No corporate fluff. No sugarcoating. Just the raw, research-backed reality of global mobility.
Welcome to unREServed, the podcast that strips away the polished PR to talk about what’s actually happening in international talent management.
Powered by the independent research of The RES Forum, we combine heavy-hitting data with candid, unpolished conversations from the front lines of global HR.
From compliance nightmares and tax traps to the messy reality of managing a borderless workforce, we say the things other industry podcasts leave off the record.
Data-driven. Peer-reviewed. Completely unREServed.
Up-rooting lives, not files: the psychological reality of cross-border moves
Global Mobility has been racing towards a tech-first, highly-automated, high-volume model for years. At times, treating relocating employees like paper files rather than living, breathing families.
In this episode of UNRESERVED, co-host Karlijn Jacobs (Founder of Expat Valley) is joined by Anna Fletcher (Co-Founder of Heart Relocation) and Samia Shehadeh (Business Psychologist and Leadership Coach) to take a defiant stand against the over-automation of talent mobility.
Drawing on more than two decades of industry experience, personal cross-border relocation and psychological coaching, Anna and Samia break down why the standard "A to B" mobility checklist misses the mark where it matters most. At home.
What we discuss in this episode:
The £1.25M assignment failure: The true financial and psychological cost of failed relocations.
The 30 vs. 150 move reality: Why consultant workload limits are the ultimate indicator of relocation success.
Case study in DC: A look at how an executive's successful landing hid a family crisis.
The tech-savvy myth: Why, despite being digital natives, Gen Z and graduate assignees still actively choose human relocation consultants over apps.
The psychological curve of change: Applying the Kubler-Ross curve to cross-border transitions, partner identity shifts and teenage adjustment challenges.
Data-driven. Unfiltered. Essential listening for mobility leaders who want to design moves built for long-term human performance.
30 Jul 2026
Beyond the buzzwords: tangible sustainability in Global Mobility
The word 'Sustainability' is often tossed around in global HR and mobility meetings, but how often do you walk away with concrete, practical steps you can actually execute?
In this episode of UNRESERVED, co-host Karlijn Jacobs (Founder of Expat Valley) sits down with Harmony Relocation Network's former Head of Sustainability, Dominic Offer, to understand how global mobility professionals can use their purchasing power to achieve genuine environmental and social impact.
Dominic brings a refreshing, pragmatic perspective. Instead of forcing rigid Western corporate frameworks onto local providers, he calls for long-term systems thinking, regional flexibility and supplier collaboration.
What we discuss in this episode:
The power of the single vote: How to overcome the perceived insignificance of corporate sustainability and use your influence to make meaningful changes.
Understanding emissions for GM: A simple breakdown of Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, and why Scope 3 supply chains are where the real mobility challenge sits.
The flawed RFP checklist: Why asking a small local mover in Croatia or Argentina for complex Western metrics, like Science Based Targets (SBTi), misses the mark.
Donut economics and regional reality: Adapting sustainability to local conditions and social needs.
Data from 160 companies: How a global cooperative increased Scope 1 tracking from 33% to 73% in just one year, without overwhelming local SMEs.
Data-driven, practical and essential listening for mobility leaders looking to make genuine impact.
2 Jul 2026
The road ahead (with Weichert Workforce Mobility)
Far too many HR leaders write a policy simply because they want to jump on an industry trend, only to watch it fail to embed within the company culture. In the final installment of our mini-series, The RES Forum and Weichert Workforce Mobility challenge leaders to design programmes around outcomes, not rules.
David Enser, Soren Sturup-Toft, and Jennifer Connell wrap up their Vision 2030 world tour by highlighting how global mobility can elevate itself into a core strategic corporate planning function.
What we discuss in this episode:
Outcome-led design: Moving past generic policy manuals to measure actual corporate ROI and employee alignment.
The 5-dimension scorecard: An introduction to the self-diagnostic framework assessing employee engagement, communication, top management support, digital maturity and digital leadership.
The Vision 2030 Roadmap: Key release details on the upcoming summary papers covering Remote Work, the Gig Economy and Sustainable, Global Careers.
The provider ecosystem evolution: Why viewing your mobility vendors as strategic partners rather than transactional suppliers is the ultimate linchpin of success.
18 Jun 2026
Mobility in transition (with Weichert Workforce Mobility)
Episode 2: Breaking the code on failed assignments (with Weichert Workforce Mobility)
Why are modern employees inherently less mobile, and how can organisations pivot before an assignment falls apart?
In part two of our special series, The RES Forum and Weichert Workforce Mobility analyse the operational and psychological barriers that text-book policies fail to address.
David Enser, Soren Sturup-Toft and Jennifer Connell share real-world anecdotes comparing the 'salad days' of high-budget oil and gas relocations with the high-velocity, 'get-it-done' demands of modern tech hyperscalers.
What we discuss in this episode:
The three CHRO blockers: Why rising nationalism, the dual-income household trap and the safety net of inherited wealth are making talent reject relocation.
Virtual and distributed assignments: A look at how forward-thinking companies (like Bayer) are leveraging cross-border business travel over permanent disruption.
The data holy grail: How global mobility teams can mine datasets and AI tools to screen for worker skills and for location resilience and suitability.
The gig risk matrix: Assessing the compliance, intellectual property (IP) and tax tracking nightmares that come with managing a borderless external workforce.
4 Jun 2026
The new blueprint of global work (with Weichert Workforce Mobility)
Weichert Workforce Mobility mini series. Part 1: The new blueprint of global work.
Global Mobility is experiencing an identity crisis. To kick off this special collaborative mini-series, the RES Forum teams up with Jennifer Connell (VP of Advisory Services at Weichert Workforce Mobility) to dissect the data from our global Vision 2030 study - compiled from conversations with over 650 companies worldwide.
Alongside regular co-hosts David Enser and Soren Sturup-Toft, this episode pulls no punches on the friction between executive expectations and talent demands.
What we discuss in this episode:
The 55% shift: Why predictions about the 2030 gig economy signaled a permanent disruption in the employer-employee relationship.
Old rules vs. new blood: How pre-pandemic legacy organisations and post-pandemic distributed startups view workforce flexibility completely differently.
The remote return backlash: A raw look at major tech giants forcing workers back to the office, and why Big Four consultants claim permanent remote setups are actively damaging junior talent development.
Regional and generational divides: Why remote work demands are thriving in EMEA and the Americas, but completely non-existent in APAC.
Data-driven. Unfiltered. Essential listening for the modern mobility leader.
20 May 2026
The Foundation
Welcome to the inaugural episode of the UNRESERVED podcast.
Brought to you by the RES Forum, UNRESERVED is the conversation about all things Global Mobility. Unscripted, unsanitised and unfiltered, we invite guests from across the industry to discuss the reality and challenges of global work in all its unpredictable glory.
Hosted by RES Forum Director, David Enser, this inaugural episode offers an introduction to UNRESERVED and its co-hosts, Karlijn Jacobs (Founder of Expat Valley) and Soren Sturup-Toft (Immigration and Mobility Lead at Databricks).
Together, they lay the foundations of the upcoming series with a discussion about the disconnect between boardroom expectations and global talent requirements. Using the RES Forum's groundbreaking Vision 2030 research as their starting point, the team examines the immediate future of a borderless workforce.
What we discuss in this episode:
Vision 2030 scenarios: building on an initial piece of academic research, the Vision 2030 project includes broad and diverse insights from mobility professionals to examine three potential futures for international work - an independent gig workforce, the "genie-out-of-the-bottle" remote work phenomenon, and the struggle to build sustainable global career pipelines.
The Big Debate: Soren and David continue their debate on whether the future of global mobility belongs to AI, automation and operational efficiency, or if human-centricity is the ultimate key to success.
The "checkbox" problem: Karlijn highlights a critical flaw in modern HR - why do employees tick the box saying they're "open to relocation" during annual reviews, but freeze when a real international vacancy appears?
The executive bottom line: the ultimate success of a mobility programme doesn't rely solely on tech or family support, but on solving the fundamental leadership headache of how to get talent into our succession pipelines in the first place.
UNRESERVED is a community-driven podcast. We want your unpolished industry understanding, your hot takes and your personal experience.
If you have an opinion on this episode or want to join us behind the microphone, get in touch via office@theresforum.com (mailto:office@theresforum.com)
Like, subscribe, get involved and help us shape the future of Global Mobility.
Contact unREServed
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of unREServed?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
