A Colorful Life with Keiko Roy-Carey

This is an episode with my Instagram connection turned life-long friend. Naja and I recount how we met in Seoul years ago and built a friendship that lives on. She shares how her father instilled discipline and self-determination as a foundation for her and her siblings. Naja is probably the most studious, healthy, driven and passionate person I know. In this conversation she talks about the tools she’s carried with her into adulthood that continue to serve her in achieving her ambitious goals and dreams of contributing to the South Korean society. We recount our time in Korea, discuss where and how to choose friends, as Naja opens up about her experience being bullied as a kid. There are so many gems in this episode for people trying to become more disciplined, live healthier and happier lives or are in search of meaningful friendships. Naja gives us a well-rounded master class!

Naja | Instagram

⁠A Colorful Life Retreat

This is an episode with a dear friend of mine, Geoffrey Seale from South Africa. Ours was a magnetic friendship from the very beginning and this connection has kept us over a decade and continents apart. Geoff shares his experiences living in the USA, South Korea, Germany, and now China. He's had an insatiable desire to fill his life with as many adventures and experience as much as possible. He walks us through his childhood in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and the pivotal moments that shaped his world view. We touch on the importance of choosing friendships wisely and the manner in which our friendships impact the trajectory of our life. Geoff talks about his love and admiration for South African in all of it's complexity. He even shares about living in China, teaching English and German, and his lock-down experience during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was a walk down memory lane as much as it was a conversation about charting your own path and creating a life that feels as good as it may look. Geoff's deep faith, openness and unapologetic surrender to his curiosities and passions has been inspirational for me in so many ways. This episode is for anyone and everyone seeking adventure.

A Colorful Life Retreat

In this episode, I chat with my friend Phil who shares his experience growing up in the States as a child of Korean immigrants. We retrace his childhood and how it shaped his independence and perspective on family and life. Phil and I talk about how the Korean wave has taken the world by storm and our shared love of K dramas. He takes us down memory lane during a season where he moonlighted as a student and rock star. Phil shares an alternative path he could have chosen as a performer with his punk rock band, "Hooking Up". His intentional way of living is a beautiful example of how a colorful life looks different for everyone. There isn't just one way to create a life that feels good in the midst of a very real and tough human experience. We touch on the journey of grieving the loss of a parent (#deadparentclub) and provide helpful ways to support a loved one who is grieving. This episode is for you if you're trying to live more intentionally, value being present, are interested in Korean culture or are learning to embrace the fallibility of being human.

A Colorful Life Retreat

This is an episode with Tim who immigrated to the States from the Netherlands. He talks about growing up in an European village and the mysterious unfolding of his life journey to find love on another continent. He opens up about the mindset shifts he experienced as he allowed himself the space to evolve. Tim is an incredibly creative human, from playing the bagpipe, to beekeeping and even working as a pastry chef! He shares how he's been rediscovering parts of himself that were lost along the way to adulthood. In his beautiful words, "Don't lose your dreams and don't be afraid to get them back." This is the episode for you if you're in or have been in a long distance relationship, you're feeling like life just isn't going your way or you need some perspective today.

A Colorful Life Retreat

In this episode I speak with a colleague turned friend, another kindred spirit. Stephanie shares how her outgoing personality, discipline and self-confidence have been a part of her magic ever since she was a kid. We discuss the ways her eclectic interests and forms of creative expression have opened doors for her to collect life-shifting experiences, like an internship in Beijing for the summer Olympics. An athlete, poet, writer, singer, world-traveler; Stephanie lives life to the fullest! She shares practical ways she takes care of her full self through bullet journaling, meditation, travel and other forms of self-care. This is an episode for all humans wanting to live life more colorfully in their day-to-day. Listen all the way through for a special spoken word performance by my talented friend.

Stephanie | Instagram

More of Stephanie

A Colorful Life Retreat

This is a special episode from a virtual symposium I hosted this summer on Creating Radical Community. As someone dedicated to innovative and transformative community building, I wanted to invite my friends in this space to join in on a curated conversation. Our guest of honor is my dear friend and community organiser, Denzil Dean (had to spell organizer with a “s” to respect the British!!).

He is a leader in radical politics and creating spaces of belonging. Denzil shares insights from his work in the UK and participants discuss new ideas, strategies and the questions we grapple with in this important work of building community. I am continuously amazed by the colorful people I've been blessed to cross paths with. *There are a few adult words, warning if you're listening with little ones.

Listen to Denzil's episode from season 1.

A heartfelt thank you to my dear friends for joining in on this discussion and for sharing your perspectives, questions and dreams for a better world. May we start anywhere and go everywhere. Kelsey Gaude, Tobi Olofintuyi, Janea Brown, Jalil Cantarero, Samantha Bagood, Orlando Dobbin and Sumera Syed

A Colorful Life Retreat

In this episode, I chat with my friend Sophia aka Little Fuji. She shares how her Buddhist faith has guided her as she navigates the ups and downs of life. There was point where she felt she hit rock bottom and took action to "change in her inner transformation." She shares how her deepest desire is to become as solid as Mount Fuji, to see things more clearly with an unshakable spirit. Sophia describes her journey of building her inner strength and the impact of her time in Japan. We discuss the windy road to uncover purpose and the beauty of experimenting through creative projects. Sophia's alter eager, ASMR with Little Fuji joins us during the rapid fire segment titled, "The Great School of Life." Listen to this conversation if you're on a journey towards your own personal revolution, are feeling depressed, are spiritually curious or need a giggle because, at times, life just feels like one big joke.

ASMR with Little Fuji YouTube

ASMR with Little Fuji Instagram

A Colorful Life Retreat

This is an episode with my cousin and New Yorker, Jared Cameron. Jared and I discuss our propensity to dream, his continuous journey to unearth all of his creative gifts and discovering ways he can use them to serve others. A model, actor, gamer, director, tech entrepreneur, life coach, and author; Jared is the epitome of reinventing yourself and following your curiosities and interests, while remaining present. In this conversation, we both touch on our struggle to build a mediation practice and how it has helped us cultivate awareness and presence. We’ve known each other since we were kids, so to share this experience of adulthood together is so special. If you’re a dreamer chasing the bright lights, are a creative with what seems like an overwhelming amount of interests or have had a difficult time learning meditation- this episode is packed with so much life wisdom! 

Jared's book | Ocean Dreams

Never Give Up Documentary

A Colorful Life Retreat

I'm baaaaaaaack! Welcome to Season 2! I couldn't imagine a better conversation to share as the first episode. I sat down with my friend, Gabriela, whom I met in university. Gabriela shares her beautiful heart with us and the journey she traveled on to build a life she imagined for herself. She talks about growing up in Mexico, serendipitously studying abroad in the States and moving to Europe after a backpacking journey that led to expanding her career as a Montessori educator. We also discuss how one can become addicted to the extremes in life and how to find the balance of accepting constant change while remaining present. If you feel you're losing hope in humankind, need a reminder that there's much to be grateful for or are learning to embrace change-- this is the one for you. Listen as Gabriela shares the path she's on.

Gabriela | LinkedIn

A Colorful Life Retreat

Twenty conversations later and a life made more colorful, I hope. My British friend Mario, is the perfect bookend to this season. It seems we've come full circle as her and I share mutual friends in Jieun and Abdellah (both featured in this season). Mario is a powerhouse of a human who has been creating the life she desires since her adolescence. You'll hear her recount her journey into falling-in-love with documenting human stories through her photography. She tells how studying abroad at Hong Kong University opened up new creative avenues for her to explore the intersections of psychology and art. We also reminisce on meeting each other during a photo walk in Seoul. Mario then schools us on how to discover your Ikigai (生き甲斐); translated into English as, 'a reason for being.' From her Nigerian heritage to living in London, traveling the world, to telling cultural stories found in her local community; Mario's episode felt like the perfect way to wrap up this season on an inspirational, yet practical note. If you're reading this right now, then this episode is for you.

Mario| Website

Mario| Instagram

I just shared my next heart project. Eeeek! Right now, it's just an idea I have for this community we're building of regular degular folk who are making the most out of their life (in whatever way that looks like). It only feels natural to connect all of us colorful-life-creators IRL (in-real-life) for an immersive, hands-on, inspirational, networking, creative living and lifestyle design experience. Intrigued? Let me know here.

Connect with Keiko | Instagram, Website

A Colorful Life Retreat | Interest page

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