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Life Designer with Jingyu Chen
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Life Designer with Jingyu Chen

Author: Jingyu Chen

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Capturing once in a lifetime moment and each encounter is one of a kind and unique. Life designer is looking to genuine and meaningful human connection, and telling candid human stories. In each episode, I will interview an amazing talent coming from all around the world across all different industries. They are artists, creatives, professionals, entrepreneurs, slash everything, and they are all on their journey to pursue their mission with a passion. It's their story-telling about how they become their own life designers! Please feel free to visit my website to find more information: https://www.lifedesignerwithjingyuchen.com/

I am also running  my solo podcast ‘Jing Lens’ -- my lifestyle diary . Here I share daily hustle and grind,  small joys from my travel and hobbies,  exercise routine, self-care practice, and reflection on my personal growth, etc., I consider Jing Lens as my dynamic diary to document and capture evolving and ( hopefully elevating) journey of my lifestyle. Lifestyle is a bit overkill buzzword today but I have always been drawn to this word, spending years and years searching and building my lifestyle. I guess  I finally reach this self-validation point to feel may be able to to share some mindset and practice from  an ordinary person’s life to provide one possible form of wholesome and joyful living.

Both podcasts are located in my website. My website is like  my container where I put my heart and soul to curate .  Please feel free to visit my website to check in  both podcasts if you are interested. Thank you so much for listening to my podcasts! 

31 Episodes
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I am so thrilled to have Bella back on Life Designer for the finale episode in 2023! Bella and I made this cute little pact to make an annual podcast—completely unscripted like girl chit-chat, yet very sophisticated conversations. It's an intimate gaze into our personal growth and introspection every year. This marks our third episode in the third year!About being present : The year 2023 marks a full-circle moment for both of us. We no longer perpetuate the idea of creating a new reality, instead, we shift our mindset to embrace each current moment. Travel, for us, is neither an escape nor a remedy that distances us from our mundane daily lives. We intend to make each day count, infused with the same level of energy, curiosity, and passion that we experience when we are on the road.About Existential Crisis: Both of us have faced our fair share of struggles and moments of self-loss, where our inner voice and outward expectations failed to align. It's a painful yet beautiful dance that eventually guides us to live in alignment with our values. By choosing intentional living, we are better equipped to counterbalance the giant distractions from the outside world, ultimately prevailing over existential threats.  Bella said 'I embrace and celebrate the way people live their lives but also claim my rights and freedom to design life the way I wish.' I have also reached a point where I've built a solid yet distant, safe boundary with society. I appreciate the otherness of individuals but also strive to carve out my authentic, unique, and unapologetic life.About the Paradox of Time: Time is limited, but as Bella said, when we know how to use our time, it can be on our side, working with us. Time can do wonders. I also always said time is my biggest asset, and I am determined to turn its limited nature into a gateway towards an unlimited future.About Ego and Pretentiousness:  Bella uncovers what leads us to be consumed by ego and how it keeps us from being humble, curious and empathetic.  Yet about pretentiousness, Bella said we can be confident in knowing what we know without selling ourselves for short.  Personally, I believe that the element of pretentiousness defines an artist's artistry and sustains their creativity and authenticity. I've made a promise to myself to forever protect the sensibility, pretentiousness, and authenticity of an artist like Bella.About Writing & Singing: Authenticity is rooted in her writing ethos. Writing serves as her self-portrait of honesty and reputation. A good writer draws inspiration from predecessors through dense and in-depth reading and researching, as well as from their own life experiences and understanding. Bella said she will be writing for her the rest of life, eager to see where life will take her. We both truly want to deeply take in, understand and see the world intellectually and aesthetically.  I told Bella that it took a few very profound moments of grief for me to reconcile with the fact that I am not inherently talented in any sense, but she said I am talented. My energy and curiosity towards the world are so unique and precious. I  have come to define my role as a keen observer and listener of the world, aiding beautiful souls like Bella to shine and illuminate more people. Thank you all for listening to my podcast, 'Life Designer,' in 2023. See you all in 2024! Episode in 2021 Episode in 2022lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
In the Part Two,  Luella shares intimate insights into her experiences with relationship-building, parenting, self-care, and more.  Relationship-building took immense amount of efforts but the reward is worth it,  because the right partner also become your best mentor. That being said, personal growth should continue to perpetuate regardless of one’s relationship status (married or single ). We are often drawn to those who radiate from the inside out. When individuals exude positivity , they not only attract the right person but also find their supportive village. I am a firm believer that your vibe attracts your tribes.  Ongoing personal growth is also Luella’s secret ingredients to maintain marriage’s longevity and  fluidity. Another mentality shared by Luella is treating your partner like your child, allowing both individuals to grow and evolve together from a selfless place rather than one outpowering another. When it comes to parenting,  Luella emphasizes the narrative and awareness of self-love should be essential part of early childhood education. Self-love not only equips children with discerning intelligence but also prepares them with sense of responsibility. With self- love at its core, they grow up to become adults with the strength to walk away from toxic relationships, and the ability to treat others with respect and care. As much as Luella enjoys being a mum and discussing parenting, she refuses to label herself  solely a mum or putting herself on secondary or hold mode . Instead of projecting the image of super mum who take care of everything, she reveals her vulnerability to her  child. Another  mindset that Luella intentionally applies to her parenting is to reward her child’s efforts in attempting goals regardless of results. When children focus more on process than outcome, they are more likely to take on high-stakes challenges. Her another parenting  mindset tool , dismantling our fears, also deeply resonates with me. The story of her guiding her son to confront fear rather than shunning away was mind-blown.  She highlighted that just because we may not be naturally gifted in certain areas, doesn’t mean we should walk away from them entirely. Working out the audacity to face our fears provide an opportunity to unlock our full potential. The goal is not to be master in all domains. Even just  'dabbling' gives us a glimpse of what’s happening around and provides us with fuller ranger of  common sense and higher awareness.  When success is not the sole goal, naturally human are more  fearless to in addressing their weaknesses. Through my personal growth journey, I also want to add in is if we really are trying to deeply see, take in and understand the world, on all dimension possible, intellectually, aesthetically.,  inevitably we have to push the edge of envelope a bit  to expand its width and depth . Walking through that fear can be intimidating and uncomfortable , but if we always stay in our comfort zone, surrender to our fear, not going to try something dreadful , we also deny ourselves a potential moment of joy and happiness. Here is Luella’s version of success:  I did everything I possibly can, I loved everyone I can to my maximum, I also loved myself. Success to me is consistently challenge myself,  and I can unlock new chapter in my life as I age. The essence  of living a life is to grow, learn, to reflect, to be a better person for  myself and my family , so success to me is an ongoing never-end game. Links Website: https://fangting.co.uk/ Instagram: fangting_properties小红书:璐公子I 伦敦室内设计+投资lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Today’s guest , Luella is A ultimate life designer, who not only curates space through the lens of interior design but also crafts a life within the container of good life.She is an interior designer based in UK with10 pages of  her work featuring in the local prestigious publication ‘style at home’.  As a serial entrepreneur, she pivot into different business, leading up to a diverse and thriving venture profiles. Her initial interest in human sciences led her to study both sociology and marketing in university, infusing her with invaluable institutional knowledge.  Solid academic background coupled with her Restless, the best word to encapsulate her personality, set her all up for a trajectory of hustle. Embarking on a diverse venture journey, from her first business as a buying agent to her second endeavor, a textile company, and ultimately co-founding a property business with her husband, she shared her key learnings:  you don't need to lay out a roadmap to get started.  A path aligned with your heart will unfold into clarity and truth through the journey. Over time, you can refine skills that may not be your strong suit at first.  The things you learned from your first life can be translated into your second life as long as you stay reflective, consciously thinking back about what you've learned and the skills you've acquired. This way, you'll never waste a single second of your time. I wholeheartedly support what she said. Especially during the early establishment days of our careers or businesses, we often find ourselves doing things we perceive as boring, but it's possible that we just haven't developed the perspective to see the learning hidden underneath. When we intentionally practice deconstruction and introspection, we learn to put a different lens on things, which will take us to the next level of growth. She started interior design as a side hustle and, with her husband, co-founded FangTing, a property business that has been running for over 10 years now.  It is quite complex business, involving property scouting, renovation, styling, and finally listing properties for rental.  Luella takes the lead on the interior design and branding side while her husband focuses on finance and investment. Her approach to interior design is grounded in the heart of serving tenants' styles and needs. As the business founder, she is mission-driven, aiming to provide not only high-quality and safe housing but also to curate homes that nurture the tenants' souls. She's an illuminating character, always placing the well-being of her employees and clients at the core and forefront. I believe that empathy has led to the flourishing of her business, perpetuating its success.  Luella's number one golden rule in property investment is that you make money when you buy, not when you sell. At the age of 22, while her buying-agent business was at its peak, Luella received a wakeup call: earning money couldn't be her sole motivation for living. She realised she needs to  consistently challenging herself and trying new things. She said: Don't settle for things that make you comfortable. Always step out of your comfort zone and take on opportunities that make you feel unsure. Consider living your life as if you're playing a video game. You want to progress to the next level, not stay on stage one forever, right?  Life comes with numerous hurdles, regardless, so embrace them to add new meaning to your life. Eventually, this will lead to a enriched and vibrant life that's worth living and celebrating.Links Website: https://fangting.co.uk/ Instagram: fangting_properties小红书:璐公子I 伦敦室内设计+投资lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Growing up in New Zealand and being the only Asian kid in the whole school, Zenith experienced years of  bully at primary school.  It led her to develop an initial interest in how the human psychic and mind work, and she set herself up for pursuing psychiatry at a very early age.  It’s a choice inherently driven by her intention of helping those struggling inside.  A gay year in Korea and a teaching job over there prompted her to shift the lane, and pivoted to pursue music. She completed the master degree in Sydney Conservatorium of Music.  The scope of her music practice is enormous: performing cello, piano,  violin,  composing, singing, and teaching music ., as Zenith said,  music is her life basically.  Music fulfils her purpose of living, and secondarily music feeds her to sustain a living.  The order can’t be flipped around because that order shaped her as a musician and framed her perspectives towards the world. When it comes to performing music, Zenith considers it essential to incorporate  intellectual pieces of information behind each piece ( a composer’s life, social environment, and political movement at that time,etc., ) into her creative act as supposed to just emoting and feeling her way through the sound.  By employing both intellectual and emotional skills, a musician is equipped to deliver an individual narrative in its attached social and cultural landscape.  History and human stories, therefore, are documented and archived. I also personally believe that  only in this way can music legacy  be inherited  and evolved through generation  by generationWe further address non-transactional value in music,  which I consider distinguishes music from all other instrumental forces (economic power, tech power, etc.,) Because music moves our hearts! I can’t think of any other human inventions that can so easily and mysteriously activate and unleash human emotions and feelings! Music is for ears to hear.  As a human being, Zenith is humbling and compassionate in a profound sense that she acknowledges different forms of human living and struggling.   Hence she will never project her feelings for music onto audiences.  As a musician, her goal is only and always just to share her life passion with the outside world and to send invitations to whoever walks into her musical world. what to take in from a piece of music is absolutely individual but her genuine attempt and efforts to make an emotional connection through sounds will definitely be sensed by all her audiences! On that note,  I am one of the recipients. 15 years old me accepted the YoYo-Ma tracks sent by my friend and since then music becomes my lifelong intimate friend. Zenith’s insight into music musician education for children reveals music intricately interplays with the rest of the world (  art, architecture, fashion,  history, science, religion, etc.,)  Her revealing reaches my core belief that music goes beyond an exclusive component and isolated being,  as well as embodying grand aesthetes that encompass a mixture of human civilization creation.   She not only  offers  her teaching methodology on technical training but also presents a full rich and enchanting world that sparks a 5 years natural curiosity. She made me believe that a piece can be unpackaged in a way to be linguistically understandable and emotionally relatable to a 5 year old.  Music is to some extent exclusive as a career path, but musicians like Zenith reinforced my faith that Music Education plays   an instrumental role in  preparing  children  to be better emotionally equipped towards life in general . Music provides a perspective and reality  to live a life with infinity. lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
All musicians are searching for their voice in music. The minute it’s found, the choice of living  life with music becomes eternity. Zenith found her voice in music which is to make an emotional connection with her audiences.As a musician, Zenith never shines away from performing confronting piece and she also fully embrace playing dreamy piece like La La Land.  When delivering confronting pieces , musician should not overstep boundary between  making an emotional connection and healing.  As far as I consider it,  it already takes a musician’s full strength to be completely vulnerable and to even brutally expose herself/himself to  that excruciating pain that comes with that piece. When a musician goes beyond making connections and attempts to heal audiences’ trauma through music, it becomes a rather unprofessional, unsafe, and even arrogant act, as Zenith put it. I agree. I was trained at work in building professional boundaries when it comes to dealing with crisis cases. Empathy and compassion will not qualify you as a therapist and healing should be left to accreted professionals' hands.We also extend into 'what’s underneath the façade’.  When reaching a radical acceptance towards the complexity of humanity and an in-depth life experience,  a artist may finally gain the liberation to choose the tone in their professional work ( only play La La Land, for example ). I also consider Zenith as the least judging person as her judgment is formulated through her endeavours to peel layers to reach a person’s inner core.About  pretentiousness: I got this concept from Ethan Hawk, one of my favourite actors. He said it’s ok that you are pretentious if you do it with a bit of humor.  it means you are aspiring to something. You have to set up a goal for yourself.  Zenith  enjoys being accurate and objective about her reality but she sets up her strict personal standard and goal  which she fiercely protects. With that pretentiousness at  core, Musician’s creative desire comes within and the determination to reach their goals is unwavering.   About sensibility:  Zenith reiterates the importance of not separating a discipline from the rest of the world.  She said: If you have a basic level of knowledge about what’s going on around you, you will be more equipped to be better at doing what you are doing. About authenticity: Her authenticity  come downs to practice and grind her craft on daily. Zenith and I apply the same mindset and practice to navigate our life  that is to keeping the promise we made with  ourselves and holding ourselves  accountable. Again, means and craft doesn’t matter, Human connection is real  when what drive us is essentially identical .Zinth is very grateful to get to do what she is passionate for. She has no intention to diminish importance of work-life balance but I do believe musician like Zenith  or artists in general  sustain their living  through  tireless and fearless creative pursuits. I just purely  wish all creatives take good care of themselves ( eat well, sleep well, maybe add some exercise lol)  for greater longevity leads up to longer creative span.  From receiving the very first few tracks sent by my friends ( Yo-Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone , Forever love by X-Japan.,) to encounter Zenith and document her music story,  I feel it’s like a full circle of me. In the end , I want to tell all musicians out there  Wherever you are standing now, at least you already connected to your inner art and  hence you will never lose hope to live your  life.  Hans Zimmer said  however much people discourage you, however hard it gets, at the end of day, it’s worth it. If you feel compelled to write music, then do it! lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
I started  my 2022 home project which somehow  extends its  scope into  renovation, interior design , decluttering and organization from last June around. It was  probably my biggest project in 2022 which grounds me on a very deep and personal level. It was over half year of  hustle, stretching my creativity,  mentality , even physical strengths to a new level. My architect friends said they see my potential in interior design. I guess even I may get slight bit of sensitivity in styling or something ,   I  still got overwhelm just by the idea of doing interior design in some scale from 5 to 10 years down to road .  Because  interior design is so deep. I was so intimidated  by it , now a tip of iceberg is revealing to me.  My respect for architects and interior designers are also being taken into next level . I just don’t know how much hard work and intense learning it will take to reach that professional level.  I guess I just need to  follow my heart at my pace.  Right now I am  at informal/ self-taught level of learning. Over the last half year, I immerse myself to listening  to hundreds of podcasts related to interior design and watched Tons of AD YouTube videos, ended up  taking a whole notebook of notes. All of sudden, I become keen to dig into texture, material, color Palette , architectural structure, each aspect can be an independent discipline. It’s a new language system I am learning which  depicts  aesthetic , value and existence of life that I gravitate towards.   As an interest-driven person, I just feel so grateful to encounter this new hobby  in 2022, and is willing to sit down still to learn the foundation.  I vaguely sense that Interior design will offer me  a new perspective and lens to restructure the physical space , reframe the way of thinking, reconnect time and space, it’s just I see music, life, and flow in architecture and I am so obsessed with that feeling.Interier design are  trials with endless learning curve  and triumphs. I am often  uplifted by musicians’ music,  someone's   kind words  or share of  people's  inner art . I hope my share can bring a bit joy /  enegery  or a  bit sense of hope  ( even just for a moment) for my audiences. That's why I consider it's meaningful to make this episode. This episode do need some visual navigation  lol so  feel free to visist my Website to listen with photos attached for my living room.lifedesignerwithjingyuchen Interior design  shouldn’t  be a race towards finish line and something you can pull it off at recorded time so you can show off to your friends.   it’s a  evolving and ongoing  journey.  Home should be the expression and  extension of inner self. When you are curating a  sense of tyle in your place, you are also curating a sense of belonging and acceptance. Home  should be a place fills you with joy and happiness and be the ultimate sanctuary. I agree we can train our designer eye  and elevate our taste  through intentional learning and massive exposure to art , but interior design is  never be as easy as just replicating  a beautifully curated home from the catalogue  to become  yours. To be able to emotionally connect to a physical space, I think eventually it comes down to being authentic to yourself. Function comes first. Style shoud support its function. Music makes time pass, and architecture make space into meaningful form..no..I mean architecture  make music stand still, here  time turns into space. lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
It was such a delightful and uplifting  journey to produce this episode with Kaitlin, a joyful and empowering woman who believed YOU are in the driver’s seat of your own life-, and happiness is something we each create for ourselves!  She built her coaching business ‘ The Think Happy’ , teaching women intentional methods to reclaim their lives & sustain their happiness.  It took more than just one pivot  ( from teaching to marketing to be an Entrepreneur) to stand where she is now.  After working in marketing for her family business for almost a decade, she just recently pivoted to running  ‘The Think Happy’ coaching business at full-time capacity and scale.  It was a tough decision to make because  she was the retirement plan of her dad , feeling like  pulling the rug out from under his dad's feet! After lots of soul-searching, she fully embraced her true calling which is to help others live the happiest lives! In her retrospect,  The first life in marketing not only formed into her current business but also formed into her personality and character.  Two most valuable lessons she  took way  is to always stay  open and humble to learn  as well as serving  others the best she can with her passion and skills. It started with Kaitlin writing a book of Think Happy, which laid out pillars of her coaching business :Think Happy, Co. It’s amazing to get into the nitty and gritty of her happiness pillars which were born from her real life. Kaitlin said time management builds the foundation of everything, and she is absolutely the master of the art of hustle!  I also come to realization  at this stage  that time is the biggest asset of my life.  One signature pillar  I want to highlight in ‘The Think Happy’ is to set and achieve attainable goals. She shared that setting up multiple mini-goals will keep up our momentum to work towards our big goal without losing drive.  She said when you accomplished something, the mini goal,  you should take time to celebrate that.  Celebrating those wins and living in that excitement for a little while will do nothing but help keep driving that momentum moving forward. Her goal-setting strategies also align with my project-based lifestyle. We further touched on my favourite topic ‘ Energy.  We believe energy is infectious and that frequency of energy translates into other people around you. It’s a ripple effect! When encountering an ‘energy block’,  she gave an example of feeling ‘overwhelm’,   she will move through those feelings not avoiding them.  Her insight into  how to identify energy-depleting factors and replenish energy just blew my mind. The key here is never let your energy level drop down to zero and then replenish.  She believes if we got fully empty, it takes much more effort to fill  back in.  It’s like if we let our cell phone battery go to zero, the battery will die. Even if you plug in and recharge it, it still takes a few mins to reboot.   Kaitlin said we should try our best to avoid letting our cup get totally empty.  If we continue filling in our cups through our days/ week,  it's gonna prevent it from getting dry and going empty. Joy and happiness filled in me while  making this episode. I hope the ripple effect can translate to anyone who listen to this episode and add in your festive  December!  Connect to KaitlinWebsite:  thinkhappycoInstagram: thinkhappy_coPodcast: the-think-happy-podcastlifedesignerwithjingyuchen
I am so thrilled and honored to have my first returning guest for this Podcast, the one and only Bella is back! Bella is a Creative Strategist based in NYC.  I interviewed her Last year around this time. A year went by, Bella and I are both growing and evolving which leads to this amazing episode about ‘ travel creates new reality ’!Bella shared her most recent trip to Mexico City that began with Hopping in a plane alone without any planning, and a solo trip sometimes turned out to be the best trip. As Bella said, being spontaneous led her to blend in and live like a local over there. To stay away from NY’s ‘ hustle culture ‘ and lifestyle featuring super-intensity and high discipline for moments, she recharged and reinvented herself in a new country in the way that she sees things with fresh eyes and new perspectives. She feels like her ‘inner- child ‘ passion and curiosity towards the world kicked back again. The biggest takeaway from this trip was to let  guard off  herself and embrace the opportunity of building a new connection with others. Another profound impact travel does on us comes back to our mindset shift: We can see ourselves survive and thrive in different places which leads to infinite possibilities in life!We both thus established the fact that travel leads to a new reality: when we truly open ourselves to the world, we gained the strength to build a new community and family, make new friends, and build a new life anywhere in this world. Bella said whenever we push ourselves out of our comfort zone, we have the opportunity to start over again! It’s so powerful for anybody in whatever situation at whatever age. Unique travel experiences stay within us and the memories we built won’t fade away. It becomes our stories to tell when we are too old to travel, sitting on the couch and beginning to reminisce. ( In this episode, Bella shared her ‘ Crazy adventure ‘ slash the best night in Mexico; I shared my ‘debut sing in a steamboat’ story from my recent trip to New Zealand.As Bella said:  all the small things, little moments in the stories, all those particular moments made us who we are, and made our lives special! Bella shared :We are always growing, and picking up new things, and our priority is also changing. Our life pursuit is more than just success in careers and it even can be bigger than ourselves.Learning is deeper than just elevating our skills to be the best in our expertise. We learn to be better persons, to be humble, to slow down, appreciate small things from each travel experience.Apply that mindset or things we learn from that trip to other aspects of our life. Try to see how life goes and what happens to you. You start feeling excited about life again and wondering what is coming ahead!This Episode means so much to me as we both are growing and surviving through this pandemic to this point of having this Episode about Travelling. I want to tell everyone that things do get better. Adversity builds our character and Constraints lead to Creativity!Conntect to Bella :Website: bellajiangInstagram:  itsbellajiang小红书: 一只纽约文艺狗 BellListen to our Episode  back in 2021 lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Coming from a upbringing  where education around self-love  and confidence seem to be missing,  Beverly price discovered her path from self-expression to self-empowerment  in later her adulthood. The road to self-empowerment  comes  with pain and struggles,   but Beverly said, without being self-empowered, she wouldn’t   have that strengths  to pivot  to  Jewelry design from finance sector.   It took her 30 years to reach other side of  self-empowerment while  she believe  it doesn’t  need to be that much long for women to get there.  She is hence missioned -driven to  take women on a journey from self-expression to self-empowerment. she funded  her Jewellery brand Nastava that featuring bespoke Pieces and finest materials.  As an intuitive designer, she pours in soul and heart in each piece . The goal of Nastava is to empower and inspire  her clients with the  boldness and uniqueness element  in her creation. She believes This transformation on the outside, along with a transformation on the inside, is the best recipe for confidence and self-empowerment. When you feel beautiful outside, you feel empowered inside. She further shared other foundations of self-empowerment: don’t compare yourself  with others.  Often we compare our inside with other’s outside  which always ends up feeling  the  sense of inadequacies . What we should focus on is to fall I love with authentic  ourselves and be comfortable on own  skin. We should also switch the victim mindset to I am responsible  for myself.  Somtimes professional help is needed to find that strength to move forward. Beverly  described her Entrepreneurial Journey as an emotional roller coaster  ride . She said Entrepreneurial world is not for everyone . But if you do want to build your own business, you should  take that leap of faith eventually.  There is little voice inside us  that take us to our true calling .There  are some nudges  in our life along the way that ‘push’ us to embark  on the journey.  She addressed  struggling  facing  female funder in current  funding  ecosystem, and what takes to be a successful  entrepreneur ( resilience ,  optimism  , mindset shift, building support network, etc.,  ). When self-doubt and second guess creep in ( which is inevitable )  you are still able to cope emotionally  well and keep going!  She just launched a new podcast called  Her-Self-Expression ( I am a big fan ) and built  Her- Self -Expression Sisterhood, a Facebook Group. Both  are extension of her life-long  mission: Support and Advocate for women’s personal journey from self-expression to self-empowerment! Beverly shared: Being  a participant is  the key  in  support network so you can  have fuller and richer life experience,  and you can’t just expect  people to come to you . You need to be an active part as well. Essentially  you  need  to be that kind of friend somebody want to be friend with.When the pain of problem comes  greater than the  pain of  solution,  change will happen.When you get to other side of empowerment, it doesn’t mean you arrived and the journey ended . The journey continues through your whole life.The biggest  thing is walking through your fear, just put  one foot in front another and keep going. Connect to Beverly:Website: herselfexpressionlifedesignerwithjingyuchen             lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Amy's initial intention of writing a book was to get some press and have her screenplay picked up by Hollywood. It was such a life-defining moment when she realized her book actually brings so many joys and creates an escape for her readers. Her two books (Book of Failures / We're All A Mess, It's OK)  also are a big commercial success: both are number one sellers on Amazon  among other hit humor writers  like Trevor Noah,  Tina Fay, etc., but she is no longer obsessed  about  having to have her film made by Hollywood. She hence found her consistent drive of writing which is to make people laugh and feel better about their struggles. She also dedicated three chapters of the first book to her travel to China.  She always opens herself to the outside world with strong curiosity which also passed on to her children!   Her true openness and inclusiveness got me connected to her on a deep and personal level!We both are uplifted by others’ words  (readers, audiences, peers, etc.,).  Expressing our appreciation and admiration to others does matter.  Building a support network and community not only makes us feel less lonely on this passion-pursuit journey but also brings us a new perspective and inspiration!  We both believe life is about building connections and reaching out to those we appreciate or want to Learn with!  But Amy never expects to gain anything but rather always thinks about what to offer first.  Her experience also approves that when you genuinely reach out to someone, often you will get so much in return  ( friendship, mutual support, etc).  Although reach-out may end up being rejected,  the reach-out itself is still a worthy and fun way of expressing our feelings! It’s one thing that two persons feel click or not,  it’s another thing that how you treat people.  We both adopt Zero tolerance to mean people who don’t treat people with basic respect. Holding  that  gratitude in heart plays a long way! Like any creative person,  Amy experienced her zone moments which is in writing.  We both feel it’s the most amazing experience when entering that zone! That’s how we know we found our true passion! Looking back on this passion-pursue journey,  Amy said she felt so grateful and blessing to be able to achieve so much although her ultimate goal of being  that writing room is yet to be fulfilled.  This podcast journey with her is beyond words amazing, and I want to highlight some reflections and thoughts of her that I will always  keep in my mind:There is truth, honesty, and value just to pursue your dream, regardless of the results.There are lots of little wins you need to celebrate in the process of pursuing your dream. Sometimes we feel if I have this thing, we will be happy. The truth is you probably won't be , because it's  not  about a thing, money or one particular reward, I think it's about the Journey. 100 % pursue your passion at a younger age, but it’s never too late to start, just start doing something from today!It's’ about the journey, not the destination. While Amy and  I both are still on the journey, we believe the best way to go through this journey is to trust and enjoy the process that will lead to our end goal!  I wholeheartedly believe Amy will break into that writing room where she belongs to!Connect to AmyWebsite: amylyleInstagram: amylyleauthorHer Book on Amazon: Amy-LyleTed Talk: finding the funny in the crummylifedesignerwithjingyuchen
From the outside look inside,  Amy is such a multi-hyphenate, wearing lots of hats. She pivoted a big way from finance to the creative world where she is currently thriving! This is another inspiring story that if you dare to dream and the dream will come true!It all started her role shift from a working person to a stay-home Mum, which promoted her to find her first creative outlet: Acting on the local church stage. She committed to performing there for a decade which also got her to connect to her biggest passion: Becoming a Screenwriter! To reach the end goal of having her screenplay picked up by Hollywood, she took a Hollywood attorney’s advice of getting some press first which led to the frequency of all events. She wrote two best-selling humor books( Book of Failures /  We're All A Mess, It's OK) on Amazon, became a regular guest in a Morning show in Atlanta , played her first lead role in the movie ‘ the intervierwers’, did a Ted Talk, and is running a local TV Show'' In The Burbs” and an active stand-up Comedienne, etc., the list can go on.Looking back, she said everything she did was not by any grand design but go above what she thought she was capable of. She embarked on an unknown and even a bit scary journey which turned out to be the best years of her life. She shared that the best feeling is to overcome that fear and take that plunge of trying something you were not initially good at but over time you became better and even mastered it. Growing up in a raging family, Amy, since she was little girl, found humor as the safety net in her life. Her natural sense of humor not only saved her from those traumatized moments in childhood but also extends  into her adulthood and becomes a big trademark of all her creative work. She believes humor can be found everywhere (personal life, workplace, and creative pursuit, etc., ) even in the weirdest place and darkest moments. She said comedy often comes from a place of pain and humor is a comedian's coping mechanism. Of course humor didn’t discriminate against backgrounds or anything. We need more humor and comedians in this world. Personally, I believe humor is the ultimate optimism and resilience built in a person’s spirit and character!There are different types of humor. Amy appreciates self-deprecating/observational versus personal attack ., She and I both believe humor should bring joy to someone, not at a cost of anyone. I really appreciate Amy fully leveraging her talents in humor and tapping into creativity, fulfilling her mission of making the whole world laugh!Here comes the most generous sharing from Amy:  Humor ( If not fortunate enough to carry it naturally lol ), can be developed and mastered as a skill! Taking a comedy class helps those who aim to be stand-up comedians, but just in a general sense, helps to increase a person’s confidence (in public speaking, etc.,) in their fields. Other tricks and tips to add humor to our daily life include journaling funny things, watching funny movies, and reading funny books, etc., Humor is a piece of muscle we should intentionally exercise and practice! It’s a dream come true for me to get to do this ‘ humor episode’ with a such kind and joyful soul! Tune in  our second episode and we are gonna  dive in  Amy’s  creative world ( Her books, ultimate goals  Zone status, ideal lifestyle, etc) Don’t miss  the joys! Connect to Amy Website: amylyleInstagram: amylyleauthorHer Book on Amazon: Amy-LyleTed Talk: finding the funny in thelifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Miki Sakai Photography creates a one of kind photoshoot journey for each of her clients. Storytelling is the heart of Miki’s craft. The way she tells a story is to capture the authentic and unposed moments in a session (family portraits, wedding, branding,etc). Drawing inspiration from everything  (traveling, movies, books, conversations with others, etc.,),  Miki describes her style as natural and candid with documentary and boutique aesthetics.   As one of her audiences, the way I connect to her photography work is that instant desire to dive into the stories behind those images she photographed.     Miki deeply values the connection she builds with her clients on an emotional and personal level, which not only leads to the final fine artwork she produced but also a unique journey her clients will memorize and enjoy. To align her artistic pursuit as an artist/ photographer with clients’ expectations, she addressed two contributing factors.  First is always to be consistent and clear with the work she presents on her Website/ Social Media platforms. Then initial face-to-face consultation intends to establish the clients’ understanding towards this is  photoshoot journey , and the good communication  carries  through  the actual shooting session and the entire process with her clients.  As Miki said, she will never photograph silently.  It’s a personal experience and emotional moment she and her client create and collaborate together, which eventually becomes a timeless artwork and memory.  I believe Miki truly fulfils her mission of building a journey to narrate a client’s story.Miki is an artistic and creative photographer and a genuine and caring character. Both her talents and personality, I believe, help to turn her passion into a business as well. As one of her clients comment to her: Miki is not just a good photographer but also a good person.  Being a sole trader  takes the challenge to into next level.  The communication /organizational  skills she had developed as an Architect translate into current business operations, but many aspects of running a business (finance, accounting, legal, etc.) all need to be addressed.  The biggest challenge for a sole trader, as Miki said, is the absence of team support and always making business decisions on her own. Pandemic took a huge toll on the industry as a whole and also individual business owner.  But Miki focused on what she can to improve her craft and scale her business.   She also believes the community is such an essential support network emotionally and professionally, especially for sole traders.  Reach-out to build a connection with people around the world has never been easier thanks to social media.  She put herself in a fellow photographer community where she can share  her journey!  I strongly resonate with her that community brings us a sense of belonging and is a significant source of motivation!Moving forward, Miki aims to expand her client base around the world, which allows her to utilize  her skills and backgrounds as someone who has lived and worked internationally.  I got so excited for her and gained so much sense of hope from her future vision and am keen to forward this positive energy to everyone. Coming to the end of this amazing conversation, Miki’s advice for making a pivot is:  do take the risks but calculated risks; it takes time to make the shift but you don’t want to live a life with regrets, and it’s really ok to shift the course of your career/life at any point.  Don’t set a limit on yourself!Connect to Miki on Instagram: mikisakaiphotography    Website:  Miki Sakai Photographylifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Growing up and moving around a number of countries, (Tokyo, NY,  London, Buenos Aires, and now Sydney), Miki describes herself  living a nomadic lifestyle as a Global Citizen.   She made a conscious decision from a young age that not being fixed to her own belief, judgments or thoughts, truly embracing diverse ways of thinking and living, because something perceives as normal in one place may not be in another part of the world.   She also becomes a person with strong curiosity who  always intrigued by new ideas, language, culture.,  I believe both her upbringing and kindness in nature built her diversity ideology and curiosity traits, which leads her to explore life possibilities infinitely.  We both also believe that we are  not confined by the external environment or conditions. There is always a outlet that will spark your curiosity and connects you to the outside world.On the flipped side, this nomadic lifestyle  put Miki experiencing inner struggle with identity sense particularly tracing back to her young teens. As she recalled, she might  try very hard to assimilate to being British or at one point try to be Japanese.  Eventually, she realized there is no need to define one identity she has, but it’s a journey to finally reaching that point where she feels comfortable being  on her own skin and just to be authentic herself. Those growth pains (fitting in cultural shock, etc) are real and there is no exemption from those struggling, but both Miki and I believe we can turn negativity into positivity,  and it’s gonna be better and it does get better. Trips to South America hands down is one of Miki’s life-defining moments, which sparks her passion for photography.   As she said, she was hooked by this wondrous landscape, the rich and diverse cultures, and the extraordinary people there.  Small sparks gradually over years grew into her biggest passion. Miki said, after gaining more life experience at a later stage of life, we can make a more informative and conscious decision about what we really want to pursue.  It is a bit too much asking for 17 years old to make a big life &career decision and it’s ok to change your mind later on along the line. (But we are not blindly encouraging anyone to switch to another lane. If you are content with your current path, stick to it!)   In Miki’s case, it took 7 years to just get qualified to be an Architect. When time costs and investment are so high, making a career pivot certainly is not a quick transition.   It took her years and years of skill-building and soul searching to finally transform from architect to photographer. Looking back to her Architect journey which she contributed a huge course of her life, it’s a bittersweet but definitely precious life experience she will cherish forever.  She shared that once you are an architect, you are always an architect.  I also believe many things like the skillset we developed in our first life also end up being useful, translated, and applied to our second life.  Tune into our PART TWO episode where we are entering Miki’s second life of her being as a photographer! Connect to Miki on Instagram: mikisakaiphotography       Website:  Miki Sakai Photography                                                                            lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Chloe has had a wide range of interests since she was a kid.  Her curiosity in nature eventually led her to land in Media/ PR industry.   Breaking into Australia's mainstream broadcasting news outlet SBS ( which is the major network to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services) as a migrant, her success in the local media industry truly brings diversity, representation, and inclusiveness into communities. However, success never comes easily. Back in the early days of working in a small media agency, she experienced toxic workplace culture which took a heavy toll on her confidence and self-worth. She learned one important lesson from there ‘don’t let anyone bring you down’!  Moving forward, she is always grabbing every opportunity which most of the time appears as a challenge. 30 years look back, Chloe shared one important learning is to always stay positive. With that positive  mindset in place, she is not as anxious as she used to be when facing challenges, because deep down inside, she knows it’s just a matter of time to overcome them.  I was so empowered by this as it’s a long-evolved journey through countless mistakes and failures to build inner resilience and confidence, eventually leading to that positivity mentality. Chloe also candidly addressed that she had so many failures but it’s a valuable experience to  grow from them.At this stage, of her life, she is focusing on work-life balance because a career is just part of life. she is forever on the journey of becoming a better self and never puts a limit on her pursuit. I like her beautiful saying that Life will eventually become more colourful, and we hence create a consistent drive for living our life.I also appreciate her interpretation of relationships is to gain trust from others, which as she said, is the key factor for her career success at SBS. To climb the corporate ladder, she believes just working hard is not enough, emotional intelligence also plays a crucial role, particularly in the media industry.  Gaining trust is always coming from that genuine intention and place to achieve mutual benefits and unity despite the difference in a corporate context, which also I believe, applies to any types of human connection. In my case, I fell under the mission of running this podcast because I gain trust from my guests. I value trust (which is the genuine connection) the most and I can’t fail to respond to that trust.  Stepping into a leadership role, Chloe ,who once experienced detrimental leadership in her early career, becomes the leader that creates conditions and culture for her team members to succeed and thrive at work.  She also highly appreciates mentorship which she feels privileged to be given throughout her career-building  We also got an in-depth discussion about social medial influence. As an industry insider, Chloe candidly pointed out that social media is an amazing resources pool that we can leverage to our advantage as opposed to being controlled by smart social media algorithms.  I truly agree with what she shared: we have the only thing to do in our life which is to take care of ourselves, our matters, and our relationship.  I also benefit from social media tremendously which is to connect to so many amazing talents around the world. But as Chloe said, what’s more  important is always to focus on yourself not lost in others’ highlight moments feeds. We also talked about her workout routine,  ideal lifestyle, and future career development. She is such a woman powerhouse who is truly beautiful inside out.  We are all on the same journey to become better selves towards infinite life possibilities!Connect to Chloe : Ins: chloeffk  小红书: 南半球的克洛伊lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Terry Chen pivoted his way to become a sofware engineer, standing halfway through completing his degree in management engineering. It started with side projects at university which got him into coding and programming, and eventually, he decided to pursue software engineering as his profession. To shift gear in the middle like that, it means filling a huge learning curve through trial and error and experiencing tons of interview failures, etc., Looking back on this transformation journey, his greatest learning is that it will pay off if you are persevering, working hard towards your goal.     Terry has always been a risk-taking person  but  he also calculates risks. He encouraged people to do make changes but always have a backup plan. Terry suggests, to pursue something different, you can try something new on the side as opposed to making the leap blindly. Passion- pursuit journey is not about making one big major decision but taking small steps which are building towards that end goal.  He consistently elevated his skill as a Software Engineer and landed a job offer in a big Tech company. However, he chose to work in a start-up instead of a big corporate. He values potential growth in start-ups  and the opportunity of taking on more responsibilities. At his  early career stage,  he put the pedal to the metal in his career pursuit as he still got more energy and capacity . In a long run, working in a start-up also prepares him ( Entrepreneurship mindset, process-building skill, etc.,) for running his own business one day which is his end goal.    He is also running his YouTube Channel’ Hack Bear’ which quickly drives traffic with 144k followers in around one and half years. He has been always holding his initial mind of running this Channel which is to deliver valuable content and educational information. His followers significantly benefit from his content (his genuine and generous sharing of industry insights, career advice, interview skills, investment, etc.,) which serves as a constant drive for him to create more high-quality content.  He also shared his investment strategies and asset allocation portfolio out of personal interest without any intention of teaching people how to invest.   The goal is to  inspire people to reflect on how to build a  dynamic relationship with money/ wealth.  Financial literacy should be addressed and financial management skills should be learned to build Safety Net and protection to everyone’s life.  His definition of financial freedom is to not work for money one day and pursue his true passion (running a business or full-time Youtuber, etc.,) From bottom of my heart, I want people like him (who carry that DNA of helping others) achieve financial freedom soon so he will leverage his resources and influence to make true impacts on people around him.   He hustles a lot, consistently pushing limits and exploring new possibilities which eventually lead to his end goal.  I see those seemingly opposite traits perfectly work in harmony on this young driven man. He is risky taking but also down-to-earth; He is creative but executed. I believe a  person like Terry will reach all his personal goals as well as fulfilling  the big mission of making this world better! In the end, I hope he will continue carrying on that bit of sense of humour throughout his entire life, which not only adds charismatics into his content but also helps him to go through all life hurdles!Thanks for listening to my Podcast, See you next time! Connect Terry on YouTube  : hackbear.tv      Instagram : master.terry.chen lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Authenticity and realness are rooted in Christy gene which got her easily connected to people who are real and accept her authentic side.  She also incorporated realness into core values for her company fitme which is to provide women with practical and doable nutrition/ exercise coaching. Christy addressed that the absence of realness instill a fake version of success into people’s belief systems.  As a consequence, some people may measure their real-life against someone’s highlight feed or aim at short-term wins shared on social media. However, there is no shortcut or fast track to fitness and a healthy lifestyle. As a certified coach, her ultimate goal is to help her clients achieve a sustainable and long-term outcome, which essentially comes back to building confidence and creating consistency.  Approaches behind her coaching philosophy are to pick up small and repeatable habits every day and turn them into life routines which leads to fundamental changes in their real life. Growing up as an athletic girl, Christy was not particularly struggling with body weight. However, Life threw some real punches on her (10 knee surgeries and 40 pounds of weight gain.,) Although she enjoys being a Mum, a professional, she was not happy about her body anymore. She once did all of the diets,  left her frustration only. Luckily, she encountered a good coach and another peer in the gym where she was educated about healthy eating habits which missed in her early upbringing and exercise in the way she never thought. This transformation experience also led her to embark on her coaching journey in fitness/ nutrition. She further discovered that in the fitness industry, many complicated strategies are designed for professional athletes, bodybuilders, but are hard to apply to regular persons who need to build daily routine and consistency. Diet gimmicks will not be practical and sustainable either. Once again, her coaching focuses on helping people to do small and simple things consistently, coming from the intention of taking care of themselves rather than body punishment. Only when people shift mindset and perspective, behaviours will change. We further touched on the body image issue. As Christy said, many fit people still have body image issues. It’s so true that addressing external only still won’t fix your body image problem. Weight loss is part of building a positive image, and we believe positive body image is also a reflection of confidence and should be built within. Connection and resilience are the other two values in fitme. I really like Christy’s beautiful interpretation of community. Community connects people who shared the same purposes and values.  Finding the right community will create momentum for yourself and forward energy with each other. Christy also pointed out we may fit in different communities as  our seasons change. In fitme community, resilience is the shared value that drives her clients to achieve a shared goal (actual fitness) even when hardship and hurdles kick in life! We also talk about her podcast fitme coffee talk! Each episode is 5-10 mins long with key messages delivered almost every day. She also shared strategies   ‘habits stacking’ that she learned from James Clear’s book ‘ Atomic habits’.  If you want to build new habits, try to attach with your existing habits!   Another effective coping strategy to achieve work-life balance she shared is to set up priority within day/ week and get the priority done. The rest is just a bonus.   I am strongly on board that own your words and get the priority done within timeframe you set up and build the trust relationship with yourself! Website: https://www.fitmecommunity.com/Instagram: lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Starting ballet at five years old, Fenella nurtured her love and passion for ballet through years of professional training and dancing. Back to her early training periods, younger Fenella encountered a few negative teachers who questioned her pursuit, telling her to give up. Negative comments like that (particularly from instructors) can severely hinder a young dancer’s confidence, and Fenella was very confused about whether to stick to it. As she is getting older, she can finally look back to see through the fact that, she has always been doing well with receiving scholarships and many wonderful opportunities. Most importantly, she truly enjoys ballet and dancing.  Now, as a ballet instructor herself, she is aiming at instilling a long-lasting impression of the craft’s joy and beauty to kids/ young dancers. She turns her negative experience into a positive drive, which also makes her an instructor with a mission:  to create an open and inclusive environment for everyone to enjoy ballet for recreation and joy.  As the first step, she opened her YouTube Channel BalletColourful(with Fenella) where anyone can access the free platform to enter into the Ballet world. Moving forward, she is designing her teaching programs and running in-person sessions tailer to students’ needs with building students’ confidence as the key. Ultimately, she believes her role is to guide students along the way to achieve their individual goals (whether it’s pursuing as professionals or dancing for fun). I also truly believe, with her talents and teaching philosophy, Fenella will be the best instructor to kids/young leaners feel connect to her! Upbring also plays a key role in her character-building. Both of her parents told her the value of opening herself to the outside world and filling in life with different experiences and colours. Living overseas for many years ( NY, Tokyo, Shanghai, Etc.,), she immersed herself in local day-to-day living, which, she said, was the most exciting part of living overseas. I really appreciate her ability to sense small joys (do grocery shopping in the local market, etc.) and to blend into day-to-day living. That ability and character make her a true worldwide traveller from my lens.  The audition story she shared is very empowering. I believe self-grow comes from self-learn and push from others. Without her Mum’s encouragement, she may not return to do the same audition again. But it also took tremendous strength and courage for her to go back and try again. As Fenella said, it’s essential to surround yourself with people who bring you positive influence and push you to step out of your comfort zone sometimes, meanwhile, we also need to give us as many opportunities as possible. Perseverance is the key to success. But sometimes, there are many factors beyond our control. Grab the chance when it presents, regardless of results or outcome. Fenella said she wants to live a life without regrets, which drives her to unlock all her potentials, always acting on what she is interested in and passionate about. I strongly resonate what she said:  life comes with ups/downs and highs/lows, so treat yourself and others kindly. Life is short, and time is limited. To create an abundant, meaningful, and joyful life, really believe in yourself; You are capable; You do have something wonderful to offer to others! I also believe while we are doing what we enjoy, we also get help someone in certain way, which adds value and motivation in our life-pursuit journey.          Connect to Fenella         Balletcolourful--Instagram   BalletColourful (with Fenella) - YouTubelifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Growing up watching movies every day, Neda developed her initial desire to become an actress.  She did drama courses and played in school, which she enjoyed.  But she met an actor who told her it takes a burning desire to become an actress, which she didn't see herself possess. Then her stronger desire to be involved in the filming industry behind the scenes drove her to study a bachelor in media specializing in television and filming. The process was fun and creative where she got travelled around Australia and made shot videos, working with industry insiders.  Even back then, the media industry was just as harsh as today to break in, and the reality was that she couldn't find a paid job.  On top of that, she knew, deep down inside, her desire to pursue a career in television and filming got out of her system somewhere along the way already. For a while, she felt like a silly dreamer, wanting to be a film director/Screenwriter, or late bloomer, wondering what path she could stick to. Sometimes, it takes more time and a bit of soul searching to figure out the true path. In Neda's case, watching a documentary about the animal activism of Henry Spira became her life-changing moment. This time, she finally found her burning desire to save animals in suffering and torture. Just overnight, she made two major decisions: stay vegan and apply to study law the very next day morning. She aimed to make a fundamental change in animal protection and welfare through a proper avenue which is the legal avenue.  When there was a burning desire applied, Neda stuck through her law study which was tremendously difficult. She also joined the animal law committee for years, which directly contributed to wildlife conservation. But any revolutionary change through law and justice is a daunting process which takes even more than one generation to achieve. Practically speaking, as a law graduate now, Nada was given more career choices. She was a suburban lawyer for a few years. Then she became a mum of two kids.  Being a stay-home Mum for years, she realized getting back to a corporate law firm will no long serve her needs. Her strong attachment to kids prompted her to make another bold decision: Set up her own practice as a sole practitioner. It allowed her to stay at home with kids as well as continuing her profession.  It seems that She perfectly strikes that life-work balance, but one thing you need to know about Neda is she always plans and prepares.  Her life motto 'always step out of comfort zone' guided her entire journey. She started small and got the office all set up even before her first client came.  Stepping out of her comfort zone also helped her find the niche market, which was the key factor of her business success.  Due to her religion, she has an advantage in making a will for the Baha'i community, which got her to hit the ground running. Knowing her expertise and service can contribute to her community serves as a sustainable drive force of her practice. This year is her 10th year as a sole practitioner.As her kids grew up a bit, she embarked on a new chapter in fitness. It all started with her unexpected love for Zumba dancing after the first try.  Gym or workout is not a natural fit with Neda, and she never pictured herself in dancing,  let alone being an instructor. She enjoyed so much and committed to studying again, becoming a Zumba instructor.  Her philosophy of ‘constantly pushing herself out of comfort zone' continues working on her to be up against new change, and she is about to become aquatic instructor! Teaching Zumba or aquatic may still be her side hustles at this stage. She is already planning her retirement life as a full-time instructor. She is a great fit in this podcast because she truly designs her lifestyle that serves her needs at different stages.Thanks for listening to my podcast.lifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Chemistry has come into Joseph's Life naturally from learning it as a subject in school to pathway into his early career as a food scientist and perfume engineer. Tracing back to 1994, he built his chocolate brand' 'Kimberley Chocolate' with a mission to make high-quality chocolates accessible to our community. 'Kimberley Chocolate' features high-quality handmade chocolates with the use of pure chocolate and fresh cream only. On top of that, 'Kimberley Chocolate' reached another innovative breakthrough by adding local Australian flavours (chilli, lemon myrtle, and quandong), which gained massive popularity among residents.  His business is rooted within the community from the start point, specifically, selling at local markets at a reasonable price.  As an award-winning chocolate brand, Joseph didn't push to scale his chocolate business for massive commercial produce and sale.  Sticking to his initial intention, which is to make high-quality Chocolate, Joseph kept his business at the crafted stage but evolved his business through making his own chocolate. Another side of his Life is to make Perfume.  Perfume is pure chemistry. Joseph went back to pick up perfume again, deciding to make his own Perfume.  I am so touched by the craftsman spirit Joseph represents: the lifetime dedication and commitment to their passions. Craftspersons like Joseph indeed contribute to Australia's cultural abundance, exquisiteness and uniqueness significantly!Joseph believes if you know something deep enough, you will want to impart your knowledge. If you are also interested in people, you will want to become a teacher.  Joseph has transformed his passion into teaching people to make their own chocolates and Perfume at this stage of his Life.  Being an educator fits his character perfectly and enables him to pass on his years of in-depth knowledge and skill in making chocolates and Perfume to others through his genuine and generous sharing. Joseph said When it comes to making Perfume, just choose whatever you like. The fragrance will organize and plan itself and work out in its way.  But Life is different with fragrances evaporation. Life can 't work it out its way without self-guide. Joseph shared more his life-guide lessons: Learning through mistakes is the path to success. Adversity builds characters. You are the only one who can pull Yousef out it of the dark place. As he said, we only get more questions while we keep searching. There won't be a final answer. The sense of satisfaction and joy brought by doing what we are passionate about can be part of answers along the way.I think Life consists of different phases. We should truly experience every single moment in each phase and enjoy every ride. Keeping searching serves as a sustainable source of drive to live our Life to the fullest at a different phase of our Life.Thanks for listening to my podcast. See you next time!  Connect to JosephWebsite: kimberleychocolatesWebsite: zouzoucoffeelifedesignerwithjingyuchen
Henry Feng is an Artist and Entreprenur based in Sydney, running his fashion Brand' 'Sumi Threads'.  After spending eight years in University with one step away from completing his Ph.D., Henry realized working in academia was not his true calling.  Stumbling upon a tattoo apprenticeship course by accident opened his eye and mind to understand art ranges that are much wider and broader than he ever imagined. He also came to his first revolutionary understanding of pursuing art through skill-based practice. Further stepping onto art training in an art school, he was connected to the convention, which led him to reach another revolutionary mindset shift in pursuing art as a career. Not only can art-skills be developed and progressed through practice, art- careers also can be built in various forms (being self-employed and freelance, etc.). He was also really empowered by the fact that all he needed was just a piece of paper and a pencil to start drawing, which was his first step to pursue art as a career. He had to do lots of soul-searching and broke lots of his comfort zone to see what it means to be an artist and what is possible in the art world. He said pursuing art is the best decision he ever made because he also finds his roots and identity in this creative process: his rooted love in his gene for Asian art(calligraphy, woodblock, prints, folklore, manga, etc.,).  His art creation becomes unique and sustainable with the sense of id entity underpinned behind it.  He further paved to create his fashion brand 'Sumi Threads' and leveraged different avenues (Convention, Online shop, etc.,) to sell clothing with prints he designed. He is fully oriented and focused on his art journey artistically and professionally. Then Covid kicked in. No doubt has it impacted his business devastatingly as his main business focus is on those conventions, shows which to attend in person. While they all got cancelled, he again had to shift back to online, which required him to be quickly adaptive to the new business dynamics.  Despite hurdles and frustrations internally and externally, he has continued his artistic journey with determination to reach revolutionary milestones one after another (as he always did). The underlying drive behind it is that he gains self-agency, autonomy, and independence through art, which are the values he truly appreciates, also not many alternatives in life he could find in accessing that. Henry's story is so empowering because he is a true living example of 'it's never too late '. I'd like to end this episode with his own sum-up of his life journey up until now: Starting from Uni, I thought I was gonna be academia, I thought I was gonna work in Uni. I thought I was gonna be a scientist, doing research. But that original plan was completely out of the window. I never in a million years would have predicted or guessed I would be doing something artistic now, definitely not in this kind of capacity and scale, either. Again, traditional kind of understanding when it comes to art or creative pursuit is always unstable or difficult. It is in some way, but at the end of the day, you develop your skills, you believe in yourself, you really try to apply those skills, stay true to yourself.  I feel like you can go further than you think you can. So, it doesn't matter how old you are. It's never too late to start.Thanks for listening to my podcast. See you next time!Connect Henry Website: sumithreadsInstagram: henryfengart     sumithreadslifedesignerwithjingyuchen
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