible in your retirement planning
2 Effective Budgeting for your living cost
3 Enjoy living abroad, live in the now
4 Deal with different currencies and countries
5 Optimize tax and legal environment
6 Goal Setting and Retirement planning
7 Plan ahead to avoid tax
8 Biggest challenges to retirement planning
9 Why pay fees for an advisor?
10 Can you plan your own retirement fund?
11 How can you discipline yourself to plan for your future?
12 Follow Dan to learn more
Dan Couzens has been a UK registered financial advisor for over 10 years (after serving 22 years in the British Military) and currently works in China as an expat financial advisor helping clients align their financial plans with their life goals for over, specializing in cross-border tax issues, retirement planning, and strategic investments.
Podcast recommendations:
"Invest Like the Best" with Patrick O'Shaughnessy
"Macro Voices" with Eric Townsend
Contact: daniel.couzens@winsoncapital.com
Wechat: dan_couzens
Contact Dan to get:
1 Guide to Offshore Investing
2 Tax Considerations for US/UK/AU Expats
Enter APAC through Hong Kong
- Learn to be a strategy advisor
- Recent development in Hong Kong
- Advantages of Hong Kong as APAC hub
- HR and talent pool in Hong Kong
- Opportunities for flexpats today
Florian Braunsteiner supports companies wanting to grow their APAC business.
Please also tune in to episode
156 Flexpat job market
153 Leadership advice
151 Relocate to Vietnam
Flexpat Job Market summary
- Current (and future) developments of Foreign Talent in China
- Changes to expectation of foreign executive profiles
- Strategic approach to Flexpat Job Search
- Flexpats: Why Are They So Valuable to Companies
- GM Salaries in China: How Have They Evolved Over the Last Decade
- Plan B if you cannot find a job in China
- What is the risk of continued localization?
Miriam leads Direct HR, one of China’s largest German-speaking recruitment firms. With years of experience supporting Western companies as they establish and grow in China, she is now expanding her focus to guide these companies in their APAC expansion strategies.
A frequent keynote speaker and dedicated China-watcher, Miriam shares regular insights on LinkedIn. Follow her for updates: Miriam Wickertsheim.
Please also tune in to episode
88 Flexpat career planning
127 Expats leave China
144 Flexpats add value to Chinese teams
142 Build your own Flexpat business in China
151 Relocate to Vietnam
150 Relocation
119 Returning home after 10 years
80 Flexpat career planning
155 Greencard for flexpats
153 Leadership advice
136 China-Europe cooperation
All you need to know about the greencard
- how the community helps us to learn from each other
- where to find more information
- Prepare for the biggest challenge in the application process
- Future of the greencard
- Benefit for employer
Dave came to China 20 years ago during university and made it all the way to General Manager in his industry.
He always wanted to apply for the greencard and got the chance in 2018. Since then he has been very active in helping others to learn about it.
Contact him, he can add you to the greencard groups.
Connect with Dave:
Wechat: davelektor
Linkedin: David von Schwerin
Please also tune in to episode
29 Dave tells his whole story
148 Retire in China
127 Expats leave China
136 China-focused future