Occupational Hazards

Is it possible to find the poetic in the political? Award-winning poet and writer Gian Lao shares how a poetry mentor and romantic heartbreak led him to his first job as a speechwriter for the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

Currently working in strategic communications for the private sector, including a recent stint as Communications Lead of the Metro Pacific Hospitals COVID Task Force, he is better-known for his thought-provoking, viral essays that hold a mirror to Philippine society – how we treat our security guards, the gaps in our justice system, and the inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic.

On this episode, Gian takes us back to 2010 – 2016, when he drafted policy speeches for the late President Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III and his Cabinet. He gives us an empathetic, insightful, and balanced view of working inside government, including moments of humor, personal regrets, hard-won lessons, and thoughts on legacy.

While his first job may not have been easy, it definitely gave him creative material for a lifetime.

This episode is dedicated to all the good people in government, and all the good people holding governments everywhere accountable.

---

Follow Gian on IG @gian.lao and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gian-lao-9768b484/

Ask him about his first book of poetry, “All the Winters of My Body,” as well his poetry zine, “What We Can See of the Sky”

https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/literature/2017/03/21/gian-lao-all-the-winters-of-my-body.html

Articles we discussed

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/03/04/20/opinion-security-agencies-should-stop-abusing-the-very-people-they-arm-with-guns

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/11/10/19/the-tulfos-are-the-face-of-philippine-justice-and-that-should-bother-us

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/06/25/21/pnoy-was-my-boss-a-delayed-dispatch-from-a-palace-speechwriter

---

Note: The Silliman University National Writers Workshop (SUNWW) is the longest running creative writing workshop in Asia.

Established in 1962 by National Artist for Literature Edith L. Tiempo and Edilberto K. Tiempo, both of whom had taken part in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in the United States, the annual workshop is widely considered a rite of passage for the country’s finest writers.

With the support of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, fellowships are offered to emerging Filipino writers in various genres, namely fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama.

https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/2252/a-golden-age-of-writing/

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo

Feeling stuck in your current path? Get inspired by Michelle Easter, a former make-up artist and model who pivoted to mechanical engineering in her late 20s and now makes robotic spacecrafts for NASA.

Proof that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams, our second season opener is a fascinating story of switching careers, summoning the courage to start something new, ignoring the naysayers, and following one’s curiosity.

A gifted communicator, she explains in layman’s terms the work she is doing on the Mars Perseverance rover, the Mars Sample Return project, as well as NASA’s low-cost ventilator project in response to the pandemic.

Though she has received many accolades for her work, including the Charles Elachi Early Career Achievement Award, what struck us most about Michelle was her passion for mentoring others and supporting engineering outreach.

This episode is dedicated to all the women in STEM, and to Shana Watts and Kristel Cue for making this interview possible.

---

Follow Michelle on IG @metheeaster, on Twitter @michelleeaster, and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmichelleeaster/

More on her work

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/people/4161/michelle-easter/

https://mars.nasa.gov/people/profile/index.cfm?id=23210

http://www.womenintech-swwa.com/uncategorized/michelle-easter-full-interview/

Women of NASA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIvSACh46YM

More about NASA’s low-cost ventilator project (VITAL)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB7SdwkBqHU

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-develops-covid-19-prototype-ventilator-in-37-days

More about Mind Makers, her non-profit that focuses on making robotics education accessible and approachable for new learners of all ages

www.mindmakersproject.org

@mindmakersproject on IG and @mindmakersproj on Twitter

---

Correction: The commencement speaker at the BU grad that I referenced was Dr. Ioannis Miaoulis, former President and Director of the Museum of Science in Boston. He was also the former Dean of Tufts University's School of Engineering, not Boston University's College of Engineering.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioannis-yannis-miaoulis-36123430/

https://trustees.tufts.edu/info/bios/miaoulis/

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo

In the second half of our "2 Fast 2 Family" Season Finale, we recap the rest of Season 1 (Episodes 4 - 11 with Stefanie Walmsley, Marc Gomez, Catherine Sarah Young, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Danni Virata, Lennard Hulsbos, Margarita Villanueva, and Sean Anthony).

Name wizard Sab, logo ideator Jen, and audio producer Panch join podcaster Jo in reading from our mailbag and sharing behind-the-scenes trivia. We also chat diplomas vs. work experience, privilege as a career booster, openness as key to lucky breaks, inclusivity as an ingredient for social change, lying on your resume (from Rufio in Hook to Joey on F.R.I.E.N.D.S.), and the absolute worst titles of all time (ninjas vs. rockstars?!)

Listen till the end for a preview of Season 2 and post-credits behind-the-scenes brainstorming 💥

Other topics:

Taekwondo, like Taehyung

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1dkR6CocM4

Scholarships vs. celebrity

Jackson Wang https://www.soompi.com/article/860219wpp/got7%E2%80%B2s-jackson-turned-down-offer-from-prestigious-u-s-university-in-the-past-to-pursue-his-dreams

Corbin Bleu https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/about/our-blog/corbin-bleu/

Pavlovian responses

https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html

https://www.healthline.com/health/classical-conditioning#how-it-works

Tim Drake, again

https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/robin-bisexual-comes-out-batman-comic-1235038576/

https://nerdist.com/article/why-tim-drake-robin-coming-out-as-bisexual-matters-dc-comics/

How the Philippines won at the Tokyo Olympics

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3144297/tokyo-olympics-how-philippines-won-multiple-medals

SB19's Difficult Journey

Toni Gonzaga interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVUhk2m9YxQ

ET Canada interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ6RSeAcATQ

On their Billboard Music Awards nomination https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/sb19-billboard-music-awards-bbmas-top-social-artist-award-nomination-open-windows-for-artists-in-the-philippines-2021

Bridgerton Intimacy Coordinator Lizzy Talbot

https://www.vulture.com/2021/01/bridgerton-sex-scenes-how-they-were-filmed.html

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/05/entertainment/bridgerton-intimacy-coordinator/index.html

That Lady Bird Monologue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO3LFvYZHt4

Listening, Viewing, Reading Recs of Season 1 Guests

https://tinyurl.com/OHSeason1Recs

http://tinyurl.com/OHSeason2Recs

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow https://instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo

How do we give voice to a global diaspora without reducing it to a punchline? In this bonus coffee break episode, we read the reactions we got to S1E07 guest Joaquin Pedro Valdes, specifically his Filipino Accent workshop for performers. 

Joaquin's study of the Filipino accent and its place in the global narrative opens up conversations on how Filipino characters are written, portrayed, and represented in mainstream media... and how a deeper historic and cultural understanding are required to appreciate the spectrum of speech and sounds in the diaspora.

In response, romance writer Mina V. Esguerra sent us her feelings on problematic depictions of Pinoy accents in English audiobooks. Applied Linguistics expert Prof. Ron Darvin also shared research on the interplay of social class and linguistics among Filipino migrant communities, and helpful resources for actors to avoid "essentializing and exoticizing" the Filipino accent.

Along the way, we weigh in on audience reactions to the accents in Netflix's Trese.

And finally, Joaquin flips the script by getting British actors of Filipino descent to recite the Bard in Filipino, in a moving tribute to the thousands of Filipino migrant nurses working for the National Health Service all across the UK, many of whom have left their homes to live far from the ones they love.

---

Follow Joaquin on IG @joaquinpedrovaldes or Twitter @jpedrovaldesuk

More on his accent project at https://www.andasian.com/feed/andasian-roundtable-filipino-linguistics

Follow Mina on IG or Twitter @minavesguerra

http://minavesguerra.com

https://www.romanceclassbooks.com/book-author/mina-v-esguerra/

Follow Ron on IG @ron.darvin or Twitter @rondarvin

https://cuhk.academia.edu/RonDarvin

https://languagesciences.ubc.ca/people/affiliate/ron-darvin

https://www.academia.edu/34671909/Social_class_and_the_inequality_of_English_speakers_in_a_globalized_world_pdf

https://www.dialectsarchive.com/philippines

Watch Trese on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/trese

---

Watch New Earth Theatre's "Bayanihan with Love: Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare"

https://youtu.be/el0jaGhsP0Q

Translated and directed by Joaquin Pedro Valdes

Cast: James Bradwell, Jane Burns, Heidi Carmichael, James Cooney, Vincent Fajilagmago, Richard Peralta, Max Percy, Jeffrey Sangalang, Martin Sarreal, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Joyce Veheary

Royalty-Free Music: Gavin Luke's "Sincerity" via www.epidemicsound.com

Ilokano, Cebuano, and Hiligaynon line translations by Carlo Blanco and Luna Griño Inocian

Video created for New Earth Theatre @newearththeatre

https://yellowearth.org/bayanihan-with-love2/

Video produced for #FilipinoFood4NHS, with special thanks to Kanlungan Filipino Consortium and Filipino Food UK, and supported using public funding by Arts Council England

#BayanihanWithLove

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow https://instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo

It's our fast and furious Family Episode! Name wizard Sab, logo ideator Jen, and audio producer Panch come on air to help podcaster Jo recap the first part of Season 1 (feat. Episodes 1 - 3 with Bing Chen, Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz, and Nino Indrawan).  We read from our mailbag (including thirst comments about guests), share behind-the-scenes memories, and talk why we started the pod. We also touch on dance as pre-med, countries in Southeast Asia, finding one's ikigai, Undercover Boss, BTS eggs, lost kids, whether LinkedIn breeds insecurity, and a whole slew of topics, including:

What is an “epal”

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/87787/in-the-know-%E2%80%98epal%E2%80%99

Stopping Asian hate

John Oliver cites Vincent Chin slaying during episode dedicated to America's history of anti-AAPI racism

https://youtu.be/29lXsOYBaow

How Vincent Chin's Death Gave Others A Voice

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2021/03/27/981718272/how-vincent-chins-death-gave-others-a-voice

Filipinos attacked in Italy

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/185801/filipino-mistaken-for-chinese-gets-into-brawl-in-italy-amid-covid-19-outbreak-report

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/2/18/coronavirus-prompts-hysterical-shameful-sinophobia-in-italy

Gold House & Netflix launch Netflix Gold

https://about.netflix.com/en/news/gold-house-and-netflix-launch-the-netflix-gold-program-to-celebrate-api

https://screenrant.com/ryan-potter-tim-drake-batman-superman-audition-titans/

https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2020/10/12/how-a-death-in-the-family-shook-the-world

https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/10/21168055/batman-robin-jason-todd-die-poll-live-unpublished-pages

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/please-stop-using-the-term-spirit-animal

https://www.distractify.com/p/why-is-spirit-animal-offensive

Myers-Briggs as horoscope -- why people use The Big Five instead

https://www.vox.com/2014/7/15/5881947/myers-briggs-personality-test-meaningless

https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/big-five-personality-traits-backed-by-science-explained/10749608

"Yes, Women with Doctorates Should Be Called Dr."

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/yes-women-doctorates-should-called-dr-adam-grant

https://twitter.com/adammgrant/status/1338121623510114307?lang=en

Eleven Lifetimes

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2012-09-02

Listening, Viewing, Reading Recs of Season 1 Guests

https://tinyurl.com/OHSeason1Recs

http://tinyurl.com/OHSeason2Recs

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow https://instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo

Professional basketball player Sean Anthony takes us behind the scenes of the Philippine Basketball Association 2020 bubble as he gears up for another season this year. (The PBA was the first professional basketball league in Asia and remains the second oldest continuous professional basketball league in the world, after the NBA.)

A native of Canada with Filipino roots on his mother’s side, Sean played varsity hoops at McGill University before entering the PBA. (The inventor of the game of basketball, James Naismith, also studied and taught physical education at McGill University.) Now the team captain of Northport Batang Pier, Sean chats with us about favorite players, what separates the good from the great, the importance of mental conditioning, and the career path of pro ballers after the sport.

Named PBA Defensive Player of the Year by the PBA Press Corps in 2019, Sean is obviously a force to reckon with, but it’s his devotion to his family and principles that has us cheering. This Father’s Day episode is dedicated to all the sports fans, anyone trying to set new records for themselves, and all the father figures out there.

---

Follow Sean on IG and Twitter @seananthony10

More on his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) studies et al

See the PBA 2019 Game of the Season: NorthPort Batang Pier’s triple overtime victory over the top-seeded NLEX Road Warriors

Coverage: https://tv5.espn.com/basketball/pba/story/_/id/28175158/northport-knocks-nlex-triple-ot-classic

Highlights: https://www.philsports.ph/2019/11/pba-quarterfinals-nlex-vs-northport-nov-27.html

Follow Northport Batang Pier on IG and Facebook @NorthPortPH

---

Other references:

Mighty Ducks https://time.com/mighty-ducks/

Love & Basketball https://tv5.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/29069339/an-oral-history-love-basketball-20-years-later

Sean's Recommended Reading:

1. "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

2. "Eleven Rings" by Phil Jackson

3. "Sacred Hoops" by Phil Jackson

Our Recommended Reading:

Mental secrets of athletes https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180627-is-quiet-eye-the-secret-to-success-for-athletes

The history of basketball in the Philippines: “Pacific Rims” by Rafe Bartholomew

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo

Margarita Villanueva is the Assistant to the Director and the Manager of Conservation at the Lopez Museum and Library in the Philippines, helping oversee the management and operations of the museum and its Conservation Center, respectively. She also served as elected Chair of the Arts & Culture Committee at the League of Corporate Foundations in the Philippines.

Prior to this, she worked in Venice at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, one of the most visited art galleries in Italy. She also worked for several years in conservation in Canada at various private laboratories and the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Marga holds Bachelors Degrees in Materials Chemistry and Art History from the University of British Columbia. She later went to Cardiff University as a Chevening scholar to obtain her Master of Science in Professional Conservation, graduating with distinction. At Cardiff, she furthered her study in the scientific approach to conservation practice and collections care.

On this episode, she shares with us her optimism for the Philippine art scene (she sees many more opportunities than limitations), the most memorable objects people have brought in for restoration, and how contemporary art gave her a whole new perspective on materials. She also shares anecdotes about why conservators should be consulted early in the architectural design process (i.e., why your airconditioning or windows may be ruining your artwork).

This episode is dedicated to those keeping our arts, heritage, and culture alive.

---

Follow Marga on LinkedIn

- Ask her about her grad school dissertation, for which she developed a standardized methodology for evaluating non-aqueous deacidification spray treatments, and evaluated the neutralization and penetration characteristics of MgO (magnesium oxide) on watercolor paper

- Marga was recently awarded a technical grant to participate in a professional program in Managing Collection Environments with the Getty Conservation Institute. Her final project involved developing an environmental management policy for the Lopez Museum and Library, and integrating the policy into the architectural design of its new building

- Marga was also a panelist at the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Triennial Conference in Conservation, entitled, "Transcending Boundaries"

More on the Lopez Museum and Library:

https://www.lopezmuseum.org.ph/

--

Other references:

Pacita Abad's show at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD Manila)

Pinto Art Museum

Neri Oxman (MIT profile)

Hedy Lamarr to be played by Gal Gadot

Kintsugi

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo

Lennard Hulsbos is a design strategist working at the intersection of business, technology, and designed experiences for clients like Deutsche Telekom, Huawei, Lenovo, Starbucks, Philips, Porsche, Uber, and Circle Economy.

His experience in building global design agencies and teams began in 2008, when he founded one of the world’s first online graphic design agencies, Cradle of Design. Len went on to help lead branding and design agencies across Asia Pacific and Europe – including Aquarius (now ServicePlan China), Designit, Spark Design, and Iris – before setting up the Netherlands outpost of the Danish firm Manyone in 2019. Projects included strategy and branding for a vegan ice cream brand under Unilever, the development of Toolkit Earth, and thought leadership on the EU Green Deal and its implications for business, before COVID-19 halted the Dutch office’s operations in 2020.

Len continues to do independent consulting in the field of strategic design, championing post-human-centric design and sustainability in product development, while advising organizations on expansion and change management.

Active in various social and political causes, Len was part of a youth-led effort helping to shape the Climate Agreement for the Dutch government. He was also part of the team awarded two UN Millennium Goals Awards with Satara, a slow fashion women’s equality NGO.

Len co-founded Circular UBI (C.UBI), an initiative that aims to develop a sustainable economic paradigm by proposing a preliminary framework to finance a universal basic income out of global resource usage, within the context of the circular economy and enabled by technology. He discusses both circularity and UBI with us today, as well as his thoughts on user rights / data privacy, and the socio-economic impact of an automated society.

This episode is dedicated to anyone trying to build bridges of understanding and live in harmony with those who have different beliefs. In this (artificially?) divided world, Len’s kind and inclusive approach to having potentially polarizing discussions is a vision of the future we can all get behind.

---

Follow Len https://www.linkedin.com/in/hulsbos/ and C.UBI http://www.circularubi.org/

Ask him about Toolkit Earth, a facilitation tool that aims to marry business, human, and planetary needs to solve the climate crisis, whilst building great cities, businesses, and experiences.

He is currently building a political lobby with Maak Amsterdam and supporting a global coalition of youth advocates in creating a campaign.

More talks:

Creative Mornings Munich

Challenging the Status Quo Podcast

Recommended Reading:

Environmental Migrants: Up to 1 Billion by 2050

New Zealand Ditches GDP for Happiness and Wellbeing

More on Circular Economy, UBI, Data Rights

---

Photo by Stephanie Zuure

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License 

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo

Daniella Virata is an equestrienne from a family of horse enthusiasts and competitive riders. She herself has entered several show jumping competitions around the world and earned certifications from the British Horse Society and International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).

A stint as a riding instructor in Singapore introduced Danni to the world of equine assisted therapy, as she worked on the Equine Assisted Learning (EQUAL) program co-developed by the Equestrian Federation of Singapore to cater to at-risk youth. Her teaching standards have been approved by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH Int'l) and the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA).

Danni comes alive when talking about all things equine, including how they’ve been man's partner since the dawn of civilization, and what humans can learn from these magnificent creatures. She outlines all the hard work behind the perceived glamor (think concussions, cleaning the arena, and caring for horses with colic), strides being made for inclusivity in the sport, and how she helped spearhead emergency rescue ops for 150 ponies that had to be evacuated when Taal Volcano erupted in 2020.

Danni and her siblings now run DXD Equestrian Specialists, Inc., which offers group and private riding lessons, catering to aspiring competitors, adult leisure riders, and beginners. Headquartered at Rancho Leonor in Silang, Cavite (just outside Metro Manila), DXD’s home base is a place to relax, enjoy nature, and appreciate the simple joys of life around animals.

We hope this episode will be a breath of fresh air to animal lovers and anyone missing nature right now! Listen till the end of the episode, where we have a meditation exercise from Little Shell Yoga to soothe your spirits.

---

Follow Danni’s work at DXD Equestrian @dxdequestrian and @rancholeonor

https://www.facebook.com/dxdequestrian

Watch Danni talk about the history of horses with Ballet Philippines

https://ballet.ph/en-pointe/the-virata-family/

Read more about her work and love for the sport

https://ariequestrian.com/blog/2020/rider-profile-danni-virata

Get a glimpse of the Mongolia trail ride she shared on the pod

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86zQK07szZU

---

Photo by @rjolaso

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo

Joaquin Pedro Valdes recently appeared in the UK / international productions of “Miss Saigon” & “The King and I,” and “Fanny and Stella,” the first fully staged musical to open in London after the COVID lockdowns. (Bridgerton fans, this show was done at The Garden Theatre at Vauxhall.)

A professional theater actor in the Philippines from a young age, he set aside that calling for “more practical” pursuits and took up architecture and then film in college, launching his career as a director. He made films that were screened in festivals worldwide, and also made a name for himself in the industry directing commercials and music videos for nearly a decade.

He continued to star in theater productions as a break in between directing jobs, until the lure of the stage proved too strong. He took a leap of faith and decided to pursue theater full-time in the UK, going to head to head with the best performers from around the world.

On the pod, he gets candid about the ups and downs of being a professional actor, and how his previous experiences in the Philippines (as a director and actor appearing in theater, film, TV, and radio… and also a recording artist in a boy band) helped prepare him for the international scene. He also shares insights on the future of the performing arts and storytelling in the new normal.

This episode is dedicated to anyone who has relocated in pursuit of a calling, and to fellow theater fans. At a time when the arts are being defunded, it’s inspiring to see people soldiering on in service of storytelling that nourishes the soul.

---

Follow Joaquin on Instagram @joaquinpedrovaldes or on Twitter @jpedrovaldesuk

Choice performances from his YouTube channel:

1. A hopeful song for anyone who needed to hear this

2. Original songs performed with the group 17:28 (2020 reunion versions)

Sukob Na

Come Breathe Me - Joaquin wrote this one!

Features and Press Coverage:

Fanny and Stella Reviews - London Theater Reviews, GScene, The i

Behind the Scenes - Theater Fans Manila, ABS-CBN News, The Inquirer

Profiles - TresA Magazine, Pocket Size Theatre

More on his theater journey on the Samsung Performing Arts Theater podcast:

https://tinyurl.com/JoaquinValdesStateoftheArts

---

Photo by @pndheadshots

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo