Reflections from Clayton Bond Esq., LGTBQ+ Advocate & Diplomat
Clayton Bond is the spouse of Ted Osius, former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, and a cousin of the late civil rights leader Julian Bond, Clayton Bond is an attorney, small business co-owner, and activist/philanthropist dedicated to ensuring that all people can participate fully in society
without regard to race, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Bond earlier served for 16 years as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, with assignments in or concerning the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, in a variety of functions including Management Affairs, Public Diplomacy, and Consular Affairs.
As an accompanying partner, he explains his walk through finding purpose in various countries and positions.
As it stands today, 77% of accompanying partners worked prior to the assignment… yet 57% are not working while on an international assignment. Behind those numbers are the lives of people like you with remarkable education, knowledge, experiences, aspirations, and dreams.
Work is part of our identity as adults and removing it from the equation when this is not a choice can be devastating as well as losing financial independence.
Join us to explore:
- Advocating for marginalized communities 3:44
- Navigating being an accompanying partner 4:47
- Stereotypes of an accompanying partner 7:50
- Being a caretaker 10:10
- Finding purpose through faith 12:15
- Perfectionism & self-worth 13:50
- Choosing to be present even in tough moments 15:20
- Following your values to let your purpose unfold 19:05
- Organizations to help the needs of accompanying partners especially when it comes to living in a foreign country as an LGBTQ+ partner 21:49
- Asking for what you want is sometimes the key to what you desire most 31:10
To connect further with Clayton Bond you can find him on Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
And if you yourself are an accompanying partner struggling to find purpose– I have something special for you! This Tuesday, September 7th at 9 am EST I’m offering a free roundtable to discuss creating purpose & money. Often money is the surrounding topic when it comes to moving around the world.
Because for many, the consequences of talking about money, our careers, and our purpose can bring up difficult feelings: worry, suffering self-esteem, a lack of confidence, and even shame.
