The Auto Ethnographer with John Stech
The Auto Ethnographer with John Stech
Podcast Description
John Stech, The Auto Ethnographer, draws on his thirty years in the global automotive industry to bring the world to your doorstep in both an informative and entertaining way using a style rooted in autoethnography. What is "autoethnography"? Derived from Tony E. Adams’ definition, "autoethnography" is a research method leaning on the experiences of individuals to analyze assumptions, culture, communication, local norms, traditions, emotional impact, and how they mesh with greater culture and society where they operate. Normally, "auto" relates to the self – as in "autobiography". But we put wheels on it, separated the words, and focus on vehicles and the cultural experiences related to the auto industry.The Auto Ethnographer and his guests tell the human stories behind the famous automotive and vehicle brands, spanning continents, countries, and cultures across the globe. Together, they unlock the mysteries of local culture, values, and approaches to success in the vehicle industry. Of course, every cultural interaction faces the risk of faux pas, and those will surely be covered as well. The Auto Ethnographer's guests made the vehicle industry happen in their country markets. Now they tell their stories. Each guest will relay their experiences while addressing cultural challenges they faced. Guests range from current and past industry leaders to newcomers and rising talents. They are either expats in a foreign land or local employees working with a foreign brand in their home country. The target audience are Individuals fascinated by the auto industry and how to navigate cultures for successful outcomes. The audience are either seasoned professionals or newcomers seeking to learn how to build their careers with global insights. But don't think this is limited to the auto industry. These international business principles are valid across industries.John Stech engaged in his 30-year career with Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler Corp (now part of Stellantis), Volvo Car Group, and VinFast Automotive of Vietnam. He has lived and worked on five continents, interacting with thousands of people from dozens of different cultures. Now he brings that experience to you.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on topics such as cultural interactions in the automotive sector, product strategy discussions, and marketing insights, with episodes exploring the strategies of Mercedes-Benz and comparisons between Volkswagen's presence in different countries.
The Auto Ethnographer is a deep dive into the human experience of crossing cultures—what it feels like to live, work, lead, and belong in places far from home. Hosted by global executive and cultural storyteller John Jörn Stech, the podcast explores the realities of expatriate life, intercultural communication, and the messy, meaningful process of adapting to new norms, new languages, and new ways of seeing the world.
John brings more than three decades of international experience across the United States, Germany, Egypt, Russia, Vietnam, and Thailand. His career in global leadership has placed him inside boardrooms, factories, classrooms, and communities on five continents—each move reshaping his understanding of identity, trust, collaboration, and what it truly means to work across cultures. While the show began with roots in the global automotive industry, its focus has evolved. Today, The Auto Ethnographer is a culture‑first exploration of international life, featuring voices from business, education, mobility, technology, the arts, and the broader expat and repat communities.
This is a podcast for anyone navigating the complexities of global work: expats building careers abroad, professionals managing intercultural teams, digital nomads learning to belong in new places, and globally curious listeners who want to understand how culture shapes human behavior. Through candid storytelling and thoughtful conversation, the show reveals how people adapt, thrive, and occasionally stumble as they bridge cultural boundaries.
What You’ll Hear
– Conversations with expats, repats, immigrants, and locals who live and work between cultures
– Stories of adaptation, culture shock, misunderstanding, humor, and personal growth
– Insights into intercultural leadership, cross‑border collaboration, and global teamwork
– Reflections on identity, belonging, and the emotional realities of living overseas
– Occasional automotive stories—now framed through a cultural and human lens rather than a technical one
Why “Auto Ethnography”?
Inspired by the academic method of autoethnography, the podcast uses personal experience as a lens for understanding broader cultural truths. John and his guests explore how values, assumptions, communication styles, and social norms shape the way people work together across borders. These stories illuminate the invisible forces that influence trust, conflict, leadership, and connection in multicultural environments.
Who This Podcast Is For
– Expats, repats, and global professionals
– Intercultural leaders and international managers
– Students of global mobility, cross‑cultural psychology, and international business
– Anyone fascinated by how humans adapt to new cultural landscapes
About John Jörn Stech
John has spent his life navigating cultural transitions—leading teams, launching brands, and building bridges across borders in countries like the United States, Latin America, Russia, Egypt, Vietnam, and Thailand. He is filled with curiosity about cultures and how they interact since he was a child born in Germany and immigrated to the USA at an early age. His journey is an ongoing experiment in adaptation, one he now shares with listeners through honest storytelling and globally informed insight.
The Auto Ethnographer brings those experiences to you—one culture, one conversation, one story at a time.
This is the final episode of The Auto Ethnographer podcast.
After 53 episodes exploring the human stories of expats, cross-cultural professionals, and the quiet logic behind unfamiliar behavior, I am closing this chapter. Not because the stories stopped mattering. Because the urgency has shifted.
In this final episode, we take a global tour of ageism. The numbers are stark:
USA: 64% of workers over 50 have experienced age discrimination (AARP). 22% report being actively pushed out of their jobs.
Germany: 90% of older job seekers encounter age discrimination during interviews. The working-age population will shrink by 4.3 million by 2036.
China: The “Curse of 35” means age discrimination begins at 35, not 50 or 60. The civil service hiring age limit was raised from 35 to 38 in 2025 for the first time in three decades.
Japan: 30% of the population is 65 and older. In 2024, adult diapers outsold baby diapers.
We hear from Dan Pontefract, author of “The Future of Work Is Grey,” who was told by a Bank of Japan economist: “When you go back to Canada, make sure you tell your people not to do what Japan is doing.” He calls this the Age Debt Crisis — spanning demographic disruption, ageism, longevity, and the loss of institutional wisdom when older workers are pushed out.
And we return to a past conversation with HR recruiter Kelvin Nguyen, who describes how Vietnam — a culture that once venerated age and experience — has seen the threshold for being “too old” drop from 45 to 35 in just a few years. Technology and AI have reshuffled the value equation. Efficiency now overrides tradition.
I started Ageism Survival Guide because I watched scores of friends and peers pushed out of work in 2025. Professionals over 50, with decades of experience, finding themselves on the outside of a system they spent their lives building. They need practical help adapting to a new life over 50 and navigating what a next career might look like.
The Auto Ethnographer taught me how to listen across cultures. Ageism Survival Guide is where I apply that listening to people who need answers now.
Thank you to every listener who has been part of this journey. The curiosity, the cultural humility, and the belief that human stories transcend borders — those values are not going anywhere. They are moving with me. I hope you will come along.
Ageism Survival Guide:
Homepage: https://www.ageismsurvivalguide.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AgeismSurvivalGuide
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ageism-survival-guide
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ageismsurvivalguide
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ageismsurvivalguide/
To learn more about Dan Pontefract:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danpontefract/
Homepage including book listing: https://www.danpontefract.com/the-future-of-work-is-grey/
To learn more about Nguyen Ngo The Cong (Kelvin):
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