Highest Version

I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Sophia Kawaguchi, who went through a tremendous tribulation in her life. She grew up striving for excellence not only for her career but also for her faith. Unfortunately, that lead to her downfall when she experienced mental exhaustion and clinical depression for the first time in her life. Realizing she had severe people-pleasing tendencies, Sophia took a trip to Japan to figure herself out and find a new purpose in life. Listen into an in-depth conversation of her journey and how to battle being a people pleaser. 

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
1:05 – Guest Intro
5:18 - Featured Funky Pop of the Episode
9:21 - How I know Sophia
10:11 - Experiencing Mental Exhaustion and Clinical Depression
16:26 – The Weight of Faith
24:41 – Be Careful of Those You Surround Yourself With
31:48 - What’s Best For You Vs. What’s Right For You?
38:44: Rebuilding in Japan
44:14 – How Hard It Is to Let Go
47:32 - Rebuilding in Japan Pt. 2
53:11 - Putting Yourself Out There
1:02:49 - Final Words on the Journey
1:13:04 - Flowers to Guest
1:14:26 - Questions from the Audience
1:18:30 - Dear Guest Letter
1:26:50 - Big 3 Questions

Sophia's Socials: @senseis_rose on IG
Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion

In this episode, I sit down with my great friend, Jerry Chen, to discuss his life experiences being independent on his own as his family was forced back to Taiwan and living as a foster child. He had to learn to be independent really early in life and navigate different cultural experiences as well. Jerry also opens up about “people pleasing” and how he is working to overcome that. This episode will also feature a lot more knowledge from Randy on the power of “why” and his dedication to the goals ahead of him.

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
0:16 – Guest Intro
1:27 – Featured Funko Pop
2:49 – How Is Your Mental Health?
4:17 – Living Two Lives
12:05 – Being an “In-Between”
17:36 – Surviving On His Own
31:32 – What It’s Like Being a Foster Kid
45:00 – Where Our “People Pleasing” Comes From
54:55 – Flowers to Our Guest
55:45 – The Power of Why
1:03:37 – Questions from the Audience
1:07:48 – Big 3 Questions

Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion

In this episode, I sit down with aspiring director, Danny Nguyen, who allows us inside his mindset of what it’s like to direct music videos. Danny and I talk about the struggles of being a content creator and how that actually lead him to one of the darkest times in his life. In order to heal, he sought out therapy and that open his mind up to focusing on the little things in life that can make such a great impact to his mental health overall! 

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
0:11 – Guest Intro
3:21 – Featured Funko Pop
5:53 – Shared Passion for Film
11:03 – First Music Video and Documentary
17:12 – Desire to Make Music Videos and Commercial Production
21:37 – Making a Name For Yourself
28:55 – Mindset of a Director
31:05 – Struggles of Creating
36:09 – Not Feeling Good Enough
49:01 – Being a Content Creator 
57:00 – Dealing with Imposter Syndrome
1:03:43 – Doing the Little Things
1:08:36 – Importance of Therapy
1:14:36 – Flowers to Guest
1:16:03 – The Purpose Behind Highest Version
1:19:31 – Big 3 Questions

Danny’s Socials: @dnydidthat on IG

Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion

TW: Mentions of depression and self-harm thoughts

This episode is a heavy one. I sit down with an old friend of mine, Jen Tan, who experienced family troubles at a young age and up until her college years. After having enough, Jen took life into her own hands and went on a healing journey to help her understand the words, “I am enough”. In addition, Randy and Jen bond over a similar therapy technique they used to overcome the harshest automatic thoughts that caused their depression. There’s a lot of healing in this episode and if that’s what you need, make sure to tune in!

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
0:21 – Guest Intro
1:22 – Guest Mental Health Status
3:30 – Featured Funko Pop
6:17 – First Signs of Depression
9:18 – Development of Family Trauma
15:19 – Getting Kicked Out
18:17 – Becoming a Mom Early
28:31 – Ways to Heal #1: Therapy
36:35 – Ways to Heal #2: Listening to Your Body
39:15 – Ways to Heal #3: Finding Community
42:26 – Ways to Heal #4: Doing Uncomfortable Things
45:19 – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Automatic Thoughts
1:00:33 – Randy’s Story
1:03:37 – Not Feeling Good Enough
1:07:12 – Fear of Failure
1:15:39 – Final Thoughts on Journey
1:18:56 – Flowers to Guest
1:19:56 – Song Association
1:23:27 – Big 3 Questions

Jen’s Socials: 
IG - @Jentan0428
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@jentannn
Tik Tok - @jentann

Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion

Get hyped because we have PETE SUMMERS on the podcast. This is an episode that is overall filled with growth. I got sit down with the Boston-based DJ and music producer to hear about his story on how he came up in the industry and the lessons he learned. From playing music covers to sharing upbeat and fun music with others, Pete Summers learned a lot about himself and the ways that helped him grow. We talked about the struggles of perfectionism, finding our voice as a creative, and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
0:34 – Guest Intro
1:34 – Mental Health Status
3:17 – Featured Funko Pop
6:52 – Peter’s Inspiration for Music
11:36 – Choosing the Creative College Major
15:38 – The First YouTube Cover
20:05 – Choosing to be a DJ and Music Producer
26:21 – Early Experiences as a DJ
33:16 – Struggling with Perfection
40:52 – How to Overcome Perfectionism
47:41 – Change Your Mindset on Comparison
50:09 – Finding Your Own Voice
57:22 – How to Get Better at Networking
1:04:31 – Figure Out Your Limits of Burn Out
1:11:17 – How to Balance Multiple Things
1:22:11 – Flowers to Guest
1:22:58 – Putting Yourself in Uncomfortable Situations
1:31:52 – Song Association
1:34:27 – Question from the Audience
1:37:18 – Big 3 Questions
1:43:04 – Pete Summers Upcoming Events and Socials

Music Used: Greatest Fear - Benson Boone

Pete Summers Socials (Instagram, Tik Tok , Facebook, & Sound Cloud): @petesummersmusic
Pete Summers YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@petesummersmusic
Pre-save his new song ‘By My Side’: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/petesummers/by-my-side/?utm_source=hoobe&utm_medium=social

Upcoming Events: 
-June 13 @ BSMT in Boston
-June 20 @ The Grand in Boston

Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion

In this episode, I had the pleasure of connecting with Mickey Kwong, who’s a world traveler and is an expertise in navigating growth in your career. No setback or failure has stopped Mickey from going after what he truly wants which are to travel the world and meet his financial goals. We talk about how he went from selling gum to becoming a top sales representative at his company and bouncing back after being laid off. If you are looking to advance in your career and navigate the workplace, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Other topics in this episode include:

-How to be a high performer
-Connecting with our roots and the importance of it
-Goals for the upcoming year and best networking tips

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
0:14 – Guest Intro
2:04 – Featured Funko Pop
2:54 – Inspiration to Travel the World
5:42 – Trying to Connect With Our Roots
15:18 – How to Be a High Performer
18:06 – Starting Back at the Bottom
20:24 – From Selling Gum to Selling Software
25:53 – Career Networking Tips
29:11 – How to Bounce Back from Being Laid Off
36:27 – It’s Okay to Be Vulnerable
42:13 – Goals for 2025
44:59 – Our Own Mental Health Statuses
52:02 – Randy’s Goals for 2025
54:19 – Questions from the Audience
58:30 – Song Association
1:01:39 – Flowers to Guest
1:02:33 – Big 3 Questions

Mickey's Socials: @mickeykwong on IG
Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion

In this episode, I dive deep with one of my great college friends to understand more of his life and what he was passionate about. From leaning into his Taiwanese culture to having a passion for teaching, Daniel always wanted to help everyone around him be better. As we unpack our realizations of understanding we came from a privileged life, we also understand the amount of hard work we got to be where we are. You’ll also hear about our great college memories and how the pandemic affected us both negatively and positively. Also, have you ever wondered what it’s like to be in a lion dance costume?! Daniel gives the major exclusive of one the biggest traditions of Lunar New Year. 

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
0:17 – Guest Intro
1:52 – Featured Funko Pop
3:34 – Leaning Into Our Cultures
11:03 – POV: Lion Dancing
19:28 – From Lion Dancing to Hip Hop Dancing
22:56 – Living a Privileged Life
36:48 – A Passion for Teaching
45:55 – Sharing the Love to Teach
48:21 – Reliving College Memories
53:00 – How Covid Took Away Our Senior Year
56:51 – Reliving College Memories Pt. 2
1:03:15 – How the Pandemic Affected Us
1:15:28 – Flowers to Guest
1:17:02 – Song Association
1:19:45 – Big 3 Questions

Iconic Dance Videos With Us In It:
-Performance: https://youtu.be/eQF09-eHFwI?si=4xttVd_oY6Xju6Zm
-Workshop: https://youtu.be/L9ZyC1hhgog?si=bHjQEzpShNraQ3vv

Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion

In this episode, I dive deep into Jon Hill’s story of the car accident that stripped him of the one thing he was super passionate about, running. We dive deep into his comeback mentally and how he can express it in other ways. In addition, Jon helped talked me through some mental struggles I was having as a content creator and not being afraid to try new things. Other topics we touched on include:

-It’s okay to be a master of multiple things, you don’t just have to master one!
-Saying yes to a trip to Honduras that shaped his mindset on trying new things
-How to have a more positive outlook on life versus the negative.

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
0:14 – Guest Intro
1:06 – Mental Health Status
2:21 – Featured Funko Pop
6:11 – The Car Accident That Changed Everything
13:04 – Professional Athlete Experience
17:22 – Overcoming Mental Obstacles
21:38 – We’re Not That Special
27:23 – Growing Emotional Intelligence
30:25 – Experiencing Difficulties in the Pandemic
39:03 – Saying Yes to New Experiences
46:11 – A Jack of All Trades is a Master of None
50:21 – How Not to Be Afraid of Trying New Things
54:00 – You Don’t Have to Take Life So Seriously
59:39 – Best Relationship Advice
1:08:58 – Flowers to Guest
1:10:01 – Song Association
1:15:46 – Big 3 Questions

Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion

In this episode, I got to sit down with my online fitness coach, Steven Chen, and discuss the journey of accomplishing fitness goals. Everyone starts a fitness goal and then drops it 3 months after the new year. How can we prevent that from happening? Listen more to hear about Steven’s philosophy and how to battle that. Steven goes in depth about how he started his fitness journey, how he became an online fitness coach, and his philosophy to maximizing your fitness potential. Other topics in this episode include:

-Live discussion between client and online fitness coach
-How to accomplish your fitness goals whether that’s building muscle or losing weight
-How to overcome the fear of the gym

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
0:22 – Guest Intro
1:43 – Featured Funko Pop
3:23 – Why Start Fitness?
8:18 – Making the Nutritional Switch
14:55 – How Steven Became an Online Fitness Coach
21:52 – Lessons From Being a Coach
24:48 – Live Discussion Between Client & Coach
30:13 – How Difficult It Is to Accomplish Fitness Goals
36:37 – How to Manage Multiple Things
39:07 – How to Build Consistency
43:49 – What Fitness Myths Are Out There
48:13 – How to Build Muscle Mass
53:36 – How to Lose Weight
56:12 – Steven’s Philosophy on Aesthetics
58:06 – How to Get Over the Fear of the Gym
1:03:04 – Steven’s Personal Goals
1:08:13 – How Randy Started Dancing
1:13:30 – Flowers to the Guest
1:14:54 – Song Association
1:17:55 – Question from the Audience
1:20:07 – Big 3 Questions

Steven Chen Socials: @steven_chenfit
Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion

From dropping out of school to finding his true passion, Pirak Som is paving a whole new path for himself. He was able to find this new profound passion for health and wellness after suffering injuries and realizing his initial path for computer engineering wasn’t for him. After spending some time with himself, he is re-learning new ways of life and putting a lot of energy into what he is actually happy doing in life. Pirak’s deep love for family and community is the ignition for his fiery passion in life.

Chapters:
0:00 – Episode Highlight
0:13– Guest Intro
1:31 – Featured Funko Pop
2:23 – Turning Injury into Passion
7:46 – Recovery from an Injury Mentally
15:33 – Passion for Teaching the Game
23:12 – Understanding Our People Pleasing Tendencies
29:29 – Pirak’s Roots
33:53 – Pressure Makes Diamonds
41:13 – Celebrating Wins in Life
46:33 – Getting Out of Our Comfort Zone and Re-learning
51:57 – Pirak’s Drop Out Story
1:06:12 – Finding Yourself in Solidarity
1:10:10 – Breaking Down Negative Thoughts
1:15:23 – Being Okay with Changing Your Identity
1:20:14 – Focusing on the Journey and Not the Destination
1:24:28 – Growing as a Podcast Host
1:28:58 – Dealing with Past Memories
1:32:57 – Questions from the Audience
1:36:50 – Song Association
1:39:05 – Flowers to Guest
1:39:37 – Big 3 Questions

Highest Version Social: https://linkin.bio/highestversion