Jennifer Kumar is the Managing Director of Authentic Journeys - www.authenticjourneys.info.

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Jennifer Kumar
Cross Culture Success Consultant for Virtual Teams
authenticjourneys@gmail.com
Summary
I am the Managing Director of Authentic Journeys based in Kochi, India. I am looking to connect with HR,
team leads and global leaders to provide tailor-made cross-cultural training for distributed, global teams. I
would like to partner with your team or organization to get Authentic Journeys' on a list of preferred trainers
for cross-cultural virtual team building or offshore team building.
I work with you, your team leads, client-facing individuals, and other important stakeholders to collect the
needs. Based on this, my team and I create a highly interactive, practical, hands-on workshop. The sessions are
both experiential and integrative which means we see results from training programs quickly. This is because
whenever possible we collect data from real-time business scenarios to provide solutions through activities,
group discussions, mock meetings, email and communication training and other methods so that you or your
team members can confidently attend meetings, write emails that get responded to quicker, and can interact
with and influence American counterparts through the phone, email, IM or in face-to-face meetings as your
role or their role demands.
Move your team to leadership ready today. Sessions are available for individuals, small groups (up to 4-5) and
larger groups (up to 20-25). Contact me on LinkedIn or via email at info@authenticjourneys.info.
Projects
How to Avoid Mistakes When Working With Europeans
July 2016 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Vishal Gupta, Nusa Veber
Jennifer Kumar presented a guest lecture to students in the course "Doing Business in Europe" at Indian
Institute of Management, Kashipur (IIM-K) via Skype. Vishal Gupta, professor, worked closely with
Jennifer to tailor the material to the class syllabus. Nusa Veber, subject matter expert, conducted basic
research on Slovenian and German business culture differences. She also participated in a few webinars that
will be available online.
College to Corporate Program: Networking Basics for Career Success
July 2015 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Jyojith George Thaliath, Authentic Journeys
A one hour seminar targeted to IEEE students at on the brink of entering the working world. Participants
gained real life experience in face-to-face introductions (handshakes), professional small talk tips and how to
interact professionally over email and social media.
How to Prepare for the Real "Work" World

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April 2015 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Wren Fritsky, M.Ed, Authentic Journeys
American Corporate Communication Coach
May 2012 to April 2016
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Annelise Piers
Offering US facing Bangalore-based financial professionals, team leads and executives with 5- 25+ years of
experience from various cultural backgrounds targeted communication, behavioral, and leadership coaching.
Goals were set and achieved through the use of self-assessments (use of gap analysis), organizational and
personal value clarification, and manager recommendation. Goal achievement was noted through improved
communication and work performance as seen in increased 360 Performance Review and Customer
Satisfaction Scores.
Customer Rapport Building with North Americans
March 2015 to May 2015
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Jay Lakhani
Culture Expectations Across Cultures
In this 8 week session participants learned:
1. Major culture concepts that will improve interactions with the Canada-based team as well as other Western
(US, UK, Australia) counterparts and clients the company will engage with.
2. How to build rapport on global teams with effective business communication techniques in email and
conference calls.
3. Small talk tips for phone and email interactions.
Business English Seminar
August 2014 to December 2014
Members:Jennifer Kumar, DAIN MANUEL, Anish Padinjaroote
Learning Outcomes for the 5 month (20 hour) program:
• Global business email etiquette (Structure communication in a simple, effective, convincing way)
• Group discussion skills in English to encourage virtual meeting interactions with clients
• Professional phone etiquette for Indian and global work conversations
• Presentation skills for corporate environments (face-to-face, phone, virtual presentations)
• Apply accent reduction skills as required
Building Cross-Cultural Competency in Business
September 2014 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Dick Petitte, Soha Salamah
Hands-on, thought-provoking workshops provide out-of-the-textbook, real-life situations to the forefront for
international students and business professionals. See more at: https://lnkd.in/f-9iKg9
Accent Reduction & English Communication, Ernst & Young, Kochi
October 2013 to January 2014
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Peter Rijskamp

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Professional phone handling skills were the focus of this 30 hour, 3 month onboarding program with financial
professionals with 5- 15 years experience. Modules focussed on voice and accent reduction, phone handling
skills, meeting etiquette, speaking English with American native English speakers vs. European non-native
English speakers and small talk skills. Sessions were delivered via interactive sessions with role plays, mock
phone meetings based on real-life client interactions, and participant teach-back.
American Culture Orientation Program
July 2012 to July 2014
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Preethi Kannath, Tiya Jaison, Anish Aravind
Software engineers working for a major media analytics company in Kochi, India attended multi-day cross-
cultural business readiness sessions to work on co-located, global teams with American counterparts.
Communication & Culture for Western Clients at Microsoft, India
October 2013 to December 2013
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Atika Gupta
Project Managers, Team Leads and the Company Director with 5-20 years of experience at Microsoft were
coached on how to take lead with their US and global clients, improve communication and work flow.
(Assigned through AC Training Aacademy)
Through discussions, role plays based on day-to-day work situations, and analysis of real-time client
conversations (verbal and written), participants learned to apply best practices in:
+ Delegation and Ownership of Tasks
+ Gathering and Distributing Requirements
+ Use of Non-Defensive Language, Communicating in Difficult Situations
+ E-mail and Phone Etiquette during Crucial Project Conversations
+ American and Global Professional Etiquette (Small Talk, Non-Verbal and Body Language)
American Accent for Phone Conversation - A Sociolinguistic Course
November 2012 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar
Professionals with 5-12 years experience learned how to use English in a culturally appropriate way, so
that Americans could understand them better AND so they could understand Americans better. In addition
to learning advanced accent reduction and comprehension techniques, the sessions focused on learning
American mindset, etiquette, behaviors, and professional expectations.
“I learned how to be more polite while sending e-mail requests. I also learned how to combine words and
sounds [in American English].” – Shimmi
“It’s not important to enact the same accent, but to understand it, so we can communicate better with the
client.” –Linda
“Being direct is not always polite in American English.” – Tony
“I learned tips on how to talk in English more slowly and clearly so Americans can understand me better.” –
Praveen PS

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Cross-Cultural Corporate Communication Coach - India/EU
November 2011 to February 2012
Members:Jennifer Kumar
Brokered and facilitated clearer communication and improved workflow between the India-based
management in a leading aircraft manufacturing Global 500 company. Project highlights included:
+ 70% Communication & Leadership Coaching with a Senior Software Developer with 7 years experience
+ 20% Leadership Mediation -brokering cross-cultural and professional understanding between the India
developer and his foreign boss.
+10% Executive Leadership & Behavioral Coaching - with the manager of the EU based company, an
executive with 20+ years experience
Preparing for International Assignments in the US
January 2011 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar
This 2-6 hour session is tailored for global professionals planning to work on short term expat assignments in
the US or for skilled immigrants already living and working in the US.
Professional designations: CEO (startup), sales, business development leads, IT and software developers,
financial professionals, others.
Professional assignments: Contract negotiations, starting new projects, project kickoffs, project handoffs,
professional networking and development.
Small Talk & Professional Networking
May 2012 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar
Over 100 professionals of all designations and experience levels interacting with US clients attended this
session to learn about making small talk on global teams - virtually, in email and in face to face interactions.
Various elements of conversational etiquettes, dos and don'ts of small talk, diversity and inclusion, and
networking skills are combined into tailor made sessions based on the group need. Concepts are always
taught through fun, interactive methods.These sessions have been given to the following groups:
+ Groups working virtually over the phone- using small talk in meetings
+ Groups working with IM and/or email - using conversation in written formats
+ Professionals and students attending conferences, job fairs, and professional networking events
+ New employees
+ Indian professionals hosting Westerners in India
+ Indians going abroad for expat assignments
Living and Working with Americans in the USA - A Self-Paced Online Cross-Culture Training
October 2011 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Val Bath

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To sign up your company for this engaging online class, visit: http://authenticjourneys.info/usa-culture-
training-online.php
US Culture Training Finishing School
May 2014 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar
A cross-cultural seminar designed to prepare seasoned offshore software professionals for relocating to more
than ten onsite locations across the US. Topics covered in the session include professional presence, travel
tips, finding a place to live, tips for staying in hotels, living in apartments, driving in the US, personal safety
and more practical tips for a smooth transition to working and living in the US as an expat.
Customer Focused Solution Building
January 2015 to February 2015
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Tom Thomas Theckel
Building customer loyalty, trust and empathy throughout the customer lifecycle were highlighted in a
global corporate context. Modules highlighted the dos and don'ts of small talk, meeting etiquette and
communication skills for problem solving and resolving of tickets in an efficient and friendly manner.
Working With Americans in Virtual, Dispersed Teams
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Tom Thomas Theckel, Luis Gonzáles
Building collaborative working environments in global, virtual teams through US culture and business
communication training. Sessions focused on proactive updating, early warnings, quality escalations, how
to point out mistakes and deliver negative messages, how to use English with Americans in the professional
arena, how to make small talk, and how to hold productive, efficient meetings. Activities and role plays
using real-life client case studies created relevance to this session. Over 150 professionals with 5-20 years of
experience attended this session.
Business Writing Style & Structure
January 2014 to June 2014
Members:Jennifer Kumar
Trained almost 300 employees at EY in effective business communication via the EY branded corporate
writing seminars.
Alpha New Employee Training - UST Global
June 2013 to August 2013
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Cicily Kavilaveettil
A 60 hour college to workplace training imparting general professional etiquette, personality development,
cross-cultural and business communication skills.
Client-Facing Interview Skills
January 2014 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar
Professionals with 5-30 years experience learn the dos and don'ts of professional networking, small talk,
and the mindset behind questions Western clients learn in interviews. Participants learn how to carry
themselves confidently in their body language, spoken English, and word choices to convince, influence and

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impress. Professionals from various companies have availed this program in small groups or as individuals in
corporate coaching sessions.
Vives College Student Internship Program
February 2015 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Authentic Journeys, Sarah Roost, Eveline LeRoy,
Training assistant mentorship and internship project through Vives, Beligium.
- Provided settings for student to observe and facilitate training programs at IT and Service-related companies
in Kochi and Kerala, India.
- Provided cross-cultural mentorship for participant engagement, content development planning and time
management in an appropriate Indian corporate cultural context.
- Student (Sarah Roost) engaged in Authentic Journeys at all levels of the business from client engagement,
training needs analysis, content development, training facilitation, follow up, marketing, budgeting, planning
and organizing.
- Cross-cultural business at the forefront - learning about business interactions in India, Belgium and the US
were often part of the daily mentorship discusionss.
Providing Virtual Tutoring and Educational Services
March 2013 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Biju Ramakrishnapillai
Preparing offshore tutors at Tutorwaves to understand the cultural, educational and social expectations had by
American students and their parents to be equipped to provide culturally-relevant customer service (CRM)
and engagement strategies.
Selling Americans on Indian IT Solutions
July 2015 to Present
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Vincent N.P.
Provided customized sessions to the Sales and Pre-Sales team of Suyati to help them capture and process
more leads, building their business. We held several targeted sessions to get into the mind of the Americans
and how to prepare for interacting with prospective American clients in a way Americans relate to and are
convinced by easier.
Intelligent Outsourcing Conference
January 2016 to March 2016
Members:Jennifer Kumar, Sreedev Soman, Hans Gaertner, Jennifer Roberts, Hugo Messer, Ajeesh
Venugopalan
Jennifer Kumar presented on the topic of “How to Avoid Mistakes in Offshore Outsourcing.” Jennifer
worked with a team of four other speakers to organize and coordinate content for this full day workshop to
CXOs of IT and software start-ups forging relations with clients from the U.S. and the E.U. which happened
on March 5, 2016.
Experience

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Managing Director at Authentic Journeys
July 2009 - Present (7 years 3 months)
Since 2009, over 2,000 Indians have participated in cross-cultural training, professional development,
business transformation, and corporate coaching programs. Participants represent:
• Corporate Professionals
10 MNCs and 15 Start-ups (Allianz, Arbitron, EY, Microsoft, UST Global)
0-25 years experience in IT, Finance, Health Care, Law, and Business
• Colleges (Students, Academics, Professors)
Skills Acquired Related to Position:
• Creating proposals and business presentations for initiating business relationships with clients, vendors,
partners, contractors, and interns.
• Key player in contract lifecycles – develop, negotiate and manage contracts
• Delegation of work, scope of project, time lines, finances and budget
• Setting up vendor agreements and NDAs (non-disclosure agreements)
• Invoicing, financial management, tax reporting
• Program creation, follow up, maintenance
• Website and social media marketing
Communication Coordinator at Rochester Institute of Technology
June 2008 - December 2008 (7 months)
+ Initiated a reorganization of the department website and implemented a social media strategy
+ Reviewed budgets for diem funds and reimbursements for faculty travel.
+ Initiated contact, built relationships and helped to coordinate admissions paperwork for domestic and
international students from the Middle East, India, Russia and other countries.
+ Promoted study abroad programs.
Community Liaison at Nazareth College
October 2007 - April 2008 (7 months)
+ Coordinated, compiled, and edited articles for the department newsletter.
+ Initiated ties between the college and Rajagiri College in India for study abroad programs that continues
until today.
Case Manager/Coordinator at Hillside Family of Agencies
June 2004 - September 2007 (3 years 4 months)
+ Instructional design (ID) - created and rolled-out soft-skills and professional development programs for
individuals and groups under coaching and SMART goal models.
+ Created and built trusting relationships with clients from diverse backgrounds.
+ Active member of the Diversity Panel through Human Resources

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Case Manager/Coordinator at Pathways, Inc.
2002 - 2004 (2 years)
Accounts Coordinator at Harvard University
1998 - 1999 (1 year)
+ Initiated a project that streamlined monthly financial reporting for over 300 accounts. Working along with
the IT, accounts payable, and various development project managers, a 7 day billing cycle was receded to 3
days.
+ Coordinated institute's e-mail, phone and postal mail enquiries.
Program Assistant for Global Ambassadors at State University of New York at Buffalo
1997 - 1998 (1 year)
+ Initiated a survey with a 1,000 international students to assess viability of a community based cultural
exchange program for international students.
+ More than 15 international students and 300 school and college students benefited from the exchange
program within the first two months of implementing.
Certifications
Voice and Accent Neutralization
Contentment India June 2012
Certified (Life & Career) Coach
Life Purpose Institute July 2009
License Master of Social Work (LMSW)
New York State Department of Education License 072298 February 2006
Master's of Social Work Degree Equivalency Certification
Council on Social Work Education, Alexandria, VA, USA July 2003
Skills & Expertise
Training
Intercultural Training
Executive Coaching
Leadership
Soft Skills
Consulting
Coaching
Interviews
American English
Business English
Strategy
Corporate Communications
Entrepreneurship
Blogging

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American culture
Pronunciation
New Hire Orientations
Cultural Adaptation
Communication Consulting
Emotional Intelligence
International Business Consulting
NRI Services
Employability Skills
Organizational Effectiveness
Behavior Modification
Training Needs Analysis
Confidence Building
Phone & Video Conference Skills (Skype)
Presentation Skills
Public Speaking
Instructional Design
Cross-cultural Teams
Cross-cultural Competence
Cross-cultural Communication Skills
Management
Commercial Awareness
Business Strategy
Teaching
Workshop Facilitation
Team Management
Mentoring
Experiential Learning
Experiential Education
Integrative Learning
Project Management
Publications
How to overcome cultural differences when managing offshore or nearshore teams
7write B.V. August 29, 2014
Authors: Jennifer Kumar, Hugo Messer, Rajiv Mathew, Ged Roberts, Gayle Cotton
The goal of this book is to give you practical insights on how to manage cultural differences when managing
offshore or nearshore teams.
Newcomer's Guide to Rochester, New York: Feeling at home in the Greater Rochester Area
Authentic Journeys Publishing January 27, 2014
Authors: Jennifer Kumar
See more at: http://authenticjourneys.info/rochester-new-york-newcomers-guide.html
The Asian Connections Newspaper

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April 2012
Authors: Jennifer Kumar, Chris Sufi
Contributed 7 book reviews between April 2012 - Jan. 2013.
Being Indian Abroad
Careers 360 - National Publication of Outlook, India October 2011
Authors: Jennifer Kumar
Featured in the Study Abroad special issue, this article helps prospective foreign students from India who
want to study in the US prepare for and reduce culture shock by applying a few simple techniques to their
new life in the US.
Tackling the Issues of Hiring NRIs
Mobility Magazine of Worldwide ERC August 2011
Authors: Jennifer Kumar, Aseem Juneja
The article explores problems and solutions to the issues Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) face when applying
for jobs in India while living abroad.
Regular Contributor to NRImatters.com
NRI Matters dot com 2011
Authors: Jennifer Kumar
Culture Shock
ICFAI Publishers January 2009
Authors: Jennifer Kumar, JCS Ravikant S Wawge
This book is a compilation of articles collected by Mr. Wawge on the topic of culture and culture shock. I
contributed "Is Mine a Case of Reverse Culture Shock?".
Languages
American English (Native or bilingual proficiency)
Hindi (Elementary proficiency)
Tamil (Elementary proficiency)
Malayalam (Elementary proficiency)
Indian English (Professional working proficiency)
Education
Madras Christian College
Master's Degree, Social Work
Monroe Community College
Entrepreneurship Certificate, 2009 - 2009
Activities and Societies: Initiated and Coordinated the first "MCC Entrepreneur's Expo". With the support
of influential college administration, I planned and executed this event, which showcased more than 20
entrepreneurs who were studying at the college. This event drew considerable attention from the college
community and was featured on the local news.
University at Buffalo

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Bachelor's Degree, Communication and Media Studies
Life Purpose Institute Inc
Certified Coach, Career & Life Coaching, 2009 - 2009
Interests
Travel, Culture, Coaching
Volunteer Experience
Joint Secretary at International Center for Cultural Studies
September 2005 - January 2007
Book Review Columnist at Sumdigital - Virsa The Culture
March 2014 - Present
Ongoing book review column published every other month since March 2014. To see reviews, visit: http://
authenticjourneys.info/press.html#articles-tab
NRI Blogger at Times of India
2011 - Present
Contributed blogs to the Times of India: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nricontributeprofile/9024827.cms
English Conversational Coach at Literacy Volunteers of Rochester, New York
November 2009 - December 2010
Imparted over 60 hours of individualized English and cultural lessons for day to day living in the US for
Japanese doctors and dentists.
+ Empowered families through improving cultural competency and language utilization.
+ Trained in BEST PLUS, an English placement testing software for incoming students.

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Jennifer Kumar
Cross Culture Success Consultant for Virtual Teams
authenticjourneys@gmail.com
22 people have recommended Jennifer
"By learning how people on the other end would feel if we pushed them into a dark zone while the technical
team here mulls over possible solutions, we can handle dead air more effectively. Kudos Authentic Journeys
and Jennifer ! "
— Evita Liz Eldhose, Senior Manager - Strategic Partnerships & Sales [FOSS, Ecommerce &
Mobility], Suyati Technologies Private Limited, was Jennifer's client
"Jennifer is result oriented. She engaged with our 123RPO team and took couple of sessions on the cultural
aspect of dealing / talking / emailing with Americans. She had a methodical way of going about with the
training programme and our team imbibed it pretty well. Her training has helped the team to connect better
when they reach out to US Citizens."
— Mohan Kannan, GPHR, Founder, 123rpo.com, was Jennifer's client
"“The cross-cultural interaction training program gave me a lot of confidence to communicate effectively
with the Canadian Head Office.” "
— Rajesh V R, Senior Software Developer, Codework Solutions Pvt.Ltd, was Jennifer's client
"I have had the opportunity to see Jennifer in action. Her sincere dedication to improving cross cultural
communication is present in every detail of her work. Her website, trainings, and materials all reflect her
deep personal commitment to helping clients reach their goals. Additionally, her approach reflects a holistic
understanding of the intricacies of cross cultural communication. She is both personable and professional to
work with. It was a pleasure to see her interact with clients; challenging them to improve their skills while
simultaneously bringing smiles to their faces. I highly recommend her!"
— Samantha Meilman, was with another company when working with Jennifer at Authentic Journeys
"Jennifer is an excellent trainer and is capable of helping you in getting great results professionally. She does
not train but cultivates the training as a habit for the trainee. Her sessions are enjoyable as well and helps us
in building our personality traits to the next level."
— Ganessan Anebou, was Jennifer's client

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"Small talk is a technique of talking, a way to make contact with people, and the glue that creates and
maintains contact with colleagues and business partners. I would like to thank Jennifer as she guided me to
improve this technique. I did not understand the importance of small talk. I now realize that making small
talk has helped me to improve relationships with colleagues and clients. When I make small talk, it makes the
meeting come alive. I can feel the difference. It really helps."
— K Raval, was with another company when working with Jennifer at Authentic Journeys
"Working with Jennifer was a great experience for us. We hired Jennifer to train our team on US Culture
and on accent neutralization, and two things did absolutely exceed our expectations - delivering a HIGHLY
customized session and delivering the content by keeping the participants highly engaged. Each one of the
many activities she assigned to our team was with a definite purpose and was different. I can assume how
many hours of home work she might have put in to create such a program for us. She in fact did step into our
shoes and tried to understand our situation and planned her session accordingly, and I am sure this is what
we expect as customers. Her total involvement in the assignment taken up truly stand out. Thanks, Biju V
Ramakrishnapillai, CEO, Tutorwaves"
— Biju Ramakrishnapillai, was Jennifer's client
"I recently had the pleasure of hiring Jennifer to train some of our team members in corporate
communications. After the training, one of the trainees spearheaded an impressive 3-hour client demo which
helped the client to have increased confidence in our team and it clearly demonstrated our commitment
towards the client project. Most importantly, all participants have increased confidence while communicating
with clients and colleagues in English. I am impressed with the extra learning they had by just interacting
with Jennifer. They have learned to value and manage time, keep others in the loop and updated of changes,
and have learned the importance of mutual respect in a professional environment. I strongly recommend
Jennifer as a coach to firms looking to develop quality communication skills of their team members."
— Venkatesh Thyagarajan, was Jennifer's client
"When hiring a developer from India, I was confident in his technical skills. Because of my never ending
need for clarity I found there was room for improvement in communications. Jennifer helped us to bridge
cultural language issues and this helped us to save time on completing deliverables. Money well invested!"
— Job Smulders, was Jennifer's client
"After 5 years living and working in India, I returned to the US in June 2011, only to realize that what was
once familiar seemed strange. Jennifer helped me to adjust, and to re-enter the job market with a better
understanding of both professional cultures--from communication style, to managerial expectations. As is
essential for a coach, Jennifer was a great listener and extremely supportive in the challenging period, and
both affirmed my abilities while clearly explaining her suggestions."

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— Becky Band Jain, was Jennifer's client
"Jennifer was very helpful in having our team members, Managers and Team Leads; executives with 5-20
years of experience, get familiar with American culture, improve their people skills in the work environment,
and in practicing more effective communication with American clients. Vinod Tharakan, Director Claysys
Technologies Pvt. Ltd"
— Vinod Tharakan, was Jennifer's client
"What strikes me most about Jennifer is her passion and focus. We worked together on a project for my
client where she took extra care to understand the need, create a framework that would work in the time
we had, and build trust and a comfort level with the group. I found they were relaxed and communicated
openly with her. I then engaged her to coach individuals in India servicing US clients. I do believe her
experience of standing in the gap between the two cultures will give them an edge. This advantage has
already benefited the clients in achieving real results and positive change in the areas of engaging Americans
in more culturally appropriate ways when managing various situations from everyday small talk, taking
initiative in conversations, and an ability to address difficult discussions in a non-defensive, yet friendly way.
VP feedback,"Ram has shown marked improvement in his communication skills with his client over the
period. Now his sentences are short and able to communicate well to the client, basically ensuring that the
client is also on the same page. He is all the more confident now than before when speaking to the client." It's
been great working with you, Jennfier!"
— Annelise Piers, was Jennifer's client
"Jennifer Kumar is a rare example of inverse immigration. She has not only immigrated to India from US,
and has adapted to the completely different living situations so well, but has also used her experience to help
resettle hundreds of expats in a new life in adverse situations. Hundreds more can benefit from her services. I
wish her all the best"
— Kaberi D. Chatterjee, was with another company when working with Jennifer at Authentic Journeys
"I am attending sessions on listening and customer service with Americans given by Jennifer. My team and I
find these sessions helpful because: 1. We can now understand the basic do's and don'ts of e-mail and phone
communication. 2. I learned paraphrasing is important, and how it can help me when I am trying to find the
right words."
— Akhil Np, was Jennifer's client
"The "Living and Working in the USA" program offers a comprehensive foundation for trainers to educate
and inform expatriates. The Train-The-Trainer program is well coordinated and engaging, and provides

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perspectives on the US culture, language, and business nuances. The cross cultural training sessions are
participative in nature, and the materials are well organized, concise and professional."
— Vicki Grove, was Jennifer's client
"I recently completed Global Coach Center’s “ Train-the-Trainer” for “Living and Working in the USA”.
As a participating learner I found the concepts, tools, practice and application very informative and effective
for driving understanding and transition of cultural norms. As a native of the USA I found the definitions of
cultural norms, business and social practices, and language aspects to be very on target! As a professional
Trainer/Facilitator I found the curricula design, workshop activities and supporting tools and materials
to be of high quality. The ability to access information through the website makes ongoing reference and
understanding effective as well. Margarita and Jennifer conducted interactive and engaging training, and
accommodated the participants’ needs very well."
— Jayne Phillips , SPHR, was with another company when working with Jennifer at Authentic Journeys
""Jennifer is an experienced Cross-Cultural Coaching Panelist on my Pan-India Coaching Practice
ExecutiveCoachingIndia.Net. I therefore encouraged her to join me for a session, via Skype, in teaching the
value of cross-cultural skills to MBA(HR) students at the Chennai Business School, to enable her to discover
for herself the "joy" of imparting knowledge and wisdom to students at B-schools across India. I was highly
impressed by her well-researched and professionally delivered presentation. My students especially liked
her teaching style ... of combining concepts based on her learning and experience AND conversational case
studies based on her personal experience gained from living abroad. I would highly recommend Jennifer if
you are looking for a Guest Faculty to deliver a cross-cultural soft-skills awareness program.""
— Gopal GD Shrikanth CEO-Coach Startup-Mentor Board-Advisor, was with another company when
working with Jennifer at Authentic Journeys
"I reached out to Jennifer when I joined college in Rochester, NY. Being the only Indian in my college and
the realization about the difference between US and Indian culture made me wonder how I would fit in the
crowd?? Every day I encountered new problems and was overwhelmed by it. I knew Jen through emails first
and eventually we met and talked about a whole lot of issues. It is very easy to open up with Jen, who has a
way with people. She is patient and non-judgmental. Having been in India and being married to an Indian,
who is also an American, I knew she would be the best person to answer my innumerable questions. She
helped me out with the language, the difference between pronunciations ( Indian and American), resume tips
and what not. One particular thing I remember is how I didn't want to be Americanized and how dear my
Indian roots were to me. There was a huge conflict in my mind whether to change my accent and make it
more American. I didn't want to, that was the dilemma. However, Jen made me understand the importance
of doing so, in-order to have a good career and to make myself heard. Life is about making compromises to
achieve your goals and dreams. You have to adapt, if you plan to live in a foreign country and she made me
realize that. She has sent me tons of interview tips and articles that has helped me in my job search. What I

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find most endearing in Jen is a curiosity to know different cultures and how she assimilates information to
help people adjust to the life in US, I should say she is a powerhouse of knowledge! When I reached out to
her about my job search blues, everyday she used to send me information pertaining to mastering the art of
job interviews. I have no clue how she gets the time to do all this. I would conclude by saying this: She is
a true life coach!! She has experience, exposure and tons of friends from cultures worldwide. She is a great
friend who listens patiently, takes time and effort in getting to know you and your needs."
— Sajitha Veettilakath, CMA, worked with Jennifer at Authentic Journeys
"I know Jennifer Kumar through her blog. She has been a mentor to me for about 2 years. I was struck by
the interesting and articulate nature of her blog. She is a warm and welcoming person. She makes her mentee
absolutely confortable with her. She has the ability to understand the perspectives of a range of people. She
is to the point and takes great effort to help her mentee. She has helped me in endeavors way out of her
scope. This shows her benevolent nature and her capacity to achieve a wide range of things. I would strongly
recommend her for any cross-cultural and personal development mentoring programs. My best wishes to
Jennifer Kumar."
— Arunkumar Gunasekaran, was Jennifer's client
"Jennifer was a pleasure to work with! She was always cheerful, enthusiastic and extremely talented! Jennifer
was great at coordinating the work and calendars of the academic advisers. Jennifer was most helpful to our
international students from India, the Middle East, Croatia, Russia and other countries. Since Jennifer has
studied and lived abroad, she was very familiar with the difficulties that international students faced in the
US. The students from India especially loved Jennifer. Jennifer earned her MS in India and was very familiar
with the culture and issues students were facing. Jennifer was not only helpful to the students, who loved her,
but also to the staff. She was such an asset to our department, and I miss working with her. Jennifer works
extremely well with all people, but she is invaluable working with international students."
— Jayne Downes, Professional Advisor, RIT - HSM, managed Jennifer at Rochester Institute of Technology
"Jennifer is a dedicated, caring individual that brings a wealth of enthusiasm to the classroom and to the tasks
at hand. Jennifer far exceeds the assignments given her and does so striving for both her own success and her
team's success."
— Dick Petitte, taught Jennifer at Monroe Community College
"Jennifer was my student at the Life Purpose Institute. She worked hard and became a wonderful coach. She
has gone on to build a thriving multicultural coaching business. Good for you, Jennifer!"
— Sharon Good, BCC, ACC, CLC, taught Jennifer at Life Purpose Institute Inc
Contact Jennifer on LinkedIn