From Confucius to Consensus - A Chinese Mother’s Cross-Cultural Journey Through Chaos & Growth.
What happens when a girl from the Gobi Desert, shaped by the traditions of Chinese culture and the intensity of Shanghai life, finds herself raising highly gifted children in a quiet Dutch village – with a husband whose parenting style couldn’t be more different?
In this deeply personal and reflective talk, Lei Wang shares her journey: from a tech career in Europe to the emotional chaos of cross-cultural parenting. Using Spiral Dynamics as a lens, she uncovers how deeply ingrained value systems shape the way we relate to our children – and to ourselves.
Everyone faces struggles – whether you're navigating office politics, raising a child who never listens until you shout, watching your child struggle to make friends, clash with teachers, or desperately try to fit in.
This session is for anyone raising children between cultures, supporting cross-cultural families, or quietly wrestling with their own internal conflicts. Come not for answers, but for resonance – and perhaps, a match struck on your own foggy path.
Short Vita
Lei Wang – Talent Counselor, Cross-Cultural Parenting Expert
Lei Wang, originally from China, has lived in Europe since 1998 and currently resides in the Netherlands with her Dutch husband and two highly gifted teenagers. After nearly 30 years in the European tech sector – working in consultancy, product management, and business development across more than 10 countries – Lei transitioned into the field of education and parenting support in relationship of (highly-)giftedness.
Her personal journey as a Chinese mother raising gifted children in a Dutch cultural context led her to train as a talent counselor specializing in cross-cultural parenting and giftedness. At her practice,
137TalentCare, she supports dutch schools and Chinese-Dutch families in navigating the complex intersection of culture, education, and high potential. Her approach blends lived experience with professional insight, and she draws on models like Spiral Dynamics to help understand value systems between East and West. She believes strongly in building empathy between parents and children, and in equipping caregivers with tools that address not only surface behaviors but underlying needs.
Outside of her work, Lei enjoys creative pursuits like calligraphy, sketching, paper arts, and stand-up comedy.
Please accept that we charge for this event in order to pay for the rent of the room. It would be unfair to include the rent into the base fee of the IBD
2025 making everyone pay for it instead of just those attending the presentations and workshops. Furthermore, experience from former annual gatherings in Germany have shown that if a presentation or workshop has a price tag rather those interested sign up for it thus offering them a better chance to get a slot. Thank you.
