Hey Jen

European men. Non-statistically accurate dating. Red lipstick and thirteen chins to avoid a kiss. The one who pays on a first date. Where to go on a first date. The fact that your French accent can be cute, interesting, and special. Living in Paris. A guy who wants to lick your calves...? 

These are just some of the topics that my really great friend, Chantal, and I talk about on this episode. We embark on an unfiltered conversation about men, love, work, life, Emily in Paris commentary, and some hilarious dating app encounters. 

Without further ado, bust out the wine bottle and hit play to listen. Follow @theheyjenpodcast to stay in the loop.

As we are all busy people who value convenience, let's normalize staying a little longer to learn about how something came to be. On Hey Jen, we do that by asking the brand and its owner this question: "what's your story?"

Today, we are asking Bonnie Ho, a childhood friend, a talented baker, and the founder of Milk & Mochi, a bakeshop that specializes in mochi cookies. We sit down for a chat about the story of how Milk & Mochi started, how it became the Milk & Mochi we know today, and what it means to bring a sense of you to your business and products. 

Before we get to the story of Milk & Mochi, we do a deep-dive on Bonnie and her story. From an EasyBake oven, box mixes, helping her mom out in the kitchen, to eventually perfecting the chemistry behind the stretchiest mochi and chewiest cookies, Bonnie's journey is rich with baking experience and is interwoven into the Milk & Mochi brand. 

Without further ado, bundle up, get your milk and cookies out, tune in, and enjoy the episode! Follow @theheyjenpodcast to stay in the loop.

✨✨Links & Handles✨✨

Stay in the loop with Milk & Mochi: @milknmochi 

Get your hands on a batch of mochi cookies: https://milknmochi.cococart.co/ 

As we are all busy people who value convenience, let's normalize staying a little longer to learn about how something came to be. On Hey Jen, we do that by asking the brand and its owner this question: "what's your story?" 

Today, we are asking Hamed Tayyebani, a friend, a colleague, and the founder of LugoFego, a mental wellness clothing brand that's short for "look good, feel good". We sit down for a chat about mental wellness and what it means to "wear" your mental wellness as you show up for yourself each day. 

Before we get to the story of LugoFego, we do a deep-dive on Hamed and his story. From immigrating from Iran to Canada, entering the culinary scene, attending business school, working in tech, to eventually launching LugoFego, his journey is nothing short of a testament to his resilience and perseverance. 

Without further ado, bundle up, pour yourself a glass of wine, pspsps the fur babies over, and tune in to get the full scoop! Follow @theheyjenpodcast to stay in the loop. 

TW: mentions of depression and suicide.

✨✨Links & Handles✨✨

Connect with Hamed here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamed-tayyebani/ 

Cop the sweats from LugoFego: https://lugofego.ca/ 

Keep up to date with LugoFego and its new merch drops: https://www.instagram.com/lugofego/ 

Feeling stuck? Feel like you are capable of more? Want to become the best version of yourself but don't know where to start or how to go about it? If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, this episode is for you! In this episode, I chat with a great friend of mine (and the queen herself), Selena Lai, about her journey with starting over in life and how that has changed her. We talk about how she navigated difficult times, how she healed, how she developed self-awareness, and how she ultimately recovered and became a better version of herself. 

During your listen, please excuse two audio/phone beeping sounds at around the 30 min mark! Couldn't cut it out! Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this episode! Be sure to follow @theheyjenpodcast on Instagram to stay tuned with new releases and what this podcast is up to and of course, follow Selena @startingoverwithselena on Instagram to learn more about the amazing person that she is🥰🥰

Some websites/resources mentioned: 

June is the month of graduations, the month of new beginnings and ends. As a fresh university graduate, here are some of the key learnings that I have gotten over the course of 4 years – a grad gift, if you will! Hope you enjoy unboxing this grad gift with me. Unbox with a glass of wine for extra sentiment and more profound realizations. 

Happy February💕💕 Hope January has been great to you so far and that February will be just as great – if not better! With Valentine's Day coming up, love and dating are at the top of mind. In today's episode, I chat with Meg Kuang from I'm In My Twenties?! about love and dating in our twenties. From bongs on a first date and wholesome friendships established on Tinder to current outlooks on relationships and ideal types, this episode takes you on a journey exploring the millennial love life – the fun, the struggles, and everything in between. Whether you are single or in a relationship, we hope that you will find this episode meaningful and enjoy the stories shared! 

And of course, if you liked this episode, be sure to follow this podcast on Instagram (@theheyjenpodcast), follow Meg's podcast on Instagram (@iminmytwenties), and share the episode link with a friend! Happy Valentine's Day and cheers!💝

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND CHEERS TO 2021! Man, a year has already passed by. I believe we can all agree that 2020 was a whirlwind of a year, as plans had to suddenly be halted due to COVID, we had to improvise like never before, we had to find new ways of coping with isolation, sickness, uncertainty, loss, and so much more. 2020 has tested our resilience but it has also given us a new perspective on life, who we are, and where we stand in the community. The fact that you are reading this right now means that you have survived 2020 and that alone is worth celebrating. Today's episode is focused on the individual and staying yourself. With life and the rapidly changing demands of the world, it can sometimes get difficult for us to find our footing, secure our identity, and go about our days without being caught up in fitting social norms and changing who we are in order to be accepted. Whether you currently have a long list of new year's resolutions that you are working on achieving or you don't believe in new year's resolutions too much, I believe that nonetheless, the contents of this episode will be applicable and valuable for everyone. My wish for all of you is that upon listening to this episode, you will be inclined to know yourself, promote yourself, and be yourself – because you are a unique human with rich perspectives that the world needs. May you do you, because after all, only you can do you best❤️✨

LET'S KICK OFF 2021 STRONG! 

With school starting soon, it is easy to get overwhelmed with upcoming deadlines, assignments, and extracurriculars. Whether you are a high school senior gearing up for post-secondary applications or a university student plowing through required courses, there are bound to be moments of stress and the pressure to perform. However, your stress does not need to nor should it control you! Manage your stress to convert it into fuel and mindfulness instead :) 

In this episode, I discuss the mindset hacks that I personally use to keep my stress and emotions in check. With prolonged online learning on top of everything else that a student has to deal with, how can you calmly approach your tasks while maintaining a stable and positive outlook through it all? That's what we will be talking about in today's episode! 

So grab your pet, a glass of wine (sparkling wine for me), and hit the play button to start your school year off right with a short and sweet episode💪Stay tuned for more by following @theheyjenpodcast for updates regarding new releases! 

Welcome to the introduction for Hey Jen, the episode where I talk a bit about what inspired me to create this podcast, the story of how Hey Jen came to be, and what you can expect for future episodes! Stay tuned for updates by following @theheyjenpodcast on Instagram and subscribing to this podcast on the platform that you listen on!