P, from South Africa, joins me to talk about his experiences living in Vietnam, working and living in the Saudi Arabian mountains, his spiritual journey and philosophy, and challenges faced, including a serious car crash and being stuck in Nha Trang floods.

Topics covered

⁃ Living in the mountains, adjusting to the slower paced lifestyle and discovering the power of prayer

⁃ The benefits of traveling and experiential trips

⁃ The concept of staying present and “labels” in a material world

⁃ How to cultivate discipline and motivation

⁃ Staying humble, grateful and grounded

⁃ The power of the early morning

⁃ The benefits of contribution and why it’s such a powerful concept

⁃ How his car crash gave him perspective

⁃ Dealing with being stuck on a mountain for five days in heavy flooding

⁃ Why “catches win matches”

Epic chat, and I enormously appreciate your time, thanks P!

If you enjoyed, you can find out more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

Today’s episode is a pod swap from my appearance on guest Zak Aghbal’s ‘Content Creator Life’ podcast, based here in Saigon, to discuss my journey, especially related to content creation.

Topics

⁃ Why “done is the new perfect”

⁃ What “always do your best” really really means

⁃ Finding, sourcing and reaching out to guests

⁃ Building the podcast brand

⁃ Intrinsic motivations

⁃ Simplify the process

If you enjoyed, check out Zak’s podcast here;

https://open.spotify.com/show/0uvqJw3ZL5ee6NcKYuHVuh?si=4UXN3EBuRF2I4ugJ2ZItVA

And previous ComebaCK episode here;

https://anchor.fm/conor-kelly02/episodes/ComebaCK-INTERVIEW-294---Zak-Aghbal---Content-CreationMinimalNerd--FitnessPublicSpeakingVietnam-e1c0agl

Donovan Pham is a recurring guest, fitness transformation coach for men, and joins me today to discuss his thoughts on the Will Smith vs Chris Rock incident, and what it reveals about our modern concepts of society and masculinity.

Topics

⁃ Why Smith’s actions were wrong and “cowardly” rather than “manly”

⁃ Did Rock cross the line, and what is “the line”?

⁃ What does this mean for Smith’s legacy?

⁃ Society’s attitudes towards male vulnerability

⁃ Servicing yourself by attending therapy and the real cost of not doing so

⁃ What genuine masculinity is

⁃ Why reaching out for help is a strength and not a weakness

⁃ Managing your physical, emotional and mental fitness and vibrations

⁃ It’s not your fault, but it’s certainly your responsibility how to deal with your issues

Www.Donovanmypham.as.me

FOR YOUR FREE FITNESS 1v1 CONSULTATION with Donovan, click link above ^. You can also follow @donovanmypham on Instagram for his weekly content.

If you enjoyed, you can find out more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

Sam joins me for the latest ComebaCK podcast to discuss a hybrid of topics including travel, challenges and “ventures”. This includes traveling the world at 18, and across most of Vietnam throughout CO-VID’s summer 2021 peak, facing physical and mental challenges, such as breaking a leg abroad and battling mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, and winging Glastonbury and featuring on British daytime TV show, Judge Rinder.

Topics

⁃ The serotonin overflow of traveling the world at 18, Asia and Australia, and the comedown of returning to the UK

⁃ Mental health challenges at university, suicidal thoughts and getting immersed in the party university lifestyle, seeking the highs of traveling

⁃ Breaking a leg abroad, the long term ramifications, and the chances of a full recovery in 18 months

⁃ Featuring on Judge Rinder and winging it to Glastonbury festival

⁃ The beauty of Vietnam and why he came back every summer

⁃ How he manages his mental health nowadays

⁃ The benefits of conversation, asking for help and getting things off your chest

If you enjoyed, you can find out more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

Ani Hoang is a Hungarian/Vietnamese health and fitness enthusiast, with her own fitness page (anihoang_) and SEO content editor, who joins me to discuss themes of fitness, confidence issues, body image, building consistent habits and routine, and the journey that she’s currently on in Vietnam.

Ani talks about developing her confidence and identity, and the challenges faced due to being a hybrid of Western and Asian influences and mentalities. This leads us into the attitudes towards fitness, related to body image, avoiding comparison, debunking fitness misconceptions, and building your own inner confidence and intrinsic motivation.

Other areas;

⁃ Think like “the business owner” when applying or selling yourself

⁃ How she operates her fitness profile

⁃ Achieving optimal performance

⁃ The benefits of bullet journaling

⁃ Clarifying your core values

⁃ Developing the small habits and managing your time

⁃ Binge eating and unhealthy food habits to be skinny (orthorexia), PCOS syndrome, and the dangers of labeling food

⁃ The importance of movement and balance

⁃ Her key strengths and weaknesses

⁃ Why your fitness journey is yours and yours alone

You can find out more about Ani at @anihoang_ on Instagram and more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

Teaser: There will be a more specific and targeted sequel episode very very soon….stay tuned 👀👀

Disclaimer: For anybody interested in building or developing their brand, check this out.

For episode 350, I was delighted to be joined by Abhijit Das, Founder of ‘Narrativ.Design’ - a management consultancy, based in Vietnam and India, focused on building brands and brand narratives through the RESET. He joins me to specifically discuss branding.

Topics include Abhijit’s passion for his work, the importance of really knowing your brand’s value and mission (the truth about your business) and how that subsequently manifests, the importance of asking the right questions when dealing with clients, adapting to different mediums of branding, how the principles of branding remain the same across cultures, and the importance of contribution.

You can find out more about Narrativ Design here;

https://www.narrativ.design/people

If you enjoyed, you can find out more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

Disclaimer: Especially post pandemic, working remotely and digital nomadic work is more prevalent than ever - if interested, this is the conversation for you!

Flaminia Buda joins me to discuss her work and lifestyle as a digital nomad and the concept of remote working, which she’s been doing for several years.

Flaminia talks to me about her upbringing in Italy and American background, her first expat experience in Barcelona, and how that set the tone for both traveling abroad, and working remotely, living the life as a digital nomad.

We discuss the pros and cons of the lifestyle, including freedom and flexibility vs loneliness, uncertainty and frustration. Flaminia expands on the key traits required to succeed in the digital nomad space, and especially the workshops she does in helping clients navigate and tailor an approach specific to them, whether that be freelancer, entrepreneur or otherwise. Themes include creativity, connection, empathy and more.

Absolute pleasure - thank you, Flaminia!

You can find out more about Flaminia here;

CTA: https://linktr.ee/nomadhaven

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flaminiabuda/

If you enjoyed this conversation, you can find out more at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

Ilona Pak is a software developer by day, a DJ by night, and has a unique background of various countries, including Russia, Korea, Japan, Philippines and Vietnam.

On today’s episode, Ilona discusses her background from mixing in so many different and varied cultures, and ultimately ending up in Vietnam.

We talk about software developing, coding, the rapidly growing digital future, especially in Vietnam and South East Asia, and staying disciplined and motivated by remote work, pre/post pandemic.

Regarding her DJ nightlife, we discuss introversion transferring into performing behind the decks, keeping the party going, how to develop and evolve as a DJ, the importance of mentorship, and her plans for the future.

Pleasure Ilona - lots of insight and takeaways! Hugely appreciated.

If you enjoyed this conversation, you can find out more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

John Celea is an actor, musician and theatre enthusiast, a lover of entertainment, and an expat in Vietnam, having spent his time between Hanoi and Da Nang.

We discuss his theatrical side, his education in the South of England, why he aspires to be an actor, how he develops into character, uses theatrics to enhance his performance, and his favorite aspects about the industry.

We also go into more of a spiritual realm and go into detail on the concept of Breathwork - how it can be so beneficial and transformational for your mental well-being, referencing the practices of Wim Hof.

John is currently teaching acting in Da Nang, and hopes to continue spreading the positive energy and entertainment, and “clowning around”.

I had the pleasure of watching John perform in Phu Quoc in January, and was hugely impressed, and therefore delighted to catch up with a follow up interview.

If you enjoyed this conversation, you can find out more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

Umbrella Man Saigon are an indie rock outfit in Saigon, whom I recently had the pleasure of watching at Thao Dien Soma, and Mac and Peter join me for a musically themed podcast. We discuss their musical influences, experiences and genres, and how they developed their musicianship abroad, in the thriving music scene of Saigon.

Questions also include; ideal stag dos with musicians, the songs we wish we would have written, and favorite artists, past and contemporary.

Thoroughly enjoyed - thanks Mac and Peter!

You can find out more about Umbrella Man here;

https://m.facebook.com/umbrellamanSGN/

You can find out more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.