We are continuing our series on diplomat’s spouses with an interview with Martina Koja, who shares her experiences travelling the world with her husband, a former Austrian government official.
As the wife of a diplomat, you have often had to pack up your life and start anew in a different place. How has this experience shaped you? What were the most important stations along the way?
Life alongside a diplomat means beginning again and again – in a new language, culture, and social structure. This constant movement between countries and life phases has profoundly shaped me.
I’ve learned that true stability comes from within – from flexibility, trust, and the ability to find meaning in every change.
Our first posting took us to Poland in 1990, where I witnessed the post-communist transformation. Six vibrant years in Rome followed, full of cultural richness and joy of life with our three young daughters. Then came Vienna and later Madrid – a city of warmth and generosity, where family, work, and study intertwined meaningfully.
Returning to Vienna, I worked in international education as a Language Advisor, increasingly building bridges between parents, teachers, and students. Further assignments led us to Serbia, Ljubljana, Skopje (with the OSCE), and finally Uzbekistan – each place opening new perspectives on Europe and Central Asia.
Each posting was a new school of life: different languages, rhythms, and values. I sought connection with people, visited institutions for people with disabilities, explored educational life, and used every stay for learning.
After my studies in languages and education, I turned to logotherapy – an approach that has deeply enriched my life. My focus today is on Third Culture Kids (TCKs), multilingualism, and cross-culture-coaching.
Children and adolescents who must repeatedly adapt to new systems face major challenges: integrating into existing groups without losing themselves. Such uprooting can cause insecurity, especially in adolescence.
These years have deepened my understanding of what it means to be human. I know now how vital it is to nurture inner roots when the outer ones keep changing. This awareness guides my current work as Cross-Cultural Coach, Language Advisor, and Logotherapist: I help people find a secure inner place amid change and diversity – and to create a sense of home wherever they go.
You work as a Cross-Cultural Coach, Language Advisor, and Logotherapist. What is most important for global professionals and their families to adjust quickly to a new environment?
The key is seeing oneself as an active creator of one’s own experience. Moving abroad challenges identity and orientation. Especially for accompanying partners, the question often is: Who am I here – away from my familiar surroundings and roles?
In my work, I combine intercultural coaching with Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy, which places meaning at the center. Those who are connected to their sense of purpose can feel at home even in unfamiliar structures. External adaptation – language, norms, cultural codes – becomes easier when the inner compass is clear.
Language plays a crucial role, not only as communication but as a bridge to culture. It shapes how we think and perceive. Learning a new language means stepping into another world – and opening one’s own.
Mindfulness and curiosity are equally essential: not needing to understand everything immediately but approaching new experiences with openness. This builds trust – in oneself and in life.
I encourage my clients to view change as an opportunity to broaden horizons and discover new aspects of themselves. Every encounter – with a place, a culture, or a person – is ultimately also an encounter with oneself.
What role do organizations such as Welcome to Austria play in this context, and how can they help newcomers adjust to life in a new country?
Organizations like Welcome to Austria are bridge builders between cultures and people. They create spaces where arriving can truly happen. Especially for diplomatic families, such networks are often the first step toward a social home.
Connecting with people who share similar experiences is invaluable – it conveys the feeling:”I’m not alone in this challenge”. Within these communities, friendships and mutual support grow, along with a deeper understanding of cultural nuances.
Welcome to Austria provides guidance from practical information to cultural encounters, but most importantly, it fosters belonging. In a time when many live between worlds, such places of encounter are a precious gift.
This is also a form of lived diplomacy – on a small scale, between individuals. When we meet openly, listen, and learn from one another, something grows that strengthens every society: respect, empathy, and humanity.