If there’s one thing that all human beings love, it's probably food. It nourishes our body, mind, and soul. For some, food is about desire, pleasure or taste. For others, it’s a creative outlet, and they even translate this passion into a career. Not necessarily a cook; there are many other niches in the market — food photography, recipe design, food styling and the list goes on. You may not realize it, but their work is everywhere — from the crispy-skinned, well-seasoned chicken wings on your food delivery app, to the medieval banquets or 19th-century dinner parties you see on the silver screen. Besides all the sweet perks, working with food is not always glamorous: it also calls for endurance, patience, and ability to work under pressure.

In this episode, Lulu talks with Marta Fowlie, a LA-based food-focused content producer who builds an online marketplace — Phoode to helps thousands of talents like her seek new clients. Ready to cook up something creative with her?

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Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

Email: [email protected]

Music credits

Daystar - You know better than I

Daystar - Alcohol-Free (instrumental ver.)

This is the stereotype we have of pharmaceutical scientists: smart, isolated workaholic who spend most of their day in a laboratory. They have a clear roadmap for drug discovery. They are close to offering the world a new promising cure. In fact, scientists are also employees like you and me. They can feel stuck at work or struggle to collaborate. Besides studying compounds and organisms, they also seek to advance their career and step into leadership. That’s how the Learning & Development department (L&D) comes into play. Scientists help us learn and L&D help scientists learn. 

In this episode, Lulu talks with Serene Yu, a L&D professional @AstraZeneca/life-long+life-wide learner/Christian/wife/idealist with a to-do list/not-quite Bostonian, who aspires to bring the joy of learning back to adulthood. To date, her team has delivered five innovative medicines approved for the treatment of seven rare diseases.

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Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

Email: [email protected]

Music credits

Jonny Easton - Playful

Jonny Easton - Anticipation

Cover photo

Andreas Kronbeck

Ever since the Hogwarts Sorting Hat wisely placed Harry Porter into Gryffindor, we’ve all dreamed of a magic hat that can point us to the right career. The popular MBTI personality test sounds like one close thing, but if you’d like something more interactive - meet a career counselor! Not only have career counselors seen countless applicants with similar background, but they’ve also maintained close connections with employers you might be interested in. They also keep close watch on market trends and labor statistics. Whoever you talk to, career exploration is always about reflecting on yourself. It’s the power of introspection that drives the insights and fuels the motivation to make moves. As Dumbledore puts it, “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” In this episode, you’ll hear from a career counselor with 10-year experience on choosing and building a career.

In this episode, Lulu talks with Jason Tran, an Associate Director/Career Strategist at USC Marshall School of Business. He also served as a University Advisor at the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Academic Resource Center, and a Career Counselor at the UCLA Career Center. Outside counseling, he is a hardcore Los Angeles Lakers fan who enjoys meditating, reading, watching Marvel superhero movies, the beach, and exploring different types of cuisine.

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Never want to miss an episode? Search for “dedicated lulu” on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and subscribe to the show!

Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

Email: [email protected]

Music credits: Daystar - Nap time / https://youtu.be/zclShK1hBfg

Cover photo: freepik @whanwhanai

Katrina is a first-year teacher and she teaches ethnic studies, which is a new high school requirement in California. In fact, she started teaching a long time ago - not in a traditional classroom, but on social media platforms like YouTube, where she creates videos on how to live sustainably, reflectively and purposefully. Once she becomes a licensed educator, she finds that her YouTube experience can enhance her teaching career - either by helping her fight the beginner’s burnout or letting her debunk the misconceptions about ethnic studies.

In this episode, Lulu talks with Katrina Stacie, an educator, SGV/LA Native, Chinese-American, child of Chinese-Vietnamese Immigrants, family gal, YouTuber/Content Creator. She suggests smiling to ourselves (and the ceiling) before we get out of bed each morning, and “never not chasing a million things we want”. YouTube @Katrina Stacie / Instagram @katrinastacie

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Never want to miss an episode? Search for “dedicated lulu” on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and subscribe to the show!

Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

Email: [email protected]

Music credits:

Chillpeach - In Dreamland : https://youtu.be/DSWYAclv2I8

Daystar - Like you : https://youtu.be/NLBmJ328Lyc

When you think of Chinatown, what comes to your mind? Most people are fascinated with its hole-in-the-wall restaurants, its pagoda style building or its mystique as an urban enclave, while for many Chinese immigrants it is real life and home sweet home. Bryan was born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, which is the one of largest Chinese enclaves outside of Asia and the oldest Chinatown in North America. He is one of those loyal locals who loves going back and patronizing their favorite mom & pop shops. What is it like to grow up in a neighborhood that feels a world away from the city? What are Byran’s best memories? How has Chinatown changed in the last few decades?

In this episode, Lulu talks with Bryan Wang, a Bay Area Born-And-Raised/Chinatown Native. What he recommends: San Tung, Dae Ho, Nari, Dumpling Kitchen, Robin, Naya Dessert Cafe, Matcha Maiko, Stonemill Matcha.

You’ll hear about:

Never want to miss an episode? Search for “dedicated lulu” on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and subscribe to the show!

Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

Email: [email protected]

Music credits:

Track: Snow, Sonata, Untitled #1

Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios

Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0

Cover Photo: 

Dong Kingman (1911 - 2000)

Whether you are fresh out of college or going through a mid-career crisis, you might feel the urge to stay on top of emerging trends and join a startup in one of those fields. What the company hopes to achieve can be risky, but what if “the only risk is not taking risk at all”? Dr. James Canton came across an offer like this in his twenties and fortunately he said yes! Though a computer newbie, he joined Apple in 1981 to help mange its global business market as he felt personal computers would “change our civilization in fundamental ways — how we work, relate, buy, sell and most of all how we create”, and turns out they did. Later, working with other high tech companies and learning how they saw the future led to the foundation of his own think tank, which helps government and businesses better prepare themselves for the future. As a futurist, Dr. Canton himself is also excited about the next big thing and he invites all of us to hop on that revolution.

In this episode, Lulu talks with Dr. James Canton, former Apple Computer executive / CEO & Chairman of the Institute for Global Futures. The Economist recognizes him as one of the leading global futurists for advising three White House Administrations and over 100 companies.

You’ll hear about:

Never want to miss an episode? Search for “dedicated lulu” on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and subscribe to the show!

Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

Email: [email protected]

Music used:

Franz Schubert - Piano Sonata D. 850 in D (Gasteiner), Mov. IV

For any artist who desires a wider audience, he needs at least two arrows in his quiver, a creative one and a business one. Pek Nan always knew he was born for some creative career. He has won numerous national and international photography competitions ever since his high school teacher lended him a professional camera. He also sees how photography acts as a form of therapy while mentoring chronic disease patients at the National University Hospital in Singapore. After college, Pek Nan got accepted to Stanford GSB, one of the world’s most prestigious MBA programs, where he picked up more business chops, hoping that would get him where he wants to go. Now he’s a product manager at Activision Blizzard, helping to push game developers’ ingenuity to a larger population.

In this episode, Lulu talks with Pek Nan Tan, a photographer/product manager/Peking University alumni/Stanford GSB Class of 2021. He also shares how a Singaporean navigated China and America. A fun fact in his own words, “My first name, Pek Nan, literally means “Cypress-Man” in Chinese. My parents named me after an ancient tree, and I love the name’s rich meaning. Every day it reminds me to be a pillar of strength and support for others.”

You’ll hear about:

Never want to miss an episode? Search for “dedicated lulu” on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and subscribe to the show!

Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

Email: [email protected]

Music credits:

Track: Snow, Sonata, Untitled #1

Music composed and recorded by Oak Studios

Creative Commons - Attribution ND 4.0

In the last episode, David shared his best memories from the military. When his time of service was finished, he thought if he’d like to join a band, he’d better do it in his twenties. So he got on the road and started full time music. In the 1960s, rock & roll took America by storm. There was never a shortage of talented musicians, but not every band could find the same level of success as the Beatles. Like David puts it, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride”. They traveled around, warming up headliners like Aerosmith. They needed to make sure their guitars stay in tune, and more importantly, not being stolen. Maybe not a household name, but their music should absolutely get your toes tapping.

And one day, this rocker put down the drumsticks and picked up a badge …

In this episode, Lulu talks with David, a former member of United States Air Force/drummer/retired police officer.

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Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

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People usually have a good memory of what they were doing during a historic event. David clearly remembers where he was in the winter of 1963: America and the world was stunned by the assassination of President John F Kennedy, and he joined the United State Air Force one month later. In the 1950s, as the Cold War intensified, the United State Air Force started to maintain air bases in France to counter the presence of Soviet Union in East Europe. David was part of that operation. He was stationed there for three years until French President Charles De Gaulle decided to evict non-French forces from the country. When David was not up in the air, he was a rock star on the base and won many drum battles. This is how a baby boomer came of age, and also a little bit about the politics and music of the 60s.

In this episode, Lulu talks with David, a former member of United States Air Force/drummer/retired police officer.

You’ll hear about:

Never want to miss an episode? Search for “dedicated lulu” on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and subscribe to the show!

Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

Email: [email protected]

If a professor titles his course with “Rock, Sex & Rebellion”, the top three things on each college student’s (or everybody’s) mind, it’s likely he himself is a rebellious rocker. This is true of Mark Applebaum, who’s been offering this popular course at Stanford University for 10+ years, and rocks the musical world himself. He composes with pictographs, which ends up a 72-foot wide, hand-drawn score. He crafts his own instrument with combs, doorstops or other “junk” you could find in every garage. Some of his pieces even require no musical instruments at all; instead the performer creates as much “noises” as he could, from chopping veggies to drilling holes in wood. If your ears are tuned to Mozart or Beethoven, his music might sounds puzzling, even irritating, or illuminating. For Mark, that’s his way to escape boredom, which is also the secret sauce in his music.

In this episode, Lulu talks with Mark Applebaum, an American composer and full professor of music composition and theory at Stanford University. Check out his TED talk “The Mad Scientist of Music”, or his official website for more unusual musical stylings.

You’ll hear about:

Never want to miss an episode? Search for “dedicated lulu” on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and subscribe to the show!

Twitter/Instagram: @dedicatedfm

Email: [email protected]