Discover the true meaning of serendipity in this episode as I share a delightful and unexpected conversation with Christabel. Introduced to me by Mike Cook, who runs one of the local language exchanges (see episode 16), this chance meeting occurred after a casual bicycle ride. What started as a brief chat with Mike turned into a profound dialogue with Christabel, long after Mike had left.

Join us as we delve into a wide array of topics with this big-hearted singer and teacher from Chiang Mai. We'll explore themes of self-expression, the nature of reality, belief systems, and their impact on humanity. We also touch on gender and relationship dynamics, recent global politics, and even have a fun discussion about Miley Cyrus. Tune in for an insightful and serendipitous journey!

Welcome back to Heads in Tales, dear listeners! It's been 24 weeks since our first episode, and we appreciate your continued support. Thanks to you, we've grown with better questions, diverse guests, and improved visuals.

This Sunday, we welcome Patihan Thammanu, known as Kalio on stage, who sings with passion and conviction. Kalio's family hails from Isaan, a culturally rich region in northern Thailand influenced by Laos, Cambodia, and central Thailand. Despite its economic challenges, Isaan is a leader in progressive musical styles, particularly the mor lam genre, a traditional form of music blending various cultural elements.

In our conversation, we discuss Kalio's music, his high school years, natural leadership, university experiences, views on education, family, societal concerns, and how love influences his albums. Enjoy!

In this episode, expect to hear Aleks's experiences of growing up in a foreign land with parents who were not natives of that area. We explore the concept of belonging—what it means to have a home country, and how one navigates identity in a multicultural environment. Aleks shares the superpower that comes with having deep knowledge of multiple cultures, offering us a unique lens through which to view the world.

Daniel is an ex-military personnel who stayed where he was treated best… which was Germany where he lived for 28 years! Once he disassociated from the military he pursued his pursuit of freestyle rapping which he is extremely good at - sit back and let us take you through the halls of echoing truths.

Welcome back to Heads in Tales!

A quick message to all of the mothers out there beginning with my mom - Your love, strength, sacrifices, and wisdom have shaped us into the people we are today. We are endlessly grateful for all that you do. On this special day, I want to thank you, Mom, for your unconditional love, endless support, and unwavering guidance. We are blessed to have you in our lives. Sending all my love and gratitude to the women who have been a guiding light for the children of humankind.

Today, in honor of mothers everywhere, we have a delightful guest joining us, who just so happens to be a mother herself. Please join me in warmly welcoming Mary, a seasoned traveler with over three decades of experience in the vibrant city of Chiang Mai. Mary shares her adventures, from skiing in renowned locales to immersing herself in diverse cultures worldwide. But our focus today lies in her pursuit of musical excellence in the artistic hub of Chiang Mai.

Expect a riveting conversation as Mary takes us on a journey through the dynamic live music scene of Chiang Mai, recounting the highs and lows with candid honesty. So sit back, relax, and immerse yourself in the rhythm of our discussion. Enjoy the tales, the melodies, and the heartfelt reflections.

Chris is a multi-faceted half-Thai and British individual whose life is fragmented in different continents and as a result super fascinating! He loves to create things with his hands after trying his hand at different majors and disciplines until he finally settled on sharing his cooking gift with the world. Expect to hear tales of scrambled eggs fried rice and sauces, kitchen fundamentals and techniques for beginners, gardening, grieving for past loved ones, and how cooking helped Chris with the loss of his father. He talks volumes about experimentation with his handiwork, crafts, and deciding on a path for himself. Enjoy!

So grateful for your attention, and valuable global listeners! Meet Sarra, a seasoned professional in B2B podcasting, whose expertise goes beyond the mic into brand building. Our conversation delves from reminiscing about childhood to navigating cultural landscapes and exploring purpose amid choices. With internships as guides, we delve into mentorship's power, illuminated by Sarra's experiences. Unraveling podcast monetization mysteries, we glean insights from her expertise. We cap off with reflections on the digital nomad lifestyle's exhilarating challenges. Welcome to the Heads in Tales!

Zach’s introspection and intensive study of his mind were apparent from the moment I met him - bringing you this conversation was one of the most naturally occurring events I have ever witnessed.

Being born into a traveling family Zach experienced life on a few continents as soon as he was born, and having schooling experiences in a few different countries stripped him of any patriotic perspective in life. After filmmaking school, he took on the world to kickstart his adventure of a lifetime to be an authentic earth traveler while observing others purely being themselves.

Zach sheds light on aspects of our lives that are very difficult to verbalize and analyze. He offers his perspective of solace in acknowledging these hard-to-articulate feelings, and the deep sense of wholeness that comes from obliterating your ego into smithereens. My key takeaway from this chat was that the journey of accepting oneself through being embraced by the light of grace and owning the areas of our lives we neglect is essential to feeling complete.

Our guest, Songkran Jantakad, is a well-educated anthropologist with a political science degree from Chiang Mai University. He is named after the Songkran Festival which in 2024 will last from 1 to 21 April. The word, Songkran comes from a Sanskrit word meaning 'passing' or 'approaching'.

We kicked off our conversation on the Chiang Mai Uni campus by discussing the freshly graduated students’ trajectory in life, and education in the modern world in general. Expect to hear about the chronicles of Thailand by an anthropologist who has studied it extensively - from Siam to the Lanna Kingdom and to the colonial times of King Rama 4th - 5th till now. We discuss multiculturalism in the kingdom, from Myanmar, Laos, and China. How agriculture around this area of the world is the main way of livelihood - switching up gears to talk about change in human life through the light of the Buddhist point of view. Using the lenses of Krishnamurti, Tich Nat Han, and others to illuminate the points of metamorphosis in a person’s life.

We round it all up by talking about the sociological aspects of the region, the unavoidable conflict between generations and cultural identities, interracial marriage, the cultural influence of the Western thinking systems, and how Thailand is not as easygoing as it appears on the surface.

This conversation was the most informative one I have had about the culture of Thailand, Songkran was so nice to spare his study time for us to cultivate information about this wonderful kingdom.

Welcome back folks, last week was heavy on recording so we are back with fresh episodes for your viewing - Check out the YouTube. Are you ready to start learning about foreign cultures? Today we host a wonderful expat who hasn’t returned to the U.S. for the past 12 years and a local from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Amazing timing as today is the first day of the Northern Thai New Year celebration with all the children and adults equipped with their water guns ready for a splashy soaking Songkran festival. This conversation focuses on the 10-year culture of language exchange started by Mike Cook as a Facebook page, you will learn how it grew into a popular event and eventually grew into an event co-hosted by Varaya from Chiang Mai. If you follow the steps and stay consistent you can create a community of people interested in learning about your local culture and language, plus you will have access to a wonderful resource of people along the way to sharpen your language skills and open your mind.

Furthermore, we will learn more about our guest’s unique backgrounds and interests - we will focus on the lovely city of Chiang Mai and learn about the historical context as well as the changes that have been prevalent in the last decade.