ComebaCK: What’s Your Story?

Geoff Thompson is a BAFTA winning filmmaker, screenwriter, martial arts instructor, author of 50 books, and 15 of his short films are multi-award winning. He was sexually abused by his karate instructor aged 12, which left him disillusioned and afraid. In this epsiode, we discuss the impact of that ordeal, how he used a fear pyramid concept to systematically dissolve his fears, how working on your...

Such a brilliant ‘Cold Ones’ episode with Nick Cabrejos and Max Callahan, both from Virginia, US, currently living as expats in Saigon, Vietnam. We talk about expat life, challenges faced in upbringing, esoteric subjects such as ‘The Power Of Now - Eckhart Tolle’, teaching abroad, being in touch with the pain body, responding to criticism, asperger syndrome, and more. Very impressed with how hones...

ComebaCK discusses expat life with Tuovi Wallen, whose moved country to Switzerland, Qatar, Nepal and Vietnam, continually working in the education sector. We discuss expat life, education, challenges faced, the beauty of Finland, and more. You can find out more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

ComebaCK has a wicked chat with JK Hobson, an American expat in Vietnam, about a wide range of topics - New York, LA, working in a casino (witnessing some extraordinary elation and despair from gamblers), life on the road in the band ‘Crisis’, comedy, Buddhism (including morning chanting), and Vietnam. This chat was awesome - thank you JK! You can find ‘JK Hobson’ on Facebook and Instagram and mor...

ComebaCK has a very wide ranging interview about the teaching profession with teacher and counselor Phillip Wenturine. Previously from a journalism background (like myself), Phillip (initially from USA), has combined the two in teaching, both in Europe and Asia, and is now a counselor here in Saigon, Vietnam, guiding students with their career choices and giving them the ideas of exploring teachin...

ComebaCK welcomes back Ridley from episode 50. In the first episode we discussed martial arts, Manchester, background in Hartlepool and adventures living as an expat in Thailand and Vietnam. In this episode, we discuss his love and passion for teaching, how teaching is combined with martial arts as educator vs student, rewards of the teaching profession, aims for the future, with plans both in Eng...

ComebaCK talks about fitness and business in Saigon, Vietnam with Walter Veale, a personal trainer and bodybuilder currently here with Fit Nation Vietnam and Saigon Sports Club. We discuss the differences in starting businesses as an expat in Singapore, Vietnam and America, advice on getting into fitness and sports, and aims for the future. You can find out more about Walter and his business at @w...

ComebaCK chats to Jourdan Lee, one of the founders of 'One Million Lives', a fundraising organisation aimed at improving social care in Vietnam. We discuss her background both in Vietnam and the United States, how the organisation is looking to promote education, welfare and support for those affected by poverty and facing a disadvantage, and the upcoming fundraising events they have here in Saigo...

ComebaCK chats to DJ, writer and broadcaster Dave Haslam, who DJ'ed over 450 times at the famous Hacienda nightclub in Manchester and has since DJ'd worldwide. He has written for the New Musical Express, The Guardian, The Times, and has written five books. We discuss his career, life in music, expand on the Manchester music scene, a sabaticcal in Paris, and more. You can find out more about Dave a...

ComebaCK chats to Niall Mackay, host of the ‘Seven Million Bikes’ podcast and events company here in Saigon, Vietnam. Topics covered include his fundraising charity work, comedy career, teaching, including stories from Australia, New Zealand, the pandemic, and more. Really fun conversation with a lot to take away. It’s also the two year anniversary of ‘Seven Million Bikes’, so extra special to hav...

ComebaCK catches up with my university friend Will Saxton, from Sheffield, about a range of topics, primarily young fatherhood, as he discusses having a child at 23, the same week of submitting a dissertation and having a final university exam! We also talk about his time volunteering for ICS in Sierra Leone, NCS work back in Sheffield, and lessons from both. A really smooth, easy going and insigh...

Adrien Doan is a hypnotherapist from France currently living as an expat in Saigon, Vietnam. We discuss a wide range of questions and themes within the hypnotherapy practice. These include an explanation of how we’re often in trance from our subconscious mind anyway, misconceptions of hypnosis, the actual processes, (including techniques such as EMDR), how hypnotherapy can cure past trauma and alc...

ComebaCK welcomes back guest #36, Violetta Mansurova, to expand on her experiences in the modeling industry from Russia, China, Thailand and Vietnam. We elaborate on model misconceptions and myths, her female role models, aims at expanding modeling in Asia from a business perspective, and the three core traits into being a model. You can find out more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instag...

ComebaCK chats to Dom Terry, an Australian tattoo artist currently living in Saigon, Vietnam. We talk about his ten year career, challenges in his work both technically and from a business perspective, the difficulties of the tourism sector shutdown on his work, advice for aspiring artists, aims for the future and more. A great conversation if tattoo artistry or anything similar is something you’r...

Liliana Nguyen, previously from Episode 2 of ComebaCK, comes back on (the first guest to reappear), to discuss tarot cards, including my own reading, and the concept of asexuality, which we touched upon last episode. You can find out more about Liliana at @therinajournal on Spotify and Instagram and more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

Cold Ones With Conor is with three musicians currently living in Vietnam - Angelo Silva, Nate Newman and Luis Zapiola. We talk about their experiences in the music industry, All Mixed Up/Trashzilla/Anesthetic Youth, touring in Vietnam and more. Pleasure gents! You can find out more about the guys at @anestheticyouth, @trashzilla_horrorcore and @luiszapiolaa on Instagram.

Jacqui Hurley is an Irish athlete, sports broadcaster and chat show host for RTE, having previously played at the highest level in both basketball and camogie. She is the co presenter of Sunday Sport on RTE Radio 1 and presents the sports news on RTE Television. She has recently written her book, ‘Girls Play Too’, aiming to promote women in sport. We discuss her background and love of sport, why i...

Lin Nguyen works and lives at the bee farm on Phu Quoc island, Vietnam. We talk about the importance of the farm, in which she was introduced by her teacher, the workshops and education that she’s looking to provide, and why bees are so absolutely essential to human survival. You can find out more about Lin and her project at www.phu Quocbeefarm.vn and more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on...

Pham Tra My is a Vietnamese mother currently training martial arts and working in Hanoi. We talk about an abusive marriage at 22, having a child so young, her outlet and hobbies, mainly martial arts, and how they introduce her to communities in different areas of Vietnam, from Phu Quoc to Nha Trang. You can find out more about My at @myoimy on Instagram and more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithc...

Hanna Larsen is initially from Chicago, currently living as an expat in Vietnam, where she works on holistic health, helping her clients both from a nutritional and psychological perspective (the mind body connection). We discuss her practice, the range of diets available, experiences dealing with Vietnamese and Westerners, and aims for the future. You can find out more about Hanna at @healingwith...

Cold Ones With Conor Episode 3 segment of ComebaCK is a group discussion with Coastal Connection, a band out here in Saigon, Vietnam, consisting of Jeremy Long, Jordan Harkin, Holland Chadwick and Abhijeet Sanyal. We discuss their group, music videos, singles and background in music, aims for the future here in Vietnam, and as it’s “cold ones”, and the cold ones were cold, we strayed into other ar...

Camila Muñoz is a board game designer from Chile, who in 2018, upon losing her job and consequently having some down time, started creating projects in this industry. Cami aims to create board games that are simultaneously politically engaging, educational, fun, and a pathway into creating debate on such topics. We also discuss being female in this industry, challenges faced in recruiting characte...

Tommy Fleming is an Irish singer. Tommy, described as “The Voice of Ireland”, has established himself as a solo artist and has been around for almost 30 years, singing both old and contemporary Irish music. Tommy has toured extensively throughout the UK, Ireland, America, Australia and the Netherlands, and has 3.5m album sales worldwide. In this interview, Tommy is open and honest about both the h...

I had a chat with Kirk Ramsden, a guy initially from Leeds, UK, but now currently living as an expat in Saigon, Vietnam, where he is performing stand up comedy. We talk all things comedy, influences, material, the adrenaline of such events, and more! You can find out more about Kirk at “Kirk Ramsden” on Facebook and more about ComebaCK at @thecomebackwithck on Instagram.

My 50th interview is with Ridley, a man initially from the UK, currently living as an expat in Vietnam. In our hour long conversation, we discuss diabetes, mental health, experiences in Manchester, Thailand and Vietnam, grief and loss, how martial arts was the catalyst for the comeback, and future aims in Vietnam. It’s open, cathartic and inspiring and I recommend that you tune in. You can find ou...