Shenzhen Stories

Broken legs, lapsing insurance, bad ( and I mean baaaaAAAaaaadd) dates, terrible loss, tornadoes, loving grandmas, mistaken identities in Russian, confusion over denim and much MUCH more in this episode as Rachel, Melissa, Rachel, Stuart, and Shannon speak at our live event about being unlucky. Enjoy.

Gardening leads to reconnecting with a parent, being born deaf and wresting with your brothers on your way to self discovery, a will they or won't they for flights home across the globe during covid, and maybe the best description of fried chicken you have ever heard. All of it is in the episiode of Shenzhen Stories from our live event, Silver Linings. Storytellers: Frederique Charbonneau, Katie Hobbbs, Jen Simon, & Justin Clouden.

Siobhan, our fearless cofounder, moved to South Africa a while ago. In the time since then she became engaged to her true love, went into business for her self and was now planning a move to Scotland. That wedding, that move, and so much more was upturned by Covid but she will not let now that get in the way of crushing it. She tells a story that spans a generation and shows us that no matter what tries to close us down, we will all be all right.

Dan, an experienced snowboarder went out and hit the slopes one day with his girlfriend and took a nasty spill, what happened next took sky high with an unfortunate wound and a relationship that would only grow from there. Dan was scheduled for our live event in February but for obvious reasons we could not gather. We are thrilled he finally got to share it online with us. Enjoy!

Danielle found her self in Italy when this whole Covid thing went down. She quickly discovered that she would be grounded in Italy for a lot longer that she expected. What she found in that time was very special and unexpected but will leave her with much more than memories and awesome pictures. See what kind of love is discoverable when you leave yourself open to it even in spite of dire circumstances.

Pat came to me as a fan of our content but has been in the states and never had the chance to come to our live events. Well Covid has brought us all together online and we were thrilled to finally have him share a story on our first ever online event. Listen as he tells a story of what happens when you sing the wrong tune in front of a bunch of nuns. Pat is a skilled storyteller and we know you will enjoy this as much as we did.

Usually when we think of masks we think of covering up. But in this story we hear how uncovering can...well...set you free.

Friendships can come and go but there are those that stick with us. Even when everything in the world tries to separate you. But what if there was something outside of our world that would try and beckon you back together. Danielle tells a story about missing a friend and the visit she got that pushed towards finding that friendship again.

Shep is fortunate to have a second first day with his estranged grandfather. During a seemingly mundane day of shopping and lunch valuable life lessons are learned.

A self-professed 'uncoordinated dork', Tracy shares the story of her first ski trip and all the things that can go horribly awry when you are trying to impress a crush. Told with humor and aplomb (and a bit of mature language).

Two amazing stories in one great podcast. Charles and Alli were both audience members at the last live event who put their names into the hat to share a story. They did not disappoint! Charles tells about his first day teaching at an inner-city school, while Alli recounts her first day meeting her future in-laws. Both experiences were painful at the time but made for hilarious stories for the rest of us.

Michelle tells her story of a first date gone awry after an impromptu request for Shenzhen Stories audience members to share at a live event. The result is an honest and hysterical look at dating in the 21st century.

We all wonder about our place in the universe. However, not all of us have parents that would take you down a litany of spiritual practices, guides, gurus, and ayahuasca purges. Listen as Danielle works to answer the question, “what did you do this weekend”, to her fellow classmates and hear what conversations with animals, chants, and middle school break ups can teach us about our place in the universe.

Vacuums, fire escapes, an absence dirt, feline gastrointestinal issues, lost loves, shopping carts, and clandestine missions through the New York night. Find out what all these things have in common as Clayton takes us downtown.

What happens when your kid gets on a flight to Thailand but disappears in between the flight and arriving at your house? Everything that you would think goes through a mother’s mind in this situation, absolutely does. But Kate’s story takes us down a surprising road and shows the depth of a mother’s love.

Good friends come along once in a lifetime. So when you get a chance to celebrate them you go all out. And Nikki goes all ALL OUT. Listen as Nikki brings the house down and reminds us of a time when all we had to worry about was a fake kidnapping.

A new car from a beloved uncle is a big deal when you are a poor college kid. It’s an even bigger deal when that car goes missing all of a sudden. It’s an even even bigger deal when you randomly find it with someone else at the wheel. Follow Malone on this crazy ride of a story.

Ente came over from Hong Kong to tell us the wonderful story of a life scored by the sounds and movements of a small Dutch village that then took him all over the world. He narrates beautifully the way life simmers, swells, and crescendos, but always brings us to the coda where we are truly known and seen for who we are. It’s loud and it can appear too much at times but the symphony made up of all these different pieces can show us who we are as individuals. Enjoy as Ente closes out May Pride event last month with a beaut of a tale.

Family looms over us. Our lineage and bloodlines connect us to our past but can also cast a bit of a shadow. We are told to respect our elders and always to be proud of where we come from. Susan asks one simple question. Why? Susan is proud of her family but not because she has to be but because she wants to be. Follow Susan past the literal monoliths littering her bloodline and find a pride that is earned and not simply passed down.

Peter came to me with a story that he wanted to tell. It was important for him to tell it. I don’t know if I will ever feel that need. I have never felt that my existence would be questioned by those closest to me based on who I loved. So when Peter was young and living in his small southern United States town, it put incredible stresses on him to have to hide who he was from his family. Stresses Peter and other young kids shouldn’t have to feel. It’s why these stories are so important to share. If we understand each other, true change in the world can happen. Every story has the potential to save the world. Listen to Peter save the day with his by teaching us all what it can do for a person to not need to hide but to be truly known by a person.

Our Pride event this past May left me reeling from all the lives shared and stories bravely told. Our second story teller of the evening was Laura, who shared with is the story of finding herself and being true to who she was. Exposing yourself fully always comes with risk. So when Laura came out to her mom, she took her chances and risked it all to stay true to herself. Enjoy Laura’s story told at our Pride event last month.

May was our Pride event and we had an evening of amazing stories. Our first story teller of the evening was Mia. Mia was fresh from a Shenzhen Stories workshop where she brought in a raw story and by the end of the two day workshop had a fully fleshed story with the tools to tell it in her voice and in front of our amazing live audiences. We were thrilled to have her kick things off with a story from a China not so far past. She told this story a week after Mother’s Day and I am sure she did her mother proud. Here is Mia’s story of that long road she had to take before she even came into the world.

Chris returns to the Shenzhen Stories stage and brings forth a manifesto of why truly terrible movies mean so very much to him. His take is funny and eye-opening and oh so enjoyable. Music by Those Lavender Whales

Sports can become our own little mythologies that get passed down from generation to generation. We see ourselves in the heroic feats. We celebrate in the wins and come together in the losses. Our sports teams can represent our tribes and families. James' story dives into the difference between sports in the family and finding our family in sports. Music from Those Lavender Whales.

At one point the Wii was the hottest gaming system around. It really gets you up and active. Addie Loy shares a story about when maybe it got a little too active. Enjoy this roller coaster of a ride told at our last live event. Music by Those Lavender Whales.

Boys will be boys and Peter Hennigar has some sage wisdom for his two whippersnappers. He shares some hilarious bedtime stories with us at our last live event and tells us what we absolutely need to survive the trials of boyhood. Music by Those Lavender Whales.

To become a ballerina you have to shift your whole life to fit that mold. Everything has to move towards that goal. It's a lot. Erin Madonna tells us all about it in this very lovely story about the obsession dance can be and the final bows we all have to take throughout life's twists and turns.

When Rob heard he had the chance to meet his dad for the first time, his reaction was cautious. The people close to us can be immeasurably formative but at the same time they do not constitute the entirety or us as individuals. Listen to Rob’s story as it winds through the branches of his family tree.

When Rob’s mother told him that she needed to talk after the kids went to bed, it was never on the list that a fully biological brother would be hiding in the roots of his family tree. Listen to Rob tell the story of discovering the circumstances that separated his brother from his family and that brought him back.

As a kid it can be hard to navigate the adult world and what is real or true starts to change as you grow up. A surprise wedding and a run-in with Hulk Hogan has a lot to teach us about the validity of professional wrestling and the agency we have in choosing what is true.

It’s that thing when your whole family except you speaks Spanish and your husband speaks Burmese and your daughter is learning Chinese. Language is an incredible anchor to our cultures and Nadia shares her journey to keep herself and her daughter connected to their heritage.

Not all people are haunted by ghosts. Sometimes those forces that impact that most seem mundane or normal. While it is not the supernatural, Steve tells us a story about something just as mysterious, dark, and strange: high school bullies.

A dark shadow appeared to Malone one day right out of a nightmare. Only this wasn’t a dream. Malone got a look behind the veil of what we think reality is. Listen to Malone tell how cats, shadowy tentacle monsters, and role playing games can teach us about the beauty of life.

Brittan grew up in a pretty clean and tidy Midwestern town. When his grandfather dies on a First Nations Reservations he is brought face to face with death in a new way and invited to dance with it. This story is told with humor and compassion and shows us an important part of our life that comes after it’s over.

When Brandi was younger she was tasked with babysitting her little sister. And when their parents were gone the Ouija Board came out and Brandi tells the story of one particular time when a little joke went too far. This story doesn’t go the way you think it will but will leave you rolling!

Becoming a mom is hard and not everything comes to you neatly in a prepackaged set. Listen to Mimi talk about gardening and childbirth and hear a truly great mom talk about coming into bloom.

Traveling around the world can be hard on a human. But what about the canine companions that accompany them? Yvette attempts to see through her dog’s eyes as they jump from Brooklyn to Uzbekistan to Bangkok and finally to Shenzhen. This story finds strength on four legs. Enjoy!

What’s in a name? Well for Tosca it depends on when you asked her. Listen to story of growing up in a Canadian horse stable and working her own way through high school until she came out knowing exactly who she was.

Russell was a city boy until he found himself thrust in world of a dairy farm. Farms have a way of punctuating the cycle of life and death. Hear Russell’s story about becoming a first time participant in that cycle told vividly and honestly.

When people quit smoking, it isn’t usually because they get stranded on a roof in a country where you don’t speak the language. Patrick recounts the day he realized “I no good” in this hilarious and touching story about love and cigarettes.

High school has enough problems as it is; dating, grades, acne. Carlos Galvez adds one more thing to the list: getting stuck in between countries. Listen to Carlos’ life defining story of being trapped between America and Guatemala.

One huge earthquake would be enough but when Peter Hennigar left Tokyo for Nepal after a huge quake he was met again with the uncontrollable forces of nature. Listen to Peter share a heartfelt story of losing control and the fight to gain it back.