S1 E7: Jessica Pan - How growing up feeling different honed her writing skills and propelled her to explore the world as a journalist and author.

Jo welcomes the brilliant journalist and author, Jessica Pan, to the Good Girls Eat Dinner podcast. Jessica Pan is a freelance journalist who lives in London. After graduating from Brown University, she lived and worked in Beijing for 2.5 years as an editor of an English expat magazine. She then completed her Master’s degree in journalism at RMIT in Melbourne, before spending a year as a TV reporter in Beijing. A self-confessed introvert, Jessica’s second book Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come chronicles her year of 'living dangerously’ -  as an extrovert, with hilarious results. It has sold over 100,000 copies. Topics covered:- Growing up in ‘small town’ Texas- Experiencing a very homogenous, Christian, conservative ‘world’- Having a Chinese father and a Jewish mother - Always feeling different and the benefits that can bring- Feeling destined to leave home and explore the world - How Sweet Valley high MIGHT have influenced career choices- Why the best journalists aren’t afraid to be vulnerable- The importance of original ideas- Living out an introvert’s ‘nightmares’ for a year- Jessica’s book: Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come- Realising that people are often kinder than imagined- ‘Nobody waves but everybody waves back.’ Breaking the ice- Networking events and finding the right one- Why you should practice doing things you’re afraid of- The true introvert test. It involves Glastonbury- Trying improv in front of strangers- Jessica’s Doggy Bag of AdviceJessica’s website: https://jesspan.com/Follow Jessica @JessicaLPanSend us Fan MailFind out more about Good Girls Eat Dinner: http://www.goodgirlseatdinner.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodgirlseatdinner/Get in touch: [email protected], Jo Wallace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wallacejo/Thank you for listening!Please like, follow, and / or share with your friends, family and dinner dates.