EP 13: Finding Home Within — Rebecca Steele on Culture, Kindness, and Deep Listening

What if “home” isn’t a country… or a city… or even a community?

What if home is the place you return to inside yourself—especially when the world feels chaotic?

That’s where Episode 13 of Chocolate and Coffee Break begins.

Host Andrea Putting welcomes Rebecca Steele, a woman whose life has crossed borders in every sense of the word: born in Ghana, raised in Australia, shaped by years living in Germany, the Netherlands, the US/UK, and now anchored in New Zealand.

Rebecca’s story isn’t just about travel. It’s about how identity is formed when you grow up between cultures—and what wisdom becomes possible when you choose curiosity over fear.

“Home is coming back into myself.”

Andrea opens with a powerful question:
“What is the feeling of home to you beyond place?”

Rebecca’s answer is calm, grounded, and surprisingly universal:
Home is returning to her inner self—her heart, her body, her presence.

After years of global movement, she describes a deepening awareness in the last five years: when the outside world feels loud, unsettled, or divided, the most stabilizing thing you can do is come back to yourself.

A tapestry that began in Kerala… and expanded in Ghana

Rebecca shares that her parents are from Kerala (South India). Both were teachers, and they left India for Ghana through an opportunity to support schools—part of the larger Commonwealth-era expatriate movement.

Her mother didn’t want to leave India, and Rebecca remembers the emotional “tension” that came with that shift into a different culture. Yet even then, the tapestry of her life was being woven: different colors, different languages, different ways of belonging.

Every year, the family returned to India for months at a time. Rebecca describes the beauty of it: music, flowers, color, jewelry—an early connection to heritage, even while growing up elsewhere.

When Ghana experienced political upheaval, expatriates were required to leave. Rebecca’s family moved to Australia when she was 10, where she later attended school and university in Melbourne.

The moment she discovered a hidden prejudice

One of the most honest parts of the episode comes when Rebecca talks about marriage.

Her parents assumed that after giving her an education, she would return to India for an arranged marriage. But growing up in a Western culture gave Rebecca a voice that could say, clearly:

“No. That doesn’t suit me.”

Her parents respected her “no,” which Rebecca acknowledges as a gift.

But then she shares something she didn’t expect: when she introduced her first husband, her parents reacted with concerns about him being Anglo-Indian—and she heard, for the first time, distinctions and judgments inside her own cultural circle.

Rebecca’s response was immediate:
“That shouldn’t matter.”

It’s a gentle reminder that prejudice isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s hidden, inherited, or unexamined—until a moment reveals it.

Learning to belong across cultures (without losing yourself)

Rebecca’s life continued to expand. She later met her second husband, originally from the UK (half Irish, half English), and lived in the US—traveling on weekends and witnessing diverse American culture, including visiting Amish communities.

Then came Germany—where something unexpected happened: when she first heard German on the radio, it reminded her of the Indian language her parents spoke. It “filled an invisible part of her heart,” and she felt drawn to learn it.

Germany became home in a deep way: two of her children were born there. She describes feeling welcomed into community traditions and daily life. Later she lived in the Netherlands and traveled widely through Europe.

Through it all, Rebecca developed a skill she describes as moving “seamlessly” across cultures—staying open, respectful, and curious, without needing to cling to “this is my culture and I’m staying inside it.”

At the same time, she acknowledges something important: sometimes you do need to return to your own culture for comfort and grounding. Belonging isn’t about abandoning yourself—it’s about expanding.

The greatest cross-cultural wisdom: deep listening (and self-awareness)

When Andrea asks what wisdom she has gained, Rebecca brings it back to something practical:

Deep listening and observation are daily practices.

But she adds a layer many people miss: the first listening is internal.
How well are you listening to yourself?
How aware are you of your emotional state before you step into the world?

Rebecca says judgment often rises when we don’t feel safe, calm, or embodied. If we’re disconnected inside, we start reacting outside.

So she practices returning inward first—because the way we treat others starts with the way we treat ourselves.

New Zealand: “setting the anchor”

Now living in New Zealand, Rebecca uses a powerful image:
“It’s time to set an anchor down.”

After years of movement, she’s leaning into a grounded chapter—observing how people connect, and choosing to exude calm, safety, and kindness rather than judgment.

Andrea describes this as magnetism: the energy we carry becomes the atmosphere we create.

Her work today: energy medicine and inner connection

Rebecca’s life experience now shows up in her work: she supports people through energy medicine, integrating training and experience across:

• nutrition
• Bowen Technique
• quantum biofeedback
• hypnotherapy

Her focus is helping people connect to their inner landscape—because she believes that when we digest life spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, even our physical digestion becomes easier.

At the heart of it all is one value she names clearly:

Respectful, kind communication.

The one message she would share with the world

If she had to choose one wisdom from everything she’s lived, Rebecca says:

Be kind.

But she makes it specific:
Practice kindness first within yourself. Ask yourself in the day:

“How kind am I being to myself right now?”

That question can stop you in your tracks. It brings you back to center. And from that center, kindness can extend outward naturally.

Because the truth is:
To be kind to others, we have to be kind to ourselves first.

Connect with Rebecca Steele

• Instagram: mindset4biz_mentor
• Facebook + LinkedIn: Rebecca Steele

And as always: share a chocolate and coffee break with someone different from you. Listen. Learn. Be kind.
Let love be the loudest voice.