Limitless Laowai — Expat Life, Business Strategy, Personal Development Cultural Adjustment in China | Learn Chinese

Nine-year-old Reece, 13-year-old Maddy, and 16-year-old Cam are no strangers to the limelight. You-tubers, actors, musicians, and martial artists in their own right, they've taken their short time in Shanghai by storm, forging new paths, learning new disciplines, and laughing all the while. Simply put, these remarkable young women are goal-oriented, career minded and just plain fun to be around. Want to hear their take on life abroad? Tune in to find out! // Connect with the girls on any social media channel by searching for 3GingerSisters. Watch them on YouTube at www.youtube.com/3gingersisters. Find more online at http://limitlesslaowai.com/3gingersisters ‎// A special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Concordia International School Shanghai. Discover more at www.concordiashanghai.org. // Ten quick questions will better your listener experience. Take the 2016 Listener Survey at www.limitlesslaowai.com/survey.

Women in top leadership is a hot button issue globally. Strategies for improving gender equality in the workplace and training for women who are firmly climbing the corporate ladder aren't uncommon. Yet, Ally's guest on this show, Deutsche Bank Chief Operating Officer, Josie Zhao holds a refreshing view that women don't need to be taught leadership; instead, the workplace needs to change and leaders must learn to embrace the innate leadership qualities that women bring to the table. Josie and Ally sat together for over an hour, maybe closer to two even, and walked through her journey to the top of the male-dominated banking industry. They talked about her challenges coming back to China after 20 years abroad, how she managed to win the respect of her team as a female senior leader, not seen as fully Chinese, nor fully 'laowai'. Josie is honest when it comes to balancing life and work, her family, her view on successful mentoring, and career sponsorship. For Ally, it was incredible to sit with Josie and hear her story. The interview is long, one of our longest yet, but we promise, it's worth listening to every second. // Connect with Josie on LinkedIn at https://cn.linkedin.com/in/josie-zhao-317120. // A special thanks to this episode's sponsors, Concordia International School Shanghai. Discover more at www.concordiashanghai.org. And Pacific Prime; get a quote today at www.pacificprime.com/en.

There are over 600 cities in China and only four are considered first tier cities. With most of Ally and Pete's interviews emerging from expats in the first tier (think, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou), Limitless is missing a massive lot of you out there in the second and third tier. For this show, Ally had the distinct privilege of chatting with Australian Nicole Webb. Nicole is loving life and re-inventing herself and her career in the well-known second tier city of Xi'an. Rich in history, Xi'an is a tourist attraction for many expats and locals alike, but what is it like to live there? What does it feel like to be the first (and perhaps only) foreigner people around have ever seen? What about the medical system? And how can you find community? Tune in to hear all about life in the second tier. // Find more online at http://limitlesslaowai.com/nicolewebb_xian/. Connect with Nicole at her blog at www.mintmochamusings.com; on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/mintmochamusings, Twitter https://twitter.com/nicoledwebb, or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mintmochamusings // A special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Concordia International School Shanghai. Discover more at www.concordiashanghai.org.

Like it or not, our identity are oftentimes inextricably linked to what we do as our profession, and as someone who previously worked outside the home, China's supporting expat spouses find themselves struggling when that bit of our lives is suddenly stripped away. That apparent loss of identity, mixed with culture shock, and adjustment challenges, can throw supporting spouses off kilter. Ally's guest on this show, Nicole Webb, is no stranger to the process of identity loss. In her mid-thirties, Nicole was at the top of her game as a news reader for a prominent Australian news channel. The idea of going abroad had no appeal; yet almost six years and two assignments later, Nicole has successfully reinvented herself, created a business that's mobile and is excited about the possibility of future assignments. What hurdles did she have to climb over and how did she manage to find herself and settle into a brand new skin? Tune in to find out! // Find more online at http://limitlesslaowai.com/nicolewebb_reinvention/. // Connect with Nicole at http://www.mintmochamusings.com, http://www.facebook.com/mintmochamusings, https://twitter.com/nicoledwebb, https://www.instagram.com/mintmochamusings // A special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Concordia International School Shanghai. Discover more at www.concordiashanghai.org.

Last week's wrap up was about battling fear living overseas as an expat. This week, Pete and I change gears and talk about possibility. The possibilities that are available to China's expats are, well, limitless. After a recent string of events in our lives, Pete and I are on possibility highs it seems as we record this week's wrap up. Tune in to be inspired and hopefully encouraged to look for, recognize and seize the opportunities knocking at your front door. // Send comments, questions, criticisms and praise to [email protected] and [email protected]. We read and respond personally to every message. // A special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Concordia International School Shanghai. Discover more at www.concordiashanghai.org.

In the land of noodles, rice and dumplings, is maintaining an almost zero carb approach to a diet possible? And by 'diet' we simply mean a way of eating and you'll totally understand why after hearing Ally's guest on today's show, Bianca Fontana, talk about her daily food routine. Plagued by health challenges years ago, Bianca took her health into her own hands, and literally cut out every starching carb and sugar she was eating. Ally sat across from Bianca in her home office, and was shocked by how a woman who eats about 80% healthy fats in her day to day could look as radiant, lean and healthy as Bianca does. While Ally isn't sure she could be one to give up her peanut butter toast snack addiction, it was fascinating to hear this low carb, healthy fat approach to eating. Bianca dives into details and how it's completely possible for those of us in China if you're interested. Want to learn how? Tune in to find out! // Connect with Bianca at www.thefatexperiment.com or on Wechat @biancafontana.

As an expat mama of three small children, I've asked myself a time or two whether or not my choice to raise my girls abroad, as international citizens, is a wise one. I've pondered what intended and unintended consequences might be. I've watched older children of family friends go off to college back 'home' after years abroad. Some adjust well. Some struggle. Some fail. Most can't quite put their finger to a map on a physical place called home. And I've worried how my children will fit into a world that's so large and yet so small. It turns out, I'm not the only expat parent to question their decision to bring their kids abroad at some point. So, I chatted with long-time expat, Carol Schoch, who raised her three daughters across five continents. Tune in to hear their struggles, victories, and strategies for raising children as little expats themselves. // Connect with Carol on wechat by searching cmschoch. // A special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Concordia International School Shanghai. Discover more at www.concordiashanghai.org.

Train them while they're young! Can you imagine host Ally's sweet 10-week-old Margie Rose armed with a Press Pass...? Well, she totally rocked it—while strapped to her mama—so that Limitless could capture insightful sound bites from vendors, attendees, panelists and organizers of the second annual Community Center Shanghai Forum for Expat Service Providers. Tune in to hear about a couple of the big challenges facing expats and what's being done about them. // Send your comments, questions and suggests to [email protected]. // An extra big thanks to our producer Tim Schaufert for compiling these sound bites into one awesome show. You rock, buddy! Want to tell him yourself? Email [email protected].

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night gripped by fear? What about your move to China… were there or are there any facets of the transition that unnerve you? In this week’s wrap up Pete puts on his therapist’s hat and coaches Ally through some of the unanticipated, and unwelcome fears that have been cropping up in her life. It’s rare for Limitless to focus solely on the topic of fear but we figure, if we’re experiencing some of these unsettling emotions, maybe some of you are too, and it’s worth diving into and uncovering some resources that maybe we don’t realize are closer and more accessible than we think. // Send questions, comments and anything else to [email protected] or [email protected].

Three years after their move to China, 12-year-old Kaylie and 14-year-old Alexia are so settled in their life here, that they can hardly imagine going back home. While capturing their take on life abroad, we chatted about everything. Tune in to hear more on travel opportunities, school friendships and workload, what it means to be a third culture kid, the chances to foster a globally-minded empathy and what has caused them such tremendous personal growth throughout the years. // A special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Concordia International School Shanghai. Discover more at www.concordiashanghai.org.