BeeNow

Regina (Guthrie) Faridnia is an Integrative Health Practitioner and Brainspotting trainer specializing in Native populations. She has a Psychotherapy practice under my LCSW and an Integrative Wellness Practice/Spa.

I'm super excited to release episode 66 of the BeeNow podcast. In this chat, I sat down with an old friend, Maggie Sass, PhD. Aside from being a great conversationalist and friend, Maggie is an EQ research strategy lead at TalentSmart EQ. After 10+ years after graduate school, we decided to reconnect. In this episode, Maggie shares her story and we explore topics related to EQ and self-awareness, and learning to listen to the voices that help. enjoyyy More about MaggieMaggie Sass, Ph.D., is an innovative, research-driven design thinker, organizational psychologist, solution architect, consultant, and executive coach working at the convergence of data, emotional intelligence, and leadership development. She is a self-described harmony-seeking challenger who strives to shatter the status quo while staying open to possibilities with a healthy sense of realism. Clients and colleagues characterize her as a dot connector, a silo buster, and a natural mentor who democratizes the process of culture change.As an EQ research strategy lead at TalentSmart EQ, Maggie draws upon her rich academic background and breadth of experience in assessment and evaluation to translate research into practical, scalable solutions for clients. She has trained and coached executive leaders and their teams worldwide in engineering, education, finance, healthcare, technology, and government and bridged diverse leadership topics, including EI, conflict resolution, communication, change competency, influence, coaching skills, and neuroleadership.

Britni Warner, PhD is the Head of Talent Development and Engagement at Sony. We went to graduate school together and after 10+ years we decided to reconnect. In this episode, Britni and I explore topics related to EQ and self-awareness and how to create magic moments at work.

BeeNow podcast, Episode 58Ju Chen (Juju) is a former business owner and investor. In pursuit of greater meaning in her life, she dove into the work of emotional wholeness and healing. She wants to see people fully alive in their relationships while being healthy inside. She is now the founder of Puzzle Love to promote healthy self & healthy relationships. In this episode, we examine what it means to be busy, asking, "why the rush?" We look at what it means to slow down, the value of discipline, and also some ways to quiet the inner critic.

BeeNow podcast, Episode 57In this episode, Ree and I share stories from our time in Wan Zhou (万州). We tell the story of our cab driver who had to re-adjust his hopes for his children's future because of a policy change. And the story of a sweet old lady who runs a coffee shop with her daughter and how the policy change actually benefited them. The stories reveal the human heart and how economic development affects people in different ways.

BeeNow podcast, Episode 56"A bunch of tickets took me around Europe, a wanderlust heart showed me around the East and West coast of America, a foodie mouth brings me to Chengdu, a camera leads me to Chengdu’s streets and alleys, my blog shares all kinds of thoughts and stuff, my small little kitchen hosts interesting people from different places. My name is Amiee, nice to meet you~"In this episode, Amiee shares her journey as an outsider, not knowing much, to finding a sense of home in Chengdu. She talks about her connection with street photography and her process of waiting and observing. We also discuss finding happiness in the mundane, how to get through when feeling blue, quality me-time, homie time, and the value of learning by doing.What is dilly dallying you ask? Dilly dallying is aimlessly wandering and wasting time. For example, "I hate when people accuse me of lollygagging when I’m quite clearly dilly-dallying." Sometimes you got to dilly-dally to get something done. 

BeeNow podcast, Episode 55 My name is Feng Yuan (or Vincent). You will hear my childhood in the podcast - the story is a version I can offer now any way. The past is still diverging like poetry, which is the plaza where everything intertwines. Philosophy, spirituality, time and space, love and hatred, a million possibilities. I've learned to play the game and to be played by the game of the poetic. It's this infinity that has nurtured me to be not my true self, but millions more. And It's my pleasure to share the thrill with you. In this episode, Vincent and I explore the connection between poetry and sprituality. Vincent says the present is like a sword used to cut through the mind. He shares his childood influences growing up and the impact that family life had on him. He talks about is inspirations with Buddhism, poetry, and philosophy and the struggles of modern life in finding and losing one self. We talk about being bullied, a meaning of freedom, the function of poetry, the need for creativity, what it means to be indepenent, and the difference between good pressure and bad pressure. 

BeeNow podcast, Episode 54Ju Chen (Juju) is a former business owner and investor. In pursuit of greater meaning in her life, she dove into the work of emotional wholeness and healing. She wants to see people fully alive in their relationships while being healthy inside. She is now the founder of Puzzle Love to promote healthy self & healthy relationships. In this episode, Juju shares her journey to finding her passion from numbness to learning to feel and let go of what's inside. She touches on cultural perceptions on security and being enough, and the importance of trust and belonging. 

Stephen DiSalvio - or as I call myself - me. But you should probably call me... Stephen. I grew up in New Jersey - the suburbs of NYC. I'm a complex coordination of compounds directed by my DNA, but mostly I'm just water.Here's a list of my "achievements" so that you can more easily judge my relative value as a human being: programmer for 4 years, teacher for 2 years, produced 2 albums (search: thoughtpeace), performed stand-up comedy, written lots of poems, overcame lots of anxiety, accepted that I'm going to be alone forever, then fell in love, forgotten more things than I've remembered (like where I'm going with this introduction). Oh yeah, and I played the trombone in high school.Anyway, I'm a person like you, listen to me say words about my human experiences. Some of them will be interesting... maybe... depending on your perspective. I'd be a terrible salesman. Accepting your weaknesses is important. But they're not really weaknesses, you just don't want to spend that much time on some things. Like how I spent more time making this self-introduction quirky rather than persuasive. So listen to me talk - or cover your ears until Arya starts talking again - either way really. Life is a constantly unfolding process and I won't judge you. And even if I do, so what?Some questions that we explored:- What's a hard thing that you did recently?- Who was your first homie in Chengdu?- Where does social anxiety come from?- What's the difference between people-pleasing and just being yourself?

BeeNow podcast, Episode 60In this episode, Kitty, known as being happy and outgoing, shares her mental health journey and evolution in China. Her battles with panic attacks started as drowning in deep waters to then building a ship and helping others build theirs (metaphorically). At first, reacting to bodily symptoms then responding to the root cause.

Currently, the show is 10minute episodes with creatives and mental health professionals, covering 3 topics: 1. Alone time2. Doing hard things3. Misunderstandings

BeeNow podcast, Episode 52Born in Chengdu, Ms. Wanjie Chen (Jessie) is a seasoned Psychotherapist and devotes herself to helping people build positive relationships with themselves, others, and the world. She’s a clinical counselor at Global Doctor (Chengdu) and Light-up Family Centre where she specializes in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Satir Family Therapy, and Group Therapy. With a Master’s in Psychology and over 5000 clinical hours, she has been leading many workshops on communication and self-growth in hospitals, schools, and enterprises for over 10 years. Jessie believes that a good relationship is the best nutrition for life. In this episode, Jessie shares her personal journey in becoming a psychotherapist in China. We discuss how the 2008 Sichuan earthquake shaped her life purpose, her work with supporting parent-child relationships, and the importance of belonging and coming back to oneself. 

BeeNow podcast, Episode 51Born in Chengdu, Coco Min Zhu is freelancer illustrator. She collaborates with both editorials and commercial brands making comics, graphic novels, patterns, posters, commercial illustrations etc. Her clients include TAIKOOLI, STARBUCKS, L'OREAL, NESTLE, TENCENT, YANLORDI etc. In 2018, she created her own design brand called Shameless.In this episode, Coco and I talk about childhood, growing up, and her journey in becoming a designer and comedian. We also explore the importance of confidence, finding inspiration, and the meaning of home.

​BeeNow podcast, Episode 50Robert is an investor and entrepreneur. In 2016 he founded DiQuJia, a Chengdu-based interior design company that provides full-service solutions that are modern and affordable for urban young people. He believes decoration can be a fun thing. Robert and I met some years ago at Startup Weekend where he was mentoring teams. At first contact, I could feel his warmth and generosity and it makes me happy to have this chat about space.

BeeNow podcast, Episode 49Henry He is a local Sichuan who lived half of his life aboard. He was a hospital-based counselor, mental health educator, and registered clinical nurse (Psychiatry) in Australia for over 10 years. Henry is also the founder of The MINDCARE Project, a mental health service platform in Chengdu, which provides educational programs, training, workshops on stress management, mental health awareness, depression/anxiety prevention, and mental health first-aid. He believes real health is not only someone’s physical health or financial/social status but also the level of happiness in his/her inner world.In this episode, Henry and I explore the aspects of mental health, the complexities of the parent-child relationship, and how to acknowledge internal pressures. The parent-child relationship is complex and involves a deep and mutual understanding. We're reminded of a bold quote about parenting which is: "a lot of parents will do anything for their kids, except let them be themselves." And the truth is that parents really are doing their best and it's a difficult job.Finally, a question was raised: how do we acknowledge the underlying feeling that is present?

​BeeNow podcast, Episode 48Born and raised in Chengdu, Ree is a Mandarin teacher at Rainbow Mandarin. Aside from her passion for culture-exchange, she also makes jewelry and likes to explore her life in a fun way. She believes there is no problem that a tasty meal can‘t solve. In this episode, Ree and I talk about self-acceptance and share stories of belonging, parents, and how nobody is perfect. The conversation also raised a question on what it means to take something seriously. We're reminded of a saying in American Rock n Roll which is, "take the work seriously but don't take yourself seriously." 

BeeNow podcast, Episode 47Max Denny is a chill creative who has been living in Chengdu since 2017. He is a university teacher, drummer for several local bands including Mirror Garden, Apollo 20, and Cornerstone. He is also co-founder of the mobile cocktail bar Road Dog Cocktails (醉狗鸡尾酒).In this episode, Max and I talk about life in Chengdu with homies, intuitions, and creative projects. We share childhood stories and explore the value of having obsessions in life. Also, a question was raised: given that memory can be shady and unreliable, how do we stay honest with ourselves in the moment?And the conversation wouldn't be complete without touching on mushroom intelligence."Music is how we decorate time." -Max

BeeNow podcast, Episode 46Harri Sheffer is a Design Strategist from London, who now calls Chengdu her home. She believes in the power of creativity, community, coffee, and cats. Harri is the Co-Founder of the Chengdu Women in Business Network, a partner at Chengdu-Expat, and a board member of the British Chamber of Commerce SW China. She is also the Creative Director of Studio Hu 糊画设计工作室, a design firm that specializes in branding and design strategy. In this episode, Harri talks about good and bad design, staying inspired, and the role of empathy when working with people. We also talk about the importance of play and how making a mess can promote creativity. 

BeeNow podcast, Episode 45Having lived in Chengdu for more than 8 years, Vas is a local veteran who has been involved with a number of local, community events and runs his own weekly event, Chengdu Film Society. He ran Berlin Haus for 2 years and recently closed that chapter of his life.In this episode, Vas shares his journey with building Berlin Haus, which was has been a work and entertainment space for local creatives. Berlin Haus has been a go-to spot for comedy nights, music nights, movie nights, and other nights and days as well. We go into the "fuck yeah" moments and the "fuck no" moments of running a small business, the learnings, and why Berlin Haus finally came to a close.

BeeNow podcast, Episode 44Momo Estrella is a design executive based in Shanghai since 2010. He has worked across corporate, consulting, and startup setups in leadership roles where he has defined the foundations and set the capabilities to sustain human-centered innovation. He has worked at companies like EF Education First, Imagination, Publicis Sapient, IDEO. He currently serves as the Design Director / Head of UX at IKEA.In exploring design, creativity, and leadership, I couldn't ask for a better guest. In this chat, Momo talks about his journey as a designer, the importance of staying inspired, how to deal with mental blind spots, and a perspective on human-centered leadership. We also explore the unavoidable dimensions of creativity like confidence, listening, failure, and the unknown. We also address an ageless question, "how do you connect with your real inner self?"