ComebaCK: What’s Your Story?

Disclaimer: The topic discussed during this podcast, some listeners might find upsetting. Chris Lee is a businessman and organizer of “Saigon’s Pool League”, and has been living in Asia for 16 years, and joins the podcast to discuss the loss of his daughter Tara, aged 5, to childhood cancer, in 2002. Topics include ⁃ Discovering Tara’s condition and how he processed the news ⁃ Raising awareness fo...

Garret Nelson is a businessman (Kebabs And Wraps, Dulce Saigon), and teacher based in Saigon who joins me to discuss his combination of fields, staying grounded and developing business in Vietnam. Topics include ⁃ Developing the dessert business in Ho Chi Minh and positively networking with colleagues in F&B ⁃ Separating work/life balance and watching a hobby develop into a business ⁃ Time managem...

Disclaimer: If you listen to this episode, please consider donating to Ukraine. Links on how to do so are below. It’s the 400th episode. I’m delighted to welcome Anastasia Sokyrka, a passionate photographer, who joins me to discuss her work in detail, and also her first hand account of having to flee her native Ukraine in March 2022. Anastasia visited home for her annual visit in February. However...

Mischa Smith is the sales director at Pasteur Street Brewing Company, a very popular company in the heart of Saigon, and joins me to discuss the highs and lows of being heavily immersed in F&B, his enthusiasm through his work, navigating setbacks, living abroad in Vietnam, and more. Topics include ⁃ Moving from Canada, Korea and Vietnam and navigating himself throughout the F&B scene ⁃ Going from...

Tuovi Wallen is a recurring guest from Episode 72, and returns to discuss education in both Finland and Vietnam, where she works at the Finnish International School. Topics include ⁃ Why the Finnish education model is so important and so popular ⁃ The concept of play based learning and how to tailor learning to students capabilities ⁃ The benefits of a conducive classroom culture and how to effect...

On today’s ‘Cold Ones With Conor’ episode, I’m joined by two figures from the Saigon DJ community scene, Natalie Robson and Mike Juska. They join me to discuss party life in the city, the fun, excitement and energy being the practice of DJ’ing, and their collective journey. Saigon music scene is always evolving and improving and it was great to speak to two figures from the scene! Thank you Mike a...

Jon Keeling is from ‘The First Street Belief’, a musician here in Saigon, Vietnam, having lived in several places internationally, and joins me to discuss his newest release about a conversation between his father and grandfather regarding a deep and sensitive topic, which sets the tone for his latest song release. Topics include ⁃ Discussing feelings of loss, advice, bullying and sadness ⁃ Naviga...

Nini Fritz is a bucketlister, iConnector and pancake enthusiast, adventuring between Bali and Bondi Beach, Australia. In a fascinating discussion, we talk about dreams, travel, lifestyle, creating bucket lists, and more. Topics include ⁃ Moving away from her native Germany and experiencing the world ⁃ Living as an expat in the serenity of Bali and how life is living there ⁃ The importance of trave...

In the recent episode, Nick Cabrejos, recurring guest, joins me again to discuss returning to Saigon, dealing with home bound traumas, and navigating the next stage of the comeback. Topics include ⁃ Facing your past head on ⁃ Not forcing your expectations on others ⁃ The concept of “360 feedback” and the harsh reality of this ⁃ The identity of forming new beliefs ⁃ Making a contract about yourself...

In this episode, I’m joined by Christian Geissendoerfer from TAPPWater Vietnam. Founded in Barcelona, Spain in 2015, TAPP Water’s mission is to create simple and affordable solutions for clean tap water in a sustainable way. The products are designed and developed in Europe, manufactured in China/Taiwan and independently tested in each market we are active in. In less than 3 years TAPP Water becam...

Wonder (Quan) is a public speaker at Saigon Toastmasters, and fascinated by the deep authentic conversations of human nature. Wonder joins me to discuss deep conversations, success, challenges, dealing with labels, and more. Topics include ⁃ Moving from a small town in Vietnam to the vibrancy of Ho Chi Minh/Saigon ⁃ Embracing failure and feedback in equal measure ⁃ Developing confidence through pu...

Katina Dell’Acqua-Lubich is an American/German expat in Vietnam, who joins me to discuss expat life and her journey in South East Asia, balancing partying with work, core values and more. Topics include ⁃ Going down the startup business route in Vietnam rather than teaching and how her career has developed overseas ⁃ Setting clear boundaries and communicating effectively ⁃ Her core values and non...

Maria Fernanda is my first ever Ecuadorian guest, living as a remote worker since 2018 for a nonprofit organization, who joins me to discuss expat life abroad especially in Saigon, adapting to the unique lifestyle, and her experiences as a remote worker pre, during and post pandemic. Topics include ⁃ Acclimatizing to Saigon, whether or not we can call it “home”, and the importance of finding a hob...

Michael Correia is a Canadian expat, who has taught and spent an extended period of time in Asia, throughout Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. He joins me today to discuss dealing with depression, navigating challenges in different cultures, self development, and more. Topics included ⁃ Getting out of your head with introversion and making connections ⁃ Navigating a mix of different jobs ⁃ Reading the...

Holland Chadwick is the guitarist in Coastal Connection, who have appeared on several ‘Cold Ones’ podcasts before, (links below), and joins me to discuss music and expat life, with a wide range of topics on offer, such as homeschooling, band life, talent vs application, and intrinsic motivations. Topics include ⁃ Homeschooling, how to manage your time, and the importance of hobbies ⁃ Whether talen...

Holly Younglove is a sound healer and teacher from USA, currently strongly immersed in her practice in Vietnam, focused on energy healing through sound, and joins me to discuss her work in depth. Topics include ⁃ What sound healing really is, what it entails and how it has benefited her and her clients ⁃ Expat life in Asia and being immersed in an international community ⁃ The biggest challenges H...

Yvonne is an acupuncturist and immersed in energy code healing, currently based in Saigon, Vietnam after traveling for several years. In a fascinating discussion, we talk about alternative healing remedies, energy healing, manifestation techniques, misconceptions and more. Topics include ⁃ Exploring alternative methods, such as those implemented by Dr Joe Dispenza ⁃ There’s more to healing than an...

Ricardo is the founder of ‘Genderfunk’, the largest alt drag queer collective in Vietnam, and teaches consent/gender/sexuality workshops at schools here in Saigon. Ricardo joins me to discuss their background, journey and the evolution of Genderfunk. I highly recommend both listening to this episode, and attending an event. Thank you, Ricardo! Topics include ⁃ Being brought up in a rough part of B...

Jack Nguyen is a Vietnamese comedian and open mic night host, and one of my youngest ever guests, at 19 years of age, and joins me to discuss comedy, performing, anxiety, growth and more. Topics include ⁃ Channeling anxiety through performance ⁃ Growing up in Vietnam yet experiencing many Western influences (including Disney Channel) ⁃ Dealing with constructive criticism and our own egos ⁃ Explori...

Emily Paterson is marketing focused here in Saigon, Vietnam, having spent a lot of time in Manchester, UK working in several different industries. Emily joins me to discuss her journey of expat experiences and career moves, alongside her mental health experiences, and the beauty of going through life without a plan. Topics include ⁃ Moving from the small town of Bedford into the big city of Manche...

Paige Jordan is a Scottish expat in Vietnam, teacher and literature student, with a wide variety of teaching and travel experiences, and joins me to delve deeper into these subjects, alongside themes such as relationships and volunteering. Topics include ⁃ Developing an open mindset and having empathy for others based off university experiences ⁃ The importance of boundaries, self love and being c...

In a podcast focused on inquiry based learning, I welcome Ciara Fitzpatrick from ISHCMC here in Saigon, and Juan Carlos from European International School and UPP Global. Both work at TeShares in Vietnam. We discuss an alternative method to education, bringing teachers and students learning experiences together, and where this can evolve. Topics include ⁃ How to communicate with students, motivate...

Brennan Lagman is the founder of ‘Energy Conscious Meditation’, who empowers purpose driven creators and entrepreneurs to energetically align with their soul mission whilst leaving an impact. Brennan joins me to discuss their work, impact, energy healing, meditation and more. Topics include ⁃ The pronouns “they/them”, and their meaning ⁃ Combining masculine and feminine energies to full effect ⁃ O...

Maria Aave is my first ever Estonian guest, who joins me to discuss her journey of spirituality, including mind, body and soul connection, and her expat experiences in both Mexico and Vietnam. Topics include ⁃ Cultivating genuine self love and care ⁃ Finding a supportive tribe and community when dealing with challenges ⁃ Balancing both masculine and feminine energies ⁃ The importance of having an...

Chelsea Gallagher is a Canadian expat and freelance writer here in Saigon, Vietnam, host of a book club here looking to better represent queer literature, and joins me to both dissect the book ‘The War Of Art: Break Through Barriers And Overcome Your Inner Resistance’, and also a personal insight into her expat experiences. A unique episode which I thoroughly enjoyed - thank you, Chelsea! Topics i...