Shooting it RAW with Ran Elfassy

The good life! That's what it's all about and what Glenda Benevides brought to our conversation. Join us and be waaaaaaay inspired. Ever since she was young, she had music in her blood and bones. Performing from an early age, she built a legacy of music and creative expression. Then, appreciating the power of sharing this with the people around her, Glenda decided to give to the people she...

The poets are in the house! Big welcome to Vishal Nanda and much gratitude for his energy and passion. I made it out to his place overlooking the water, Lamma Island, and the container ships. Sitting at his table, we talked poetry, what it is to be a creative spirit in an urban, capitalist city like Hong Kong, and how he's an ambassador breaking down barriers around mental health and bipolar d...

What it is to lead? How do you do it as a daily practice – and live with courage? Yes, Ash Beckham is in the house! Inspiring TED speaker, motivational spirit, author, entrepreneur, and all-around inspiration... Ash is an inspiring powerhouse. She fell into writing as a result from her talks and posts, offering insights on the kinds of things Po Chung and I also dove into: The stuff of leadership....

In this week's episode, I don't have a guest and just muse on a dog's life, how to make every second count, and how the universe wants me to partner with Hong Kong Shark Foundation to help both our efforts grow. * For the full episode on YouTube, click here: https://youtu.be/99d0MCuLlJM **** For more on Hong Kong Shark Foundation: https://www.hksharkfoundation.org/ **** More from Shoot...

I believe we can all find gems everywhere we look – all we have to do is see. Enter, Andrew Wong Kee. Crossing paths now and then I saw him teaching kids BJJ and riding his beeeeeyouteeful Harley. Total badass. We had met about a year ago, and on a lark, because I got a great feeling I invited him onto the podcast. We lined up our meeting and headed to his house to record. Cue fireworks! Sitting o...

Boom the F BOOM! Katie Love is at the front of the class and what an amazing human. Want to be surprised and inspired, well come closer and listen in. Author, speaker, mentor and stand-up comic, Katie is also a survivor. Radiating goodness and positivity – love, even – Katie also knows how to set up her stories. Hitting us right between the eyes like the most tragi-comic punchline. You don't want...

Welcome to Season IV of the podcast, and it starts with a bang with Henrik Hoeg. At first, we tried to record at his office in Central, but were interrupted by Hong Kong's national bird – the jackhammer.    So next we met at the Central Ferry Piers, overlooked by the towering IFC and other skyscrapers. In between, Henrik shared how he landed in poetry and gifting Hong Kong's writers with...

Closing Season III of the podcast, we start with some heavy questions. How do you self-manage your biases? Where is your place in history? What do you carry from your family's past?   These only hint at what Celeste Headlee brings to the table, and yet she radiates joy, laughter, and light.    Cognitive science communicator, author, advisor, TED speaker, and more, Celeste share...

Buckle up, this one's huge. I connected with Aida Mandić and we dove into her experience as a survivor and creator. From her childhood and family trauma linked to the war in Bosnia, her journey as a refugee across the world, to landing as an immigrant in the USA, she shared the colour of her life and times. Amazingly, thankfully, she found the power of creative expression. A testament to that spec...

Again, the doctor is IN! This week, I'm with Juliet Ghodsian, yet another inspired soul calling Vancouver home. Join us as she shares more about giving to others, making a connection to the natural world, and noticing the life that abounds all around us. A naturopathic doctor and intuitive healer, Juliet explained how she helps people uncover and heal from deeply held traumas. She also talked abou...

Round II for the Vancouver-BJJ episodes! This week, I spoke with Evan Hutcheon. Not only does he roll at the black-belt level, but he also does fascinating research with hypobaric chambers around hypoxia and other oxygen-depleted conditions.    Evan and I first met on the mats in New Westminster, in beautiful beige Vancouver, and reconnected for a great online call.    Badass g...

While I was in Vancouver this past year, one key source of good times was BJJ. One of the gyms I went to was BUDO, run and owned by Scott Boudreau.    What really stands out about Scott's teaching method is how rational, thoughtful, and even sensitive he is when it comes to grappling and fighting. This unexpected approach is what attracted me to his gym – and of course, if this student s...

We have one life – how do we make every second count? Join Emery Fung and me as we have the best, most awkward conversation.    We met in Causeway Bay and chatted while overlooking the incredible crush of human population, industry, office towers, and residential highrises. We talked shop about sports, what it is to be comfortable in your own skin, and how life really is an unfolding of...

What is the podcast about? Why, SIR. Why? Join me as Gabriel Chan shoots a quick interview on how the podcast began and what I'm trying to do. Have a good one! - Ran

Ah yes... When things fall apart. The podcast is something I created as an expression of who I am and where I want to put my energy – such as inspiring people to appreciate that life is a gift and these are ways to make every second count. Hopeful, optimistic, constructive to others and inspiring. Those are the podcast's highest values. This isn't to say that I also don't stumble, because the past...

In this episode, Elizabeth and I caught up online for an inspiring call about what it's like to be a 'committed' artist in these COVID-19 times.    From her work as an artist-in-residence in Hong Kong, she tried to complete some international travel to Turkey, only to realize Hong Kong raised the mandatory quarantine from 14 to 21 days.    Sharing her experience with being proc...

What a fantastic way to end 2022 and usher in 2023  ❤️ Barrister and dedicated animal-welfare advocate Kim McCoy joined me in Hong Kong, first for episode 50 and now listen again because it was SO GOOD! We talked shop about photography, how COVID-19 can force a person to launch new projects, and why we must expand our appreciation of animals in our lives.   Specifically, Kim highlig...

In this episode, Regina Larko joined me to share her experience and stories from her own podcasting journey.     This is worth revisiting because it formed part of the reason why I decided to run with the podcast... Even if it was already years in the making.   As for Regina, she's still running Hashtag-Impact and has created and attracted a community of change-makers and other...

In this reissue, I bring up the conversation I had with Thor Hanson, back in December 2021. I've long appreciated how much ecology is a critical tool for understanding how we fit in the world and our impact and this conversation with Thor is a GREAT one. Wanting to build the choir of voices on the podcast that addresses conservation, climate change, and what science tells us, I stumbled upon Thor...

On my flight back from Dallas to Vancouver, my in-flight neighbour stepped past and I noticed something a little odd. A throwback to decades past and a NKOTB fanny pack. Er... OK? Unable to prevent myself from being Mr. Friendly, we strike up a conversation and I discover this amazing, kind soul. Catherine Hall. By the time the plane touched down in YVR, I convinced Catherine to join me on the pod...

How do we make every second count? In this episode, I sit with Jordan Mallon to hear how he ended up as a tattoo artist, working out of Tramp Art Studios, in Savannah, Georgia, USA. The original idea was to sit with a female artist – if only to share her perspective in what was probably a male-dominated industry. I reached out to as many places in Savannah that I could find, but the only person wi...

I first met Michael Kistler in Hong Kong. Where and how exactly, we don't quite remember. Yet he's always had this place in my head of great artistic expression and talent. Here is someone who has a signature way of seeing and capturing the world in images. After playing email tag, we finally sat down for a recording. He's now in Singapore, and I set up in Savannah, Georgia, USA. We live in amazin...

In this second installment of episodes met through coffee-shop friendlies, we now have Adam Stevens. Both of us sitting and working at Bean Around the World, and this friendly guy with bright energy noticed my Shark Rescue sticker. We began to talk and recognizing a fellow creative, I immediately decided he HAS to be on the podcast. We exchanged deets and lived our lives. Two months go by, maybe t...

We are surrounded by opportunities to be astounded. For example, a few weeks ago I was at Bean Around the World, in Vancouver. I was wet. It was cold. But when I looked over my shoulder I faced the most astounding image. Was it a photo? No. It was a print. But what a print! Looking closer at the name, I decided I just had to talk to this incredible person. Elisabeth Sommerville invited me over to...

Sometimes life throws you a curveball. And then another. And then another. For people, like Allison Graham, one twist of fate can suddenly change everything. Out of her own need to come to terms with a mountain of adversity, chronic neuropathic physical pain, and how to manage stress for greater resilience, Allison stood tall and has fought hard to master her fate. Amazingly, she still made time t...