The Honest Drink Podcast

Today we take a mindset quiz that measures how tightly or loosely we adhere to social norms.  Inspired from a book written by Michele Gelfand called "Rule Makers and Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World".  We share our results from this online quiz and talk about our personal dealings with tight vs loose mindsets and how this translates to larger social and cultural frictions...

Gabor Holch is an intercultural leadership coach, speaker and author.  He has coached public leaders, CEO's and high-level decision makers in some of the largest multinational corporations in over 25 countries.  A former diplomat, he has been an expat since age 4.  Today we ask if the golden age of expats in China has come to an end.  We talk about measuring success as an individual and as a socie...

Kyle Hegarty is the author of The Accidental Business Nomad: A Survival Guide for Working Across a Shrinking Planet,  winner of the 2021 Axiom Business Book Award.  He helps organizations grow globally by helping leaders and teams find new ways to communicate and lead across our shrinking planet.  Today he shares stories from his book that highlight the funny, tragic and expensive mistakes people...

David Ammerschlaeger is the Head of Psychology at the ChingHo Clinic in Shanghai. As the Chief Psychological Counsellor he helps individuals, families and companies overcome psychological difficulties and mental distress. He is also a lecturer and researcher in psychology. Today we get existential and talk about life-crises, free will, the meaning of life, embracing negative emotions, what it actu...

Gavin Pratt is a Strength & Conditioning coach for the UFC.  His role is to develop the physical capacities of professional UFC rostered fighters. He is in charge of the Strength & Conditioning program at the UFC Performance Institute in China.  He has over 20 years experience training elite world class and Olympic caliber athletes around the world and across several sports.  Today we talk about t...

Jun & Priscilla are the founders of Brut Eatery and Swirlz Ice-Cream.  They are also a married couple.  We talk food, business, illegal private kitchens, Jun's repeated history of drastically changing careers, the value of being self-taught, not "selling out" to picture friendly trends, social media hype and gimmicks.  We also talk about tackling our Western vs Chinese heritage with food and the s...

Maria Pastorelli is a coach, writer, speaker, helping people with productivity, time management and living effectively.  We talk about our relationships with time, managing priorities, the downside of multitasking, journaling, finding the one thing that makes everything else easier, building intentional habits, and her book  CLARITY , currently available on Amazon. _____________________________ CL...

Today we talk about growing thicker skin when it comes to our feelings, inclusion & diversity, gender fluidity and political correctness.  In short, the complexity of being a modern human. __________________________ Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdrink_/ Email: thehonestdrink@gmail.com Join Us On WeChat: THD_Official Find us on: Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts, YouTube,...

Noel and Katherine are Youtubers who make lifestyle and travel vlogs in China.  We talk about dealing with hate and toxicity on Youtube and social media, environmental protection in China, the importance of challenging our own beliefs, a confusing quote from Neil deGrasse Tyson and Asian men dating white women, commonly known as AMWF (Asian male White female) relationships. _______________________...

We address recent comments about overusing filler words like "Umm" "Like" and "You Know".  Then we dive deep into the book "Chatter" by Ethan Kross to explore our incessant inner voice.  Why does the voice in our head so often sabotage us when we need it most?  How can we tame it?  We try to find out by confronting our own inner beasts. Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdr...

Vinnie Apicella is an American writer and author of the book Escape From America.   We talk to him about his provocative title, why he felt compelled to leave America for China, freedom vs security, censorship, Hip Hop culture, political brainwashing, American elitism and some lessons from his travels that can hopefully bring our societies closer together.  His book is available on Amazon and all...

Zachary Conor de Git is the APAC Brand Ambassador for Monkey 47 gin and a world class spirits alchemist.  He became a star bartending presence in Singapore and Melbourne at several of the world's top 50 bars, achieving recognition as Singapore champion for Diageo World Class and winner of the 2013 Mediterranean Mastery competition.   In this episode we have a blast talking about bartending competi...

Howie, Aric and Justin reflect on their recent trips to Yunnan and Inner Mongolia.  Moved by the beauty of these remote places they consider a life far away from the big city of Shanghai, where things seem to be simpler and happier.  Conflicted by this powerful temptation to leave and start a brand new life, they search for meaning in their current ones, re-examining whether they're living on thei...

Ann Shen is a young professional, global traveler and advocate for empowering women.  She grew up in Shanghai and has spent her time studying and working around the world.  She holds an MBA from IESE Business School which was ranked #1 in the world by The Economist in 2021.   Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdrink_/ Join Us On WeChat: THD_Official Twitter: @HonestDrinkpod...

Today we talk about dealing with A-list celebrities, why you should try taking cold showers, our opinions on how some Asian-Americans are responding to anti-Asian hate crimes in the US and the growing anti-American sentiment in China that has us worried. Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdrink_/ Join Us On WeChat: THD_Official Twitter: @HonestDrinkpod Subscribe on: Spotify...

Cyrus Janssen is a speaker, Youtuber, social media influencer and host of Real Talk China.  He is well known for his Youtube channel where he shares insights into China.  As an American, he hopes to help the world better understand China while dispelling western myths and misunderstandings about the country.  We talk about media bias, political dogma, communism vs democracy and the pitfalls of ant...

Dr. Lem Moyé is a retired physician, epidemiologist and biostatistician. For over 30 years he has conducted federally sponsored research.  He has worked with the US FDA and pharmaceutical companies and has served as expert witness in both state and federal court.  He served as a volunteer physician during Hurricane Katrina, that experience led to his prize-winning book, "Caring for Katrina's Survi...

Jenny Chen is a gym owner, cooking show host and has her own lifestyle and travel channel.  Her gym, Strike Muay Thai, was the first Muay Thai kickboxing gym to open in Shanghai.  On her channels, she teaches classic Chinese food recipes and creates lifestyle, travel and language content.  In this episode we talk about lust, love, dating and marriage. Jenny on WeChat | Lifestyle ID: meetjenny Gym...

Andrew Guan is a Chinese skateboarder, blogger, social influencer, podcaster and entrepreneur. He is recognized as one of the earliest to champion the sport of skateboarding into China and is one of the original fathers of Chinese skate culture.  He is the founder of Kicker Club, the host of Kicker Radio and runs his own media company.  In this special Clubhouse episode we talk to Andrew about bei...

Stephen Yuan is the host of Shades Of Yellow podcast and Bone Broth Soup podcast.  He is also the creator of a new animated series about cryptocurrency called Ned & Nash.  In this Chinese New Year episode we drink a lot of Baijiu.     Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdrink_/ Join us on WeChat: THD_Official Twitter: @HonestDrinkpodcast    

Virtual Reality, Clubhouse, Dogecoin and Virtual Influencers, we have a non-expert talk about it.   Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdrink_/ Twitter: @HonestDrinkpod WeChat: THD_Official  

We talk about the documentary The Social Dilemma, which explores the dark and sinister side of social media companies.  Listen to us rant as we discuss how our emotions and behaviors are being intentionally manipulated by social media technology and its role in shaping our world view.  The Social Dilemma is available on Netflix.   Now follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdrin...

Matt Galat is a travel vlogger and YouTuber.  His channel, JaYoe Nation, focuses on travel content as he cycles around the world exploring new places and cultures.  We talk to him about his journey and how travel changes social and political perspectives.  We talk about the difficult but crucial task of keeping an objective world view and how he has recently come under attack by western media for...

Matt Beadle is an author and keynote speaker, he is also a renowned presenter seen throughout Europe on TV and media programs.   We talk to him about his latest book "Strengths Oriented Leadership: The World Through Bee Glasses" which covers the research and scientific evidence behind how best-in-class performers, outliers, innovators, captains of industry and virtuosos are created.   The book is...

Yao Lu is the owner/operator/bartender of the renowned Union Trading Company.  A Shanghai neighborhood cocktail bar ranked on Asia's 50 Best Bars consecutively since 2016.  The Union Trading Company has won numerous awards and is known not only for creating great drinks but befriending those who walk through its doors.  Yao has also founded Standard Measure & Co Hospitality Consultancy and consult...