Inspirations In My Backyard

"What I have been looking for is always there, inside me." A tantric retreat changed everything. What happened? Why did Martina so scared of the trip at first? And what made her want to explore herself and end up doing what she is doing? Listen to this episode to hear about Martina's soul searching journey and learn some tips on relationships and how to embrace your authentic self and deepen your intuition. Martina's website: https://martinahughes.com/

Stephanie Daughtry, a co-director and producer of an award-winning Fringe show Eating Tomorrow this year. It's an interesting time travel experiment, imagining what future food would look like. To my surprise, she only started to call herself an artist recently. Also, I discovered her life is experimental too. After many trials and challenges, she finally found out her secret power and what she can bring to this world.

Promila Gupta immigrated to Australia almost 40 years ago from India. With only $500 in hand and being in a completely new environment, she cried a lot initially, but what made her change and thrive? From being a housewife to a chef, an author, a radio show host and a tutor. But most of all, she has become a public figure in the culture and community space. Promila has promoted her rich culture and cuisine to Australia and has done many amazing works for the community. Apart from reflecting on her turning point, Promila also talked about her values, thought process on maintaining her culture in a different country, advice to other immigrants and her views about racism in Australia.

Mahmood Khan is a singer-songwriter and music producer originally from Pakistan. He has created many first-time records. For example, his recent song Jagamarra, a folk-pop world music hybrid dedicated to the Indigenous community, is Australia's first-ever orchestral set to achieve a No. 1 iTunes chart. What touched me the most is his dedication and passion for music. Before these successes, he just worked on his music consistently without making much money for over 15 years. How could he do that, and what are his supporting values and crazy stories he had? Find the answer by yourself, now. If you are an immigrant like him, you will understand why he said: “You can replant and reseed things anywhere you want to”.

Sanja Jovanovic is a public speaking coach and founder at Talent Academy where she cures stage fright. But what interests me the most is how she got to where she is and her passion for international students, refugees and immigrants. Surrounded by a macro minority family culture in Australia, she sees herself as a global citizen. Sanja used to be a shy girl, that's why she was sent to learn dancing and performing. But life made her notice and started to use her superpower: a skill almost always trumps the rest. Listen in to feel her strong heart and explore her inspiring journey.

Henry Thong didn't discover his passion for filmmaking until something happened in high school. He then broke the norm. You may be aware that for people born in an Asian family, working in a creative industry is usually not encouraged by their family. But Henry was determined, and in fact, he even decided not to attend university. What made Henry push through all the boundaries? And how did he deal with some extra challenges as being a minority in Australia, this western world? Listen in to find out his journey, how Henry embraced adversity and made his dream come true. If you are a creative person, you will get some practical tips from him too.

Sabina Qader's life is filled with different cultures: having parents from Bangladesh and Ukraine, she grew up in Kuwait, stuck in the US for 2 years and moved to Australia at the age of 12, then she has taught English in South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and the UK. Now she has her own business S&S Development Co, because she's passionate about seeing better dialogue with people from different cultures. In this episode, you are going to hear Sabina's personal journey, her struggles, observations and tips on better interacting with people from different cultures, and how she started her own business during COVID. For example: How did she deal with being different when feeling she doesn't belong anywhere? What does she feel about her ‘funny' accent? Why does speaking up is very hard for many Asian students when they arrive in Australia?

What does it mean to be an Asian Australian? What does it mean to be a woman? From choosing to study Actuarial Studies and Commerce at uni (trying to be a good Asian daughter), to dressing like a mid-aged white man (trying to fit in), to finally becoming an Asian Australian who is proud of her own identity, Jean Sum's journey is not easy. However, because of that, she eventually discovered her life purpose, to support and mentor young Asian Australian women so they can celebrate their diversity and feminine qualities, ultimately truly seeing and believing in themselves through her passion project https://sumofjean.com. Listen in to find out her personal journey, including lots of turning points, tips and reflections. Show notes: Resources and people who've supported her personal growth: * Biodanza - "Dance of Life" - a beautiful way to connect with myself, others and my environment - https://www.biodanza.com.au/ * Martina Hughes - understanding feminine and masculine energies, amazing coach! https://martinahughes.com/ * The Art of Relating - understanding the relationship with ourselves to support us in our relationship with others https://www.theartofrelating.com.au/ A great resource for Asian-Australians: * Shapes and Sounds - Asian-Australian mental health - https://justshapesandsounds.mykajabi.com/

Jerald has many titles, professor, dean, business consultant, visiting fellow at Harvard University, and so many more. But the most important one for him is the founder of Planet startup educational NGO. He always wanted to bridge an inequality gap, opportunities are not even globally. Many people told him: "You're never going to make a difference." But he did. In this episode, you are going to hear his evolving journey: His backstory with Planet NGO: How did he make it happen? Who is the most impressive person he has mentored and what is his secret? His thoughts and tips in two areas: Building more meaningful connections Getting better at goal setting and time management Bonus: one book Jerald finds most interesting and useful: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Dr. Stephen Covey Want to support Planet startup? Feel free to contact Jerald directly at +1 202 997 1323 or email him at jerald@post.harvard.edu. To find out more about Planet, check out: www.PlanetStartup.org

I think it's time to have this solo show :) Why am I doing what I am doing? To start and host this podcast while my hands (having a full-time job, a radio show and a blog) are already very full. It took me two whole months to decide to do this. Listen in to find out the reasons (many interesting mini-stories), and the things I learned. If you have any feedback or potential guest for me, please let me know. I would love to hear from you. You can either email me: chienqian.z@gmail.com or connect with me via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xueqianzhang/

Jason Yap is a professional dancer, the first Asia full-time dancer at Divadlo Študio Tanca, a performing arts theatre in Slovakia. He sees himself living his dream life now, but not many people knew he had faced many challenges before: He only started to learn dancing after high school His traditional Asian family did not support his dancer dream By the end of his Contemporary Dance degree, he even thought of quitting Apart from his secret self-talks and decisions which made his dream come true, you will also hear: His passion in another area, management, and the Director's Award from his university because of the community work he was devoted to The reflections and decisions he made after getting hit by Covid 19 (recovered now), which he sees as “A blessing in disguise”

You may have met a person who is a magician or a lecturer, but what about an entertaining educator who is doing both? Ross made it happen. In this episode, I got to listen to his whole journey and the joys and struggles of his magician life. But more than that, I believe his story is relatable to many of you, especially if you are from an Asian background: When his parents stopped supporting his hobby because it is unrealistic to make it as a future career, Ross didn't give up. Instead, he kept going and became a magician in the end. How he challenged himself in magic performance. His understanding of finding your purpose in life Also, you can watch his zoom magic tricks during our chat from here: https://youtu.be/cC6qOnc4zCM. Enjoy!

Sam Shlansky is an award-winning community advocate, supporter and leader. He brings together diverse communities to create a fairer future for all. He wants to connect with people and help them to find their awesome not only for themselves but also for others. He believes Australia needs to better engage with the world. In this episode, Sam tells us why he is passionate about what he is doing by reflecting on his entire journey. To my surprise, despite being a “philanthropist captain” at his high school, all he wanted to do was to become a school teacher. However, what happened that led him to find his current purpose? Join me to listen to his interesting stories behind: the important lessons that he learned at his residential college, the profound moment during his development study program in Indonesia, and the most special event that he organised in his country-town. His journey truly shows the possibility of creating his human by human change. Also, you will find out how to be a culturally sensitive person and his tips for international students on how to create better connections.

Two years ago, Kaley Chu started a mission: to have 100 lunches with 100 strangers within a year. For others, it might not be a big deal. But for her, it's a huge step. Her shyness had severely impacted her life. Therefore, a decision was made after an emergency meeting. However, Kaley didn't know that this journey has completely transformed her in every way. She is now a TEDx speaker, an author and an entrepreneur who is passionate about building meaningful networks for others. She firmly believes that “Anyone who has 100 lunches with strangers will have a better life.” In this episode, Kaley shared with me her whole journey, memorable lunches, reflections, and great tips about self-discovery, communication, networking and resilience. A story about determination, self-confidence, compassion and growth. Want to participate in 100 lunches too? Check out https://100lunches.com/.

Mario Pizarro had a humble beginning. When he first moved to Australia from Chile, he was only 15, with no extended family, no friends, unable to speak the language and no money. But after shifting his mindset, he changed his life completely: from being a nail bender to a director of 12 companies, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. More importantly, he is now transforming the lives of thousands of people, helping people and making them believe in themselves. In this episode, Mario reveals his life-changing moment and thought processes. Also, he shares his tips for new immigrants and his top three daily habits. Recommended books: Lead the field Think and Grow Rich As a Man Thinketh Any books written by Wallace Wattles

n Part 2 I stepped closer to Helena's life to hear more about the reflections about her life so far, such as the biggest lesson that she learned, good habits that she has, her happiness source, and dreams. Also, I didn't expect to hear these from her. Listen in to find out why: “I love challenges, and that makes me happy.” “I do not want to go back to my younger self.”

When we talk about immigrants, we may think of challenges a lot, but Helena shows us another possibility. "The good thing about being an immigrant is when you get here, you can be whoever you want to be. Because you start again from the beginning." Listen to Part 1 to find out: Arrived in Adelaide, Australia three years ago, without knowing any English and baking experience, how did Helena manage to open up her OWN cake shop, Cozy Cake? What stories and did Helena experience as an immigrant, for example, cultural differences: "Oh, you invited me for coffee, but in one month, how strange?!"

In Part 2, I stepped closer to Beatriz's past to hear more about her personal journey and her findings as a researcher in China space and higher education. For me, as a Chinese, to hear views from a researcher from another country Mexico was interesting. I also resonated a lot from her personal reflections. Listen in to find out more: What made her so passionate about China that she went to study in China without knowing any Chinese? Which Chinese values does she like or find very different from the western world? Why does she want to encourage more students to get involved in community work and what are the issues that she found from the current system?

Beatriz is very passionate about making social changes. Currently, her work is around widening participation of unrepresented groups of university students to foster a more inclusive environment. However, this passion initially came from her own mid-life crisis. Listen to part one to find out more about her project and stories behind.

In Part 2, find out more about Nathaniel, what made him the person he is: What's the biggest lesson he learned in life? What would he tell his younger self? Why doesn't he like people describing each other as young people and old people?

Nathaniel Diong, 19, 2021 Young Australian of the Year VIC Finalist. He has worked with over 11,000 young people from 50+ cultures to tackle youth unemployment through entrepreneurship. He shows: “If you want to, you can be that difference.” Listen in to find out more about how he made this happen by following the burning desire that he had when he was only 10 years old.

I stepped closer to Dimitrio's life to explore the most important lessons that he learned. Listen in and find out more: His top secrets of getting rid of self-limiting belief. Daily habits that keep him happy. Things that he wants to tell his younger self.

Dimitrios Papalexis has won the NSW Youth Worker of the Year in 2019. Being a professional artist, he is passionate about using arts (e.g. dance and theatre), storytelling, and strengths-based approach to make social changes in community settings. Listen to Part 1 to find out: - How did he find his flow? - What differences that he noticed about communities between AU and Brazil? - How to find your strengths and mentors?

In Part 2, I stepped closer to Rong Huang Sunny's life to explore how she found her core values and kept her cultural identity in AU. Listen in to find out more about her journey: What are some of the Chinese values she has brought to AU and the Australian values she adopted? Why volunteering is important to her and what are some of her most memorable moments? What made her decide to keep her English name Sunny?

n this episode, Rong Huang (Sunny) reflects her study, teaching life and cultural differences in her past seven years in AU. She is determined, and she sees cultural differences as an opportunity to learn. Also, she loves giving. Listen in part 1 and learn: How did she find out her passion? What made her know she would study at Uni Mel when she was only in year 5? What has changed her for better after living in AU?

I took a deeper look into the lives of Luke and James, allowing them to reflect on their journeys so far. I find out how their past shaped their present and how we can avoid the same pitfalls that they made. Listen in and find out: What does disagree and commit mean when working in a team? Why “Everybody is just a person” and “You got this” are so important? What would they say to their younger selves?

The passion and determination of James Hatchman and Luke Karabatsos to help others touched me throughout our chat. They made the decision to not put a price on the app because it wouldn't align with their values. Listen to their personal journeys behind fulfillment and learn: How did they find their purpose? What does peer support mean and how can we help others by just listening? What's their advice for upcoming entrepreneurs?