Same Boat

For 40 years, Sylas had a secret. Only, even he didn't know it. When he finally did discover who he really is and the life that he wants to lead, he still had a difficult time convincing himself to believe it. And that made it even harder to share his secret with others.  Having been assigned female at birth, Sylas identifies as male.  He tells us about his journey and the struggles he encountered becoming the person he wanted to be.In this episode, we travel to Puerto Rico for a story of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and being respected by your loved ones, your community, and society.

As a continuation of our topic in the last episode, we remain in Iceland for Part 2.  But this time, as we dig deeper into that country's general state of tolerance and equality, as well as the actions being taken by Icelanders in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. To accomplish this, we speak with Jewells, an African American living full time in Iceland.  Her insight and story of her experiences as a person of color in a predominantly white country further point out how the tiny country can teach us all things about being anti-racist.

What can we learn about racism and equality from a tiny country with barely any diversity in its population?  We speak with Sveinn, a jazz vocalist and musician in Iceland, who works as a quality control manager for a whale watching company.  As Iceland re-opens to foreign visitors, we learn how their attitude toward limiting the coronavirus is in line with how they demand equality in their society. Sveinn describes his experience in the LGBTQ community, and Iceland's motivation in the backdrop of Black Lives Matter and the global movement against racism to tackle the task at hand of ridding their own prejudices.  

Betty is a self-made businesswoman, triathlete, and philanthropist. She's from Colombia, and although based in London, she's currently back in her home city of Bogotá. Her life can best be described as a roller coaster...starting high, to the lowest lows, to the highest highs. But her story of resilience, of starting everything over from scratch and on her own, and overcoming unimaginable ordeals can teach us that things are never over and that every challenge is an opportunity.

On this episode we speak with Mo, an entrepreneur and businesswoman from Bangkok.Mo has spent the past 5 years growing her business, The Happiness Planner, while living in Australia, Japan, S. Korea, Europe, the UK, and the US.  The Happiness Planner specializes in tools that help people be more productive, achieve goals, and train themselves in how to lead a happier life.And what could be happier than owning your own business and living all over the world, right? Well, as we learn from Mo and her life...even an expert must practice what they preach. Plus, in addition to Mo's first-hand insight into owning a small business during the pandemic, we get a lesson in adapting, adjusting, and reinventing...things we all must do during times like these. 

Amy and Alan live in Edinburgh, Scotland.  They're one of those couples whose wedding happened to take place in a world of social distancing.  It was a bit awkward, but each of us is capable of getting through a major life event during this time of the pandemic, right?  Except, Amy and Alan aren't quite done yet.  At the time of this episode's release, they're also expecting the birth of their first child, at any moment.  We'll learn how they're dealing with all of it, pretty much on their own, as well as how their situation can teach us that going with the flow is all we can do during these unprecedented times.

Charlie and his girlfriend had a difficult decision to make when coronavirus lockdowns went into effect.  As Paris residents, they knew that confinement in their tiny apartment with their two young girls wouldn't just be a bit cramped, but they'd be competing with thousands of their neighbors for the limited supply of food and supplies available in their immediate neighborhood.  Not to mention, the no-tolerance strict shelter in place rules in place for all French citizens.  Their story takes them from place to place on a journey across France, searching for the best place to wait out the crisis.  But, as we'll learn, even now their story hasn't yet got an official end.  

In this debut episode, we travel to both Hungary and Turkey for a story of deep deliberation, family, geopolitics, logistics, and one's own comfort zone.I speak with Gina who's a Turkish national and is based in Budapest.  As the world began to shut down and not only travel but also border crossing became restricted, Gina suddenly discovered she was faced with a dilemma and a monumental decision:  Go back to Turkey and wait out the global lockdown there near her family, or remain at her home in Budapest?  As we learn, more factors than we could ever imagine come into play.  There's the matter of her citizenship and Hungarian residency permit...and when or if she would be allowed back. As well, there are her mother's pre-existing health conditions rendering her vulnerable to COVID-19.  Even Gina's cat, Pisiko, plays a role in the deliberation.  Whichever she option she chooses, she'll be stuck with it for the foreseeable future, making the decision an arduous one.