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

Spending most of his days helping small businesses as AmCham SME Center's senior associate, Veli has a unique window to what’s common among start-up owners and how Shanghai is experiencing a wave of innovations driven by the SMEs. Tune in to learn how a small amount of support can produce great success in the SME realm, the importance of not plateauing with your language skills, how to develop a win-win internship program, and how things you might consider ordinary are actually pretty special.

Grace is originally from Shandong province and spent 7 years abroad in the US, Switzerland and London. She has worked an executive in a number of fortune 500 companies and has recently returned to China to start her own entrepreneurial venture called Viva nutritional product. In this episode, Grace shares with us the incredible opportunity for O2O business in China, how to balance building a business while caring for your family, as well as the importance and value of building a value-based organization that supports community growth.

Christina was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, and she immigrated to US at the age of ten. For the past 6 years, Christina has been working for her family business in Shanghai and most recently is a full-time MBA student at China Europe International Business School. In this episode, Christina covers: what it's like working for the family business; why she's pursuing an MBA now – the benefits and challenges; a story of a red envelope being slid her way by a vendor... and how she managed it culturally; how 80% of recruiters are looking for English AND Mandarin skills and how CEIBS helps make students competitive; and the importance of mental toughness and flexibility in conducting business in China.

To cap off TOP Week here at Limitless, some serious laughs for you. Ever have one of those gut-wrenching, painfully embarrassing moments? I’ve had my fair share but this week I heard a friend tell a China story that’s for the history books. (Warning – it’s hilarious yet a bit off-color as well. Listener discretion advised!)

To cap off TOP Week here at Limitless is our TOP Mama! If you missed Jodie's interview the first time around, definitely make sure to tune in! Jodie grew up in New Zealand and came to Shanghai eight years ago via London. She and her husband, Joe (nicknamed ‘Fish’), and kids left a fantastic set up as expats in London to leap into the great unknown of China and are now embracing this life with all its opportunities and challenges. Tune in to hear her insights on how and why to stay optimistic while living life in China.

Mike Burns is so passionate about History that he changed careers to be able to teach it. Since he made the switch, Mike has taught students in elementary, middle and high school in the United States, Qatar and for the past eight years, China, nearly six of those at Concordia International School Shanghai. Of all of the classes and grades he has taught, Big History is the only one that allows Mike to collaborate with students discovering 13.6 billion years–all in one school year! If you are up for the challenge of tackling the history of the universe, don’t miss this podcast where Mike shares how the Big History project got started, what it is and how everything is connected! [This podcast is one of ten in the HowTo@ConcordiaShanghai series. For information on how to contract the Limitless platform to benefit your organization, connect with Ally today.]

Rachel Key studied Neuroscience at university and eventually transitioned into teaching Biology, Chemistry and Calculus. She has been a teacher now for seven years and has taught in the U.S., Korea, and China. The Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation awarded Rachel the “Dedication to Service Award" as recognition of her passion for service and public health. In this podcast Rachel takes us on a journey from gaining administrative support to engaging with student practitioners as they touch the lives of the medically disadvantaged in China. [This podcast is one of ten in the HowTo@ConcordiaShanghai series. For information on how to contract the Limitless platform to benefit your organization, connect with Ally today.]

Erik Paulson has been teaching for almost 20 years, all of it internationally. The constant at every school whether in Mexico, Egypt, Ghana, Panama or the last seven years at Concordia International School Shanghai, has been a course on International Relations, and an involvement in Model UN as a natural extension of that class. Whether you are looking to establish a Model United Nations program at your school or you would simply like some tips to make your existing program even better, this podcast with 20-year MUN veteran Erik Paulson will provide you with some unlikely tips to make that happen. [This podcast is one of ten in the HowTo@ConcordiaShanghai series. For information on how to contract the Limitless platform to benefit your organization, connect with Ally today.]

Michael Boll is a technology enthusiast. And a teacher. The mix of these two passions has led him down some exciting paths in education over his career. He currently serves as a Technology Coach at Concordia International School Shanghai. Brenda Petersen is a High School Assistant principal at the same school and is a former history teacher who is excited about helping kids discover their passions and coaching them on how to accomplish them. In this podcast, the "Tech" guy and the "Coach" employ humor and practical tips to share the ins and outs of hosting your own TEDx event at your school. [This podcast is one of ten in the HowTo@ConcordiaShanghai series. For information on how to contract the Limitless platform to benefit your organization, connect with Ally.]

Erin Kent is a lifelong learner who is passionate about literacy. She has been an educator for close to 15 years and has taught students from second to tenth grade in the U.S., Chile and China. Erin spent her first four years at Concordia as a classroom teacher and the past five years as Elementary School Instructional Coach, focusing on literacy from preschool to grade four. She works closely with students and teachers using techniques developed by Columbia University's Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop. For the 2015-16 school year Erin will move to the post of P-12 Curriculum Director. At Concordia, Erin has continued to learn and further cultivate her passion for literacy and Reading and Writing Workshop, which she shares with us in this episode. [This podcast is one of ten in the HowTo@ConcordiaShanghai series. For information on how to contract the Limitless platform to benefit your organization, contact Ally today.]