If Anne Can

In this episode, Margaret Manning talks about how business communities are engaging with their employees and clients during this time of major upheaval. She looks at how they are addressing virtual and local contact channels and how by changing the word customer or client to our community they can engage and create very strong connections.

Margaret believes that by listening and truly understanding their community business can make agile and innovative pivots. 

This key learning can ensure businesses remain connected to their community and avoid making any changes that have the potential to backfire. 

Are you craving your community? After all, community is everything and everything in the community has changed.

For this series of podcasts, I’ve reached out to key people in our community digging into their thoughts. How are they staying connected? How are they coping? What’s working and what is a challenge? More importantly, what are they doing that maybe you could try?

My first guest is  Dr Darryl Whetter – Inaugural Director of the first taught Creative Writing master’s degree in Singapore and Southeast Asia (at LaSalle College of the Arts).  Darryl is a novelist, poet, essayist, scholar, short story writer, and critic from Canada.

Tune in to hear Darryl's thoughts as he moves from Singapore to Canada, from one community to another.

The New Normal in a Time of Pandemic  

This episode features a conversation held in Singapore between Anne Morgan from the UK and Jovina Ang a Singaporean. 

We discuss the new normal and how life has brought into sharp relief a true understanding of what is important. We also realise who is important and it is the people who are employed in what can be labelled as ‘low skilled’ jobs who are now on the front line and keeping the global infrastructure together.

We realise how much we took for granted the ease of global travel and the ability to be close to our loved ones.

We rejoice in the kindness of people and how small acts can make a huge difference. 

We marvel at how people young and old have quickly reimagined communication through on-line platforms and have continued to gather and engage with their community.

In this time of disruption and lack of structure, Jovina shares some tips about focusing and connecting when working from home.  

Finally, we look to the future and imagine the new normal once the pandemic comes to an end.       

References:

Jovina Ang – www.jovinaang.com 

Celebrating The Story – www.celebratringthestory.com

Episode 11: Reinvention and Doing What You Always Wanted

Relocating to a new country means you must craft a new life and explore new careers and interests. This can involve radical change and reinvention because it may be impossible to replicate large swathes of your old life. In this episode, four ex-pat women discuss how they incorporated new activities in their lives and reinvented themselves by doing what they always wanted to do. We discuss -  

·        Being given the opportunity to explore what you love, e.g. literature, photography, travelling, writing. 

·        Being willing to say yes to new passions, taking advantage of opportunities and always accepting an invitation to meet people! 

·        The surprising power of serendipity.

·        Exploring the unique opportunities in the place you are living, even if you are only going to be living there for a short time.

·        The importance of developing and maintaining international friendships and expanding diverse friendships.

    Thank you to 

Gretchen Beyer

Maureen Mai- www.maureenmai.com; Instagram @maureen.mai.photo 

Melinda Murphy - linkedin.com/in/melinda-murphy-1473a64: melindamurphy.info  

www.celebratingthestory.com  

  https://stretfordtosingapore.buzzsprout.com 

Episode 3 of the Writer’s Series.

In conversation with Stephanie Suga Chen

Stephanie Suga Chen is the author of the bestselling novel Travails of a Trailing Spouse. She is a proud Taiwanese-American, who grew up in Michigan and pivoted from being an investment banker to being an author.  

During this episode of the Stretford to Singapore podcast, we talk about – 

·         Rediscovering the love of writing and how it’s never too late to put pen to paper. 

·         Identity, culture and assimilation. Embracing two cultures and finding an identity. 

·         Writing a book in five weeks. The editing process and the importance of advance readers and a good writing group.

·         Asking for honest criticism.

·         The importance of the critical first twelve weeks selling cycle for fiction.

·         Having a clear marketing strategy and learning to take responsibility for your own sales. 

Stephanie has written a sequel to Travails of a Trailing Spouse called Disunited Nations: International School Mums at War.

The book is available at all major bookstores and on Amazon/Kindle. 

Relevant links:

Stephanie Suga Chen’s website: http://www.stephaniechen.org

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AStephanie+Suga+Chen

The Singapore Writers’ Group - http://www.singaporewritersgroup.com/

This is the second episode featuring readings from the writers of the American Women’s Association Writer’s Group. 

One of the great joys of my time in Singapore has been the opportunity to be part of the American Women’s Association Writer’s Group and I’ve recorded a series of podcasts to celebrate and preserve the writers reading their work.

This episode features the transportive story of a family’s journey out of their comfort zone, an excerpt from an epic Indian family memoir celebrating the legacy of strong women, an examination of equatorial malaise through the paradox of Schrödinger's cat, and a celebration of an intergenerational friendship. 

It’s a celebration of creativity and the bravery of reading your writing aloud.  

Thank you to the writers for sharing their work: 

Laura Dahan

Bhavani Krishnamurthy

Amanda Jaffe: https://www.ramblingllama.com/

Episode 1 of the Writer’s Series. 
Many of us harbour an urge to write but all too often lack the courage to put pen to paper and share our words. 
Being part of a writer’s group can provide the support needed to take the leap into print. One of the great joys of my time in Singapore has been the opportunity to be part of the American Women’s Association Writer’s Group and in celebration and gratitude, I’ve recorded a series of podcasts featuring the writers.
 This episode features a poem about Tom Hank’s collection of typewriters, the introduction to a horsey murder mystery, Mrs Bates hitherto unheard point of view and the planting of 51 trees. 
Uplifting and entertaining, it may even give you the inspiration to put pen to paper and write your own novel, poem or memoir. 
Thank you to the writers for sharing their work, Cy Roden, Jillian Huang and Helena Antolin Cochrane. Special thank you to Elissa Viornery.

Keeping Up and Keeping at it!Happy Lunar New Year: 2020 Year of the Rat. Has the year started the way you would like, or are you lagging behind with what you hoped to achieve? The start of a new lunar year is the perfect time to give yourself a positivity and productivity ‘do-over’ Tune in for a dose of energy and clarity as Anne, Alka and Melinda share their stories about keeping up and keeping at it!#reinvent #podcast #expat #positivity #relationshipsReferences:Celebrating The Story – www.celebratringthestory.comThe Good Habit Guide: Being a Trailing Spouse: Easy to Implement Habits to Help you Make the Most of Expat Life by Anne Morgan Kindle Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XW7KVNQAlka Chandiramani: linkedin.com/in/alkachandiramanisingaporeMelinda Murphy: linkedin.com/in/melinda-murphy-1473a64American Association of Singapore – www.aasingapore.comCareer Resource Center for Excellence (CRCE) https://www.aasingapore.com/about-crce/

Episode 9: Making a New Life in a New Country: PositivityWe can put huge pressure on ourselves to be relentlessly positive and this can be especially true when making a move overseas. In this episode I talk to Claire Langree Saf, Marangeli Rivera and Vanessa Victoria, about how there are times when expat life is tough and we share some strategies that can make a difference. I also read chapter two of my ebook. Among other things we explore - •Losing your vibe and how one person can change your life. •How having a small seed of hope can ignite and lead to many opportunities. •The importance of self-knowledge when you are building a new life.•How looking at things through a different lens will transform a situation.References: Claire’s business: Simply Champagne: www.simplychampagne.coAnne’s ebook: The Good Habit Guide: Being a Trailing Spouse: Easy to Implement Habits to Help you Make the Most of Expat Life by Anne Morgan Kindle Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XW7KVNQTo learn more: www.celebratingthestory.comTo hear more Stretford to Singapore podcasts: https://soundcloud.com/stretfordtosingapore

Episode 8: Making a new life in a New Country: Turning Up and Settling inIn this episode, we talk about settling into a new life in a new country. I’m joined by Chen Onn Peng, Florence Sorgini and Lottie Hansjee, three women who have a varied experience of expatriation and repatriation. Among other things we explore - •Some of the surprising things about homesickness. •The perils of spreading yourself too thin.•Seeking the comforts of home.•Connection and reconnection.•The emergence of the ‘new normal.’ReferencesThe Good Habit Guide: Being a Trailing Spouse: Easy to Implement Habits to Help you Make the Most of Expat Life by Anne Morgan Kindle Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XW7KVNQ