This week Michael talks to multiple award-nominated blogger, screenwriter and author Uju Asika, expanding the conversation around racism, and tackling why raising kind kids is so important. A powerful conversation about living as a minority in the UK, with an open and honest look at the experiences of growing up in a culture ready to mark you as different and the changes we can make, not just as parents but as compassionate human beings. 

On her popular blog Babes About Town, Uju she shares witty, informative and beautifully written stories about London, culture and family life.  A former journalist, she’s written for publications such as The Guardian and Time Out, and as a screenwriter and script editor, she’s worked on some of Africa’s hottest TV shows, including the award-winning series Tinsel. Born in Nigeria, Uju grew up in the UK and has worked in London, New York and Lagos. She now lives in North London with her husband and two football-mad boys. To find out more visit babesabouttown.com and follow Uju @babesabouttown.

This season of the Quiet Life was made possible by our friends at T2. Receive 10% off your first order and heaps of benefits such as rewards, experiences and personalised offers when you join the Tea Society. To start brewing the benefits and redeem your offer visit T2tea.com. This weeks featured tea is Just Peppermint, find out more about this tea here

This season on The Quiet life we invite you to join founder Michael James Wong as he speaks to inspiring people: the ones who are actively expanding conversations, challenging norms and narratives, leading the way towards real solutions, and showing us what it means to live mindfully in the world today. 

Learn with us as we ask the questions many of us are thinking but don’t know who to ask, ultimately discovering where we can begin, or perhaps continue, to do our part to help change the world for the better. This is a podcast about elevating the value of our communities and the actions we take to lift them up.  Now is the time to lean in, listen, and act. Let’s do the work together, and truly be mindful in the real world.

In this episode Michael talks to Lisa Daron Grossman, Founder of The Connection Cure about loneliness, the power of community and understanding our human need for connection. A powerful and moving episode, delving deep into a feeling many of us have felt at some point in our lives. 

Lisa has made it her life's work to listen and learn in conversations around loneliness, connection and compassion. A native New Yorker, speaker and coach Lisa hosts events that aim to take the stigma out of loneliness, while sharing information about the science of connection.  To find out more visit theconnectioncure.com and follow Lisa on Instagram @lisadaron.

This week Michael is talking to Luma Eldin, the Founder of Mndbar an organisation which helps bring the practice of mindfulness into the business world. Listen in as they discuss breaking away from societal norms, personal identities and creating new ideas through creativity. 

Luma Eldin is an innovation strategist who believes that mind training is essential to creativity, and that it has the power to help create a more positive impact in the world. Her career has been focused on transforming perceptions, and using creative problem solving to nurture growth and development. Find out more about Mndbar at mndbar.com and follow them on Instagram @mnd_bar. 

On this weeks episode we talk to Dajohn White and Prince Jimmar from Rebels for Peace, a non-profit youth organisation based in Chicago helping change the mindset of the communities living in America's most violent city. An inspiring and transformative discussion about the future of chronically underfunded and overlooked communities, and the amazing people within them fighting to make a difference. 

Rebels for Peace was founded by Dajohn White, and offers a way out from the circle of violence, retaliation and poverty found in Chicago, USA. Instead of complaining about what can't be done, Rebels For Peace offer hope, community and new solutions to problems that have been become a way of life, and for many the only way to survive on the streets.  Follow and donate to Rebels for Peace at rebelsforpeace.com follow them @rebelsforpeace. 

Dajohn is joined by Prince Jimmar, a musician, songwriter and social change advocate who plays a big part in Rebels For Peace, using his music as a platform to share his story and inspire positive change in his community. To find out more about Prince Jimmar visit princejimmar.com and follow him on Instagram @princejimmar.

On this weeks episode we talk to Héctor García, Author of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life about life in Japan, finding your purpose in life and making way to spend more time doing the things that make you happy. An important conversation about finding your way in life, and discovering how everyone has the power to making a difference. 

Héctor García is a citizen of Japan, and the author of several books about Japanese culture, including two worldwide bestsellers. His popular blog led to his international bestseller A Geek In Japan. His bestselling book Ikigai has been translated to 57 languages, has the strange honor of being the most translated book ever originally written in Spanish language. To find out more about Hector you can visit his blog ageekinjapan.com or you can follow him on Instagram @kirainet. 

On this weeks episode Michael talks to Lynn Tabbara, TEDxCoventGardenWomen Curator and Intaliqi Co-Founder. This is a beautiful and vulnerable conversation between friends, as Lynn speaks openly about growing up feeling as though she didn't belong, how this has shaped the way she works and the importance of creating opportunities for quieter and less privileged voices to be heard both on and off stage.

On this weeks episode Michael talks to Venetia La Manna, a climate activist and slow fashion advocate about the pressures of social media, learning to get over mistakes and the importance of being human in a world where everyone is expecting you to have the answer. An honest and personal conversation about the realities of doing your best to live mindfully in the real world.

On this episode Michael talks to Dr. Dani Gordon, a double board qualified medical doctor and specialist in Integrative medicine and cannabis medicine, CBD and resilience. They discuss the world of CBD, what it is, how it works and why it's having such a phenomenal boom right now. This is an eye opening conversation for anyone who is interested in learning more about how the world of health and medicine is evolving.  

Dani now lives in London full time, her book 'The CBD Bible: Cannabis and the wellness revolution that will change your life' (released July 2020), to find out more about Dani and her book you can visit her website drdanigordon.com or follow her on Instagram @drdanigordon. This is a Just Breathe ® Podcast theme song by @ioramusic, produced by Niki Priest. To find out more about Just Breathe visit justbreatheproject.com and follow along @justbreathe

On this episode Michael talks to Will Sebastian Clempner ; Writer, Filmmaker and Host of the podcast  'Can We Just Ask' about lifestyle changes, difficult conversations and making time to do things you actually like doing. This is a joyful episode between two friends about how we are always learning.  

Will strives to use creativity and collaboration to provide a platform for people and stories who might not usually have the opportunity. He also writes a huge variety of comedy scripts, for an array of platforms - something that he develops along with his improv teammates - who perform regular shows around London. He is a member of the Hoopla narrative house team - The Descendants - as well as long-form improv team, Amorphous Horse.  If you want to find out more about Will you can find him at www.willsebastian.me, on Twitter @willclempner, or you can listen in on his podcast 'Can we Just Ask' wherever you get your podcasts.