In this episode of Culture Chronicles: Unpacked, Danielle Marshall sits down with Dr. Ken Baron to explore how study abroad, travel, and experiential learning shape leadership, culture, and how we see one another. Drawing from decades in higher Education and advising, Ken reflects on why study abroad is one of the most powerful change agents in student success and adult development. Together, they unpack how curiosity, reflection, and cultural humility build confidence, psychological safety, and trust across difference. The conversation also explores re-entry culture shock, identity shifts, and what it means to carry global awareness back into leadership and work.

If you want to connect more deeply with people who are different from you but feel unsure where to start, this conversation offers a grounded path forward. You will hear how curiosity, listening, and everyday moments can expand your sense of belonging and leadership capacity. This episode invites you to move beyond fear and toward connection, whether you travel abroad or explore culture right where you are.

Guest BIo

Dr. Ken Baron is a nationally recognized leader in academic advising, student success, and experiential learning. He currently serves as Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Advising and Student Success at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. With a career spanning decades, Ken is a passionate advocate for study abroad, career development, and human-centered approaches to education and leadership.

What You’ll Learn

• How study abroad and travel build confidence, self-awareness, and cultural humility

• Why listening and curiosity matter more than expertise when engaging across difference

• How re-entry culture shock impacts identity and leadership development

• Practical ways to explore culture without leaving your city or workplace

• How experiential learning strengthens decision-making, accountability, and trust

Resources Mentioned

• Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship

• University of Maryland, Baltimore County

• Semester at Sea program

• BBC World Service

• Baron Mentors website: baronmentors.org

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Danielle Marshall Founder

Danielle Marshall hosts Unpacked: Culture Chronicles, a space where we slow down and make sense of the moments that shape how we show up with each other. This podcast is an invitation into honest, sometimes messy, always meaningful conversations about culture, identity, and what it takes to stay connected in a world that often pulls us apart.

I don’t come to these conversations with all the answers. I come with questions. With curiosity. With a deep belief that when we are willing to look a little closer, to listen a little longer, something shifts.

In my work beyond the podcast, I serve as an executive coach and equity strategist, partnering with leaders and organizations navigating complexity, growth, and change. Through coaching, facilitation, and speaking, I support people in leading with clarity, cultural humility, and intention, especially in moments where the stakes feel high and the path forward is not always obvious.

Whether I’m working with a leadership team, sitting in a coaching conversation, or recording an episode, the throughline is the same. I’m interested in what becomes possible when we choose curiosity over certainty, and connection over assumption.

And when I’m not working or behind the mic, you can usually find me on the water, attempting to kayak my way through all 50 states. Still in progress, still learning, and very much in the spirit of figuring things out as I go.