This week on the podcast, I was so honored to sit down with the British Ambassador to Luxembourg, Joanne Oliver. I’ve titled this episode “Duty, diplomacy, and devotion”, and after five minutes of chatting, you’ll see why.
We covered it all: from the heavy weight of international relations to her heartfelt devotion to being present for every nappy change when her kids were small. What struck me most was how effortlessly she moves between discussing the global world order and the everyday challenges of raising kids in an expat environment. Even though she’s the highest-ranking British diplomat in the Grand Duchy, she is also an expat just like us!
It seems like society these days asks women to work as if they don’t have kids at home, and be a parent like they don’t have a career. The Ambassador is having none of that. We had a truly honest conversation about motherhood, ambition and the quiet calculations we make when trying to build both a family and a career.
I was struck by how familiar her story feels to typical expat life, and in fact how her story has quite a few parallels with mine. I love that her story is an example of leadership that doesn’t deny real life. International diplomatic careers can be glamorous from the outside, but they are built on the same logistical puzzles, career pivots, and emotional negotiations that define ordinary households – new schools, new languages, new routines, and the perpetual question of whether one is making the right choice.
While that could have been an episode in itself, on top of all this we also talked politics! This episode was recorded a couple weeks ago – so unfortunately we do not cover the war in the Middle East and the current global oil crisis. Regardless, in a time when many of us feel unsure and overwhelmed, I found it a relief that the Ambassador is motivated by service and bringing her values to the world stage.
She said it best herself. “Politics is society. Society is made of people, and people are fascinating. And the more you can understand them, the more you can understand each other, understand yourself, but the more you can have real relationships that change the world.”
Diplomacy, in her view, is less about grandstanding and more about tending relationships – sometimes publicly, often quietly. But this episode is not just about diplomacy. It is about service, resilience, and the evolving definition of success for internationally mobile families. It is a reminder that behind every title is a story – and often, behind every story, a mother who has learned to navigate the world on multiple fronts at once.
If you want to learn more about Ambassador Olivier, where she stands on the issues, if she thinks the UK will ever rejoin the EU, and what her favorite British pub in town is, this episode is for you. Please give it a listen and let me know what you think. And if you want to leave a comment, please email me at momlife@rtltoday.lu or you can find me on social media @momlifeinluxembourg.
