Intercultural Communication Saved My Life

Not literally.

But if you’ve ever lived, worked, or led in another country… you know it can feel that way.

Years ago, when I was living in Portland, Oregon, I was hired by a Fortune 500 company to support a group of Vice Presidents. The goal was simple: help them understand the cultural differences between the United States and Brazil.

During one of the sessions, something unexpected happened: one of the VPs shared a story.

He had been working in Brazil and, by his own admission, completely misunderstood the culture. He approached leadership, communication, and decision-making the same way he would in the U.S.

The result? He fired people. Others quit. Trust broke down. Not because he was a bad leader—but because he didn’t understand the cultural context he was operating in. He told us it took him months to realize what had gone wrong. Months to understand how people in Brazil build relationships, communicate, negotiate, and work.

In his words, learning intercultural communication didn’t just improve his performance—it saved his professional life. That story stayed with me, because I’ve lived it too.

When I moved to England 21 years ago, I did what most people do: I compared everything. I tried to make sense of behaviors through my own cultural lens. Why do people communicate this way? Why are relationships built differently? Why does “yes” sometimes mean something else?

At the time, I didn’t have the language or awareness to understand it. I just knew things felt… off. It took time—trial, error, and a lot of reflection—to realize that the challenge wasn’t the culture. It was my interpretation of it.

We tend to assume that people think, behave, and relate the same way we do - they don’t.

And that gap—between assumption and reality—is where misunderstandings happen.

In business, it can cost you trust, opportunities, and results. In life, it can create frustration, isolation, and disconnection.

As I deepened my work in wellbeing and happiness, intercultural communication naturally became part of the conversation. Because understanding people—truly understanding them—requires more than language.

It requires:

• awareness

• curiosity

• humility

  
  

When you develop intercultural awareness, something shifts. You become more patient. More adaptable. More compassionate. And as a result—you become more effective, and often, happier.

Traveling or working abroad is not just about geography - it’s about perspective.

When you start to see culture not as “right or wrong,” but simply as “different,” you open the door to deeper connection—with others and with yourself.

Intercultural communication won’t literally save your life, but it might save your career, your relationships, and your experience of the world.

Rodrigo Baena is the founder of Long Life Locals, a wellbeing and happiness researcher, executive coach, and consultant who has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Mercedes-Benz Chrysler, Airbnb, Nike, as well as forward-thinking organizations and universities worldwide.