THE STORY OF TINA LIMBIRD
The Berlin-based founder of Linden Global Learning talks inclusive education,
empowering the next generation of girls and the perks of entrepreneurship
BY EILEEN BERNARDI
As the co-founder of the Berlin-based Linden Global Learning, Tina has had a profound impact on many expat families, mine included. My family moved to Berlin in 2011, and as the mother of an autistic child, I was desperate for someone to help me navigate the kita system, find therapists and put in place the support system that is so fundamental to the success of families with special needs kids. Tina and others at Linden proved invaluable to my family, and many others as well.
Tina is also the mother of two daughters and co-director of the the girl’s leadership program, Girls Gearing Up. I was eager to talk with her, and learn how she got her start in education, what it was like starting her own business, how she tackles the work-family balance and what it’s like doing that all as an expat.
Wunder Stories So how did you get started in education?
Tina Limbird Well I’m from Indiana and studied psychology in university, and then had the opportunity to do my master’s in Germany. I then went on to do a PhD in education with the Max Planck Institute. This was such a great opportunity that we moved to Berlin (I had just married my German husband), and I spent the next three years looking at how bilingual children learn how to read.
WS Ah, so that was your dissertation topic?
TL Yeah, so this big PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) study came out in 2003 and ranked Germany slightly below average in literacy. Germany really prided itself on its excellent education system and was pretty shocked by this result. Many people began lamenting that the immigrants who weren’t speaking German at home were bringing the education system down. I kept reading this idea in the media, thinking that everything I had ever heard about bilingualism is that it brings cognitive benefit, so I didn’t really buy the “immigrant’s need to speak more German with their kids” thesis. So, I decided to look into how bilingual children learn to read, and how to tailor that curriculum to the younger grades.
WS And what did you find?
TL Well, it turns out that bilingual kids tend to have really good phonological awareness (the way they hear sounds), but their vocabulary is lower...it’s lower to each individual language, but they ultimately have more words. So the key is to work more on vocabulary in those younger years.
WS So, did you end up working in academia?
TL I researched the topic for several years before realizing German academia was not for me. And by the time I finished my dissertation I realized how much I need to be interacting with more humans and fewer computers. I had also been doing some learning therapy with kids at JFK at the time (an international school in Berlin), and got the chance to work as a school psychologist at BBIS (Berlin Bilingual International School). I, along with the new director, launched a new, inclusive student services department. I was appointed head and was able to bring together the ESL teachers, the school nurse, counselors and learning support teachers. When I arrived at the school there were 3 of us, when I left 23.
But even with 23 people we were always needing more, more speech therapists, more occupational therapists, counselors. I was always banging my head to find more support, so after nine years at BBIS, I started Linden along with partner Chi (Ugbor), a counselor that I had adored working with at BBIS.
WS How was that starting out?
TL Well because you can’t get start-up money here in Berlin if you already have a job, I had a baby instead and used my Elterngeld (parental allowance) to start my business. I basically bought myself 12 months.
WS Was that planned?
TL Let’s just say it wasn’t a coincidence
WS Are there still similar issues today with obtaining start-up money?
TL Well, we went to several institutions that coach women starting their own business. I couldn’t figure out any other way to get money. And it’s not a language issue...I’m fluent in German!
WS So you started your business while on maternity leave, with an infant?
TL I took the twelve months of parental leave, then applied to extend it and asked for permission to have a “side gig”. They approved it because I was doing some psycho-educational assessments for BBIS students. But yes, it was really hard starting out...I had a small baby so I was only able to work about 15 hours a week. It was such a hard decision to make...giving up a really good job, a leadership position earning good money with good vacations. Leaving good friends.
WS So why did you do it?
TL I felt really deeply that I was meant to go on to make a bigger difference in the world. It was a really big risk, giving up my safety net. But I had been there 9 years, that’s a really long time for an American!
I have a PhD but I learned more in the first three years of starting a business than I did my entire time in academia.
WS What kind of other challenges did you face starting out?
TL The biggest challenge was the learning curve. I have a PhD but I learned more in the first three years of starting a business than I did my entire time in academia. There’s so much to know, and I was ridiculously naive. But this is a theme that kind of resonates throughout my life--if I had known what it meant to do a PhD, I wouldn’t have done it. I’ve started two NGOs and if I’d known what that would require, I wouldn’t have done it. Naivety can be a really positive thing sometimes.
WS Anything else that was a particular challenge?
TL We’ve had some really bad advisers along the way. Lawyers, tax advisers.
Learning tax code, legalese, social media, designing a website, human resources, contracts. I had no concept of all the administrative stuff that I would be doing when we started out.
In retrospect I really think schools should be teaching entrepreneurship, the basics of financing and law, skills that would be applicable to everyone. I think it’s especially important for women. In my liberal arts degree I never came across anything like that.
WS Which is a good lead-in to one of your side gigs…
TL Yes, so now this is something we teach to girls in Girls Gearing Up, my girls leadership organization. Knowing this stuff is a path to independence. I mean think about it. When men gather in groups they are often talking about business, while women are talking about recipes and childcare. I mean I love those topics for sure, but men, no matter their field, will have much more exposure to business and financial topics than women.
QUICKIES
1.Favorite holiday spot Sedona, Arizona, Colorado, Spain or anywhere with SUNSHINE
2. Favorite podcast The Rachel Maddow Show, The Daily
3. Favorite restaurant Night Kitchen in Berlin Mitte
4. What track is topping your playlist Ok, according to Spotify, my most listened to songs of the year were Treat Myself by Megan Trainor (embarrassing, but SO good), Keep it Moving (random, but motivating) by Alex Newell & Mozambo, and Bibiya Bi Ye Ye (Best song of the decade) by Ed Sheeran
5. What series are you watching The only thing I manage to watch are clips of the Tonight Show with Stephen Colbert
6. What are you reading American Gods for my book club
7. App you can’t live without Whatsapp, Podcasts
8. Current obsession Finding a new office :/
9. Most impressive person in the world My Co-Director of GGU, Courtney who just beat Leukemia in the most AMAZING way
10. Best way to decompress Wine and friends - no question
WS I want to go back to Girls Gearing Up, but first I want to hear about some of the rewarding things that come with running your own business?
TL The freedom. I love it, love it, love it. I’ll never go back. My best friend had leukemia this year, and was very close to death. I didn’t need to ask permission from anyone before I packed up and went to France to be with her. Freedom has been the greatest gift. I can go to every christmas party, every parent picnic. I don’t go to all of them (laughs), but I could if I wanted. Of course, sometimes, I do have to put the company first, but that’s my choice. I can’t imagine going back.
I’m also really proud of the work. I don’t think you can have the same sense of pride about what you do when you work for an institution, as when you build something from scratch. And we’re not following any pattern. No one else does what we do, there’s no blueprint.
In retrospect I really think schools should be teaching entrepreneurship, the basics of financing and law, skills that would be applicable to everyone. I think it’s especially important for women.
WS I feel the same about working freelance. I love the freedom I have now and can’t imagine going back, but I also realize how lucky I am to have a husband with a stable job that allows me to be more flexible. What about you...what kind of support system do you have in place?
TL Au pairs have been key for me. When we bought our house, I wasn’t necessarily planning on having kids, but just in case I made sure there was an au pair room. Having an au pair was absolutely necessary when I was working at the school, 50 hours a week or so with commuting time. It helps so much to have an extra person in the house. And it’s even more necessary when you’re an expat and your family lives far away. My oldest daughter is ten, and we’ve had an au pair for 5 of those years, off and on. Right now we’re au pair-free. We also have close neighbors that fill in some gaps. And my husband does have a stable enough job that I could take a risk. He’s always been so supportive.
WS Do you have any advice for women wanting to start a business here in Berlin?
TL For me, having a partner was essential, I wouldn’t have been able to go it alone, on so many levels, Chi has been key. Plus, her network and my network doubles the people we know. And also, be absolutely sure you have an excellent tax adviser. Find someone you can trust and this will help you sleep at night.
WS Ha! All the business owners I ask here in Berlin say that :)
TL Maybe it’s just a German thing...I have never started a business in any other country, so I don’t know!
WS Let’s switch gears here a bit, why did you decide to work with specifically with expat families and international schools?
TL Academically it fits with my background in bilingualism. I feel like it’s my USP. I’m only one of a few English-speaking school psychologists in all of Germany.
WS What are some differences you’ve noticed between schools here and in the US?
TL Germany is several decades behind the US in terms of inclusion (of special needs children), with the international schools not a whole lot better. Many directors in the international schools just aren’t up to date with what’s happening in the US with inclusion. It’s hard for the international schools, each is an island without a network of services to tap into.
WS Why do you think Germany is behind in terms of inclusion?
TL They’ve traditionally taken a homogenous approach to education. For example, many Germans say that you shouldn’t teach your kid to read before school, or you’ll ruin them for the 1st grade. There is a specific box for what is taught in each grade, and if you’re either ahead or behind, that box won’t work for you. It is changing though in Germany, they’re trying to expand the box and encourage teachers to differentiate, for example, like in Berlin how many schools are putting grades 1-3 together.
…it was so empowering to see what kind of culture could be created in just three days simply by having women telling their stories.
WS So you know I could talk about the inclusion topic for ages, but instead I’d like to close with hearing more about Girls Gearing Up. How did this organization come about?
TL When I first moved to Europe I spent several summers running a peace camp for kids impacted by the Balkan Wars. We would bring a group of Serbian and Croatian kids to Austria to teach them peace building, conflict resolution and mediation, then send them home to do projects together. It was then that I saw the power of the summer camp. I just loved the bonds and community we created.
A few years later I was at a women’s leadership conference in Italy with 900 women, and it was so empowering to see what kind of culture could be created in just three days simply by having women telling their stories. It was the first time, at the age of 34, that I could imagine having a role model. It electrified me to see the power a community of women can have.
My best friend and colleague was at the conference with me and we thought, imagine if we could give this gift of a community of female power to 13 or 14 year old girls. We combined the model of the summer camp and the international women’s organization and created GGU. We inspire girls to see the world as their responsibility, take that on and go back home with a new sense of confidence to tackle problems.. Last year we had 32 girls from all over the world. This is my passion project. I really believe in it, and the results are amazing.
Tina is the co-founder and co-director of Linden Global Learning Support and Girls Gearing Up. She is also the mother of two daughters and a member of the Wunder Stories community.
Editor’s note: Girls Gearing Up is an incredible organization that is being run on corporate partnerships, private donations and volunteers. Currently, they don’t have an office, paid staff or director and are looking for core funding. It’s the only girls leadership program in all of Europe and it deserves to have a life. Please be in touch if you would like to sponsor a girl to attend camp, be a corporate partner or serve as a power mentor for the girls. Or donate what you can.
