Life Designer with Jingyu Chen

What if art is not about creating something new — but about learning how to see what has always been there? What if attention is not passive observation, but an active, disciplined act of perception? And what if what we overlook — the marginal, the infrastructural, the seemingly insignificant — is precisely where meaning quietly accumulates? In this expansive and contemplative conversation, I sit down with Steven Seidenberg — an interdisciplinary artist whose work moves across visual and semantic languages to explore how attention, perception, and meaning are constructed. 00:00:00 – 00:10:45 : Steven explains that his creative life is not built around a single medium, but multiple “echoing” practices. Rather than separating disciplines, he sees them as reflections of the same underlying sensibility.00:10:45 – 00:15:55 : Steven’s work consistently turns toward spaces that are overlooked, infrastructural, peripheral, and politically or economically neglected. But he makes an important distinction: not all empty spaces are abandoned — many are simply disregarded. This reframes the lens from aesthetic curiosity to structural awareness, and from visual emptiness to historical and political residue.At the same time, these spaces must hold compositional potential. 00:15:55 – 00:27:10: One of the most defining principles of Steven’s work is his commitment to series-based practice. He does not take isolated photographs. Because repetition allows transformation: the ordinary becomes uncanny, the overlooked becomes visible, and the insignificant becomes emotionally charged. 00:27:10 – 00:34:20: Steven sees audience reception as structurally limited rather than contingent: not everyone will understand or respond to the work, and this is not a failure but part of how art exists. He resists adjusting work to market expectations or simplifying it for accessibility, prioritising internal integrity. Yet he does not reject audience altogether — art always exists in relation to reception, but instead of serving a predefined public, it gradually shapes its own audience over time.00:34:20 – 00:39:13 :  Steven reflects on his project photographing plastic flowers in cemeteries. These objects exist in tension: artificial material placed in sacred space; objects meant to endure, yet slowly degrading; symbols of care, yet subject to neglect. What draws him is not the object itself, but the contradiction it holds — permanence versus decay, artificial versus organic, memory versus erosion. 00:39:13 – 00:46:18 : His writing sits at the intersection of philosophy, literature, and critique of the Western intellectual tradition. Rather than treating it as fixed authority, he uses writing to stretch and test its limits — sometimes through conceptual intensity, sometimes through irony or parody, where humour and philosophical depth coexist. His work also holds multiple registers at once — intellectual, emotional, aesthetic, and rhythmic.00:46:18 – 00:51:40 : Steven sees artistic voice as something formed through engagement rather than isolated invention. It develops through sustained exposure to other works, including imitation and even failed imitation.00:51:40 – 01:07:17 : Steven frames contemporary life as a condition of fragmented attention, which produces constant presence without true perception. Moments of unknowing are not absence, but conditions for clarity and relational depth, both in art and in life. He closes with a grounding principle from Gramsci:Pessimism of the intellect, Optimism of the will Steven’s  website:  https://www.stevenseidenberg.com/Instagram: steven.seidenberglifedesignerwithjingyuchen

What if chronic symptoms are not the body turning against you, but the body trying to communicate with you? What if true healing is not about suppression or control, but about returning to an authentic way of living — one where we are willing to fully feel our feelings? And what if, through that process, we begin to reclaim agency over our own health?In this deeply illuminating and expansive conversation, I sit down with Dr. Kelly McCann — MD, MPH, TM — a physician practicing Functional, Integrative & Environmental Medicine — to demystify chronic and complex illness and immune dysregulation, and explore the hidden architecture of multi-system imbalance.Dr. McCann approaches these conditions through an integrative, functional, and environmental lens, weaving together clinical medicine, systems thinking, and environmental health. At the core of her work is a commitment to root-cause understanding —not merely treating symptoms, but tracing the deeper patterns that shape health and disease. Central to her philosophy is a reframing of the body: not as a broken machine to be fixed, but as a highly intelligent communication system shaped by internal biology, the external environment, and emotional experience.00:00:00 – 00:09:46 Intro & Dr. Kelly’s Path into Functional Medicine00:09:46 – 00:13:32 The Architecture of Chronic Illness: When the Body Begins to Signal: Chronic illness is understood not as isolated diagnoses, but as multi-system dysregulation across immune, nervous, and endocrine systems, driven by cumulative load. Dr.Kelly uses the metaphor of a “sink”: when inputs (toxins, infections, stress, mould exposure) exceed the body’s capacity to clear them, overflow occurs — and symptoms emerge.00:14:38 – 00:30:08 The Architecture of Dysregulation: Immune Intelligence, Nervous System Load & Cumulative Breakdown:  Mast cells act as sentinels, but in mast cell activation syndrome they misperceive non-threatening inputs, driving chronic inflammation. The immune and nervous systems remain in constant dialogue. Prolonged fight-or-flight keeps the body in a sustained danger state, reinforcing hypersensitivity. Clinically — MCAS, POTS, and autonomic instability — reflect gradual system-wide dysregulation. The task is mapping drivers over time: exposures, infections, gut imbalance, and nervous system load. As she notes, “the body’s intent is always to keep us alive.”00:30:52 – 00:36:44 Body as Signal System: Meaning Beyond Symptoms : Chronic illness is not only biological overload, but also a breakdown in how we relate to the body’s signals. Rather than seeing symptoms as failure, Dr. Kelly reframes them as communication from the body under strain.The shift: from “my body is against me” to “my body is speaking to me.”00:36:44 – 00:45:10 Emotional Suppression & Immune Expression: Chronic illness often reflects long-term emotional suppression and disconnection from authentic feeling. The immune system mirrors self-relationship, not just defence.00:45:10 – 01:05:44 Inflammation, Emotional Processing & Return to Wholeness: Inflammation is adaptive short-term but harmful when chronic, often driven by unresolved emotional and physiological patterns. Healing requires emotional completion, not suppression. Through the “Unforgetting Project,” individuals are supported to feel, be witnessed, and reconnect with authenticity. The body is an intelligent system guiding return to safety, integration, and authenticity.Website: https://drkellymccann.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkellymccann/Linktree: linktr.ee/drkellymccannlifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In this episode, I reflect on the question: How do you want to live your life? Inspired by the Japanese animated film 君たちはどう生きるか, I share a personal exploration of life design—shaped by epigenetics, identity, attention, and deliberate systems that support a meaningful life. Through years of self-reflection and building my podcast Life Designer, I arrived at a clear blueprint: a life of longevity and vitality, infused with intellectuality, beauty, and humanity. Ultimately, this episode explores what it means to become an agile architect of life: building systems aligned with vision, values, and identity while adapting, iterating, and evolving as life changes.Timestamps0:00 – 19:05 | Chapter 1: My Blueprint of Being a Life DesignerGenetic or Epigenetic—My Verdict is, and Always Will Be Epigenetic I reflect on the debate between genetics and epigenetics. Growing up in a rigid academic system, early struggles with mathematics shaped my sense of natural limits. Instead of seeing genetics as destiny, epigenetics offers a more empowering view: acknowledging innate wiring while intentionally focusing on areas that align with strengths and curiosity.How I Want to Live my Life – Unequivocal Clarity Through reflection, I arrived at a clear vision inspired by 君たちはどう生きるか. I imagine a life immersed in reading, writing, piano, exercise, and creative work, close to nature, focused on longevity, vitality, intellectual depth, and aesthetic experience.Why Intellectuality, Beauty, and Connection Intellectuality fuels thinking, writing, and podcasting. Beauty shapes perception through architecture and design. Connection ties these pursuits together, fostering meaningful conversations and reinforcing both ideas and human resonance.Aligning My System with Vision, Values, and Identity I built a life-design formula of habits, attention training, brain rewiring, and environment—guided by vision, values, and identity. Daily practices like exercise, reading, writing, and creative work serve my ultimate goals, while values are reflected in how I allocate time, energy, and resources.Identity At the Core Identity emerges through self-deconstruction and deliberate reconstruction. Defined by chosen qualities—gravitas, composure, self-agency—it anchors every system and decision in my life.19:05 – 43:58 | Chapter 2: A New Experiment Inaugurated — Becoming an Agile Architect of LifeDuring the Christmas and New Year break, I ran a personal experiment: freed from a nine-to-five schedule, how would my ideal life look? Intention Woven Into the DNA of My System — Guiding How I Structure My Day and Curate My Cultural Diet Intention shapes daily architecture. Morning peak hours go to deep intellectual engagement, often with long-form podcasts during walks. My “cultural diet” ensures the ideas and media I consume align with my intellectual and creative goals, avoiding algorithm-driven distraction.Cultivating Exquisite Attention — Shaping Focus and Sustaining Flow Through Reading and Piano Reading and piano serve as dual attention training: reading stretches comprehension, piano demands sustained focus. Together, they cultivate “exquisite attention,” strengthening concentration while counteracting modern dopamine-driven distraction.Infrastructure and Agility — Designing Habits That Adapt, Endure, and Elevate Environmental infrastructure supports habits. Experimenting with an infrared gym during a routine disruption highlighted the need for agile systems—adapting environments, tools, and structures to maintain consistency while evolving.43:58 – 47:43 | Chapter 3: Living as a Life Designer—Integration, Agility, and Embodied Action.lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In this episode, Terrence Curry reflects on a lifetime of making, teaching, and designing, exploring how hands-on craftsmanship, authentic living, and human connection shape both life and work. He shares insights on the pursuit of beauty, illustrating that true beauty is  forged through heartfelt desire, disciplined effort, and persistent dedication.0:00–9.07 | Growing Up a Maker Terrence reflects on childhood craftsmanship and lessons from his grandfather, sparking curiosity and a lifelong instinct to create. The challenge for him  was not discovering talent but understanding how one’s unique gifts could be meaningfully applied in the world.9.07–18:50  | Finding One’s Place in the World Terrence discusses translating personal aptitudes into purposeful contributions, bridging passion with vocation. Happiness, he suggests, comes from living authentically, fully aware of one’s strengths and engaging with the world on those terms. Terrence reflects: "When we know who we are and are being who we are, engaging with the world as we are… there’s a kind of symbiosis, a right relationship with ourselves and others, which can lead to happiness in a very profound sense."18:50–29:18 | Inhabiting the World & Creative Instinct True inhabitation comes from deep connection with surroundings. He states that the notion of being in the world is that you embrace your connectedness with all that's around you, that you're not a tourist in the world, but truly inhabiting the place.  This deep engagement with his surroundings also informs his creative process. Emotional intuition guides his creativity.29:18–36:10 | Beauty and Connoisseurship Terrence emphasizes that form follows feeling: design is meaningful when it induces a particular emotional experience. Recognizing beauty requires connoisseurship—the ability to perceive, evaluate, and cultivate aesthetic judgment beyond technical skill. He notes that AI may excel at structured tasks but cannot grasp the open-ended, iterative, and deeply human process of design. 36:10–48:10 | Voice, Emotional Impact & Community Design As an educator, he wants his students find their own voice and create work that they will take a pride. He observes: "The world is a better place because we need each other. We need each other’s voices." We further tapped into Terrence’s design work that focuses on community projects rooted in service.48:10–53:35  | No Universal Aesthetic Beauty exists on multiple levels: personal (subjective emotional response), cultural (shared norms and values), and broadly human (experiences that resonate across people). Terrence underscores the importance of cultivating the ability to recognize and appreciate diverse aesthetics, understanding why they resonate, and learning from different cultural expressions. 53:35–1:18.30 | Making Beauty: Desire, Discipline & Craftsmanship Creating beauty is an intentional and rigorous pursuit. Terrence explains that it requires intelligence, discipline, persistence, and desire—it is a fight against the forces that resist beauty. Craftsmanship emerges from repeated engagement, iteration, and dialogue with materials, whether wood, stone, or paper. He highlights the intimacy between maker and material, showing how physical interaction deepens perception and appreciation. Terrence concludes: "You really have to want to do something good, and then be willing to—not just have the desire, but also to have the discipline to do it." Through this, beauty becomes an enduring expressioLearn more :Website: https://sjsw.org/Follow him on 小红书 /Rednote ID: 9418448402lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In this episode, Olga Naiman shares her journey from growing up as a refugee to becoming an interior therapist and creator of Spatial Alchemy — her signature design methodology, psychological framework, and eponymous book. Raised by parents who were both psychiatrists, Olga developed early sensitivity to the human mind, yet her homes lacked emotional connection and aesthetic grounding.Though encouraged to pursue psychiatry, she followed her intuition toward design, eventually moving to New York to work as an editor and stylist.Yet Olga yearned for a deeper connection with design. She ultimately amalgamated psychology with design, creating Spatial Alchemy — a body of work and book that transforms home design into a pathway for life transformation. At its core lies a powerful invitation: design your home for the life you’re calling in.The Four Layers of Design: Olga explains that design operates on four layers — two visible: Beauty and Function, and two invisible:Psychological layer: spaces shape our psyche. Even small items like dishes or cups help “weave a web” supporting the life you wish to embody.Manifestational layer: as your psychological layer aligns, your external life mirrors internal change. This is the essence of Spatial Alchemy — bringing your future self into the present and embodying the energy you aspire to step into.Olga highlights the difference between intention (visualizing) and active participation (living as if it has already manifested).Working with Energy in the Home: Olga expands the conversation into energy as a universal principle recognized across cultures . Objects carry energetic qualities, influencing how we feel and how others perceive us. She stresses, “Where attention goes, energy grows.”Dissolving vs. Decluttering: Decluttering asks, “Do I use this?” Dissolving asks, “Does this reflect who I am becoming?” Many people unknowingly hold onto objects tied to outdated identities.  Dissolving can be painful.  Olga encourages us to ask: What do I value more — the object, or the life I want to create?Where to Begin with Spatial Alchemy:See your home as a stranger: Walk through your space with fresh eyes, or ask a trusted friend to notice patterns that reflect an older version of you.Begin dissolving: Identify ten objects misaligned with your future self and consciously release them. True transformation starts with removal before addition.Upgrade daily touchpoints: Introduce meaningful items  to reinforce the emotional states and identity you wish to cultivate. Frequent daily use amplifies their subtle psychological influenceOlga emphasizes starting small and accumulating change gradually. Your home is a living relationship — a space that supports emotional safety, identity growth, and the unfolding of the life you are becoming.Timestamps:0:00–16:00 Intro & Olga’s Journey, Early Influences & the Birth of Spatial Alchemy11:16–21:45 The Four Layers of Design21:45–29:20 Working with Energy in the Home29:20–36:37 Dissolving vs. Decluttering36:37–41:44 Where to Begin with Spatial AlchemyLearn More:Website: www.thespatialalchemy.comBook: Spatial Alchemy: Design Your Home to Transform Your Life Instagram: @olganaimanlifedesignerwithjingyuchen

I had the incredible privilege of speaking with Dr. Mandy Patterson — a naturopathic doctor, functional medicine practitioner, and fertility & hormone expert — about the art and science of living with vitality and longevity. This episode unfolds as a profound exchange between evidence and intuition, intellect and faith, science and spirit.00:00 – 06:30 | The Journey Begins Dr. Mandy shares her extraordinary journey from medical training to integrative medicine. At 22, she faced a life-threatening pregnancy that changed everything — awakening her belief that health is encompassing body, mind, and spirit.06:30 – 15:30 | The Unseen Weight of Suppression We reflect on how modern culture glorifies endurance and emotional suppression — the ‘power-through’ mentality that, as Dr. Mandy notes, often disconnects us from the body’s innate wisdom.15:30 – 27:00 | Healing Beyond the Physical Dr. Mandy explains that Western medicine treats the body in silos, while true healing sees the body as one dynamic system. In her practice, the goal is not symptom relief but transformation. She traces how pharmaceutical dominance sidelined holistic medicine and highlights the importance of informed consent.27:00 – 35:00 | The Gut as the Second Brain Dr. Mandy calls the gut “its own planet” — a living ecosystem shaping mood, immunity, and longevity. She explains how factors like birth method, early feeding, and maternal nutrition shape a baby’s microbiome, laying the foundation for lifelong health. Her advice is simple yet profound: eat the rainbow, diversify plants, and nurture the gut like a garden.35:00 – 50:00 | Genes, Food, and the Power to Recode Ourselves Dr. Mandy unpacks epigenetics and nutrigenomics — how food and lifestyle can switch genes on or off. Through her own MTHFR variant, she reminds us that: “Genetics loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.”50:00 – 1:07:00 |  Bioidentical Hormones & the Art of Self-Agency in Health Dr. Mandy constantly pushes the edge as a scientist, believing that science is fluid and true growth requires humility. She reminds us, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me” — we must take full ownership of our health. Our dialogue expands into emotional and spiritual well-being, recognizing loneliness as an epidemic and intuition as an untapped medicine. 1:07:00 – 1:25:00 | Fertility as the Fifth Vital Sign Dr. Mandy perceived fertility as the fifth vital sign—a reflection of a woman’s total health. She walks through her root-cause approach that examines early environment, nutrition, genetics, toxins, and energy flow. She stressed  preparation before conception shapes not only pregnancy outcomes but also a child’s lifelong health. The conversation expands to advanced maternal age, egg freezing, and holistic optimization—where true fertility begins with a strong foundation, not quick fixes. 01:25 – 01:50 |  Anti-Aging, Motherhood, Gratitude & Surrender  Dr. Mandy shares her anti-aging practices—peptides, X39 patch, vibration plate, etc., A mum of six, she reflects on how motherhood shaped her healing philosophy. We close with faith, gratitude, and surrender—where letting go becomes the deepest healing.   You can learn more about Mandy’s work at: Website: https://mandypatterson.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmandypatterson/?hl=en-- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drmandypatterson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gutsyfertilitylifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In this episode, we explore the heart of personal branding, visibility, and authenticity with Expert Authority Coach and bestselling author Christine Blosdale. Christine has guided hundreds of entrepreneurs, coaches, authors, and non-profits in claiming their expert authority and showing up with confidence, clarity, and genuine human connection. Christine shares her signature “pillar of three”—health, wealth, and love—as the foundation of meaningful, purpose-driven work. Together, we dive into: 00:00 – 07:16 | Foundations: Authenticity, Intuition & the Making of a Coach: We open with Christine’s world of personal branding and authentic visibility. She shares how her early dream of becoming a teacher, her career pivots, and 25+ years in broadcasting and digital media led her to coaching. Christine explains how intuition became one of her tools—using “goosebumps moments” as signals of alignment, clarity, and possibility for her clients.07:16 – 14:55 | Childhood Influences, Awareness & Understanding Your Audiences: Christine reflects on the childhood moments that shaped her confidence, awareness, and communication style. We explore how being seen and validated early in life formed her ability to deeply “read” people and brands. She explains why authenticity matters, how to read your audience accurately, and how to communicate your message in a way that is human, relatable, and instantly clear.14:55 – 23:57 | Expert Authority, Multipotentiality & Imposter Syndrome: Christine defines what “expert authority” truly means—and why there’s no finish line, title, or credential that finally declares you “ready.” She explores how to craft a title that expresses your essence rather than your job description. We discuss why being multi-passionate is a strength, not a liability, and how to unify diverse interests under one brand identity. This segment also uncovers the root causes of imposter syndrome—how childhood conditioning creates self-doubt and how shifting from “What will people think of me?” to “Who am I here to serve?” dissolves that fear.23:57 – 38:14 | Mastery, Confidence vs Ego & Building Offers People Actually Want : Christine reframes mastery as a lifelong journey and shares how genuine confidence can coexist with uncertainty and growth. She distinguishes grounded confidence from ego-driven performance and explains why many business owners struggle: they push out what they enjoy instead of what their audience truly needs. We break down how to remove ambiguity from your offerings and build products and services that genuinely serve your clients.38:14 – 50:22 | AI, Creativity & the Power of Energetic Presence : Christine shares how to use AI and ChatGPT wisely—as enhancers of your voice rather than replacements for it.  This section also explores “energetic presence” in business—how desperation repels, how gratitude attracts, and how grounding yourself shapes how people experience your brand.  Connect with Christine Blosdale: • Website: https://www.christineblosdale.com • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christineblosdale • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristineBlosdale • Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-expert-authority-coach-podcast/id1073309606  • Book: The Social Media & Branding Survival Guidelifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In this episode of Life Designer, I sit down with Napoleon Smith, Chief Marketing Officer of Rubik’s Wow Cube, to explore a story at the intersection of innovation, nostalgia, and human resilience.The Rubik’s Wow Cube is a revolutionary digital reinvention of the classic Rubik’s Cube. With 24 interactive screens, endless customizable games, and seamless smart-device integration, it transforms playtime into a multisensory, educational, and highly interactive experience. Napoleon shares the inspiring journey of the father-and-son duo behind the Wow Cube, who spent years prototyping, coding, and refining this futuristic console—navigating global moves from Russia to America, countless iterations, and the challenges of transforming a 50-year-old classic into a modern technological marvel.Listeners will discover how nostalgia and reminiscence are core to the Wow Cube’s design, drawing from the timeless charm of the original Rubik’s Cube to spark curiosity, creativity, and joy across generations. As Napoleon notes: “Because of the nostalgia factor of the Rubik’s Cube, grandparents want it too—and they can play with their grandkids. It fills the gap between retro and technology, bringing generations together through fun and curiosity.”Grandparents, parents, and children can share in the experience, bridging the gap between retro play and modern technology. Beyond entertainment, the Wow Cube empowers kids to think in 3D, develop problem-solving skills, and even create their own games—offering cognitive benefits and early engagement with coding, technology, and interactive learning. Through neuroscience research, it also supports focus, dexterity, and mental agility.Wow Cube has also earned the approval of its predecessor, Rubik’s creator Mr. Ernő Rubik, as well as recognition from tech pioneers like Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, all of whom have celebrated the Wow Cube as an innovative evolution of the original Rubik’s Cube.Napoleon also revealed WowCube’s broader vision: integrating AI, interactive avatars, and future innovations that extend far beyond gaming. The DNA embedded in WowCube, as Napoleon pointed out, is their engineering team—engineers who are also exceptionally strong in development. With those two strengths in mind, they have a great platform to build on. They are always working on how to make it better—the platform, the technology itself, the hardware. What makes it even more exciting is that it’s a truly global collaboration. Their teams bring relentless passion and energy, constantly pushing boundaries, and that spirit translates directly into the games they create. They explained that so many people come to them wanting to develop games for it because they love it so much. The games carry passion, nostalgia, and fun—and that’s where they see a real advantage.Napoleon stated: “Rubik's has been around for 50 years and now because of what we've done, it's going to be around for another 50 years.” yet , I believe innovation that honors its legacy as well as standing out on its own is bound to be perpetual—to go beyond 50 years.Also big shoutout to the WowCube’s upcoming launch, its goal as the ultimate holiday gift, and the remarkable social “wow factor” it brings—turning ordinary spaces into hubs of curiosity, collaboration, and connection. Developers around the world are invited to innovate on the platform, creating new games, experiences, and interactive possibilities.This episode is a fascinating exploration of how nostalgia, creativity, and cutting-edge technology converge to inspire learning, connection, and joy—proving that the legacy of a 50-year-old classic can be reinvented to bring generations together, bridging the past, present, and future of play.lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

This episode is an intimate exploration of my dopamine-driven nature—how it fuels my intrinsic motivation, creative pursuits, and relentless drive for refinement. I unpack the paradox of thriving in long-term, effortful passion projects while still wrestling with distraction, novelty, and fleeting dopamine hits. From cultivating exquisite attention and aligning with circadian rhythms to rewiring my brain for mastery, I share candid stories of how dopamine shapes my podcasting, interior design, writing, and everyday life. This isn’t a manifesto of superiority but a self-portrait—an honest reckoning with the beauty, tension, and paradox of being powered by dopamine.If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t stop creating, chasing, or seeking—this episode offers both reflection and a framework for harnessing dopamine to not just survive in duality, but thrive in paradox. I dive deep into the nuances of motivation, the subtle ways the brain craves reward, and how intentional practices can transform fleeting impulses into sustained growth. By examining small daily choices, micro-rewards, and deliberate habits, I offer insights that resonate beyond productivity—into creativity, self-understanding, and the very way we experience life.3:24 — Chapter 1: Surviving in Innate Duality: Cultivating Exquisite AttentionI reflect on the duality of my dopamine-driven nature—thriving in long-term projects while still drawn to fleeting distractions. By aligning my circadian rhythm, managing energy, curating my cultural diet, and setting intentional boundaries, I’ve learned to reclaim focus and intervene when attention slips. I also explore how environmental tweaks, and choice of culture diet help me cultivate exquisite attention in a hyper-stimulating world. 17:40 — Chapter 2: Unlocking the Brain’s Potential: The Power of Brain Rewiring I dive into brain rewiring (neuroplasticity) and its role in transforming habits, focus, and skill acquisition.It took me over 30 years to reach this reckoning: if I keep bypassing blind spots or ignoring inner friction—simply at the mercy of my dopamine nature, narrowing my focus to only what naturally stimulates me—I will never achieve my goal of mastery. That reckoning catapulted me into a brand-new chapter of my life—my brain-rewiring era—where old wiring meets new. Since then, I’ve embarked on what I now call my Alchemy Journey. From overhauling pronunciation for podcasting to embracing tedium in fitness, I illustrate how intentional effort and leveraging dopamine can unlock hidden potential. This chapter also explores the subtle ways repetition, reflection, and curiosity intersect with dopamine to enhance both creativity and resilience, showing that even small neural adjustments can have transformative ripple effects.36:39 — Final Chapter: Thriving in Inherent Paradox: Seizing Dopamine’s Glimmer of Hope I discuss the ongoing journey of refinement: acting on small prompts, motivation stacking, and embracing micro-leaps toward mastery. By integrating self-care, curiosity, and deliberate action, I demonstrate how dopamine-driven individuals can cultivate sustainable momentum, resilience, and growth in both life and creative pursuits. I also reflect on the delicate balance between indulgence and discipline, the joy in discovery, and the mindful pursuit of excellence without falling prey to overstimulation.At this point in life, I value the vitality of my being, with creativity at the core, aiming for a vibrant yet grounded form of dopamine living. This is my dopamine self-portrait: I wage a tug-of-war between distraction and focus; I strive to master exquisite attention to survive my duality. I see a glimmer of hope for my dopamine-fuelled temperament; I aspire to unlock the power of brain-rewiring to thrive in my paradox.lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Exactly three years ago in Sydney, I had the privilege of interviewing Miki—an illuminating character, a talented artist and photographer. In that episode, she walked us through her extraordinary life journey of traveling and living across the world, embracing a nomadic lifestyle. She shared her aspirational pivot story—from architect to photographer—courageously carving out a second life.Today, we come full circle with a returning episode recorded in Tokyo, at the beautiful Gajoen Hotel. Much has shifted in three years. Miki has undergone profound transformations, both personally and professionally. The most significant is her stepping into motherhood. Last year, in 2024, Miki and her family made a big move, relocating to Japan.  Miki expressed: “We’re truly enjoying this chapter and all the growth, opportunities, and experiences it’s brought.”In Part One, we delve into her motherhood journey. Becoming a mum for the first time, Miki describes it as truly magical. For her, the greatest joy is seeing the world through her daughter’s eyes—almost like reliving childhood.Her motherhood philosophy resonates with my own vision of being a mum in the future. For Miki, motherhood doesn’t mean putting life on hold or sacrificing growth. It’s a new opportunity to enrich life across multiple dimensions. As she said: “Your kids raise you.” (we both acknowledge that becoming a mum is a deeply personal choice. All of our reflections are built on that premise)Motherhood brings responsibility, stress, and struggle—it’s one of the hardest jobs. Miki said—through her lens of empathy and compassion: "Be kind to yourself. Yes, there are many moments when things don’t go the way I hoped. But I try to remind myself—this is my very first time experiencing these things. I’ve only been in this ‘job’ for about three years, with no prior training. Every day is on-the-job learning. So it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to not know everything. That mindset really helps relieve the pressure.” “The truth is, even if you’ve had prior experience with children, every child is different. It takes trial and error to get things right—and that’s okay.” She shared the core traits shaping her motherhood journey:“Patience, presence, adaptability—and a whole lot of love.” Motherhood, for her, is about showing up—even when tired, uncertain, or feeling lost. It’s the willingness to keep trying, learning, and loving unconditionally.We also explored presence. For Miki, it means intentional interaction—nurturing curiosity and creativity, two qualities I highly value. Being present means truly seeing your children, engaging their inner worlds, and being there despite exhaustion and emotional roller coasters. Through my lens, Miki embodies motherhood’s essence: boundless love and strength beyond measure.She shared her parenting ethos—our role is to equip children with character and life skills, but ultimately it’s their life to live. I deeply resonate with this philosophy.Balancing work and family has been challenging. Miki juggles running her business, caring for family, and carving moments for herself. Self-care is vital yet its doesn't require grand gestures —simple acts like walking in nature, honest conversations, or quiet moments also do the wonder.Motherhood has deepened Miki’s artistic lens. As she beautifully encapsulated:“I’d say motherhood hasn’t changed what I see through the lens, but it’s definitely changed how I see it—and how I hold the stories I get to tell.” Links Website: https://www.mikisakai.com/ Instagram: mikisakaiphotographylifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In Part Two, we shine a spotlight on a new chapter of Miki Sakai Photography—the transition from Sydney to Tokyo. In our previous podcast, Miki shared her vision of reaching clients around the world. I said it back then: Miki belongs to the world. And today, she’s truly thriving on the global stage. As a photographer who has traversed both Western and Eastern landscapes—from the southern hemisphere to a bustling Asian metropolis—Miki’s creative lens continues to evolve. The relocation added depth and nuance to her artistry. This shift also brought a new client base. In Sydney, she was often welcomed into local homes for intimate family portraits. Now in Tokyo, she works with international families and travelers capturing once-in-a-lifetime memories. There’s a reciprocal energy exchange that reinvigorates her creativity. As clients bring fresh eyes to the city, Miki discovers its beauty daily. This dynamic allows her to transform fleeting joy into enduring visual storytelling.Miki’s artistry transcends visuals—it’s rooted in empathy, authenticity, and emotional resonance. Each image holds timeless emotional weight. As she describes: “I see myself as an ambassador for the city love—offering a warm, thoughtful experience that helps families feel seen, welcomed, and connected to the magic of Tokyo. It’s not just about the photos—it’s about the story they’ll take home.”When asked why storytelling sits at the heart of her work, she said: "I’ve always believed a single image can say more than a thousand words. But more than that, photographs hold emotion, memory, connection, legacy. When I look at old family photos, I see a story—a memory that would otherwise be lost."This is why I deeply admire her work. It’s not just photography—it’s art, anchored in humility and intention. Her frames become visual heirlooms passed down for generations. Miki truly lives her ethos: Where Tender Moments Meet Heartfelt Stories.  Personally, I’ve gained so much strength, inspiration, joy, and hope from her artistry—where our values align and our aesthetics unite. Officially, I want to say:Thank you, Miki, for crafting beauty and adding light to this world!She shared her proud moments: The biggest one has been raising her daughter—from babyhood through the toddler years—while essentially restarting her business from scratch in Tokyo. She recalled: “It’s the kind of dedication no one sees—no one gives you a pat on the back at 1 a.m.—but you know what it takes. And I’m incredibly proud of her for that.”I also shared my proud moments: my home tour video project last year, and this year, publishing my first book: Life Designer with Jingyu Chen: A Journey Towards Discipline, Mastery, Radiance. My message is: yes, we are all constrained—by skills, resources, or self-doubt—but we can transcend limitations. We reminisced on beautiful memories Miki and I carved out in both Sydney and Tokyo.  We also envision what the future hold for both of us. Miki’s vision for Miki Sakai Photography is to continue creating work that feels honest, emotive, and timeless. In the long term, she’d love to give back to the community by mentoring photographers. I want to end with her vision that deeply moved me: “I don’t see my work as just photography—it’s a way of observing life with care and depth. If I can continue offering that to others, while staying connected to my own creative truth, then that’s the path I want to keep walking.”Links Website: https://www.mikisakai.com/ Instagram: mikisakaiphotographylifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Today is a very special episode. I’m so thrilled to finally announce that my book — Life Designer with Jingyu Chen: A Journey Towards Discipline, Mastery, Radiance — is now live on Amazon!First, you should know: writing this book was never part of a grand plan.It all began with a single phrase — “The Year (2025) of Refinement” — fleeting through my mind. I seized that seemingly random thought and nurtured it into something much more solid, concrete, and expansive than I had ever imagined.That’s kind of my pattern now, right? lol — whenever an idea sparks, I act.Back then, the word refinement was just a vague and ambiguous notion. But still, I felt compelled to write something. Over time, it grew — in both scope and volume — expanding far beyond what I had initially envisioned.By now, I’ve established a winning streak — turning small sparks into fireworks.Every fragmented thought, every seemingly trivial impulse, has evolved into a thread — a story woven into the tapestry of a life I’ve designed for myself.And now, with this book finally out in the world, I feel like I’ve come full circle — five years into my creative journey, and half a year into this intense writing process. Apart from writing this book, once again, I’ve also been wearing all different hats — slash editor, designer, publisher — all at once, lol.Let me also take this chance to thank all of you who’ve listened to this podcast.This has been such a proud journey we’ve built together.Some of you have been here since day one, and I’m immensely grateful for that. I truly acknowledge the emotional weight and gravitas of each time you tune in — in this day and age, time, energy, and attention are the greatest assets.And the fact that you invest your greatest asset in my craft — words can’t even remotely express my gratitude and appreciation.I know I sound like a broken record, but I really do pour my heart and soul into every episode — and every project. This book is no exception. My writing itself — for sure, that’s up to your verdict. But what lies beneath each word — the sentiment, the mindset, the approach — must emanate from an authentic place and be validated by lived experienceAfter five years of relentless pursuit, I can say this with conviction: I can only stay true to myself!That’s how I worked up the courage and found my strongest why for sharing this book with the world. I self-censor. I scrutinise every word, every idea that composes my storytelling. It’s my authentic and transformative journey toward discipline, mastery, and radiance. I took one last, long look in the mirror before releasing this book — and I’m proud of who I am today: grounded, abundant, content. I genuinely enjoy my not-so-perfect, yet self-designed life.I also hope the book brings a hint of meaningful and uplifting light to your life.Here’s a quick glimpse inside the book:• Unlocking the power of habit stacking to build new habits and elevate self-discipline• Tapping into the brain’s rewiring potential to break old patterns and progress toward mastery• Navigating emotional regulation by building emotional anchors, identifying triggers, and applying your own toolkit and rules• Connecting to life’s tasks by developing self-awareness across three essential layers: our relationship with ourselves, others, and the environment• Drawing a parallel between interior design and life design — a journey toward beauty, harmony, and radiance.If you’re interested, the book is now available on Amazon https://mybook.to/lifedesigner (available worldwide) The audiobook is also on Spotify, Nook Audiobooks, Google Play, and other platforms. Thank you for joining me on this Life Designer journey!lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Monika perceived her life as a journey, with giving back always at the core of her values—instilled in her from an early upbringing. Born in 1962, she grew up in a politically tumultuous era, a time of cultural renovation in China marked by school shutdowns and material scarcity. Yet, despite these external hardships , the unconditional love of her family became her solid rock. Today, Monika thrives on the global stage—an ultimate testament to the conviction that the sky is the limit. It was her family’s emotional safety net that set her up for an extraordinary life trajectory. She is inherently a joyful person and an avatar of energy. She truly upholds her powerful mentality: “No complaints, no comparisons, no playing the victim” , while embracing whatever comes her way and makes the most of it. She further emphasized:“Focus on what I can take from my past and present to build into a beautiful future."She never set limits on herself. From China to Australia, from IT to real estate, she was always willing to start over and step into uncharted territory—a mastery spirit in its own right.  Fifteen years of hard work culminated in the building of her first business empire in IT. Another fifteen years carved out her path as a real estate mogul. To this day, she still works relentlessly, never stopping. Her success isn’t the result of a golden touch but rather an alchemical journey rooted in hard work, honesty and intelligence.Monika’s Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs 1. The Impression You Make on People Matters-Showing genuine care and being kind are things everyone can do, but not everyone is willing to do. 2. Work with People Better Than You-You need to collaborate with experts and professionals to fill in your own gaps. My intelligence lies in assembling a team of experts and professionals to achieve success. 3: We are not trying to compete with others; we are trying to be different-Personal branding is key. You must understand your uniqueness to carve out your niche market. 4: You have to keep an open mind and be willing to learn. Managing your emotions and not being ruled by your ego is often the hardest part. We further tap into the deep “why” that underpins her entire pursuit—her core value of giving back. For Monika, giving means giving love, money and time. This core value has fueled her through different stages of life—from wealth-building to integrating philanthropy into her mission. It also became her anchor during moments of industry toxicity and betrayal, when the thought of giving up once crept into her mind. But it was her husband's empowering words that fundamentally reshaped her mindset: "Remember, your initial vision is to give back. You’re not just selling people a piece of property—you’re helping them settle into a community and build a life here. If you give without expecting anything in return, you will be blessed by God. Embrace what you have; if you don’t have it, you don’t deserve it.”Monika said, “My story is about staying true to my roots, working hard, and setting a goal—one that goes beyond just material success.  She invites everyone to engage in deep introspection with a thought-provoking question: "Imagine you have everything in the world—all the money, success, and status you desire—what’s next?" She believes that the "what’s next" must tie into one’s ultimate goal, Monika added: “I know my ultimate goal—to give and to serve—will never go wrong. That’s why I can always persevere, no matter what challenges or difficulties arise in my life."You can find Monika at: Website: https://blackdiamondz.com.au/Instagram: monikatu88小红书：Monika 澳洲豪宅lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In part two, we zoom lens into the ethos of concierge beneath Black Diamondz. Monika said: " The core of concierge is about giving clients what they want . The scope of concierge service spans the full spectrum of lifestyle."Essentially, Black Diamondz Concierge is steeped in genuinely helping migrants (her major Chinese clientele and international clients) settle into a new community in Australia, extending beyond mere property selling to settlement advisory, consultation, and guidance on the local school system and social integration. Such an approach also led Monika to cultivate a key aspect of her personal branding—trust with clients. In high-end real estate, trust is  arguably the most difficult to build. Monika translates that pure intention of genuinely giving into her business DNA—laying out a solid foundation for Black Diamondz Concierge service.Monika sees herself as a marketer. In a competitive landscape dominated by well-established agencies,  she carved out a niche market. She fully harnesses the power of social media, embracing the latest techniques, such as AI, to curate strong and precise messages across multiple media platforms and channels. To align with her vision of going beyond mere property selling, Monika is a multi-hyphenate-She is also a cultural ambassador, an avid art collector,  and an endorser for numerous luxury brands. Monika said: " I am perhaps the only person who can create that lifestyle desire for migrants coming to this country."When it comes to real estate, Monika believes that a property can sell itself through authentic and captivating storytelling at the core. She sees herself as a bridge that connects talents and expertise, translating passion, love, and energy into creative expressions. Once again, the goal is to reach a wider audience who can gain inspiration and meaningful takeaways from her sharing. While her core business remains in real estate, Black Diamondz has expanded into new domains, culminating in the launch of The Diamond Club. Monika is deeply committed to her philanthropic calling at this stage in her life through influence-building. She believes that influence is not the end goal, but rather a powerful means to make a meaningful difference. People from all backgrounds trust her, knowing she will use donations wisely. She also empowers others to consider, 'What can I give?'  Her dedication to philanthropy is evident, consistently making breakthroughs. In 2024, Monika initiated the Gold Dinner, raising a record-breaking $33.4 million for the Sydney Children's Hospital. She received the Benefactor Award from the Children’s Cancer Institute in 2022 (presented by the Governor-General of Australia).Monika said: '"Giving back is rewarding and beautiful. I do it for my own fulfillment," but I believe Monika embodies the true essence of altruism—a force driven by benevolence and generosity—shaping a better world for everyone. In the end, I want to send out a powerful message from Monika: "Giving must come from within. It’s not about privilege; everyone has something to give. Even something as simple as a hug—it costs you nothing, yet it may change  someone's life."We ended the conversation with Monika featured on the Show: Luxe Listings Sydney, where laughter, joy, and heartfelt emotions permeated the air.  I will always remember what Monika said: "Value and integrity are priceless. Uphold your values and keep your feet on the ground." I will fiercely protect my values and integrity forever.You can find Monika at: Website: https://blackdiamondz.com.au/Instagram: monikatu88小红书：Monika 澳洲豪宅女王lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

I am so thrilled to have Bella back on Life Designer for the finale episode in 2023! Bella and I made this cute little pact to make an annual podcast—completely unscripted like girl chit-chat, yet very sophisticated conversations. It's an intimate gaze into our personal growth and introspection every year. This marks our third episode in the third year!About being present : The year 2023 marks a full-circle moment for both of us. We no longer perpetuate the idea of creating a new reality, instead, we shift our mindset to embrace each current moment. Travel, for us, is neither an escape nor a remedy that distances us from our mundane daily lives. We intend to make each day count, infused with the same level of energy, curiosity, and passion that we experience when we are on the road.About Existential Crisis: Both of us have faced our fair share of struggles and moments of self-loss, where our inner voice and outward expectations failed to align. It's a painful yet beautiful dance that eventually guides us to live in alignment with our values. By choosing intentional living, we are better equipped to counterbalance the giant distractions from the outside world, ultimately prevailing over existential threats.  Bella said 'I embrace and celebrate the way people live their lives but also claim my rights and freedom to design life the way I wish.' I have also reached a point where I've built a solid yet distant, safe boundary with society. I appreciate the otherness of individuals but also strive to carve out my authentic, unique, and unapologetic life.About the Paradox of Time: Time is limited, but as Bella said, when we know how to use our time, it can be on our side, working with us. Time can do wonders. I also always said time is my biggest asset, and I am determined to turn its limited nature into a gateway towards an unlimited future.About Ego and Pretentiousness:  Bella uncovers what leads us to be consumed by ego and how it keeps us from being humble, curious and empathetic.  Yet about pretentiousness, Bella said we can be confident in knowing what we know without selling ourselves for short.  Personally, I believe that the element of pretentiousness defines an artist's artistry and sustains their creativity and authenticity. I've made a promise to myself to forever protect the sensibility, pretentiousness, and authenticity of an artist like Bella.About Writing & Singing: Authenticity is rooted in her writing ethos. Writing serves as her self-portrait of honesty and reputation. A good writer draws inspiration from predecessors through dense and in-depth reading and researching, as well as from their own life experiences and understanding. Bella said she will be writing for her the rest of life, eager to see where life will take her. We both truly want to deeply take in, understand and see the world intellectually and aesthetically.  I told Bella that it took a few very profound moments of grief for me to reconcile with the fact that I am not inherently talented in any sense, but she said I am talented. My energy and curiosity towards the world are so unique and precious. I  have come to define my role as a keen observer and listener of the world, aiding beautiful souls like Bella to shine and illuminate more people. Thank you all for listening to my podcast, 'Life Designer,' in 2023. See you all in 2024! Episode in 2021 Episode in 2022lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In the Part Two,  Luella shares intimate insights into her experiences with relationship-building, parenting, self-care, and more.  Relationship-building took immense amount of efforts but the reward is worth it,  because the right partner also become your best mentor. That being said, personal growth should continue to perpetuate regardless of one’s relationship status (married or single ). We are often drawn to those who radiate from the inside out. When individuals exude positivity , they not only attract the right person but also find their supportive village. I am a firm believer that your vibe attracts your tribes.  Ongoing personal growth is also Luella’s secret ingredients to maintain marriage’s longevity and  fluidity. Another mentality shared by Luella is treating your partner like your child, allowing both individuals to grow and evolve together from a selfless place rather than one outpowering another. When it comes to parenting,  Luella emphasizes the narrative and awareness of self-love should be essential part of early childhood education. Self-love not only equips children with discerning intelligence but also prepares them with sense of responsibility. With self- love at its core, they grow up to become adults with the strength to walk away from toxic relationships, and the ability to treat others with respect and care. As much as Luella enjoys being a mum and discussing parenting, she refuses to label herself  solely a mum or putting herself on secondary or hold mode . Instead of projecting the image of super mum who take care of everything, she reveals her vulnerability to her  child. Another  mindset that Luella intentionally applies to her parenting is to reward her child’s efforts in attempting goals regardless of results. When children focus more on process than outcome, they are more likely to take on high-stakes challenges. Her another parenting  mindset tool , dismantling our fears, also deeply resonates with me. The story of her guiding her son to confront fear rather than shunning away was mind-blown.  She highlighted that just because we may not be naturally gifted in certain areas, doesn’t mean we should walk away from them entirely. Working out the audacity to face our fears provide an opportunity to unlock our full potential. The goal is not to be master in all domains. Even just  'dabbling' gives us a glimpse of what’s happening around and provides us with fuller ranger of  common sense and higher awareness.  When success is not the sole goal, naturally human are more  fearless to in addressing their weaknesses. Through my personal growth journey, I also want to add in is if we really are trying to deeply see, take in and understand the world, on all dimension possible, intellectually, aesthetically.,  inevitably we have to push the edge of envelope a bit  to expand its width and depth . Walking through that fear can be intimidating and uncomfortable , but if we always stay in our comfort zone, surrender to our fear, not going to try something dreadful , we also deny ourselves a potential moment of joy and happiness. Here is Luella’s version of success:  I did everything I possibly can, I loved everyone I can to my maximum, I also loved myself. Success to me is consistently challenge myself,  and I can unlock new chapter in my life as I age. The essence  of living a life is to grow, learn, to reflect, to be a better person for  myself and my family , so success to me is an ongoing never-end game. Links Website: https://fangting.co.uk/ Instagram: fangting_properties小红书：璐公子I 伦敦室内设计+投资lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Today’s guest , Luella is A ultimate life designer, who not only curates space through the lens of interior design but also crafts a life within the container of good life.She is an interior designer based in UK with10 pages of  her work featuring in the local prestigious publication ‘style at home’.  As a serial entrepreneur, she pivot into different business, leading up to a diverse and thriving venture profiles. Her initial interest in human sciences led her to study both sociology and marketing in university, infusing her with invaluable institutional knowledge.  Solid academic background coupled with her Restless, the best word to encapsulate her personality, set her all up for a trajectory of hustle. Embarking on a diverse venture journey, from her first business as a buying agent to her second endeavor, a textile company, and ultimately co-founding a property business with her husband, she shared her key learnings:  you don't need to lay out a roadmap to get started.  A path aligned with your heart will unfold into clarity and truth through the journey. Over time, you can refine skills that may not be your strong suit at first.  The things you learned from your first life can be translated into your second life as long as you stay reflective, consciously thinking back about what you've learned and the skills you've acquired. This way, you'll never waste a single second of your time. I wholeheartedly support what she said. Especially during the early establishment days of our careers or businesses, we often find ourselves doing things we perceive as boring, but it's possible that we just haven't developed the perspective to see the learning hidden underneath. When we intentionally practice deconstruction and introspection, we learn to put a different lens on things, which will take us to the next level of growth. She started interior design as a side hustle and, with her husband, co-founded FangTing, a property business that has been running for over 10 years now.  It is quite complex business, involving property scouting, renovation, styling, and finally listing properties for rental.  Luella takes the lead on the interior design and branding side while her husband focuses on finance and investment. Her approach to interior design is grounded in the heart of serving tenants' styles and needs. As the business founder, she is mission-driven, aiming to provide not only high-quality and safe housing but also to curate homes that nurture the tenants' souls. She's an illuminating character, always placing the well-being of her employees and clients at the core and forefront. I believe that empathy has led to the flourishing of her business, perpetuating its success.  Luella's number one golden rule in property investment is that you make money when you buy, not when you sell. At the age of 22, while her buying-agent business was at its peak, Luella received a wakeup call: earning money couldn't be her sole motivation for living. She realised she needs to  consistently challenging herself and trying new things. She said: Don't settle for things that make you comfortable. Always step out of your comfort zone and take on opportunities that make you feel unsure. Consider living your life as if you're playing a video game. You want to progress to the next level, not stay on stage one forever, right?  Life comes with numerous hurdles, regardless, so embrace them to add new meaning to your life. Eventually, this will lead to a enriched and vibrant life that's worth living and celebrating.Links Website: https://fangting.co.uk/ Instagram: fangting_properties小红书：璐公子I 伦敦室内设计+投资lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Growing up in New Zealand and being the only Asian kid in the whole school, Zenith experienced years of  bully at primary school.  It led her to develop an initial interest in how the human psychic and mind work, and she set herself up for pursuing psychiatry at a very early age.  It’s a choice inherently driven by her intention of helping those struggling inside.  A gay year in Korea and a teaching job over there prompted her to shift the lane, and pivoted to pursue music. She completed the master degree in Sydney Conservatorium of Music.  The scope of her music practice is enormous: performing cello, piano,  violin,  composing, singing, and teaching music ., as Zenith said,  music is her life basically.  Music fulfils her purpose of living, and secondarily music feeds her to sustain a living.  The order can’t be flipped around because that order shaped her as a musician and framed her perspectives towards the world. When it comes to performing music, Zenith considers it essential to incorporate  intellectual pieces of information behind each piece ( a composer’s life, social environment, and political movement at that time,etc., ) into her creative act as supposed to just emoting and feeling her way through the sound.  By employing both intellectual and emotional skills, a musician is equipped to deliver an individual narrative in its attached social and cultural landscape.  History and human stories, therefore, are documented and archived. I also personally believe that  only in this way can music legacy  be inherited  and evolved through generation  by generationWe further address non-transactional value in music,  which I consider distinguishes music from all other instrumental forces (economic power, tech power, etc.,) Because music moves our hearts! I can’t think of any other human inventions that can so easily and mysteriously activate and unleash human emotions and feelings! Music is for ears to hear.  As a human being, Zenith is humbling and compassionate in a profound sense that she acknowledges different forms of human living and struggling.   Hence she will never project her feelings for music onto audiences.  As a musician, her goal is only and always just to share her life passion with the outside world and to send invitations to whoever walks into her musical world. what to take in from a piece of music is absolutely individual but her genuine attempt and efforts to make an emotional connection through sounds will definitely be sensed by all her audiences! On that note,  I am one of the recipients. 15 years old me accepted the YoYo-Ma tracks sent by my friend and since then music becomes my lifelong intimate friend. Zenith’s insight into music musician education for children reveals music intricately interplays with the rest of the world (  art, architecture, fashion,  history, science, religion, etc.,)  Her revealing reaches my core belief that music goes beyond an exclusive component and isolated being,  as well as embodying grand aesthetes that encompass a mixture of human civilization creation.   She not only  offers  her teaching methodology on technical training but also presents a full rich and enchanting world that sparks a 5 years natural curiosity. She made me believe that a piece can be unpackaged in a way to be linguistically understandable and emotionally relatable to a 5 year old.  Music is to some extent exclusive as a career path, but musicians like Zenith reinforced my faith that Music Education plays   an instrumental role in  preparing  children  to be better emotionally equipped towards life in general . Music provides a perspective and reality  to live a life with infinity. lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

All musicians are searching for their voice in music. The minute it’s found, the choice of living  life with music becomes eternity. Zenith found her voice in music which is to make an emotional connection with her audiences.As a musician, Zenith never shines away from performing confronting piece and she also fully embrace playing dreamy piece like La La Land.  When delivering confronting pieces , musician should not overstep boundary between  making an emotional connection and healing.  As far as I consider it,  it already takes a musician’s full strength to be completely vulnerable and to even brutally expose herself/himself to  that excruciating pain that comes with that piece. When a musician goes beyond making connections and attempts to heal audiences’ trauma through music, it becomes a rather unprofessional, unsafe, and even arrogant act, as Zenith put it. I agree. I was trained at work in building professional boundaries when it comes to dealing with crisis cases. Empathy and compassion will not qualify you as a therapist and healing should be left to accreted professionals' hands.We also extend into 'what’s underneath the façade’.  When reaching a radical acceptance towards the complexity of humanity and an in-depth life experience,  a artist may finally gain the liberation to choose the tone in their professional work ( only play La La Land, for example ). I also consider Zenith as the least judging person as her judgment is formulated through her endeavours to peel layers to reach a person’s inner core.About  pretentiousness: I got this concept from Ethan Hawk, one of my favourite actors. He said it’s ok that you are pretentious if you do it with a bit of humor.  it means you are aspiring to something. You have to set up a goal for yourself.  Zenith  enjoys being accurate and objective about her reality but she sets up her strict personal standard and goal  which she fiercely protects. With that pretentiousness at  core, Musician’s creative desire comes within and the determination to reach their goals is unwavering.   About sensibility:  Zenith reiterates the importance of not separating a discipline from the rest of the world.  She said: If you have a basic level of knowledge about what’s going on around you, you will be more equipped to be better at doing what you are doing. About authenticity: Her authenticity  come downs to practice and grind her craft on daily. Zenith and I apply the same mindset and practice to navigate our life  that is to keeping the promise we made with  ourselves and holding ourselves  accountable. Again, means and craft doesn’t matter, Human connection is real  when what drive us is essentially identical .Zinth is very grateful to get to do what she is passionate for. She has no intention to diminish importance of work-life balance but I do believe musician like Zenith  or artists in general  sustain their living  through  tireless and fearless creative pursuits. I just purely  wish all creatives take good care of themselves ( eat well, sleep well, maybe add some exercise lol)  for greater longevity leads up to longer creative span.  From receiving the very first few tracks sent by my friends ( Yo-Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone , Forever love by X-Japan.,) to encounter Zenith and document her music story,  I feel it’s like a full circle of me. In the end , I want to tell all musicians out there  Wherever you are standing now, at least you already connected to your inner art and  hence you will never lose hope to live your  life.  Hans Zimmer said  however much people discourage you, however hard it gets, at the end of day, it’s worth it. If you feel compelled to write music, then do it! lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

I started  my 2022 home project which somehow  extends its  scope into  renovation, interior design , decluttering and organization from last June around. It was  probably my biggest project in 2022 which grounds me on a very deep and personal level. It was over half year of  hustle, stretching my creativity,  mentality , even physical strengths to a new level. My architect friends said they see my potential in interior design. I guess even I may get slight bit of sensitivity in styling or something ,   I  still got overwhelm just by the idea of doing interior design in some scale from 5 to 10 years down to road .  Because  interior design is so deep. I was so intimidated  by it , now a tip of iceberg is revealing to me.  My respect for architects and interior designers are also being taken into next level . I just don’t know how much hard work and intense learning it will take to reach that professional level.  I guess I just need to  follow my heart at my pace.  Right now I am  at informal/ self-taught level of learning. Over the last half year, I immerse myself to listening  to hundreds of podcasts related to interior design and watched Tons of AD YouTube videos, ended up  taking a whole notebook of notes. All of sudden, I become keen to dig into texture, material, color Palette , architectural structure, each aspect can be an independent discipline. It’s a new language system I am learning which  depicts  aesthetic , value and existence of life that I gravitate towards.   As an interest-driven person, I just feel so grateful to encounter this new hobby  in 2022, and is willing to sit down still to learn the foundation.  I vaguely sense that Interior design will offer me  a new perspective and lens to restructure the physical space , reframe the way of thinking, reconnect time and space, it’s just I see music, life, and flow in architecture and I am so obsessed with that feeling.Interier design are  trials with endless learning curve  and triumphs. I am often  uplifted by musicians’ music,  someone's   kind words  or share of  people's  inner art . I hope my share can bring a bit joy /  enegery  or a  bit sense of hope  ( even just for a moment) for my audiences. That's why I consider it's meaningful to make this episode. This episode do need some visual navigation  lol so  feel free to visist my Website to listen with photos attached for my living room.lifedesignerwithjingyuchen Interior design  shouldn’t  be a race towards finish line and something you can pull it off at recorded time so you can show off to your friends.   it’s a  evolving and ongoing  journey.  Home should be the expression and  extension of inner self. When you are curating a  sense of tyle in your place, you are also curating a sense of belonging and acceptance. Home  should be a place fills you with joy and happiness and be the ultimate sanctuary. I agree we can train our designer eye  and elevate our taste  through intentional learning and massive exposure to art , but interior design is  never be as easy as just replicating  a beautifully curated home from the catalogue  to become  yours. To be able to emotionally connect to a physical space, I think eventually it comes down to being authentic to yourself. Function comes first. Style shoud support its function. Music makes time pass, and architecture make space into meaningful form..no..I mean architecture  make music stand still, here  time turns into space. lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

It was such a delightful and uplifting  journey to produce this episode with Kaitlin, a joyful and empowering woman who believed YOU are in the driver’s seat of your own life-, and happiness is something we each create for ourselves!  She built her coaching business ‘ The Think Happy’ , teaching women intentional methods to reclaim their lives & sustain their happiness.  It took more than just one pivot  ( from teaching to marketing to be an Entrepreneur) to stand where she is now.  After working in marketing for her family business for almost a decade, she just recently pivoted to running  ‘The Think Happy’ coaching business at full-time capacity and scale.  It was a tough decision to make because  she was the retirement plan of her dad , feeling like  pulling the rug out from under his dad's feet! After lots of soul-searching, she fully embraced her true calling which is to help others live the happiest lives! In her retrospect,  The first life in marketing not only formed into her current business but also formed into her personality and character.  Two most valuable lessons she  took way  is to always stay  open and humble to learn  as well as serving  others the best she can with her passion and skills. It started with Kaitlin writing a book of Think Happy, which laid out pillars of her coaching business :Think Happy, Co. It’s amazing to get into the nitty and gritty of her happiness pillars which were born from her real life. Kaitlin said time management builds the foundation of everything, and she is absolutely the master of the art of hustle!  I also come to realization  at this stage  that time is the biggest asset of my life.  One signature pillar  I want to highlight in ‘The Think Happy’ is to set and achieve attainable goals. She shared that setting up multiple mini-goals will keep up our momentum to work towards our big goal without losing drive.  She said when you accomplished something, the mini goal,  you should take time to celebrate that.  Celebrating those wins and living in that excitement for a little while will do nothing but help keep driving that momentum moving forward. Her goal-setting strategies also align with my project-based lifestyle. We further touched on my favourite topic ‘ Energy.  We believe energy is infectious and that frequency of energy translates into other people around you. It’s a ripple effect! When encountering an ‘energy block’,  she gave an example of feeling ‘overwhelm’,   she will move through those feelings not avoiding them.  Her insight into  how to identify energy-depleting factors and replenish energy just blew my mind. The key here is never let your energy level drop down to zero and then replenish.  She believes if we got fully empty, it takes much more effort to fill  back in.  It’s like if we let our cell phone battery go to zero, the battery will die. Even if you plug in and recharge it, it still takes a few mins to reboot.   Kaitlin said we should try our best to avoid letting our cup get totally empty.  If we continue filling in our cups through our days/ week,  it's gonna prevent it from getting dry and going empty. Joy and happiness filled in me while  making this episode. I hope the ripple effect can translate to anyone who listen to this episode and add in your festive  December!  Connect to KaitlinWebsite:  thinkhappycoInstagram: thinkhappy_coPodcast: the-think-happy-podcastlifedesignerwithjingyuchen

I am so thrilled and honored to have my first returning guest for this Podcast, the one and only Bella is back! Bella is a Creative Strategist based in NYC.  I interviewed her Last year around this time. A year went by, Bella and I are both growing and evolving which leads to this amazing episode about ‘ travel creates new reality ’!Bella shared her most recent trip to Mexico City that began with Hopping in a plane alone without any planning, and a solo trip sometimes turned out to be the best trip. As Bella said, being spontaneous led her to blend in and live like a local over there. To stay away from NY’s ‘ hustle culture ‘ and lifestyle featuring super-intensity and high discipline for moments, she recharged and reinvented herself in a new country in the way that she sees things with fresh eyes and new perspectives. She feels like her ‘inner- child ‘ passion and curiosity towards the world kicked back again. The biggest takeaway from this trip was to let  guard off  herself and embrace the opportunity of building a new connection with others. Another profound impact travel does on us comes back to our mindset shift: We can see ourselves survive and thrive in different places which leads to infinite possibilities in life!We both thus established the fact that travel leads to a new reality: when we truly open ourselves to the world, we gained the strength to build a new community and family, make new friends, and build a new life anywhere in this world. Bella said whenever we push ourselves out of our comfort zone, we have the opportunity to start over again! It’s so powerful for anybody in whatever situation at whatever age. Unique travel experiences stay within us and the memories we built won’t fade away. It becomes our stories to tell when we are too old to travel, sitting on the couch and beginning to reminisce. ( In this episode, Bella shared her ‘ Crazy adventure ‘ slash the best night in Mexico; I shared my ‘debut sing in a steamboat’ story from my recent trip to New Zealand.As Bella said:  all the small things, little moments in the stories, all those particular moments made us who we are, and made our lives special! Bella shared :We are always growing, and picking up new things, and our priority is also changing. Our life pursuit is more than just success in careers and it even can be bigger than ourselves.Learning is deeper than just elevating our skills to be the best in our expertise. We learn to be better persons, to be humble, to slow down, appreciate small things from each travel experience.Apply that mindset or things we learn from that trip to other aspects of our life. Try to see how life goes and what happens to you. You start feeling excited about life again and wondering what is coming ahead!This Episode means so much to me as we both are growing and surviving through this pandemic to this point of having this Episode about Travelling. I want to tell everyone that things do get better. Adversity builds our character and Constraints lead to Creativity!Conntect to Bella :Website: bellajiangInstagram:  itsbellajiang小红书： 一只纽约文艺狗 BellListen to our Episode  back in 2021 lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Coming from a upbringing  where education around self-love  and confidence seem to be missing,  Beverly price discovered her path from self-expression to self-empowerment  in later her adulthood. The road to self-empowerment  comes  with pain and struggles,   but Beverly said, without being self-empowered, she wouldn’t   have that strengths  to pivot  to  Jewelry design from finance sector.   It took her 30 years to reach other side of  self-empowerment while  she believe  it doesn’t  need to be that much long for women to get there.  She is hence missioned -driven to  take women on a journey from self-expression to self-empowerment. she funded  her Jewellery brand Nastava that featuring bespoke Pieces and finest materials.  As an intuitive designer, she pours in soul and heart in each piece . The goal of Nastava is to empower and inspire  her clients with the  boldness and uniqueness element  in her creation. She believes This transformation on the outside, along with a transformation on the inside, is the best recipe for confidence and self-empowerment. When you feel beautiful outside, you feel empowered inside. She further shared other foundations of self-empowerment: don’t compare yourself  with others.  Often we compare our inside with other’s outside  which always ends up feeling  the  sense of inadequacies . What we should focus on is to fall I love with authentic  ourselves and be comfortable on own  skin. We should also switch the victim mindset to I am responsible  for myself.  Somtimes professional help is needed to find that strength to move forward. Beverly  described her Entrepreneurial Journey as an emotional roller coaster  ride . She said Entrepreneurial world is not for everyone . But if you do want to build your own business, you should  take that leap of faith eventually.  There is little voice inside us  that take us to our true calling .There  are some nudges  in our life along the way that ‘push’ us to embark  on the journey.  She addressed  struggling  facing  female funder in current  funding  ecosystem, and what takes to be a successful  entrepreneur ( resilience ,  optimism  , mindset shift, building support network, etc.,  ). When self-doubt and second guess creep in ( which is inevitable )  you are still able to cope emotionally  well and keep going!  She just launched a new podcast called  Her-Self-Expression ( I am a big fan ) and built  Her- Self -Expression Sisterhood, a Facebook Group. Both  are extension of her life-long  mission: Support and Advocate for women’s personal journey from self-expression to self-empowerment! Beverly shared: Being  a participant is  the key  in  support network so you can  have fuller and richer life experience,  and you can’t just expect  people to come to you . You need to be an active part as well. Essentially  you  need  to be that kind of friend somebody want to be friend with.When the pain of problem comes  greater than the  pain of  solution,  change will happen.When you get to other side of empowerment, it doesn’t mean you arrived and the journey ended . The journey continues through your whole life.The biggest  thing is walking through your fear, just put  one foot in front another and keep going. Connect to Beverly:Website: herselfexpressionlifedesignerwithjingyuchen             lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Amy's initial intention of writing a book was to get some press and have her screenplay picked up by Hollywood. It was such a life-defining moment when she realized her book actually brings so many joys and creates an escape for her readers. Her two books (Book of Failures / We're All A Mess, It's OK)  also are a big commercial success: both are number one sellers on Amazon  among other hit humor writers  like Trevor Noah,  Tina Fay, etc., but she is no longer obsessed  about  having to have her film made by Hollywood. She hence found her consistent drive of writing which is to make people laugh and feel better about their struggles. She also dedicated three chapters of the first book to her travel to China.  She always opens herself to the outside world with strong curiosity which also passed on to her children!   Her true openness and inclusiveness got me connected to her on a deep and personal level!We both are uplifted by others’ words  (readers, audiences, peers, etc.,).  Expressing our appreciation and admiration to others does matter.  Building a support network and community not only makes us feel less lonely on this passion-pursuit journey but also brings us a new perspective and inspiration!  We both believe life is about building connections and reaching out to those we appreciate or want to Learn with!  But Amy never expects to gain anything but rather always thinks about what to offer first.  Her experience also approves that when you genuinely reach out to someone, often you will get so much in return  ( friendship, mutual support, etc).  Although reach-out may end up being rejected,  the reach-out itself is still a worthy and fun way of expressing our feelings! It’s one thing that two persons feel click or not,  it’s another thing that how you treat people.  We both adopt Zero tolerance to mean people who don’t treat people with basic respect. Holding  that  gratitude in heart plays a long way! Like any creative person,  Amy experienced her zone moments which is in writing.  We both feel it’s the most amazing experience when entering that zone! That’s how we know we found our true passion! Looking back on this passion-pursue journey,  Amy said she felt so grateful and blessing to be able to achieve so much although her ultimate goal of being  that writing room is yet to be fulfilled.  This podcast journey with her is beyond words amazing, and I want to highlight some reflections and thoughts of her that I will always  keep in my mind:There is truth, honesty, and value just to pursue your dream, regardless of the results.There are lots of little wins you need to celebrate in the process of pursuing your dream. Sometimes we feel if I have this thing, we will be happy. The truth is you probably won't be , because it's  not  about a thing, money or one particular reward, I think it's about the Journey. 100 % pursue your passion at a younger age, but it’s never too late to start, just start doing something from today!It's’ about the journey, not the destination. While Amy and  I both are still on the journey, we believe the best way to go through this journey is to trust and enjoy the process that will lead to our end goal!  I wholeheartedly believe Amy will break into that writing room where she belongs to!Connect to AmyWebsite: amylyleInstagram: amylyleauthorHer Book on Amazon: Amy-LyleTed Talk: finding the funny in the crummylifedesignerwithjingyuchen

From the outside look inside,  Amy is such a multi-hyphenate, wearing lots of hats. She pivoted a big way from finance to the creative world where she is currently thriving! This is another inspiring story that if you dare to dream and the dream will come true!It all started her role shift from a working person to a stay-home Mum, which promoted her to find her first creative outlet: Acting on the local church stage. She committed to performing there for a decade which also got her to connect to her biggest passion: Becoming a Screenwriter! To reach the end goal of having her screenplay picked up by Hollywood, she took a Hollywood attorney’s advice of getting some press first which led to the frequency of all events. She wrote two best-selling humor books( Book of Failures /  We're All A Mess, It's OK) on Amazon, became a regular guest in a Morning show in Atlanta , played her first lead role in the movie ‘ the intervierwers’, did a Ted Talk, and is running a local TV Show'' In The Burbs” and an active stand-up Comedienne, etc., the list can go on.Looking back, she said everything she did was not by any grand design but go above what she thought she was capable of. She embarked on an unknown and even a bit scary journey which turned out to be the best years of her life. She shared that the best feeling is to overcome that fear and take that plunge of trying something you were not initially good at but over time you became better and even mastered it. Growing up in a raging family, Amy, since she was little girl, found humor as the safety net in her life. Her natural sense of humor not only saved her from those traumatized moments in childhood but also extends  into her adulthood and becomes a big trademark of all her creative work. She believes humor can be found everywhere (personal life, workplace, and creative pursuit, etc., ) even in the weirdest place and darkest moments. She said comedy often comes from a place of pain and humor is a comedian's coping mechanism. Of course humor didn’t discriminate against backgrounds or anything. We need more humor and comedians in this world. Personally, I believe humor is the ultimate optimism and resilience built in a person’s spirit and character!There are different types of humor. Amy appreciates self-deprecating/observational versus personal attack ., She and I both believe humor should bring joy to someone, not at a cost of anyone. I really appreciate Amy fully leveraging her talents in humor and tapping into creativity, fulfilling her mission of making the whole world laugh!Here comes the most generous sharing from Amy:  Humor ( If not fortunate enough to carry it naturally lol ), can be developed and mastered as a skill! Taking a comedy class helps those who aim to be stand-up comedians, but just in a general sense, helps to increase a person’s confidence (in public speaking, etc.,) in their fields. Other tricks and tips to add humor to our daily life include journaling funny things, watching funny movies, and reading funny books, etc., Humor is a piece of muscle we should intentionally exercise and practice! It’s a dream come true for me to get to do this ‘ humor episode’ with a such kind and joyful soul! Tune in  our second episode and we are gonna  dive in  Amy’s  creative world ( Her books, ultimate goals  Zone status, ideal lifestyle, etc) Don’t miss  the joys! Connect to Amy Website: amylyleInstagram: amylyleauthorHer Book on Amazon: Amy-LyleTed Talk: finding the funny in thelifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Miki Sakai Photography creates a one of kind photoshoot journey for each of her clients. Storytelling is the heart of Miki’s craft. The way she tells a story is to capture the authentic and unposed moments in a session (family portraits, wedding, branding,etc). Drawing inspiration from everything  (traveling, movies, books, conversations with others, etc.,),  Miki describes her style as natural and candid with documentary and boutique aesthetics.   As one of her audiences, the way I connect to her photography work is that instant desire to dive into the stories behind those images she photographed.     Miki deeply values the connection she builds with her clients on an emotional and personal level, which not only leads to the final fine artwork she produced but also a unique journey her clients will memorize and enjoy. To align her artistic pursuit as an artist/ photographer with clients’ expectations, she addressed two contributing factors.  First is always to be consistent and clear with the work she presents on her Website/ Social Media platforms. Then initial face-to-face consultation intends to establish the clients’ understanding towards this is  photoshoot journey , and the good communication  carries  through  the actual shooting session and the entire process with her clients.  As Miki said, she will never photograph silently.  It’s a personal experience and emotional moment she and her client create and collaborate together, which eventually becomes a timeless artwork and memory.  I believe Miki truly fulfils her mission of building a journey to narrate a client’s story.Miki is an artistic and creative photographer and a genuine and caring character. Both her talents and personality, I believe, help to turn her passion into a business as well. As one of her clients comment to her: Miki is not just a good photographer but also a good person.  Being a sole trader  takes the challenge to into next level.  The communication /organizational  skills she had developed as an Architect translate into current business operations, but many aspects of running a business (finance, accounting, legal, etc.) all need to be addressed.  The biggest challenge for a sole trader, as Miki said, is the absence of team support and always making business decisions on her own. Pandemic took a huge toll on the industry as a whole and also individual business owner.  But Miki focused on what she can to improve her craft and scale her business.   She also believes the community is such an essential support network emotionally and professionally, especially for sole traders.  Reach-out to build a connection with people around the world has never been easier thanks to social media.  She put herself in a fellow photographer community where she can share  her journey!  I strongly resonate with her that community brings us a sense of belonging and is a significant source of motivation!Moving forward, Miki aims to expand her client base around the world, which allows her to utilize  her skills and backgrounds as someone who has lived and worked internationally.  I got so excited for her and gained so much sense of hope from her future vision and am keen to forward this positive energy to everyone. Coming to the end of this amazing conversation, Miki’s advice for making a pivot is:  do take the risks but calculated risks; it takes time to make the shift but you don’t want to live a life with regrets, and it’s really ok to shift the course of your career/life at any point.  Don’t set a limit on yourself!Connect to Miki on Instagram: mikisakaiphotography    Website:  Miki Sakai Photographylifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Growing up and moving around a number of countries, (Tokyo, NY,  London, Buenos Aires, and now Sydney), Miki describes herself  living a nomadic lifestyle as a Global Citizen.   She made a conscious decision from a young age that not being fixed to her own belief, judgments or thoughts, truly embracing diverse ways of thinking and living, because something perceives as normal in one place may not be in another part of the world.   She also becomes a person with strong curiosity who  always intrigued by new ideas, language, culture.,  I believe both her upbringing and kindness in nature built her diversity ideology and curiosity traits, which leads her to explore life possibilities infinitely.  We both also believe that we are  not confined by the external environment or conditions. There is always a outlet that will spark your curiosity and connects you to the outside world.On the flipped side, this nomadic lifestyle  put Miki experiencing inner struggle with identity sense particularly tracing back to her young teens. As she recalled, she might  try very hard to assimilate to being British or at one point try to be Japanese.  Eventually, she realized there is no need to define one identity she has, but it’s a journey to finally reaching that point where she feels comfortable being  on her own skin and just to be authentic herself. Those growth pains (fitting in cultural shock, etc) are real and there is no exemption from those struggling, but both Miki and I believe we can turn negativity into positivity,  and it’s gonna be better and it does get better. Trips to South America hands down is one of Miki’s life-defining moments, which sparks her passion for photography.   As she said, she was hooked by this wondrous landscape, the rich and diverse cultures, and the extraordinary people there.  Small sparks gradually over years grew into her biggest passion. Miki said, after gaining more life experience at a later stage of life, we can make a more informative and conscious decision about what we really want to pursue.  It is a bit too much asking for 17 years old to make a big life &career decision and it’s ok to change your mind later on along the line. (But we are not blindly encouraging anyone to switch to another lane. If you are content with your current path, stick to it!)   In Miki’s case, it took 7 years to just get qualified to be an Architect. When time costs and investment are so high, making a career pivot certainly is not a quick transition.   It took her years and years of skill-building and soul searching to finally transform from architect to photographer. Looking back to her Architect journey which she contributed a huge course of her life, it’s a bittersweet but definitely precious life experience she will cherish forever.  She shared that once you are an architect, you are always an architect.  I also believe many things like the skillset we developed in our first life also end up being useful, translated, and applied to our second life.  Tune into our PART TWO episode where we are entering Miki’s second life of her being as a photographer! Connect to Miki on Instagram: mikisakaiphotography       Website:  Miki Sakai Photography                                                                            lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Chloe has had a wide range of interests since she was a kid.  Her curiosity in nature eventually led her to land in Media/ PR industry.   Breaking into Australia's mainstream broadcasting news outlet SBS ( which is the major network to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services) as a migrant, her success in the local media industry truly brings diversity, representation, and inclusiveness into communities. However, success never comes easily. Back in the early days of working in a small media agency, she experienced toxic workplace culture which took a heavy toll on her confidence and self-worth. She learned one important lesson from there ‘don’t let anyone bring you down’!  Moving forward, she is always grabbing every opportunity which most of the time appears as a challenge. 30 years look back, Chloe shared one important learning is to always stay positive. With that positive  mindset in place, she is not as anxious as she used to be when facing challenges, because deep down inside, she knows it’s just a matter of time to overcome them.  I was so empowered by this as it’s a long-evolved journey through countless mistakes and failures to build inner resilience and confidence, eventually leading to that positivity mentality. Chloe also candidly addressed that she had so many failures but it’s a valuable experience to  grow from them.At this stage, of her life, she is focusing on work-life balance because a career is just part of life. she is forever on the journey of becoming a better self and never puts a limit on her pursuit. I like her beautiful saying that Life will eventually become more colourful, and we hence create a consistent drive for living our life.I also appreciate her interpretation of relationships is to gain trust from others, which as she said, is the key factor for her career success at SBS. To climb the corporate ladder, she believes just working hard is not enough, emotional intelligence also plays a crucial role, particularly in the media industry.  Gaining trust is always coming from that genuine intention and place to achieve mutual benefits and unity despite the difference in a corporate context, which also I believe, applies to any types of human connection. In my case, I fell under the mission of running this podcast because I gain trust from my guests. I value trust (which is the genuine connection) the most and I can’t fail to respond to that trust.  Stepping into a leadership role, Chloe ,who once experienced detrimental leadership in her early career, becomes the leader that creates conditions and culture for her team members to succeed and thrive at work.  She also highly appreciates mentorship which she feels privileged to be given throughout her career-building  We also got an in-depth discussion about social medial influence. As an industry insider, Chloe candidly pointed out that social media is an amazing resources pool that we can leverage to our advantage as opposed to being controlled by smart social media algorithms.  I truly agree with what she shared: we have the only thing to do in our life which is to take care of ourselves, our matters, and our relationship.  I also benefit from social media tremendously which is to connect to so many amazing talents around the world. But as Chloe said, what’s more  important is always to focus on yourself not lost in others’ highlight moments feeds. We also talked about her workout routine,  ideal lifestyle, and future career development. She is such a woman powerhouse who is truly beautiful inside out.  We are all on the same journey to become better selves towards infinite life possibilities!Connect to Chloe : Ins: chloeffk  小红书: 南半球的克洛伊lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Terry Chen pivoted his way to become a sofware engineer, standing halfway through completing his degree in management engineering. It started with side projects at university which got him into coding and programming, and eventually, he decided to pursue software engineering as his profession. To shift gear in the middle like that, it means filling a huge learning curve through trial and error and experiencing tons of interview failures, etc., Looking back on this transformation journey, his greatest learning is that it will pay off if you are persevering, working hard towards your goal.     Terry has always been a risk-taking person  but  he also calculates risks. He encouraged people to do make changes but always have a backup plan. Terry suggests, to pursue something different, you can try something new on the side as opposed to making the leap blindly. Passion- pursuit journey is not about making one big major decision but taking small steps which are building towards that end goal.  He consistently elevated his skill as a Software Engineer and landed a job offer in a big Tech company. However, he chose to work in a start-up instead of a big corporate. He values potential growth in start-ups  and the opportunity of taking on more responsibilities. At his  early career stage,  he put the pedal to the metal in his career pursuit as he still got more energy and capacity . In a long run, working in a start-up also prepares him ( Entrepreneurship mindset, process-building skill, etc.,) for running his own business one day which is his end goal.    He is also running his YouTube Channel’ Hack Bear’ which quickly drives traffic with 144k followers in around one and half years. He has been always holding his initial mind of running this Channel which is to deliver valuable content and educational information. His followers significantly benefit from his content (his genuine and generous sharing of industry insights, career advice, interview skills, investment, etc.,) which serves as a constant drive for him to create more high-quality content.  He also shared his investment strategies and asset allocation portfolio out of personal interest without any intention of teaching people how to invest.   The goal is to  inspire people to reflect on how to build a  dynamic relationship with money/ wealth.  Financial literacy should be addressed and financial management skills should be learned to build Safety Net and protection to everyone’s life.  His definition of financial freedom is to not work for money one day and pursue his true passion (running a business or full-time Youtuber, etc.,) From bottom of my heart, I want people like him (who carry that DNA of helping others) achieve financial freedom soon so he will leverage his resources and influence to make true impacts on people around him.   He hustles a lot, consistently pushing limits and exploring new possibilities which eventually lead to his end goal.  I see those seemingly opposite traits perfectly work in harmony on this young driven man. He is risky taking but also down-to-earth; He is creative but executed. I believe a  person like Terry will reach all his personal goals as well as fulfilling  the big mission of making this world better! In the end, I hope he will continue carrying on that bit of sense of humour throughout his entire life, which not only adds charismatics into his content but also helps him to go through all life hurdles!Thanks for listening to my Podcast, See you next time! Connect Terry on YouTube  : hackbear.tv      Instagram : master.terry.chen lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Authenticity and realness are rooted in Christy gene which got her easily connected to people who are real and accept her authentic side.  She also incorporated realness into core values for her company fitme which is to provide women with practical and doable nutrition/ exercise coaching. Christy addressed that the absence of realness instill a fake version of success into people’s belief systems.  As a consequence, some people may measure their real-life against someone’s highlight feed or aim at short-term wins shared on social media. However, there is no shortcut or fast track to fitness and a healthy lifestyle. As a certified coach, her ultimate goal is to help her clients achieve a sustainable and long-term outcome, which essentially comes back to building confidence and creating consistency.  Approaches behind her coaching philosophy are to pick up small and repeatable habits every day and turn them into life routines which leads to fundamental changes in their real life. Growing up as an athletic girl, Christy was not particularly struggling with body weight. However, Life threw some real punches on her (10 knee surgeries and 40 pounds of weight gain.,) Although she enjoys being a Mum, a professional, she was not happy about her body anymore. She once did all of the diets,  left her frustration only. Luckily, she encountered a good coach and another peer in the gym where she was educated about healthy eating habits which missed in her early upbringing and exercise in the way she never thought. This transformation experience also led her to embark on her coaching journey in fitness/ nutrition. She further discovered that in the fitness industry, many complicated strategies are designed for professional athletes, bodybuilders, but are hard to apply to regular persons who need to build daily routine and consistency. Diet gimmicks will not be practical and sustainable either. Once again, her coaching focuses on helping people to do small and simple things consistently, coming from the intention of taking care of themselves rather than body punishment. Only when people shift mindset and perspective, behaviours will change. We further touched on the body image issue. As Christy said, many fit people still have body image issues. It’s so true that addressing external only still won’t fix your body image problem. Weight loss is part of building a positive image, and we believe positive body image is also a reflection of confidence and should be built within. Connection and resilience are the other two values in fitme. I really like Christy’s beautiful interpretation of community. Community connects people who shared the same purposes and values.  Finding the right community will create momentum for yourself and forward energy with each other. Christy also pointed out we may fit in different communities as  our seasons change. In fitme community, resilience is the shared value that drives her clients to achieve a shared goal (actual fitness) even when hardship and hurdles kick in life! We also talk about her podcast fitme coffee talk! Each episode is 5-10 mins long with key messages delivered almost every day. She also shared strategies   ‘habits stacking’ that she learned from James Clear’s book ‘ Atomic habits’.  If you want to build new habits, try to attach with your existing habits!   Another effective coping strategy to achieve work-life balance she shared is to set up priority within day/ week and get the priority done. The rest is just a bonus.   I am strongly on board that own your words and get the priority done within timeframe you set up and build the trust relationship with yourself! Website: https://www.fitmecommunity.com/Instagram: lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Starting ballet at five years old, Fenella nurtured her love and passion for ballet through years of professional training and dancing. Back to her early training periods, younger Fenella encountered a few negative teachers who questioned her pursuit, telling her to give up. Negative comments like that (particularly from instructors) can severely hinder a young dancer’s confidence, and Fenella was very confused about whether to stick to it. As she is getting older, she can finally look back to see through the fact that, she has always been doing well with receiving scholarships and many wonderful opportunities. Most importantly, she truly enjoys ballet and dancing.  Now, as a ballet instructor herself, she is aiming at instilling a long-lasting impression of the craft’s joy and beauty to kids/ young dancers. She turns her negative experience into a positive drive, which also makes her an instructor with a mission:  to create an open and inclusive environment for everyone to enjoy ballet for recreation and joy.  As the first step, she opened her YouTube Channel BalletColourful(with Fenella) where anyone can access the free platform to enter into the Ballet world. Moving forward, she is designing her teaching programs and running in-person sessions tailer to students’ needs with building students’ confidence as the key. Ultimately, she believes her role is to guide students along the way to achieve their individual goals (whether it’s pursuing as professionals or dancing for fun). I also truly believe, with her talents and teaching philosophy, Fenella will be the best instructor to kids/young leaners feel connect to her! Upbring also plays a key role in her character-building. Both of her parents told her the value of opening herself to the outside world and filling in life with different experiences and colours. Living overseas for many years ( NY, Tokyo, Shanghai, Etc.,), she immersed herself in local day-to-day living, which, she said, was the most exciting part of living overseas. I really appreciate her ability to sense small joys (do grocery shopping in the local market, etc.) and to blend into day-to-day living. That ability and character make her a true worldwide traveller from my lens.  The audition story she shared is very empowering. I believe self-grow comes from self-learn and push from others. Without her Mum’s encouragement, she may not return to do the same audition again. But it also took tremendous strength and courage for her to go back and try again. As Fenella said, it’s essential to surround yourself with people who bring you positive influence and push you to step out of your comfort zone sometimes, meanwhile, we also need to give us as many opportunities as possible. Perseverance is the key to success. But sometimes, there are many factors beyond our control. Grab the chance when it presents, regardless of results or outcome. Fenella said she wants to live a life without regrets, which drives her to unlock all her potentials, always acting on what she is interested in and passionate about. I strongly resonate what she said:  life comes with ups/downs and highs/lows, so treat yourself and others kindly. Life is short, and time is limited. To create an abundant, meaningful, and joyful life, really believe in yourself; You are capable; You do have something wonderful to offer to others! I also believe while we are doing what we enjoy, we also get help someone in certain way, which adds value and motivation in our life-pursuit journey.          Connect to Fenella         Balletcolourful--Instagram   BalletColourful (with Fenella) - YouTubelifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Growing up watching movies every day, Neda developed her initial desire to become an actress.  She did drama courses and played in school, which she enjoyed.  But she met an actor who told her it takes a burning desire to become an actress, which she didn't see herself possess. Then her stronger desire to be involved in the filming industry behind the scenes drove her to study a bachelor in media specializing in television and filming. The process was fun and creative where she got travelled around Australia and made shot videos, working with industry insiders.  Even back then, the media industry was just as harsh as today to break in, and the reality was that she couldn't find a paid job.  On top of that, she knew, deep down inside, her desire to pursue a career in television and filming got out of her system somewhere along the way already. For a while, she felt like a silly dreamer, wanting to be a film director/Screenwriter, or late bloomer, wondering what path she could stick to. Sometimes, it takes more time and a bit of soul searching to figure out the true path. In Neda's case, watching a documentary about the animal activism of Henry Spira became her life-changing moment. This time, she finally found her burning desire to save animals in suffering and torture. Just overnight, she made two major decisions: stay vegan and apply to study law the very next day morning. She aimed to make a fundamental change in animal protection and welfare through a proper avenue which is the legal avenue.  When there was a burning desire applied, Neda stuck through her law study which was tremendously difficult. She also joined the animal law committee for years, which directly contributed to wildlife conservation. But any revolutionary change through law and justice is a daunting process which takes even more than one generation to achieve. Practically speaking, as a law graduate now, Nada was given more career choices. She was a suburban lawyer for a few years. Then she became a mum of two kids.  Being a stay-home Mum for years, she realized getting back to a corporate law firm will no long serve her needs. Her strong attachment to kids prompted her to make another bold decision: Set up her own practice as a sole practitioner. It allowed her to stay at home with kids as well as continuing her profession.  It seems that She perfectly strikes that life-work balance, but one thing you need to know about Neda is she always plans and prepares.  Her life motto 'always step out of comfort zone' guided her entire journey. She started small and got the office all set up even before her first client came.  Stepping out of her comfort zone also helped her find the niche market, which was the key factor of her business success.  Due to her religion, she has an advantage in making a will for the Baha'i community, which got her to hit the ground running. Knowing her expertise and service can contribute to her community serves as a sustainable drive force of her practice. This year is her 10th year as a sole practitioner.As her kids grew up a bit, she embarked on a new chapter in fitness. It all started with her unexpected love for Zumba dancing after the first try.  Gym or workout is not a natural fit with Neda, and she never pictured herself in dancing,  let alone being an instructor. She enjoyed so much and committed to studying again, becoming a Zumba instructor.  Her philosophy of ‘constantly pushing herself out of comfort zone' continues working on her to be up against new change, and she is about to become aquatic instructor! Teaching Zumba or aquatic may still be her side hustles at this stage. She is already planning her retirement life as a full-time instructor. She is a great fit in this podcast because she truly designs her lifestyle that serves her needs at different stages.Thanks for listening to my podcast.lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Chemistry has come into Joseph's Life naturally from learning it as a subject in school to pathway into his early career as a food scientist and perfume engineer. Tracing back to 1994, he built his chocolate brand' 'Kimberley Chocolate' with a mission to make high-quality chocolates accessible to our community. 'Kimberley Chocolate' features high-quality handmade chocolates with the use of pure chocolate and fresh cream only. On top of that, 'Kimberley Chocolate' reached another innovative breakthrough by adding local Australian flavours (chilli, lemon myrtle, and quandong), which gained massive popularity among residents.  His business is rooted within the community from the start point, specifically, selling at local markets at a reasonable price.  As an award-winning chocolate brand, Joseph didn't push to scale his chocolate business for massive commercial produce and sale.  Sticking to his initial intention, which is to make high-quality Chocolate, Joseph kept his business at the crafted stage but evolved his business through making his own chocolate. Another side of his Life is to make Perfume.  Perfume is pure chemistry. Joseph went back to pick up perfume again, deciding to make his own Perfume.  I am so touched by the craftsman spirit Joseph represents: the lifetime dedication and commitment to their passions. Craftspersons like Joseph indeed contribute to Australia's cultural abundance, exquisiteness and uniqueness significantly!Joseph believes if you know something deep enough, you will want to impart your knowledge. If you are also interested in people, you will want to become a teacher.  Joseph has transformed his passion into teaching people to make their own chocolates and Perfume at this stage of his Life.  Being an educator fits his character perfectly and enables him to pass on his years of in-depth knowledge and skill in making chocolates and Perfume to others through his genuine and generous sharing. Joseph said When it comes to making Perfume, just choose whatever you like. The fragrance will organize and plan itself and work out in its way.  But Life is different with fragrances evaporation. Life can 't work it out its way without self-guide. Joseph shared more his life-guide lessons: Learning through mistakes is the path to success. Adversity builds characters. You are the only one who can pull Yousef out it of the dark place. As he said, we only get more questions while we keep searching. There won't be a final answer. The sense of satisfaction and joy brought by doing what we are passionate about can be part of answers along the way.I think Life consists of different phases. We should truly experience every single moment in each phase and enjoy every ride. Keeping searching serves as a sustainable source of drive to live our Life to the fullest at a different phase of our Life.Thanks for listening to my podcast. See you next time!  Connect to JosephWebsite: kimberleychocolatesWebsite: zouzoucoffeelifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Henry Feng is an Artist and Entreprenur based in Sydney, running his fashion Brand' 'Sumi Threads'.  After spending eight years in University with one step away from completing his Ph.D., Henry realized working in academia was not his true calling.  Stumbling upon a tattoo apprenticeship course by accident opened his eye and mind to understand art ranges that are much wider and broader than he ever imagined. He also came to his first revolutionary understanding of pursuing art through skill-based practice. Further stepping onto art training in an art school, he was connected to the convention, which led him to reach another revolutionary mindset shift in pursuing art as a career. Not only can art-skills be developed and progressed through practice, art- careers also can be built in various forms (being self-employed and freelance, etc.). He was also really empowered by the fact that all he needed was just a piece of paper and a pencil to start drawing, which was his first step to pursue art as a career. He had to do lots of soul-searching and broke lots of his comfort zone to see what it means to be an artist and what is possible in the art world. He said pursuing art is the best decision he ever made because he also finds his roots and identity in this creative process: his rooted love in his gene for Asian art(calligraphy, woodblock, prints, folklore, manga, etc.,).  His art creation becomes unique and sustainable with the sense of id entity underpinned behind it.  He further paved to create his fashion brand 'Sumi Threads' and leveraged different avenues (Convention, Online shop, etc.,) to sell clothing with prints he designed. He is fully oriented and focused on his art journey artistically and professionally. Then Covid kicked in. No doubt has it impacted his business devastatingly as his main business focus is on those conventions, shows which to attend in person. While they all got cancelled, he again had to shift back to online, which required him to be quickly adaptive to the new business dynamics.  Despite hurdles and frustrations internally and externally, he has continued his artistic journey with determination to reach revolutionary milestones one after another (as he always did). The underlying drive behind it is that he gains self-agency, autonomy, and independence through art, which are the values he truly appreciates, also not many alternatives in life he could find in accessing that. Henry's story is so empowering because he is a true living example of 'it's never too late '. I'd like to end this episode with his own sum-up of his life journey up until now: Starting from Uni, I thought I was gonna be academia, I thought I was gonna work in Uni. I thought I was gonna be a scientist, doing research. But that original plan was completely out of the window. I never in a million years would have predicted or guessed I would be doing something artistic now, definitely not in this kind of capacity and scale, either. Again, traditional kind of understanding when it comes to art or creative pursuit is always unstable or difficult. It is in some way, but at the end of the day, you develop your skills, you believe in yourself, you really try to apply those skills, stay true to yourself.  I feel like you can go further than you think you can. So, it doesn't matter how old you are. It's never too late to start.Thanks for listening to my podcast. See you next time!Connect Henry Website: sumithreadsInstagram: henryfengart     sumithreadslifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Leecy finds her true meaning and value as a UX designer, which combines her passion for technology and design to produce a product /service that improves quality of people's lives. She followed her inner voice, making a significant jump from quitting her job in Motorola in Beijing to study at Parsons, eventually landing her feet in Google as a UX designer in NY. Carrying the nature of empathy and sympathy, she has already possessed one key trait of preparing herself to thrive in her industry. Being empathetic conditions her to put users' needs into her centre of design thinking in the creative process. She considers herself a designer, which is a bit more practical role (focusing on others' needs) versus an artist who is more self-expression in their artwork. But in either way, both designer and artist serve the same purpose of connecting people. She further pointed out being collaborative /telling a good story also plays a crucial role in unlocking potential of doing this job.  Her faith deeply touches me that the next generation will be born with higher emotional intelligence and more empathy. It's lucky to have a designer like Leecy, who is on a mission with a vision to bridging Tech and Design to build a better-connected world.  She also shared her current life chapter at entering her 30s. Looking back to her bitter-sweet life journey, she is growing into a wiser person with abundant self-love and self-compassion who got life stories to tell. She is no longer aiming for external validation or anxious to be successful. She is now shining in her unique and authentic way. I was truly empowered when she said she is now comfortable with the fact that life comes with ups and downs /twists and turns. 'Bring it on' isn't just her brave statement towards greater hurdles or challenges on the way but also her enthusiasm and curiosity towards life possibilities.  She shared 'at my age, I truly want to provide myself to be a free person by protecting my own time, my own money, and my own decisions'. She is taking full ownership of making her life decisions, nurturing herself to be a strong woman, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. We also dig into the topic “confidence”. Our upbringing from an Asian family tends to instill the mindset of ‘not enough' in us. Its impact extends into our adult life. We are driven by becoming better, so we often self-reflect on what we are not good at or not do well. Leecy shared some practical tips such as 'writing down what we have achieved or others' complements, which becomes accumulated moments of reminding us “how amazing we are” instead of being over self-critical.  Also, we should give permission of 'not being perfect' to ourselves, which  enables us to be more insightful to see other's highlights and strengths.  We should also not play 'problem-terminator' role. It means we should not always  blame ourselves when things go wrong  ( sometimes, it’s not our problem).      Leecy further addressed that as a minority living in a foreign country, being assertive means being authentic yourself from appearance outside to your voice inside. I am also truly related to her about improving confidence underneath through keeping working and pushing.  She shared that "just genuinely believe you can make it then you can". Regardless of results, the effort you put in always made you stronger! This powerful and conscious statement projects on my own motto: Sometimes, I may still carry fear and doubts, not confident, but I will not let it stand in my way of moving forward! I want to end this episode with what Leecy said "the world is big enough to hold my dream, I never thought this could happen, but life always surprise us in the most impossible way. That's why it's so amazing! The best is yet to come! Website: leecy.lilifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In Part two, Leecy shared her experience in hosting 'Talks at Google' with Yiying lu. She took the plunge, putting herself out there as a representative of our unique culture, with the mission to bridging  gaps for deeper human connection.  I strongly resonate with what she said: Hate comes from ignorance and fear of being unknown. When we are genuinely and openly sharing our stories with others, the possibility of building understanding and connection that transcends differences of culture, race, language, etc., appears on the surface. We further addressed that being a global citizen enables us to hold our roots more deeply instead of ditching our identity. Acknowledging who we are/ where we are from protects our uniqueness and affords us a sense of belonging.  Leecy and I have a similar background of growing up in China, proudly carrying our upbringing made who we are, also have the privilege in embracing diversity living in a foreign country. We are glad to introduce our culture into the world as well as opening  to different cultures  without judgment or comparison. We also consolidate our sense of identity by, as leecy said, upholding our opinions and being critical thinkers.  Leecy also pointed out that learning a new language contributes to fostering critical thinking. Leecy and I advocate for language learning (She is learning French and I speak Japanese). We both agree that language serves as a communication tool, leading us to connect its cultural/value system associated with this language on a deeper level. Also, tracing back to the original language helps us not to lost in translation.Leecy also shared her insights on decluttering and minimalism versus consumerism.  She believes each object serves meaning and purpose.  If left unused or unattended at the corner of our place, it  flags to us that this object fails to serve its purposes or meaning on our hands (the object's functional use or brings our inner joy, etc). We may want to declutter them by giving away or donating. It leads to Leecy's next great point of making an intentional purchase. Leecy suggests that we should evaluate those parameters built into our purchase system, which should not be based on promotion or impulses but based on how often we use and how much we like. Decluttering comes with time and emotional cost, which could be mitigated by making each purchase as meaningful as possible. Another great tip is to buy more consumable products while buying less clothes. I am so on board with buying more consumable products. I will purchase or even hoard products I will commit to finishing up (skincare, candles, bath salts, etc.,). Leecy particularly addressed renting service as an alternative to owning the piece when it comes to fashion shopping. When we gradually establish our style in fashion, we may make more secure and precise purchases. But the downside is it limits us to specific styling. Renting services allows for room to experiment our potential looks, which is a nice way of discovering something new in ourselves!We further expanded our topic to 'luxury products'. We both truly appreciate its aesthetic beauty and craftsmanship spirit, but we don't believe luxury feeling comes from luxury products nor fulfill ourselves through luxury brands. Our value system prevails over the consumerism traps.  Leecy added that she came a long way to reach this point of purchasing by heart, not by price. The purchasing system / value system she is holding now is a result of years of hard-working and growing consciousness. I am so related to that as I've also reached the stage of making conscious purchase with my value system underpinned.  I believe this is a part of being conscious about managing my finance, which is another essential level of taking control of our life.Website: leecy.lilifedesignerwithjingyuchen

It was such a huge honor to have an interview with Content Producer/ Musician Rowan Fitzpatrick! He was also my classmate from the Radio and Journalism class last year!  It’s a fun and light episode where we had so many laughs and flashback memories!Since graduating last year, Rowan has continued his radio journey as a volunteer in a community radio station. As a content producer, he has transitioned from a morning breakfast show to a radio sports show called ‘across the park.’ He truly enjoys producing sport-related content as he is also a big fan of the sport. His connection to the radio may trace back to his childhood as a ‘pretending news presenter’, then randomly had water tasting at his current workplace for news broadcasting, which led him to enroll in the radio course where we first met! We had so much fun on the radio station last year, and he applied everything he learned in class to actual practice since then!He is also a musician and a local band member: ‘ Heart of Mind.’  He shared his band history and story in this episode. I truly feel honored to have the opportunity to fit some fantastic singles from his band into this episode ( Moonlight, Fire), which makes this episode so unique and fun!  The music industry took a massive hit by this pandemic (even before the pandemic). We also dig in local artists/musicians working conditions, advocating for more national support.  Music has always played a healing and therapeutic role in my life, and I believe music also does magic on many people. While I am finalizing this episode, Sydney is entering the third month of lockdown. Thanks for Rowan’s genuine and humorous sharing, I had so much fun and laughter in producing this episode. I want to send this joy to anyone who may listen to it. We will get through this difficult time because a world with music is so beautiful, and a life with passion is so fulfilling!Thanks for listening to my podcast today. See you next time!Connect to Rowan Instagram : rowan091                              heartofmindband                         across_the_parklifedesignerwithjingyuchen

It’s a huge a honor to have Bella joining my podcast today who is a creative strategist based in NYC. From discovering  her strong passion in art as a kid to choosing a major or career in specific, she has always been a risk- taker person who makes her own major life decision, regardless of different voices all the way along. We see her living her dreaming NY life at this moment, thriving and shinning on her stage. But the story behind it touches me to the deepest. While exposing herself to unexpected cultural shock and unknown knowledge pouring in, she managed to have the best time of studying a niche major in Brown University. The tremendous effort she put in can be described as ‘crazy’: truly absorb art theory in class and take four part-time jobs outside class in Galleries/ PR companies, etc., Although she was once only one step away from her dream offer, reality didn’t set her up for a one-way straight ticket.  She didn’t give in setback but took another path to get back to her passionate point. It’s not a smooth transition into where she is now, but she never limits herself to what she has achieved. With a long-term vision towards future, she is consciously enjoying current moments with a fearless spirit and curious eye and exploring more potential life possibilities. This girl also combines her feminine outside with resilience inside, formulating her one captivating quality. We dig into her interpretation of femininity and further touch on ‘gender equality ‘women’s empowerment, ‘mutual respect’ ‘new power structure landscape’.  To build a united and equal community and society, we believe both women and men should not be confined to stereotypical roles based on gender. Everyone should access the equal right to choose their lifestyle and life path. I am also personally attached to the topic ‘Loneliness’ as Lockdown in Sydney comes at the end of the second month. Pandemic took a massive toll on individuals and the world as a whole on so many levels. We have no other options but strive to survive and grow ourselves. Bella and I luckily reached a certain point of enjoying solitude and loneliness, which took us to the next stage of self-discovery and self-care.  Meanwhile, these seemingly opposite elements, enjoying loneliness and seeking for deep human connection, can work together beautifully in harmony. Bella’s passion for other aspects of life also manifests through her many hobbies (writing, painting, reading, music, photography, fashion, etc.). We both appreciate the essential role of hobbies in our lives, which connects her to the world and brings me a sense of identify and belonging. If you see this girl’s strict daily schedule featuring high self-discipline, you will come to realize how she is genuinely counting on every minute of designing her artistic lifestyle. But she firmly believes each person is their own life designer with their own life formula.  Sticking to our inner voice matters the most. But connecting to a person who is like-minded, as Bella said, also reinforces and reassures us that we are on the right track. I truly appreciate her echo to my podcast’s intention and thank her for making me feel more determined to enjoy my ride on designing my unique life journey. Thanks for listening to my podcast. See you next time!Conntect to Bella : Website: https: bellajiangInstagram:  itsbellajiang 小红书： 一只纽约文艺狗 Bellalifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Haruka is a Japanese and English speaking MC/Presenter/Voiceover Artist based in Sydney. In today's episode, Haruka shared her life transformation journey that truly touched my heart. What impressed me the most is that she has always been her life decision-maker, which takes tremendous courage, strong willpower, and most importantly, actions.  We see her now as an inspiring powerhouse which she is. She has also been through just as much growing pain and struggling as any others from her young teenagerhood to current motherhood periods.When she was no longer just content with being a full-time Mum, she stepped out of her comfort zone to build up her business as a MC (Master of Ceremonies) and Voice-over artist. She may encounter her 'mean to do career role' overnight, but it's an outcome of years of building up of her life experience and parenting influences she received.  Essentially, she decided to confront her self-lost and to question her life direction. Using her voice and language to serve people becomes not only her true calling but also becomes the way she wants to be remembered by her kids: A Mum who is living intentionally, serving people with true passion. Even for a second, I thought she was a natural, confident champion, but, as she said herself, she also came a long way to build her self-esteem and confidence. When her beloved grandmother passed away, it hit her with the ultimate life question: life is so short, and how do I want to live my life? All her fears and self-doubts were gone at that moment when she thought it through, which eventually led her to embark on her MC journey.Growing up in the culture of putting others' feelings first while suppressing their own emotions in Japan, she is also a strong advocator of raising people's awareness in mental health, wishing to have more hotlines or support services accessible to Japanese. Writing letters to her family members and friends became her tradition which she found a great way of expressing her feelings. Due to her personal experience of being bullied at school back to her young teenagerhood period, she feels strongly about helping children experience difficult times or traumatic events.  The helpless feelings she once experienced impelled her to make up her mind of reaching out to those struggling children and guiding them in the right direction. Therefore, her ultimate goal is to build up a platform where children feel safe and supportive of being open.  A person like Haruka is the key messenger here to spread the words and lead the actions to address those social issues.  I believe individuals' power and voice matter. In the end, I want to say this conversation is an amazing encounter with a strong spirit and beautiful soul, which makes me feel the hope and beauty towards humanity and life.Thanks for listening to my podcast. See you next time.Conntect Haruka :Instagram  : haruka_bilingualemcee YouTube: Haruka’s MC Channellifedesignerwithjingyuchen

In today’s episode, Sherman_mommy shared her life-transformation story from self-focus only to loving others. Living in a fast-paced and stressful place like HK, She was once a ‘selfish person’ ( as she described herself) who just aimed at being more competitive at work  and getting better herself. As the biggest turning point of her life, becoming a Mum gave her the new power which not only enables her to take responsibility of new life but also to take care of others (Teammates, Clients, etc.,).  She experienced similar concerns, self-doubt, and hesitation just like any other Mums before having this baby, but turns out being a Mum makes her so much happier than ever. The mindset shift from receiving to giving also impacts other aspects of her life positively. She is even more thriving at her career development as she is more carefully treating every case and nurturing each client of her. As she said, self-growth is a life-long dynamic journey transcends age limit. Now she is at the stage of advocating for using women’s power to breed love as she believes loving others is the underlying drive to fulfill self-value and gain happiness. I am truly related to that point . I  believe that Loving others means being brave, responsible, and giving while risks are being rejected, hurt, and disappointed. Even so, I feel  seeking deep human connection is approval of living this only one life with utmost effort.  She also addressed life-choice is very personal which can’t be copied/ Pasted.She also shared her parenting insights through her practice and studying in this area. She particularly pointed out she wants to help her baby develop some hobbies for its own sake, not for its potential fame. Having life hobbies not just for babies but also for ourselves is extremely important for our life-long well-being. We could still create a meaningful and fulfilling life with hobbies as accompanies, when the essence of life is boring.We further dug into topics such as ' time management skills'  ‘ consumerism’ ‘ how to live an authentic life’, etc.,  She found she is happier than many people she met in HK who only focus on glory moments and are overwhelmed by the pressure of exceptionality. However, those people often ignore those ordinary days spent on preparing for the glory moments. Essentially, she believes we should improve our ability to sense joy in our ordinary life which can be sustainable instead of pursuing happiness which is a transient moment.  She is strongly open to the beauty of being ordinary as she believes embracing ordinary life is the best way to reach exceptionality: For most people, when given ordinary opportunities and encouragement, a truly exceptional talent will surface.Thanks for listening to my podcast today. See you next time!lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

During the lockdown, I often recalled what happened to my life in the last 6 months. Apart from work, I also had lots amazing life experience involved key words such as  Zumba, Podcast, Musical, Dining etc., They were all fun and exciting which they were, but what you didn't know behind is I was in a self- battle every day. It took tremendous strength and courage to make every new attempt in putting myself out there for the unknown outcome, potential setback, and rejection. On the flip side, I also gained fun, joy, and a sense of fulfillment in return.In today’s girl talk, I strongly resonated with those girls’ self-growth journey, particularly Living in pandemic uncertainty.  We shared tips in going through lockdown, for instance, be grateful for our health, be open to others, stay connected, focus on achieving our goal, be self-affirmation to every small progress we made, etc., However, those emotions: anxiety, fear and a moment of overwhelming also exist all the time. Unfortunately, there is not a 'one size fits in all' solution or a ultimate cure to unravel life’s emotional ups and downs, but as WanJia shared with us: Every situation in life is temporary,  so when life is good, make sure you enjoy it and received it fully. When life is not so good, remember it will not last forever and a better day is one the way.I am so glad to hear Wanjia is finally embarking on her life-pursuit journey with a determination to becoming a professional Zumba instructor; Ailsa stepped out of her comfort zone to embrace professional and personal challenges. Each story from my guests becomes a precious encounter to me. I truly treasure each encounter in my daily life because that all built into my life-design journey.Thanks for listening to my podcast, see you next time!  lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

It's a huge honor to get this interview with Terry Ng from HK. Here are some key takeaways for today’s show:  Terry shared his spiritual journey which coincides with ancient Chinese philosophy yin/yang. The Yin/Yang symbol is composed of the white and black sides, two opposite forces and characters. To apply this concept to understand humanity, Terry believes his life journey started with discovering the dark side of humanity. What matters is to acknowledge our own dark side as opposed to suppress it.  Having consciously embraced two sides, we can put less focus and energy to address the dark site. When something happens, we can have a choice between the white/positive side and the dark /negative side. That means we should uphold our values and strengths while abandoning what goes against them. In Yin/Yang dynamic, everything manifests two opposite elements which should exist in harmony.Terry also reiterates helping people and the community serves as an underlying drive and motive through his career. Working in a giant tech company, he found technology can be used in a wise way to improve the quality of elder’s life and to advance the education system. Although ups and downs occurred at work all the time, he was able to bounce back to continually work with the unshakable drive. Even when we break down at work or life, it can be a signal or sign the universe sent it out, reminding us of taking a pose and taking a step back. Terry mentioned that mindfulness PRACTICE ( meditation, yoga, etc.,) helps us to focus on our inner voice and true feelings without self-judgment. When we are mindful about what’s going on around us and inside us,  we will become less stressed and more capable of seeing the big picture of life and the new path ahead of us. Terry got an eye of curiosity towards people and a spirit of adventure towards life. He traveled worldwide,  truly enjoying opening himself up to different cultures and people where he found pure human connection and life joy. I guess that’s also why he could always embark on every new life journey fearlessly and passionately, even from a fresh start. In the end, I want to say we are so easily affected and distracted by external noises and the environment. To seek happiness in our life, we need to embrace the complexity of humanity, shift focus to our own inner self, and treasure every little joy we encounter every day. Thanks for listening to my podcast today. See you next time!lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Here are some today’s key takeaways : I am personally attached to this episode on a very deep level.  so many times I am feeling  on the edge at work while the idea of  going to Zumba after work  got me through  those tough days. I can easily lie on the bed after busy work , feeling exhausted  but not fulfilling. But this added small routine not only brings me hassle -free 45mins  every time  but also gives  me extra energy  to work on my own projects for fun. It’s so inspiring to hear the way Jeison interpret how to find passion. Be patient but give a try on everything then you will know. Sometimes you have to patient and even give a second try to valid and test your true feelings towards your very initiative and attempt to explore something new. It’s like how I never picture myself dance but now it’s become my life routine which changed my whole spiritual status and energy level.Passion is not easy to find and it may come late or never ever. But we can start something small to get some fun even just on a hobby level.  Life will  begin to change when you take the first step. But taking that first step doesn’t mean  it’s gonna be straightway joy offer , with my experience, quite oppositely,  it takes much more efforts and time to build up new skills and  experience much  failure and frustration to eventually  gain that little tiny sparkling  joy.  I want to say that’s so so worthy, because those sparkles are potentially gowning into fire one day.  Through his Zumba coaching journey, Jeison also came to realization that not everyone will feel connected to him which is fine that’s why different instructors are included into the team. Connection is mutual feelings which sometimes, can be  built effortlessly but sometimes seems to be unattainable. Because of that, once that connection is made, it will be so rewarding and meaningful.In the end, I want to say I am so grateful to have Zumba become part of my life and I am more tirelessly and  fearless to explore what life can bring to me and what I can create for this world. Thanks for listening to my podcast and see you next time. lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Key takeaways from today’s show:  As a young, passionate serial entrepreneur,  Danny is on his journey of building his business empire by taking small steps and through long years of hard work. His hobby, being a DJ, led him to his first start-up: DJ DAROC, then he identified the market gap and created a  Mutil -media and events agency ‘Gigahire’ where he landed some real big-name clients. He is running a wedding planning company at the same time. When Co-Vid kicked in, he lost almost all of his events business overnight. Instead of being depressed, he leveraged his skill-set in IT to launch an IT solution service to people WFH. During the Post-Covid age now,  he is exploring new business in filming and media as the events/show business is still recovering from the pandemic. He is not just business-oriented but also enjoys food, plays table tennis.  Obviously, it's his passion for business and life that keeps him always stay energetic and positive, but the underlying drive is that the established value he always sticks to which is to help people and to get back to the community.  We are likely to presume that business people are money-driven or even ruthless in order to gain profits which to a certain extent, could be true, but to hold up the belief of serving and helping people as a core principle, I personally believe, so is Danny and many other people in the business world, that will add infinite momentum into a person’s pursuit in life meaning and purpose. Danny and I also share much common in lifestyle and life-pursuit.  We both believe the key to success is staying humble,  following your passion, and keeping upskilling yourself.  Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you doing.  Essentially, to achieve your small goal or big dream, don’t forget a healthy lifestyle ( self-care, exercise, nutrition meals, etc.,) is your fundamental support that lays the foundation for physical energy and strong mental health. Thanks for listening to my podcast today. See you next time! lifedesignerwithjingyuchen

Setsuko is a Japanese florist based in Sydney, specialising in IKEBANA (traditional Japanese flower arrangement) and European style as well.In today's episode, Setsuko shared her life story about passion, struggling and encounter.Key takeaways from today's show: I want to quote what Kristen Kish, the winner from top chef,  said about passion : passion is not just being exciting about something, but being completely dedicated, always curious, truly connected to that.  Setsuko is a living example to approve that  it's never been too late to do something as she decided to pursue her passion which are flower and food as her profession in her middle 40's.  when facing challengesSetsuko believes in 継続力 ( persistence and continuity). If you keep doing, good things come and bad things may come as well. You have to accept that and maintain positive mentality. Setsuko also shared her 生き方 ( the way to live your life) with the Japanese philosophy: 一期一会(いちごいちえ). It tells us that we should always appreciate every encounter in our life as it may not come again. Having said that,  being genuine and generous to give as much as you can in each encounter, you will also receive inspiration and positive energy in return. Human are all looking to emotional connection. いちごいちえalso indicates that there is some encounter "mean to be happen", people may reconnect again in the future. Thanks for listening to my podcast today.  See you next time! Conntect SetsukoWebsite: yugafloraInstagram: yugasetsukolifedesignerwithjingyuchen