Firelight Chats

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Raymond Ko dove his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about his life outside and inside the ocean. Raymond shares stories from his 20-year career in finance, the greatest takeaways from that time, the tumultuous events that led to his big career change, his deepest memories and experiences in the ocean, the healing power of water and nature, and explains why he's happier than ever living on a small island in Taiwan, teaching freediving.

Raymond & Kane deep dive into a wide-range of topics including, breathwork, Frenzel equalization techniques, duck dives, proper equipment, the importance of finding good training, island lunches, ice baths, hyperbaric chambers, Fibromyalgia, skiing concussions, Brazilian Jujitsu, iron neck contraptions, $500 diaper covers, custody battles, black outs, the Deepest Breath, risks & how to mitigate them, exposure therapy, fear of the ocean, triggerfish, seals, sea turtles, and his peak-life experience of diving with humpback whales in Tonga.

Raymond Ko is the founder and lead instructor at Freedive Nomad, a freedive training company in Xiaoliuqiu, Taiwan. Raymond is a Taiwan Gold Card holder, a dual US & Taiwan citizen, and a graduate of UC Berkeley. Raymond is one of the lead local organizers for Deep Week Taiwan, a freediving festival that will be held from November 18th-25th, 2023.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Angela Feng ventured her way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about life, business, change, love, and wellness. Angela shares stories from her glamorous & golden past life as a brand, events, marketing, and public relations professional in Shanghai, studying in the prestigious TIEMBA EMBA program during Covid, and taking inspiration from that experience to launch her wellness startup, Ness Wellness.

Angela & Kane also chat about Mid-Autumn Festival BBQs, spiritual pilgrimages to Yue Lao temples in Taichung, rituals & red bracelets, fear of dentists, experiencing the 9/21 earthquake, studying abroad in Park City Utah, Montréal, & Tokyo, coordinating events & firework river cruises, living the jetset life, putting good vibes out into the universe, finding angel investors and the right team, the biggest challenges & obstacles to doing business in Taiwan, the 8 dimensions of wellness, her ideal man, and her future goals & plans.

Angela Feng is the co-founder of Ness Wellness, a community marketplace startup offering education and experiences for everyone, everywhere on their wellness journey. She is a venture partner at Red Building Capital; chapter lead for SoGal Taiwan; and a brand, marketing, and PR professional. Angela is a graduate of Concordia University in Montréal, studied abroad at KEIO University in Japan, and has earned an EMBA from TIEMBA (Tsinghua - INSEAD).

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Andrew Klerck hitchhiked his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about life, travel, business, and future opportunities. Andrew shares stories about living in a glass house for the first 9 years of his life, what he learned when he entered the outside world, survival & coping strategies, studying abroad in South America, breathtaking views & unforgettable landscapes, and losing his vision as he entered the fifth decade of his life.

Andrew & Kane also explore business deep and wide, including stories about learning to hustle from his mother, how picking up a hitchhiker led to kickstarting a huge import/export business, growing & hiring the right team, firing fast, being handed the keys to an sprawling construction business, urinal pitches, corruption & bribes, reconnaissance & dossiers, lawsuits & high-level subterfuge, caring about his employees, exiting a company, the importance of communication, and some things he's been working on in Taiwan.

Towards the end of the episode, Andrew also gives a current status overview & update of a disability inclusion campaign that he is actively involved with. The campaign, spearheaded by an organization called Crossroads, has reached the highest levels of government attention in Taiwan.

Andrew Klerck is the founder of Taiwan Impact Entrepreneurs (TIE), a networking community for success driven entrepreneurs. Originally from South Africa, he has also lived in the UK and several countries in South America. Andrew is currently working & living in Taiwan with his Taiwanese partner.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, DJ Marcus Aurelius scribble scratched his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about life, music, partying, and exploring the world. Marcus shares stories about growing up in Ohio, his love of hip-hop, getting bribed by his uncle to come to Taiwan, getting lost in translation & transportation on his 2nd day, getting paid to write about music, the Red Bull DJ competition, booty shaking, roller rink parties, beach parties, pool parties, Halloween parties, and the down and up waves of handling logistics and party promotion.

DJ Marcus also shares stories about interviewing some legendary figures in the music game; adventuring in Thailand, Mongolia, and Hungary; and backpacking from the north to the southern tip of Africa. Marcus also shares his insights into the evolution of DJ'ing over the years, the impact of AI and technology, the contemporary hip-hop scene in Asia, up-and-coming artists he's especially excited about, what Taiwan means to him, and his own future goals and dreams.

DJ Marcus Aurelius is originally from Warren, Ohio, but has been living on and off in Taiwan for 25 years. He is a 2x Taiwan Red Bull DJ Thre3style competition finalist, Editor-in-Chief of LiFTED Asia, Logistics Organizer at Havana Taiwan, and Creative Director at Resurrected Halloween.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Rachid Hami blocked & directed his way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha about his latest feature film, Pour La France. The film - which was shot in Morocco, France, and Taiwan - is a fictional film based on the true story of his younger brother, who died while serving as a cadet at the prestigious Saint-Cyr Military Academy.

Rachid and Kane dive deep into a wide variety of topics including growing up in Algeria, moving to the banlieues of Paris, discovering life-changing teachers, meeting & working with Abdellatif Kechiche and Arnaud Desplechin, making his first feature film, paying it back & forward, living in Taiwan & other countries, the difficulties of filming during Covid, specific scenes, symbolism, identity, family, character development, greatest inspirations, and the importance of mastering the technical, understanding nuance, supporting indie films, and engaging in healthy criticism, self-reflection, & critical thinking.

Rachid Hami is a French-Algerian actor, screenwriter, and film director. His first feature film, La Mélodie (The Orchestra Class) was released in 2017. His second feature film, Pour La France (For My Country | 榮耀之路), will be released in theaters across Taiwan on September 28th. 

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Anja Whitehead danced her way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about her rollercoaster adventures through life. Anja shares stories about growing up in South Africa, making her way to Taiwan as the first stamp on her passport, her passion for education, changes she's seen over the years, starting one of the first burlesque troupes, memorable performances, getting married and moving away to Berlin right before Covid, and finally finding her way back just in the nick of time.

Anja also talks deeply and honestly about getting divorced, hitting rock bottom, the dark nights of the soul, embracing therapy, coming to terms and out with her queerness, fighting fear head on, and finding her voice again after feeling silenced for so long. She also talks about her new life as a freelancer and the many exciting new projects that she's currently working on.

Anja Whitehead is an educator, dancer/performer, stage & production manager, events & arts coordinator, and obstinate lover of physical books. Originally from South Africa, Anja has made Taiwan her home for the past 18 years with a tumultuous yet valuable 2-year intermission in Berlin, Germany.

In this courageous episode of Firelight Chats, Roxanne Barcelo jammed her way to the Spacelab to chat, laugh, cry, and snort with Kane & Mocha by the fireside. Hustling up mountains and descending down into the valleys of her life and career thus far, Roxanne shares a wide range of intimate stories from before birth, her beloved parents, growing up in Virginia, kicking off her career at the age of 4, returning to the Philippines at 13, the singing contest that served as the tipping point, being signed to big agencies, juggling school and work, doing soap operas, receiving so much love and support, the hit songs that took the Philippines by storm, memorable projects and people, her unforgettable 18th birthday bash, grappling with grief, and the reason she stopped singing.

Fans of Roxee B, Roxie, or any other iterations, will not want to miss this epic podcast as Roxanne also shares deep reflections and emotionally gripping revelations that have never been revealed to the public before. Kane & Roxanne get real, recognize real, go deep, and connect profoundly about love, fear, insecurities, vulnerabilities, inner work, and the profound importance of simply showing up. To cap off the episode, Kane reveals the story behind the name Firelight for the first time on the air.

Roxanne Barcelo is a Filipino-American actress, model, and singer. She is now in Taiwan as a Gold Card holder with her husband & two young children, plotting moves for this next chapter of her incredible life.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Vickie Chang found her way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha about her life, snug by the fireside with thunder & lightning crackling in the background and sometimes through the mic. Vickie shares epic stories about her grandfather’s Chiang Kai-Shek connections, 2nd wives, possible succession plots, immigrating to Kansas, daisy dukes, being abandoned, entering the foster care system, returning to Taiwan, relearning Chinese, evil stepmothers, paparazzi kids, racing on bikes with strange boys and no helmets, speakeasy clubs, being an OG bubble tea girl, and discovering her passion through alternative paths.

Returning to Taiwan after 40 years, Vickie and her husband have founded an entertainment/TV/film production and talent agency company, with goals to develop a healthy and robust ecosystem for talented Taiwanese youth. She talks about current projects, future plans, biggest challenges, strategic partnerships, and finding her line producer after knocking on the door of Ang Lee’s studio in Taichung. She also shares a few stories from her life as a high-level makeup artist, including securing agents, traveling the world, memorable sets, and working with stars like Nick Cannon, Will Smith, Bobby Brown, and Paul Walker.

Vickie Chang was born in Taipei, raised in Kansas, has lived in multiple states in the US, and is a graduate of the University of Maryland. Vickie is a proud mother of two daughters and along with her husband Manny, is the founder of Rising Storm Global Entertainment.

In this intimate episode of Firelight Chats, Nortso Tenzin bound her way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside. Tenzin shares stories about her later-life conversion to Buddhism, getting her name from the Dalai Lama, studying and living abroad in France and the UK, her love of martial arts, winning Silver and Gold medals in international and national Chinese martial arts competitions, and much more.

Back in Taiwan after decades abroad, Tenzin also shares stories about growing up in a Waishengren community in Taipei, finding out that her father was a bodyguard for Chiang Kai-shek, discovering the BDSM and bondage/shibari scenes in Taiwan, finding community and serving as a bridge between Taiwan and international entrepreneurs.

Nortso Tenzin works as a freelance designer, is a moderator for Taiwan Impact Entrepreneurs (TIE), creates immersive sensory experiences through her events production company "As We Art", and will be joining previous Firelight Chats guest J Triangular's "The First Kiss of the Night" film production team as the martial arts choreographer.

In this episode of Firelight Chats, Cait Magee jazzed her way to the Spacelab to chat with Kane & Mocha by the fireside about her life as a so-called diplobrat. Born in Singapore and having lived in Sydney, Canberra, Moscow, Guangzhou, Riyadh, and Taipei, Cait shares some incredible stories, insights, thoughts, and reflections from these years of traveling the world as an Australian Diplomat/Ambassador's daughter.

Among the many fascinating revelations is the fact that Cait has aphantasia, which makes her ability to tell captivating stories about her experiences all the more impressive. As mentioned in the episode, the plan is for Kane to be an upcoming guest on DJ Caitlin's show at ICRT, after which Cait will return to Firelight Chats for Part II, where they can focus on the life in music that Cait is carving out for herself as an adult.

Cait Magee is a Taipei-based vocalist, musician, entertainer, and daytime radio host of Australian and Taiwanese descent. You can tune in to DJ Caitlin's show at ICRT: M-F @ 1-4pm, Sun @ 6-8pm, and find her singing solo or with her band, Zy The Way 中庸, all around Taiwan and beyond.