BeeNow Podcast, Episode 24

Barclay Bram is a PhD candidate at Oxford University’s School of Overseas and Global Area Studies. He is doing ethnographic work on mental health in China. He is also a writer and photographer whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, Wired, Vice, Dazed, etc.

The conversation explores the complexities of mental health and the connection between the mind and body. He goes on to talk about mindfulness as a modern phenomenon and as a tool that does not serve everyone all the time, which speaks to the heart of mindfulness itself that is to not hold our concepts too tightly.

Barclay shares his recent visit to AliBaba during the shopping holiday 11/11 and seeing an explosion of sales numbers spinning on a giant display monitor.

The abundance that is present in China and elsewhere in the world is a beautiful thing. Still, it is worth raising the importance of compassion in a transactional world, asking critical questions like do we really need more stuff? and are we actually building more empathy in the world? Openly exploring such questions shapes the future as we are all unfinished and growing.

BeeNow Podcast, Episode 23

Wenwen is Co-founder of LookAfter, a psychological health center in Chengdu. With Tim as a senior counselor at LookAfter, the three of us discussed the state of mental health in china. We explored ways of diagnosis and treatment, the need for qualified mental health professionals, and the existing government support that enables mental health education.

We also explored effective ways of dealing with stress, staying aware of unconscious emotions, and the calming effects of mindful eating. Also included in the conversation were critical topics such as trauma, emotional resilience, and daily skills for better mental health.

Penney Percival, also known as Lady P, is here to understand, not to be understood. Trying to live the best life humanly possible, with harm to none, and aligning her thoughts, feelings, and actions. A work in progress.

On this episode, we talk about the upcoming Poetry Slam in Chengdu, her inspirations towards China, and her journey as a creative. We also discussed stepping back from mental habits and finding ourselves again and again in the now.

BeeNow Podcast, Episode 21

The Journey Within is a unique wellness course being offered by Jen and Arya in Chengdu. This podcast episode is an open chat while providing some details about the course. If you like to sign up or have any questions, please contact us through the QR code below.

BeeNow Podcast, Episode 20

Dieter Vanonckelen is a Belgian entrepreneur with a portfolio of startups in Chengdu including Chengdu-Expat, The Beer Nest, Munchwich, Startup Weekend, Dilaoban, and More Magazine. He is a connector of people and ideas, and a startup enthusiast with his share of failures. In midst of all this, he also runs Marathons.

After living a year in South America, he obtained his Masters in Sinology (the study of Chinese language, history, customs, and politics) at Leuven University. He has now been living in China for 10 years. Something I admire about Dieter is his optimism and a broad view of growth that he sees in Chengdu.

On this episode, we talk about having humility as a guest in China, as foreigners. He shares on the reality of entrepreneurship, having patience, learning by doing, and our concepts of success (and failure). He encourages expats to try stuff and help create the ecosystem that we're all looking for. And yes, beer was also discussed.

BeeNow Podcast, Episode 19

"Courage is a love affair with the unknown."

- Osho

Ma'ayan is an Israeli entrepreneur operating in China since 2013. Among her portfolio of startups, she is the Co-founder of the 'Chengdu Woman in Business Network' and 'Home Base' a company working towards developing a more eco-friendly fashion industry. She also teaches Yoga and is passionate about the world's spiritual traditions which advocate holistic wellbeing.

On this episode, we talk about mindset, self-awareness, vulnerability, and the value of difficult times. As was discussed, stress is unavoidable but its sources we can examine and adjust. She emphasizes the vitality of staying in the present and connecting with the body. She also addresses one of my favorite questions: does a drop in the ocean need a map to get home?

BeeNow Podcast, Episode 17

"There is a voice that doesn't use words, listen."

- Rumi, Persian poet

Osama Zayed is on an exploration journey that started a few years ago in Egypt. He considers the world as West and East and right now he is in the oriental world of the East. He humbly thinks that China has a totally different perspective. For him, learning Chinese is a step toward understanding how people perceive life here, and maybe help him understand how people as a whole perceive life.

On this episode, we talk about aligning with the Taoist principle of Wu Wei during his recent trip to Hong Kong. As he puts it "Wu Wei means not forcing stuff." We explored how the inner voice can guide us through complexity and what it means to be aligned with it; how to allow our senses to connect with the natural world - to be in sync with nature.

He shares how he has learned discipline through rock climbing. In exploring the relationship between intuition and culture, he raises a question: where does mythology come from? and why is it even there?

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The BeeNow podcast explores art, health, and culture.

BeeNow Podcast, Episode 14

A joy to chat with Yilin, world traveler and Chengdu local. We talked about the connection between Taoism and Chinese mythology and how personal experience can be refreshingly boring.

Erik Ackner is an experienced entrepreneur, mentor, and an avid cyclist. In Chengdu's startup community, he is known for throwing up big events like Startup Weekend and Startup Grind. Erik activates people to make cool things and his enthusiasm is contagious. When I asked him, "what drives you to do so much?" He said, "because it's fun!"

Since his recent return back to Berlin, I had a chance to sit down with Erik to talk about his personal journey as an entrepreneur, his ideas on work-life balance, mentorship, and a simple method to achieve greater focus. Zebras and unicorns also entered the conversation.