A Colorful Life with Keiko Roy-Carey

In this episode, I sat down with Gody Zayobi, my college friend and impromptu French tutor from our days living on the same floor in the service and leadership residential learning community. Gody shares his journey of immigrating from Congo to North Carolina and learning English through immersion with little support. We talk about his passion for soccer and coaching youth, the importance of repre...

Video on Spotify! For the first time in three seasons, I'm not the one asking the questions. My kindred, Kelsey Gaude, flipped the script and put me in the guest seat for this special episode. In this intimate conversation, I share my own journey of creating a colorful life - the chapters that have shaped me, the community that sustains me, and the relationships that have taught me how to love and...

In this second part of my conversation with Dr. Jerrold Roy, my uncle Jerry takes us deeper into the roots of our family's resilience. He shares powerful stories about my grandfather's entrepreneurial spirit: from running a photography studio that captured memories for Black families, to owning a grocery store that grossed six figures in the 1970s. Through these stories, my uncle reveals where his...

I had the honor of my life to record a conversation with one of my mom's brothers, Dr. Jerrold Roy, aka my whimsical uncle Jerry. He is the historian of our family and sacred memory keeper. In this part one of a two part conversation, my uncle J shares the many lives he's lived: from his educational journey at Harvard and beyond as a Black scholar, to his early dream of being an actor and moving t...

Season 3 already- Eeeeek! In this episode, I sat down with Sam Wanamaker, my college friend and roommate for a month in Korea. We talk about that experience of immersing ourselves in art, culture, travel, language and constant change. That month in Korea changed our lives for the better. Sam shares how two phrases have carried him throughout different seasons of his life and why he thinks about th...

In this conversation with Tom, a former colleague of mine, we discuss following our curiosities, holistic wellness, living authentically, radical activism, and how punk rock influenced his worldview at a young age. Tom shares how his upbringing impacted the way he moves through the world today and shapes some his parenting choices. As two career coaches who've worked with hundreds of clients, we s...

How does one begin to write a description of something you truly have to experience for yourself? In this conversation with David Gaberle, a Czech photographer and artist, we discuss intentional living communities, westernization, life in Czech Republic under communism, micro dosing and mental health, planting roots and reconnecting with heritage, unlearning hyper-individualism, becoming more conn...

This next guest needs no flowery introduction, as he is always in full bloom. James is my surrogate brother and very best of friends. In this episode, we laugh. James and I reminisce on our most magical time in the Appalachian mountains of Boone, NC. We laugh some more. Through his childhood stories, James reminds us all that our inner child is always present and ready to come out and reteach us h...

In this episode I speak with a friend who, many years ago, opened my eyes to the wonders of living abroad. The mystery of life is a wondrous thing because a decade later, I learn than Fielding was inspired to move to Taiwan after seeing my journey in Korea. We discuss unlearning societal expectations of adulthood and discovering what truly makes us happy. Fielding opens up about his childhood in J...

This is a conversation with one of my favorite humans on planet Earth. Dominic and I reminisce on meeting in university, his British nationality, our serendipitous connections and cultivating a life that feels magical. As described by a friend, Dominic shares what it means to be "a new soul": someone who experiences life as if they're truly here for the very first time. He then retra...

This is a conversation with a Bumble BFF date turned dear friend. Rachel and I share how we met online, our journey of building a friendship as adults and falling in platonic love. Rachel walks us through her childhood and the journey she took to not just love herself, but like herself. She discusses growing up with divorced parents and the resilience that experience birthed in her. Rachel's i...

In this conversation with my university friend, Jalil, we discuss the necessity to make money stretch, the romance in friendship, and civic engagement. Jalil shares how his time at our alma mater impacted the trajectory of his life, specifically the relationships he was able to establish during those years. He opens up about his childhood and how he learned the meaning of 'no te dejas' fro...

This is a conversation with my former colleague turned friend, Jesse. Jesse shares how he's carried his calm and laidback disposition with him throughout his life and the strong women who molded him into the compassionate human he is today. We discuss the importance of making time for our curiosities, interests and passions outside of the work. You'll hear me quote The Rock: "It's...

This is an episode with a university acquaintance turned friend, Jayna. We share how we recently reconnected after a Facebook message and began cultivating a friendship in our adulthood. We discuss the different versions of ourselves from college to now and the beauty of experiencing each other in a more authentic way. Jayna tells of her imaginative childhood and her propensity to create stories a...

This is a conversation with my baby cousin, Brieanna. She is the most optimistic human I know and her positive outlook on life is so contagious. Brieanna shares where her optimism developed and how it's impacted the forward movement in her life. As someone who values family and community, she provides tangible advice for cultivating relationships. We chat about the supporting and main characte...

In this episode, Simon shares his experiences living in the UK, Belgium, Australia, Korea and Canada. A true global citizen! He reflects on a long season in his childhood where he stopped speaking altogether, which led him to speech therapy. Simon shares how relearning his mother tongue gave him a deeper empathy for language learners, which is a beautiful connection point as an educator. There&#39...

In this episode, Corey oozes vulnerability as she shares her journey as an offering to us all. It was truly an honor to spend this time retracing the steps Corey has taken to reimagine her life. Corey discusses her former work with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and how it led way to her current journey as an end of life doula. Corey shares how she has integrated...

This is an episode with my dear friend, Farah. She shares how her nomadic childhood influenced the way she moves through the world. Farah's life journey has taken her from a career as a writer, blogger, journalist, english teacher and back to journalism. She opens up about how the passing of her sister led to her moving abroad under the realization that nothing is promised. Though she thought...

In this episode, Olivia and I recall how we met online to soon discover we live in the same city. Olivia shares her experience being an outsider, growing up and possessing a natural inner confidence in her interests. She talks about how not really caring what others thought of her, allowed her to connect more authentically. We both discuss how marriage has been a tool for personal growth and learn...

This is an episode with one of the most peaceful, inspiring and creative humans I know. Luna talks about growing up in South Korea, the origin story of her love of the great outdoors and her healing journey to self acceptance. She walks us through the path she took to begin living in her natural gifts and passions. Luna is a well of knowledge when it comes to travel, culture, Seoul neighborhoods a...

This is an episode with my Instagram connection turned life-long friend. Naja and I recount how we met in Seoul years ago and built a friendship that lives on. She shares how her father instilled discipline and self-determination as a foundation for her and her siblings. Naja is probably the most studious, healthy, driven and passionate person I know. In this conversation she talks about the tools...

This is an episode with a dear friend of mine, Geoffrey Seale from South Africa. Ours was a magnetic friendship from the very beginning and this connection has kept us over a decade and continents apart. Geoff shares his experiences living in the USA, South Korea, Germany, and now China. He's had an insatiable desire to fill his life with as many adventures and experience as much as possible....

In this episode, I chat with my friend Phil who shares his experience growing up in the States as a child of Korean immigrants. We retrace his childhood and how it shaped his independence and perspective on family and life. Phil and I talk about how the Korean wave has taken the world by storm and our shared love of K dramas. He takes us down memory lane during a season where he moonlighted as a s...

This is an episode with Tim who immigrated to the States from the Netherlands. He talks about growing up in an European village and the mysterious unfolding of his life journey to find love on another continent. He opens up about the mindset shifts he experienced as he allowed himself the space to evolve. Tim is an incredibly creative human, from playing the bagpipe, to beekeeping and even working...

In this episode I speak with a colleague turned friend, another kindred spirit. Stephanie shares how her outgoing personality, discipline and self-confidence have been a part of her magic ever since she was a kid. We discuss the ways her eclectic interests and forms of creative expression have opened doors for her to collect life-shifting experiences, like an internship in Beijing for the summer O...