Ok, full disclosure. When I first heard about my guest this week, I didn’t think to ask her about being on the podcast. I saw Serein Wu, beauty YouTuber and thought, she’s beautiful, and what's more, she used to be a dancer and an actor in LA! Way out of my league! 

Turns out, Serein is funny, down-to-earth and such a friendly person! I’m so glad I eventually plucked up the courage to invite her to be on the podcast to talk about her journey with anxiety, depression and why she decided to leave show business to become a blogger, YouTuber and a Nutritionist & Health Coach.

Here’s the thing I learned since starting the podcast. There are so many generous women willing to support other women, who believe in other women especially when we don’t even believe in ourselves! Serein is one of those women. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed talking with Serein. 

Connect with Serein on Instagram @sereinwu or go to https://sereinwu.com/link-in-bio/

This week’s podcast guest talks about something close to my heart - FOOD!

Growing up overweight most of my childhood and still identifying as someone who has to watch her weight, I’m always interested in learning more about cultivating a healthy relationship with food. 

My guest this week is chef Daniella Malfitano @chefdmalfi. Daniella is a chef of 15 years and a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and she’s passionate about helping you use food to heal and thrive. 

She’s created and hosted Delicious Discoveries for PBS and was also the producer of the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival, hosting all of the Food Network stars and celebrity chefs from all over the United States on the Disney stage. She’s written and produced her own in-park show about healthy living and edited cookbooks. 

Her impressive culinary experience belies a super personable, relatable and wonderful human being. We talk about her transition from being a traditional chef to a plant-based chef and what Daniella refers to as being the antithesis of a chef! These days, Daniella streams live demonstrations of her plant-based recipes daily on her live cooking show. 

Daniella takes us on her journey of listening to your intuition, acting on your calling, even when it’s difficult, painful and involves twists and turns along the way. Find out how Daniella went from nursing to food, what they have in common, what spirituality and God has to do with food, and how you can become plant-based even if it’s just a few times a week as a way to get healthier, save the planet and be kinder to animals!

RESOURCES

Connect with Daniella on:

Instagram @chefdmalfi

Facebook @chefdaniellamalfitano

YouTube

Plant-Based Made Easy Facebook Group

I’m very excited to share this week’s episode with Espree Devora. 

Espree Devora recently featured in INC Magazine as one of the top 30 women in tech to follow and known as “the Girl who Gets it Done” uses technology and digital content to thoughtfully connect people in the tech industry and move them from online connections to meaningful offline relationships. 

Her company WeAreLATech creates high quality digital content including podcasts, technology and curated offline experiences focused on the Los Angeles tech and global women in tech ecosystems. 

Espree is also the producer and host of the Women in Tech Podcast. Women In Tech shares stories of ‘actionable empowerment'. Listeners walk away feeling “If she can do it, so can I.” 

We didn’t talk about this during the interview, but you may also recognise Espree as the face of Clubhouse!

This episode is packed with so much valuable insights, lessons and takeaways from Espree about doing something you care deeply about in spite of the fear, limiting beliefs and doubts you feel and learning to love yourself, protect your energy, and be the person you want to be so that you can create the life you want. 

She shares 6 powerful Self-Audit questions to ask yourself to help you become more aware and conscious about whether you’re living the life you truly want:

1. Is how I’m living how I want to be living?
2. Is who’s in my life who I want in my life?
3. Do I feel empowered and energized by the people I’m surrounded by?
4. Do I feel supported by them?
5. Do I communicate honestly and authentically?
6. Do I set boundaries for my needs?

Espree’s energy is infectious so I was surprised to learn she’s an introvert. I asked her how she protects her energy since what she does is so much about being around people. She admits this is something she’s paying more attention to and shares what helps her protect her energy:

1. Having sufficient sleep
2. Being in nature
3. Eating well
4. Having boundaries, saying no more than yes
5. Meditating
6. Doing something nice for yourself

RESOURCES

Connect with Espree on:

• Twitter & Instagram @espreedevora 
• LinkedIn @espree
• YouTube

Espree’s Experimental Cohort, Launch 30 Podcast Episodes in 30 Days

Women in Tech Podcast

WeAreLATech Podcast

Smart Passive Income Podcast Episode with Espree - SPI 543: Marketing, Mindfulness & Making Things Happen with Espree Devora

Espree’s podcast interview with Karen Dwyer, The MS Coach: Women In Tech Ireland

Shelpful

Daniel Vassallo on Twitter 

A Portfolio of Small Bets Course by Daniel Vassallo

‘It’s About Damn Time’ by Arlan Hamilton

Elaine Haren is a homeschooling mom and parenting coach who believes in the unconditional potential of children. As a Parenting Coach, Elaine helps parents deepen their connection with their children and helps motivate them through positive and loving parenting techniques. Elaine is passionate about raising creative and confident children. 

I wanted to have Elaine on the podcast to learn more about what it’s like to homeschool her kids and how homeschooling differs from traditional schooling. Elaine shares her goal of raising her kids as global citizens and equipping them with skills that will prepare them for the future and to become creators and problem solvers. She’s also interested in the future of education, and finding out about the latest ideas, resources, platforms, and technologies that will help parents prepare and best raise a child. 

Whether homeschooling is something for your kids or not, this episode will remind us that regardless of our age, we’re all creative beings gifted with the ability to solve problems, so let’s not lose sight of this innate potential in all of us!

RESOURCES

• Connect with Elaine on:
  • Instagram @creativemummyinspirations for fun activities to do with your kids
  • @unconditionalpotential on Facebook and Instagram for some parenting tips and techniques
  • LinkedIn
• Wolsey Hall Oxford Homeschooling 
• Elaine has also been listed as one of 20 Inspiring Women in Singapore for International Women’s Day 2020, Sassy Mama and mentioned in Singapore’s 40 over 40. 

My guest this week is someone I had on episode 59 when we talked about her career as a trailblazer in the tough industry of advertising and her personal journey with IVF which also led to her instrumental role in shaping Singapore’s policy on IVF. She’s none other than Linda Locke.

Linda is a highly awarded creative with over 300 awards to her name including a string of accolades from local, regional and international shows and a Gold Cannes Lion winner and part of the prestigious Cannes Lions judging panel.

The 10th anniversary of the Singapore Advertising Hall of Fame Awards in 2008 saw Linda receiving the ‘Newsweek Lifetime Achievement Award’ in recognition of her three decades of service to the Singapore Advertising Industry. Linda was the first woman to achieve the award. 

Linda’s extensive experience and accomplishments makes it such an honour and inspiration to me. She’s someone who breaks boundaries, challenges the status quo and works with great tenacity for what she believes is the right thing to do.

She calls herself stubborn, I see it as resilience and someone who always finds a way to make her ideas and dreams a reality.

I invited Linda back because the last time we spoke Linda briefly mentioned her work to get Agnes, her great grand aunt's contribution at creating the first hybrid orchid and Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim recognised.

This episode is a little longer than usual because I really wanted to get the behind the scenes of how Linda worked with multiple parties locally and abroad and in some instances, rather high level parties, to reinstate the correct facts of the history behind Agnes’ work with the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid. Along the way, we talked about growing up today versus in earlier times, the impact of social media on our kids, storytelling, her new book series and more!

So grab a coffee or take us on your walk, your work out or drive and eavesdrop on our conversation about pushing through boundaries, following through to the end to get the resolution we want, how to work through challenges and roadblocks when going for something you really desire, growing up, parenting and more!

RESOURCES

• Connect with Linda on Instagram @godmotherbooks 
• Linda’s website Godmother Books 
• Vanda Miss Joaquim: Singapore's National Flower & the Legacy of Agnes & Ridley
• Episode 59 with Linda Locke - Inside the Mind of Linda Locke, Accomplished Leader In Advertising, IVF Warrior, Children’s Book Author & Great Grandniece of Agnes Joaquim, the first woman in the world to create a Hybrid Orchid, Singapore’s National Flower
• To get a taste of Linda’s extensive accomplishments, please go to the EPISODE PAGE.
• Singapore Botanic Gardens
• The Royal Horticultural Society 
• The Straits Times
• Epigram Books

This week I speak with Snehal Ponde, Life & Career Coach and a certified NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) practitioner. What makes Snehal’s journey from an HR professional to a Coach special, is how she decided to pursue her passion for Coaching while battling Stage 4 breast cancer.

Snehal and her husband moved to Singapore from Mumbai in 2019. In April 2020, the couple welcomed a healthy baby boy. She got detected with breast cancer when her baby was five-months old and had to initiate her treatment immediately since the cancer had spread to her lungs, liver and bone. 

The last 16 months has seen her undergoing chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and radiation. Despite the pain and problems associated with cancer and its treatment, Snehal was determined not to allow cancer to define who she is and what she does.

While her treatment is still on, she is keen on speaking about her journey, in her quest to spread awareness about breast cancer, finding her passion and not treating cancer like a death sentence. 

We go beyond talking about her cancer to discuss spirituality, one of my favourite topics. No one would fault Snehal if she had a negative perspective on life, but what’s so inspiring is that in spite of everything she’s going through - the uncertainties, fears, doubts and more - Snehal remains positive and determined to live life fully.

If you’re at a place where you feel everything is at a deadend, listen to this episode to get a wider perspective on life and your incredible power to make a difference. You’ll be inspired by Snehal’s story.

RESOURCES

Snehal’s Instagram @blue_lotus_coach and website

Snehal’s mobile: +85-88309484 

Sofie Hon’s LinkedIn Post

The Channel News Asia article I referred to:

Fighting stage 4 breast cancer: New mum shares her story while still in chemotherapy

This week, I spoke with Dr Deborah Ward about the consequences of basing our self-worth on financial success. I was interested in this topic because I wanted to understand why some people place so much importance on financial success compared with others. I learned from Dr Ward that it’s because some people derive their sense of self-worth from how financially successful they are. We also discussed what to do if you’re someone like that.

Besides the topic of deriving self-worth from financial success, Dr Ward also shares her insights and experiences about why she decided to pursue a career in academia and what you’ll need to be aware of if you’re considering going into academia. We talked about the key to success for a career in research, like the need for collaboration, of finding good mentors, how to view failure differently, and the tenacity, independence and balance needed to thrive. 

Dr. Deborah Ward recently graduated with her Ph.D. in Social-Personality Psychology from University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. She earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts from Muhlenberg College, where she double majored in Psychology and Russian Studies, and her M.S. in Psychology from Villanova University. Currently, Dr. Ward is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Saginaw Valley State University.

Broadly, Dr. Ward studies topics related to identity threat. People are susceptible to identity-threat when they receive negative feedback related to important aspects of the self (e.g., competence, appearance). Much of her work revolves around the consequences of basing self-worth on financial success. 

More recently, she has applied this work to academic contexts with the goal of understanding how to identify circumstances – in the classroom or university-wide – that could threaten students’ self-esteem or self-efficacy, and potentially discourage them from meeting or pursuing academic goals. Dr. Ward has also conducted research on numerous other topics, including romantic relationships, economic inequality, cultural norms, and coping with stressors.

I’m grateful to Dr Ward for sharing her perspective, wisdom and insights from her work and her own journey and I know you’ll enjoy this one!

You can connect with Dr Ward through email at [email protected]

This week’s episode is with Ashleigh Rennie. Ashleigh is a conversion copywriter and copy strategist. She works with high-performing business women all over the world, who are looking to increase their impact, expand their audience, and connect with their communities in the most authentic and human way imaginable.

It was Siobhain Danaher, one of my previous guests, who introduced me to Ashleigh because Ashleigh had written a blog post about how having to adapt to changing financial circumstances has led to the kind of relationship she has with money. We also talked about how she ended up doing what she does now, which is to help women entrepreneurs discover and speak in their truest and most authentic voice. 

These 2 themes of money and authenticity couldn’t have come at a better time as this podcast transitions from one that used to primarily discuss our relationship with money to one that now is all about helping you follow your passions and pursue your dreams to create a life your heart desires. To do that, you have to find who your true self is. You can’t speak in your authentic voice, or say and do what your heart desires if you don’t know who your true self even is.

Ashleigh also recommends a book, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, which is a 12-week workbook that I’m now halfway through and I thoroughly enjoy and suggest you pick up if you want to find your inner voice and creativity that is essential to living a life of passion and doing what your heart loves.

I see all this happening in perfect timing to support this transition for the podcast and for me personally in finding and speaking in my most authentic, true voice, from my heart. All of which is to say how everything is always happening synchronously for us, if we care to pay attention.

Ashleigh is so much fun to talk to and please check out her website and follow her on Instagram. Her newsletters are always a blast and she has an awesome quiz to find out your brand’s unique voice. The links are found below.

RESOURCES

Ashleigh’s website and Instagram (@thestoryteamldn)

Ashleigh’s blog post - Grateful For Growing Up Poor: AKA Let’s Talk About Money

Take Ashleigh’s Quiz to find out your brand’s voice

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Siobhain’s episode - There Are Multiple Paths to Financial Freedom - What's Yours? With Siobhain Danaher

Natalie’s episode - Create Freedom in Your Business & Adventure in Life with Natalie Sisson

This episode explains why I decided to rebrand The Financially Free Woman Podcast into The Two Point Zero Podcast and what you can expect from the show in 2022 and beyond.

You can listen to these interviews on https://twopointzero.me/podcast

Don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter to be updated whenever new episodes are ready. You can sign up at https://twopointzero.me/newsletter

If my guests helped you in some way, please let them know! I hope you stick around by following the show and please leave a review on Apple Podcast if you enjoyed the show.

Thanks for listening!

This week’s episode is a continuation of where we left off from Episode 052 with Lagom Kids. 

When I asked co-founder of Lagom Kids, Anna if she had any final advice at the end of the episode for you listeners, she suggested for women to ‘freeze your eggs!’. 

Well that intrigued me and we had a brief chat about it after the interview and I found out a little more about her personal journey with IVF. That’s how we also talked about Linda Locke from last week’s episode. Linda was Anna’s mentor through her IVF journey.

If you’re wondering whether you should freeze your eggs, or know a loved one or friend who is considering this, or maybe you just want to learn a bit more about this topic, then I hope Anna’s honest and open sharing will give you some insight from her perspective. 

I really appreciate Anna offering to share this personal experience in the hope of helping someone out there. Don’t forget to let Anna know if what she’s shared helped you in some way. 

Enjoy!

RESOURCES

Episode with Lagom Kids

Episode with Linda Locke

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonsinghsidhu/