Shooting it RAW with Ran Elfassy

In seeking guests for the podcast, I sometimes go to Amazon books for areas I'm curious about. In episode 109 with Karina Calver, it so happens that she lives in Hong Kong and is a professional counselor.    Or, in episode 84 with Monica Borschel, I had missed recording with her in Hong Kong as she had moved herself and her practice to California. So mental health is a big area of intere...

The world is always changing. Life is change. Entropy is forever increasing – ish.    In order to help increase the momentum against the war that Putin-de-merde has visited on Ukraine, I sent out a call and reached out to various people who may be connected to Ukraine and the war. Enter Ostap Kostiukevitch.   Happy to share, he sent over the address of where we could record and I ha...

When the pandemic is behind us, we will look back at this time, and – well, we will all interpret it from our experience. In my case, although Karina Calver and I live in the same city, having to record the episodes online instead of sitting face to face. This makes things... Different? Strange? Yet as many who work in the realm of mental health and coaching have found, there are benefits to talki...

Life is a gift. The brutality and horror of the current war in Ukraine are creating both the violence of conflict but also the shattered lives of families across the whole of Ukraine and other European nations.   Not able to sit back and do nothing, Andy Eakins had a visceral reaction to what was happening on the ground and decided to take action.    Please listen to this generous m...

In episode 41 with Ying Ying Liu, she shared the power of connecting music with animal conservation. As the head of LumiVoce, Ying Ying's energy and passion guide the team and attract renowned musicians and performers from around the world.    LumiVoce means illuminating with sound and its mission is to inspire and educate the young to fall in love and protect wildlife and biodiversity t...

How many people have felt the rush of sitting on top of a machine, going more than 1000km/hr into the sky above and among the clouds? Even more amazing still, how many have broken away from our atmosphere to break into the zero gravity of space?   As a child, Pat Daily decided he wanted to become an astronaut. Working backward from that goal, he figured out what he had to do and then put that...

After being introduced to J Lynn Else, she sent through her photos and I learned she was based somewhere in the middle of the USA. We set up the call and then I discovered a creative spirit who confidently embraced her inner nerd, owned it, and has been writing books ever since. Why aren't there the kind of female characters out there, in the genres that spoke to her most? Feeling this gap as a ca...

Talk about starting Season III of the podcast off with a BANG! Thanks to her booking agent, I got to meet Mary and discover her important, moving work. Now based near Nashville, Mary found herself in the lonely, daunting world of having to care for a child with autism. Diving in and even becoming an ambassador for raising public awareness of kids with special needs, she got involved and is champio...

To be an author is a unique adventure, where everyone finds their way to writing across their experience and inspiration. In this week's podcast, closing out Season II with Episode 103, Kelly Florence and I met up for such a motivating and fascinating conversation. I'm a firm believer that the more we learn about something, the more fascinating these things become. In the present case, Kelly revea...

What an amazing world we live in! Looking for a new voice to invite onto the podcast, I looked up some people doing work in sustainability, climate change, carbon net-zero, and other areas. Enter, Lionel L G Issombo.    What's great about these happy accidents is that until we meet, I don't know what I'm going to get and where the conversation will go. Turns out that Lionel's now based i...

Sure enough, there really is big power in all your tiny connections. How do I know? Because all my life I've crossed paths with people here and there to no great fanfare, and yet the most amazing things have happened... Enter, Jen Nash. How we met is a story that began when five clowns entered a bar playing 90s tunes on a Monday night in Victoria, BC. That was when I became fast friends with one m...

EPISODE 100! How thrilling. The amazing thing about going on these long projects is that we can't look into the future to guess where we'll end up. I had never planned nor would have wanted to plan that number 100 would be with my elementary-school friend, Theresa C Ho.  THERESA!!!!!  Join us as we learn about her relaxed approach to life – no less successful than others but definitely r...

Some people just radiate positivity, optimism, hope, and a deep understanding of complex challenges. Enter Dean Robert Brinkmann. Author of several books on sustainability and more, I met Bob after discovering his notable books and work. We set up a call and here's the recording. From the moment I reached out to the moment I ended our call, I was just inspired and uplifted by this individual's com...

This episode was first published in November 2020 and I think you should check it out to be reminded of why we MUST do more to protect sharks and our oceans. Did you know the world's oceans are under major, critical threat? Did you know that you have the power to help make a difference? The answers to these questions are how Andrea and I reconnected at the Hong Kong Shark Foundation's offices in H...

How do you wrap your head around the whole issue of climate change, coving the scientific, economic, social, political, and any other approach? Coming from a science background – cue PhD in chemistry – Mathew's journey landed him in investment banking and helping stockbrokers understand where economic realities fit when it comes to the complexities of climate.   As a researcher, author, consu...

Soon after I launched the podcast, I spotted the amazing – a-maaaazing! – photographs from Karolina and her husband, Artur. We ended up recording an episode together and I've decided to put it back at the top of this week's line. Why? Because...   Omicron now is locking down and hemming people in. We've learned a lot about pandemic policies and mitigation, with COVID fatigue hitting hard. Loo...

Welcome to this week's episode from Shooting it RAW! A true labour or labor of love, this is where I keep going out to find cool people doing important work. Or at least those who have a spark in the belly to go out do something meaningful.  This week, it's with my compatriot and fellow BC cousin, Steven Earle. Aren't we ALL cousins, if we go back far enough?   Steven cut his teeth in ge...

Here's Part 2 of the episode, when I actually speak with Erden via satellite phone while he's out on the ocean.   Be absolutely amazed!    *** Don't forget to subscribe! ***     * Full episode on the YouTube channel:  https://youtu.be/6aSZrnfU9hQ  ****     To Learn More about Erden:     Website:  http://erdeneruc.com/ &nbsp...

In April 2021, I recorded episode 57 with Erden Eruç. It was just a few weeks before his EPIC journey to row across the Pacific Ocean... Let that sink in. ROW A BOAT ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN!   The image for this catch-up episode is a Google Maps plot of his position to date. I'm trying to get a hold of him for a call over satellite phone, but until then, remind yourself or discover what an a...

Welcome to 2022! I'm deeeelighted to kick the year off with Samantha. Strong woman, conservation champion, business owner, service leader, writer, and so much more. She sparkles in conversation as she does in her work.    This is a great episode – although they all are – but this one's that much better because Sam lives, breathes, radiates, and cartwheels energy, joy, and optimism. &nbsp...

WHAT A CRAZY YEAR! Covid-19 has definitely made 2021 one of the most difficult and complex years in my life. Essentially launched at the start of the pandemic, the podcast's been growing extremely well. So I'm delighted to have the last episode of 2021 be with Anna.    Working out of the Chinese University, Anna is a great example of the kind of person I want to highlight through Shootin...

This episode, as a few others, came to life thanks in great part to Rachel Smith. When she and I met, she said I shouldn't miss the opportunity to talk to her husband and partner in crime, Stephen Lai. It took some schedule-dancing but we eventually met – cue fireworks!  We met and sat on a cozy couch, surrounded by whatever it is professional poker players like to have around. Nice lighting....

Dare I say that SDG is in THE HOUSE! OK, to be fair, I've known Stephanie since before... Well sheeeyet, 1990. We went to high school together, and along with Raugi Yu (from waaaaaay back in episode 13), Stephanie and a few others have committed all these years to acting. Amazing.    We eventually connected after decades, and when we first exchanged she was in Los Angeles. In the thick o...

As a conservationist, I have long appreciated how much ecology is a critical tool for understanding how we fit in the world and our impact. Wanting to build the choir of voices on the podcast that address conservation, climate change, and what science tells us, I stumbled upon Thor Hanson. Was it a TED talk? A Wired clip? An article in some magazine or other? I don't remember. But I reached out an...

Thanks again to Rachel Smith from Senseless Art Studio and other events, I met with Nooshin on her houseboat in Aberdeen, on Hong Kong island. While her home pitched, yawed, and swayed, she unpacked a joyous tale of what it was like to become an artist in Tehran.      For those beyond Iran's opaque borders, we can only wonder what it was like to grow up in such a place. With th...