The Master & The Apprentice, with Emily Kwok

Sara McMann is a UFC MMA athlete, Olympic Silver and multiple time World Champion medalist in Wrestling, and BJJ Brown Belt. She has broken barriers as the first American woman in history to get on the podium at the Olympics within the sport of wrestling. She is ranked #8 in the UFC as a bantamweight fighter and she also happens to have a Masters in Mental Health Counselling in addition to be a mother of 2. She has lived a myriad of extraordinary lifetimes in her young 41 years and it is a wonder what she can't accomplish when she sets her mind on something. Sara and Emily discuss how feedback, rational process and incremental adjustments played a big part in her journey and committment to excellence.

Lily Zhang is a 3 x Olympian, World Champion medalist and trailblazer in the sport of Table Tennis for the United States. Choosing her passion from an early age, she has risen to the elite world stage with limited available resources and support for this emergent game. Her determination and love for play is awe-inspiring and formidable. She is barely 25 years old and constantly breaking barriers and forging a path forward for the next generation by consciously walking the path less traveled.

Vince “Bear” Quitugua is the founder of Shoyoroll and Three Chiefs Beer. Growing up he was uniquely influenced by a multitude of activities such as skateboarding, surfing and martial arts. Coming of age between Guam and the mainland of the United States, he subjectively and objectively observed and experienced what it was to be an insider and an outsider. His unconventional upbringing has attuned him to build wildly successful brands that challenge traditions and inspire those at the forefront of emergent subcultures.

Annie "Starr" Reickert is an elite waterwoman, demonstrating hard charging grace on the water through the art of surfing, big wave riding, SUP, foiling and kite boarding. Emily and Annie discuss what it is to be so deeply integrated with the medium of the ocean, how she interconnects and leverages each sport in furthering her process and what it's like to always be on the dynamic edge of development.

A story of passion, commitment, perserverence and comedy. Colin Jack is a writer, illustrator and Head of Story for Dreamworks. He's also one of Emily's oldest and dearest friends. In this coming of age episode, Emily and Colin reminisce and reflect on their high school art class dreams and musings, part time jobs and suburban 90's existence. We learn important lessons about grit and how unlikely and almost impossible goals can alchemize into reality.

An athlete and a patron of the arts dive deep into the creative process. Rebecca Taylor is an Arts and Culture Strategist who has worked with revered institutions such as The Getty, MOCA and MoMA PS1. In this episode she and Emily discuss how creativity is born, shared, received, challenged and transcended.

Our personal stories are what make us uniquely individual. Reknowned director, photographer and artist Ravi Vora whose clients include iconic brands like Nike, Land Rover, Ford, Mastercard and Quantas talks to Emily about his unusual path to self-discovery and how we shape and view the human condition.

4 x Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Dominyka Obelenyte has an initimate disucssion with Emily about their personal student and teacher relationship. Working together over a span of more than 12 years, they share their experiences and insights around nurturing growth, wants vs. needs, trust, internal vs. external pressures and fulfilling ones potential. 

Grammy award winning rap artist, Lupe Fiasco talks to Emily about his upbringing in the martial arts, the influence of his father and the pursuit of learning and execution in music and fine art.

Emily Kwok shares her thoughts on what inspired her to create this series of podcasts and what she hopes to learn from the roster of guests that include, musicians, artists, athletes and polymaths.